The short answer
When is the best time for Umrah?
The best time for Umrah depends on three things you can’t change and one you can. The three are the heat in Makkah and Madinah, the size of the crowds, and the Saudi season calendar, which shuts Umrah down for several weeks around Hajj. The one you can change is how far ahead you plan.
Your own constraints come next: leave from work, the school calendar, and the health of anyone older in the group. A month that is perfect for two young adults can be the wrong month for a grandmother with a heart condition.
Umrah month by month, late 2026 to 2027
The Islamic calendar is lunar, so each Islamic month arrives about 11 days earlier in the Gregorian calendar every year. The months below follow Saudi Arabia’s Umm al-Qura calendar and are approximate: the start of Ramadan, Shawwal and Dhu al-Hijjah depends on moon sighting. Temperatures are typical daytime highs from long-term averages, not forecasts.
| Month | Islamic months (approx.) | Weather | Crowds | Why |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| October 2026 | Rabi al-Thani, then Jumada al-Ula from about 12 October | Hot: Makkah around 40°C, Madinah high 30s | Moderate and rising | The heat starts to break and Umrah numbers climb with it |
| November 2026 | Jumada al-Ula, then Jumada al-Akhirah from about 11 November | Warm: Makkah mid-30s, Madinah around 30°C | Moderate | One of the best windows: cooler, and Pakistani schools are open |
| December 2026 | Jumada al-Akhirah, then Rajab from about 10 December | Pleasant: Makkah low 30s, Madinah mid-20s, cool nights | Busy from the third week | The winter school break and year-end holidays abroad fill flights and hotels |
| January 2027 | Rajab, then Sha’ban from about 9 January | Mildest: Makkah around 31°C, Madinah around 24°C, cold nights | Busy early, easier once schools reopen | The second half of the month is a good gap before the pre-Ramadan rush |
| February 2027 | Sha’ban, then Ramadan from about 8 February | Mild: Makkah low 30s, Madinah high 20s | Very busy | Ramadan begins; rooms near the Haram are usually long gone |
| March 2027 | Ramadan, then Shawwal from about 9 or 10 March (Eid al-Fitr) | Warm: Makkah mid-30s | Peak until Eid, then falling fast | The last ten nights are the busiest of the year; Umrah visas stop on 1 Shawwal |
| April 2027 | Shawwal, then Dhu al-Qa’dah from about 8 April | Hot: Makkah near 39°C | Season closing | Umrah pilgrims must leave by 7 April; Makkah then closes to anyone without a Hajj permit |
| May 2027 | Dhu al-Qa’dah, then Dhu al-Hijjah from about 7 May | Very hot: Makkah low 40s | Hajj only | Hajj is expected around 14–19 May; Umrah reopens shortly after |
| June–July 2027 | Dhu al-Hijjah, Muharram 1449 from about 6 June, Safar from about 5 July | Extreme: Makkah 43–44°C, nights near 30°C | Light, plus families on school holidays | The new season opens; quieter and cheaper because of the heat |
| August–September 2027 | Safar, Rabi al-Awwal from about 3 August, Rabi al-Thani from about 2 September | Extreme heat continues | Light to moderate | Schools reopen; the heat lasts into October |
| October–December 2027 | Jumada al-Ula to Rajab 1449 | Cooling, as in late 2026 | Rising again | The same pattern as this year, about 11 days earlier in the Islamic calendar |
When does the Umrah season 2027 open and close?
Saudi Arabia runs Umrah for foreign pilgrims as a season, and the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah publishes its dates each year. The current season, 1448 AH, opened on 31 May 2026, just after Hajj. The 1449 season has not been announced; if Saudi Arabia follows this year’s pattern, Umrah visas will reopen around 14 Dhu al-Hijjah, about 20 May 2027.
Two more rules shape your dates. Since November 2025 an Umrah visa has to be used within 30 days of being issued, so it is applied for close to travel, not months ahead. And from 1 Dhu al-Qa’dah, about 8 April 2027, Makkah closes to visitors without a Hajj permit, while Nusuk stops issuing Umrah permits to everyone else until after Hajj; in 2026 that pause ran from 18 April to 31 May.
