· 9 min read
If you live in Riyadh for more than a few months, AlUla is the weekend you will be asked about, and the one you should take first. It is the country's first UNESCO World Heritage Site, a valley of sandstone the colour of terracotta, and it is under two hours from King Khalid airport. Most of our guests do it as a Thursday-to-Saturday trip, and most come back saying two nights was exactly right. Here is how to do it well, with the bookings that matter and the ones that do not.
Dates and prices below were checked in September 2026. Airline schedules change with the season and festival dates are announced through the year, so treat the official Experience AlUla site as the final word.
Hegra was the southern city of the Nabataeans, the people who built Petra, and 131 monumental tombs are carved into its outcrops, most of them from the first century. Around it sit an older kingdom's capital at Dadan, a canyon of inscriptions at Jabal Ikmah, an oasis town of mud-brick houses, a sandstone elephant the size of a building, and the largest mirrored structure in the world. All of it lies within a half-hour drive, and the light on the rock in the last hour of the day is the reason people go back.
Fly. Saudia and flynas both fly direct from Riyadh to AlUla International Airport, and the flight is under two hours. On the current schedule, valid until 24 October 2026, Saudia flies four times a week, on Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, and flynas three times, on Sunday, Monday and Friday. Winter schedules usually add capacity for the festival season; check both airlines when the October timetable is published. Fares typically start around SAR 250 each way off-peak and climb towards SAR 600 or more in festival weeks and on Thursday evenings, so book two to three weeks out. From north Riyadh the airport is twenty-five minutes by car, or the Yellow Line from KAFD.
The Thursday-out, Saturday-back pattern works on the current timetable with Saudia both ways. If your dates need flynas, Friday out and Sunday back is the alternative.
Drive. About 1,000 kilometres via Buraydah and Hail, ten to twelve hours with stops. It is a proper road trip through the Nafud's edge and worth doing once, but not for a two-night weekend. Fly, and hire a car at the other end.
At the airport. Budget, Lumi and Alrehaili have car hire desks in the terminal, and you will want a car: the sites are spread across a valley and a taxi rank of limited size serves a whole airport. Bring your licence and an International Driving Permit. Careem operates in AlUla around the clock and can be scheduled in advance, and the Darb AlUla app books rides too. The hotels are twenty-five to thirty-five minutes from the terminal.
Two. A Thursday evening arrival gives you dinner in Old Town; Friday is Hegra in the morning and Elephant Rock at sunset; Saturday is Dadan, Jabal Ikmah and Maraya before an afternoon flight. Three nights adds a balloon flight at dawn, a canyon hike, or a second sunset somewhere quieter. One night, or a day trip, means choosing between Hegra and everything else, and the flight times make it tighter than it looks. If you have an evening rather than a weekend, Diriyah is the heritage site twenty minutes from north Riyadh.
Thursday. Land, collect the car, drive to the hotel. Head to Old Town for dinner: the shops stay open until eleven and most restaurants until one in the morning, and the streets are at their best after dark. Tofareya for Saudi food, Villa Fayrouz for Lebanese, Entrecôte Café de Paris if you want something familiar.
Friday morning. Hegra. The Hegra Day Tour starts from Winter Park, where you leave the car, and takes you round the site in an air-conditioned coach with a guide for two to three hours, stopping at Qasr al-Farid, the Lihyan son of Kuza tomb, Jabal Ithlib and the Jabal Banat necropolis. From SAR 95 a person, all ages, though the paths are not made for wheelchairs or strollers. Go on the first tour of the day for the light and the temperature.
Friday afternoon. Lunch and a slow hour in the heat of the day. Then Elephant Rock, which opens at four and runs until midnight, twenty minutes north-east of Old Town on Highway 70. Arrive an hour before sunset, take a seat around one of the firepits, order from the SALT truck or a coffee from Barn's, and stay for the lighting after dark. No ticket, free parking, and no climbing on the rock.
Friday night, optional. Stargazing at Gharameel, a three-to-four-hour guided evening among the rock pinnacles with a grilled dinner around the campfire, from SAR 397 a person, minimum of four, ages eight and up. It is the best thing to do with the darkest sky you will see for a while.
Saturday morning. Dadan and Jabal Ikmah, a two-hour tour from SAR 60 with a guide or an audio route led by a heritage ranger: the royal tombs of the Dadanite kingdom cut into a cliff, then a canyon lined with inscriptions in five ancient scripts that UNESCO has listed on its Memory of the World register. Quieter than Hegra and, for many people, the more affecting of the two.
