Umrah Packages
January 2027

The coolest month of the pilgrim year

If heat is what worries you most about Umrah, January is the month to look at. It is the coolest point of the year in both Holy Cities, and for older pilgrims, people with heart or breathing conditions, or anyone who simply finds 40°C exhausting, it removes much of the physical strain from tawaf and sa’i.

A Makkah afternoon in January feels like a hot British summer day, which is manageable with shade and water. Madinah, by contrast, can be properly crisp: a 12°C night is not far off a mild April evening at home. Pilgrims who pack only light cotton are often caught out on the walk to Fajr, so treat a jumper or padded jacket as essential, not optional.

After the holidays, before Ramadan

The first few days of January still belong to the Christmas break. Schools under Birmingham City Council return after 3 January 2027, Glasgow’s indicative return is 5 January, and Edinburgh pupils go back on 6 January. Anyone departing in that opening stretch is travelling on New Year dates, which carry higher prices; see our New Year Umrah packages for those.

Once the holidays are over, demand from UK families drops away and the month settles into one of the calmest periods of the season. That lull lasts until the run-up to Ramadan, which is expected to start on Monday 8 February 2027 (possibly 7 February, depending on the moon). Late January is therefore the last chance to perform Umrah at base prices before the blessed month begins.

January or Ramadan?

Many people weigh up a January trip against travelling in Ramadan itself. The reward of Umrah in Ramadan is well known, but the crowds, the fasting in a new environment and the higher cost are real considerations, especially for elderly parents. Here is how the starting prices compare, per person, four sharing:

Some pilgrims choose both: a quiet January Umrah for a first visit and to learn the ropes, then a shorter return trip during the Ramadan Umrah season. The one-year multiple-entry Umrah visa introduced in July 2026 allows more than one trip within 365 days, although the Ministry has clarified that each visit still needs its own approved package and Nusuk permit.

What is included and where you stay

January packages are priced per person on a four-sharing basis and include return flights, the Umrah visa, hotel accommodation and transfers. Prices are confirmed at booking. You can stay 7, 10, 12 or 14 nights; on the 7-night option you spend four nights in Makkah and three in Madinah, while the longer trips are split equally.

3★ from £625

Our 3-star January packages use Emaar Andalusia (700–800 m from Masjid al-Haram) or Al Kiswah Towers (900 m–1.4 km) in Makkah, paired with Zowar Alalami (300–350 m) or Al Aqeeq Al Rawda by Sedra (about 650 m) in Madinah. In cool weather the longer walks are far easier, so this is the month where 3★ really earns its place.

4★ from £725

The 4-star packages bring you closer: Elaf Kinda at 160–280 m or Sheraton Makkah Jabal Al Kaaba at roughly 200 m, linked by a pedestrian bridge, and in Madinah Dallah Taibah (160–200 m) or Elaf Taiba (220–500 m).

5★ from £895

For the shortest walk of all, the 5-star packages use Pullman ZamZam Makkah (100 m) or Swissôtel Makkah (210 m) in the Abraj Al Bait towers, and Anwar Al Madinah Mövenpick (50 m) or Pullman Zamzam Madinah (110 m).

Who a January Umrah suits best

• Elderly parents: the coolest temperatures of the year, combined with thinner crowds, make the walking and standing far less tiring. Wheelchair users also find the mataf and the sa’i corridor easier to navigate when the mosque is calmer.
• First-time pilgrims: learning the rites, finding your way round the gates of Masjid al-Haram and getting used to Nusuk permits is simpler without peak-season pressure. Converts making their first Umrah often tell us that the quieter atmosphere helped them focus.
• Self-employed and shift workers: January is a slow month for many trades, and leave is easier to arrange once the Christmas rota is over.
• Anyone saving for Ramadan: spending around £310–£470 less per person than a Ramadan departure leaves room in the budget for a second trip later in the year.

The people for whom January works less well are families with school-age children, who would need to take them out of class, and anyone whose heart is set on the special atmosphere of tarawih in the Haram. For them, the Christmas holidays or the February half-term are the realistic choices.

Getting there in January

Saudia flies non-stop to Jeddah from London Heathrow and Manchester, taking roughly six hours from Heathrow and a little longer from Manchester. Our 4★ and 5★ packages from those airports use these direct flights. Everything else flies Turkish Airlines through Istanbul, where the onward hop to Jeddah takes about four hours, except from Glasgow, where Emirates connects in Dubai. Yorkshire pilgrims from Leeds or Bradford usually travel to Manchester, roughly an hour and a quarter by road, to make the most of the direct route.

A winter tip for the flight: the miqat announcement on a Jeddah-bound aircraft often comes when you have been sitting in a cool cabin for hours. Many men put on the ihram sheets before boarding but keep an ordinary jumper on top, since the restrictions only begin with the niyyah; the jumper comes off just before the crew make their call. Ask your scholar if you are unsure of the details.

A January packing and health checklist

1. Layers: light clothes for Makkah afternoons, a warm layer for Madinah after dark.
2. Meningitis ACWY: compulsory, at least 10 days before arrival. Conjugate vaccine certificates last five years, polysaccharide ones three; if your certificate does not say which, it is treated as three.
3. Winter bugs: the Saudi Ministry of Health recommends flu and COVID-19 vaccination for pilgrims, which is wise when you are leaving a British winter for very crowded mosques.
4. Lip balm and moisturiser: the air is dry, and cool nights make chapped lips more likely.
5. Passport: valid for at least six months from the day you arrive.

Making the most of a quiet month

January is also a sensible time to think about what you want from the trip spiritually. With Ramadan only weeks away, many pilgrims use the quieter Haram to build habits they hope to carry into the fasting month: extra Qur’an recitation, voluntary fasts and longer nights of prayer.

Lighter crowds make January a good time for extra worship rather than just the essentials. Many pilgrims plan several tawafs at different times of day, spend long hours in the Haram after Fajr, and take a ziyarat tour of Madinah to Quba, Qiblatayn and Uhud in comfortable morning temperatures. If you want to visit the Rawdah, the Nusuk app handles the booking, and each person can visit once every 365 days.

Ahead of booking, take a moment to read the current FCDO guidance for Saudi Arabia; it can affect whether your travel insurance covers the trip.

Comparing months? December offers similar weather with Christmas family dates, February is when Ramadan begins, and March covers Eid and the final weeks of the season.

Book your January 2027 Umrah

Flight-inclusive packages are ATOL protected (ATOL No. 11203). That protection means you are issued an ATOL certificate naming who protects your trip, and if the holder were to fail before you travel you would be entitled to a refund. It is not a substitute for travel insurance, so arrange both. If you already have a January quote, try our Beat My Quote service. Otherwise, fill in our quick quote form or send us a WhatsApp message with your dates and departure airport.