For the current season, the Ministry’s 1448 Umrah calendar sets three cut-offs:
- Last day for new Umrah visas: 1 Shawwal 1448, expected to be 9 March 2027, Eid al-Fitr
- Last day to enter Saudi Arabia on an Umrah visa: 15 Shawwal, about 23 March 2027
- Last day to leave: 30 Shawwal, about 7 April 2027
How Pakistani school holidays push demand
School holidays decide when most families can travel, and they explain the rush periods that the weather alone doesn’t. Each province sets its own dates and often announces them only weeks ahead, but the pattern is steady.
The winter break runs from around the third week of December into early January — about ten days in Sindh, nearer three weeks in Punjab. It coincides with year-end holidays for Pakistanis in the UK, Europe and the Gulf, so flights from Lahore, Karachi and Islamabad to Jeddah and Madinah fill early, and hotels close to the Haram go first.
The summer holidays run from late May or June to late July or August, depending on the province. In 2027 the start of that break falls during the Hajj closure, so a summer Umrah realistically means June to August, in the hottest weather of the year. If school dates are fixed, book flights as soon as you know them; holiday seats are the first to go.
What is the cheapest time for Umrah?
There is no single cheap month, because a package price is built from parts that move separately. In practice the lowest prices tend to come in the weeks just after the season reopens and in the hottest months, when demand is weakest. The cheapest time is often the hardest time to perform Umrah, so weigh the saving against who is travelling. Our Umrah package checklist covers what to compare once you have quotes.
These are what make a date more or less expensive:
- Demand: Ramadan, especially the last ten nights, the winter school break and the summer holidays cost the most
- The hotel’s distance from the Haram, which matters more than its star rating and rises most in peak weeks
- Flight seats from your city: Eid and school-holiday dates sell out first, and late bookings pay for what is left
- How far ahead you book, particularly for Ramadan
- The exchange rate, since hotels and Saudi services are priced in riyals
- Length of stay, how many share a room, and whether meals, Ziyarat and private transport are included
Umrah in winter: the best time for elderly parents
For elderly parents the deciding factor is heat. Tawaf and sa’i together mean several kilometres of walking, often in a crowd, and summer daytime temperatures in Makkah sit in the 40s. November to February is the safest window, and November or late January avoids the winter-holiday crowds as well.
Winter has one small catch: Madinah nights in December and January can drop to around 12°C, which feels cold after a warm day and in strongly air-conditioned hotels. A shawl or light jacket is enough.
Whatever the month, a hotel close to the Haram does more for an elderly pilgrim than any other upgrade. Wheelchairs are available inside Masjid al-Haram, and a rest day between Umrah and the journey to Madinah makes the whole trip easier. Avoid the last ten nights of Ramadan unless the hotel is a short walk away.
The best time for families with children
For most families the school calendar decides, so the real choice is between the winter break and the summer holidays. Winter wins easily: children cope badly with 44°C, and a heat-exhausted child ends a day’s plans. If you can take children out of school for a week in November or late January, you get mild weather and thinner crowds.
Children need the same paperwork as adults: their own visa, the meningitis vaccine, and a polio dose, which everyone travelling from Pakistan needs whatever their age; ask your doctor about babies under one. The details are in our Umrah visa guide. In the Haram, put a wristband or card on each child with your phone number and hotel name, and agree a meeting point by gate number before you go in.
Is Ramadan the best time for Umrah?
For worship, many would say yes. A well-known hadith, reported by Bukhari and Muslim, says an Umrah in Ramadan carries a reward like that of Hajj; scholars agree it does not replace the obligatory Hajj. Taraweeh in the Haram, iftar in the courtyards and the last ten nights are what people plan for years.
The price is crowds, cost and stamina. Fasting while doing tawaf in a packed mosque is hard, and rooms near the Haram sell out months ahead. Our Ramadan Umrah 2027 guide covers the expected dates, when to book and how the last ten nights work.
Frequently asked questions
This is general guidance