Saturday midday. Maraya, in the Ashar valley twenty minutes from town: 9,740 mirrored panels that make a concert hall disappear into the desert. You cannot wander in, but the 45-minute Maraya Tour, from SAR 95, takes you around and behind it, and if a concert falls on your dates, book it. Then back to Old Town for a Rawi storytelling walk, SAR 70 for an hour, and lunch before the airport.
| Book ahead | Why | From |
|---|---|---|
| Hegra Day Tour | Limited slots; you cannot drive in yourself | SAR 95 per person |
| Dadan and Jabal Ikmah Tour | Limited slots | SAR 60 per person |
| Maraya Tour | Timed entry | SAR 95 per person |
| Stargazing at Gharameel | Minimum group of four, seasonal | SAR 397 per person |
| Hot air balloon at dawn | Seasonal, small baskets, sells out | About SAR 990–1,295 per person |
| Old Town Rawi tour | Can be booked on the day, but the good slots go | SAR 70 per person |
| Car hire | Weekend demand outstrips the desks | From about SAR 150 a day |
Everything on that list is booked through the official Experience AlUla site or app, which also sells festival tickets. Elephant Rock and Old Town itself need no ticket.
The valley has three tiers, and all of them are a short drive from the sites.
| Tier | Places | Typical from, per night | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Resort | Banyan Tree AlUla, Our Habitas AlUla, The Chedi Hegra | SAR 1,100–1,600 | The Ashar valley setting; the Chedi sits at Hegra itself |
| Character | Dar Tantora in Old Town, Caravan by Habitas, Cloud7 Residence | SAR 450–1,300 | Dar Tantora for the mud-brick houses and candlelight; Caravan for the Airstreams |
| Value | Shaden Resort, Sahary AlUla Resort and the town's guesthouses | SAR 400–1,000 | Families, and anyone spending the budget on experiences instead |
Rates rise sharply in the festival weeks and on holiday weekends, so book the hotel the same day as the Hegra slot.
October to March. Daytime temperatures sit between roughly 20°C and 27°C, the light is soft and the evenings are for firepits; December and January nights can fall to near freezing, so pack a proper jacket. Summer days regularly pass 40°C and the outdoor sites keep short hours, which is why the flight schedule thins from May to September.
The season is built around the AlUla Moments festivals, and they are worth planning towards:
| Festival | Dates | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| AlUla Skies | 6–15 November 2026 | Hot-air balloons at dawn, tethered balloon rides, stargazing |
| Winter at Tantora | 17 December 2026 – 9 January 2027 | Concerts in Old Town and at Maraya, the Shorfat Tantora balcony performances, the AlManshiyah carnival |
| Ultra Gobi AlUla | 13–20 January 2027 | A multi-day endurance race through the valleys |
| AlUla Wellness Festival, Ancient Kingdoms Festival | Usually late October and late November to December; 2026 dates to be announced | Wellness retreats; heritage events at Hegra and Dadan |
For two people, mid-range, flying Thursday to Saturday outside the festival peaks. Every line varies with dates and choices; this is the shape of the bill, not a quote.
| Item | Roughly |
|---|---|
| Flights, two return | SAR 1,200 |
| Car hire, three days | SAR 500 |
| Hotel, two nights | SAR 1,600 |
| Hegra, Dadan and Jabal Ikmah, Maraya tours | SAR 500 |
| Old Town Rawi walk | SAR 140 |
| Meals and coffee | SAR 600 |
| Total | About SAR 4,500 |
Add SAR 800 for the stargazing evening or SAR 2,000 to 2,600 for a balloon flight for two.
If you are in the city for Riyadh Season, AlUla makes the natural weekend away in the middle of it: the same crowd that fills Boulevard City on a Thursday is thin on the ground at Hegra on a Friday morning. For the rest of the trips worth taking from the capital, see our Beyond Riyadh guides.
Fly. Saudia and flynas fly direct in under two hours, seven times a week between them on the current schedule, from about SAR 250 each way off-peak. The drive is around 1,000 kilometres and ten to twelve hours via Buraydah and Hail, a fine road trip with a spare day but not for a two-night weekend.
Two nights, yes. Hegra takes a morning, Elephant Rock an evening, Dadan and Jabal Ikmah a second morning, and Maraya and Old Town fill the rest. A third night adds a dawn balloon flight or a hike. A single day means choosing between Hegra and everything else.
Yes. Hegra is visited by guided tour only, on coaches that leave from Winter Park, and daily slots are limited. Book the Hegra Day Tour on the Experience AlUla site, from SAR 95 a person, before you book your flights, and take the first morning slot.
October to March, when days are between about 20°C and 27°C and the festivals run: AlUla Skies in November, Winter at Tantora from mid-December to early January. December and January nights can drop near freezing. Summer days pass 40°C and the outdoor sites keep shorter hours.
Yes, with a car. Elephant Rock at sunset, the Old Town streets after dark, the Dadan and Jabal Ikmah audio tour and the tethered balloon rides during AlUla Skies all work well. Hegra's coach tour welcomes all ages but the paths are not stroller-friendly, and stargazing at Gharameel is for ages eight and up.
You can, but you will spend most of the day travelling and have to choose between Hegra and the rest. With flights under two hours each way it is possible; with two nights it is a very different trip. If you have only a day, book the first Hegra tour and Elephant Rock at sunset and leave the rest for next time.
Staying in Riyadh and planning the AlUla weekend? Our apartments are twenty-five minutes from the airport, and we will hold your bags while you are away. Ask us on WhatsApp.
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