October Half-Term Umrah
Packages 2027

A compact pilgrimage for the autumn break

October half-term is short, but it is long enough for a meaningful Umrah. With a weekend at each end, a nine-day break comfortably holds a 7-night package: four nights in Makkah and three in Madinah. It is a popular choice for parents who want to bring children without asking school for extra days, and for first-timers who would rather start with a shorter trip.

The UK half-term for 2026 is already under way, so this page looks ahead to October 2027. Please read the next section carefully, because that trip depends on a Saudi announcement that has not yet been made.

Why October 2027 depends on the 1449 season

Each Umrah season runs from just after one Hajj until shortly before the next. The current 1448 season closes to new arrivals on 23 March 2027 and ends with a final departure date of 7 April 2027. October 2027 therefore falls in the following season, 1449.

The Ministry of Hajj and Umrah has not yet published the 1449 calendar. By precedent the season is expected to reopen after Hajj, typically around late May or June 2027, and we confirm dates as soon as the Ministry announces them. Until then, October half-term prices are our expected starting points, and we can take your details and hold a provisional enquiry rather than a confirmed booking.

When the announcement comes, we will check hotel availability against the published half-term dates, get back to everyone who has enquired, and only then ask for a deposit. Nobody pays anything for October 2027 until we can actually confirm the trip.

Half-term dates we know so far

Only some councils have published their October 2027 dates.

For reference, the 2026 dates were 26–30 October in Birmingham and 12–19 October in Edinburgh, so Scottish families typically travel a week or two earlier than English ones. We will update this table as more councils publish their calendars; meanwhile, check with your child’s school, as academies can set their own dates.

October weather: warm days, kinder nights

October is a transition month in the Hijaz. The fierce heat of summer is easing but has not gone. Average highs in Makkah are around 40.4°C, with lows near 26.5°C. Madinah is a little gentler, averaging about 37.3°C by day and 23.5°C at night.

In practice that means daytime walks are still best kept short, while evenings are pleasant enough for the family to sit together in the courtyard after Isha. If you can avoid school dates altogether, our November Umrah page covers a noticeably cooler month.

Prices for October half-term

Half-term weeks cost more than the term-time weeks around them, because so many UK families travel at once. Our October half-term packages start from the prices below, per person with four sharing a room. They include return flights, Umrah visa, hotels and transfers, and will be confirmed at booking once the 1449 season is announced.

Our booking policy sets out the details.

Picking a tier for a short trip

On a 7-night trip, every hour counts. The closer you stay, the more prayers you can attend without long walks eating into your time. Families with toddlers or grandparents often find the 4-star hotels the sweet spot, while the 5-star rooms in the Abraj Al Bait complex suit those who want to be within a couple of hundred metres of the Haram. Older children and fit adults on a budget can make the most of the 3-star packages.

Half-term week or another part of the autumn?

Not everyone who searches for October half-term actually needs it. If nobody in your group is tied to the school calendar, travelling a week either side usually costs less and the hotels are a little quieter. Our October Umrah packages page covers the whole month, and September is another option for adults, although it is hotter.

For families with school-age children, though, the half-term week has real advantages:

• No authorised-absence requests. You travel entirely within the holiday, with no need to ask the school for time off.
• A gentle first Umrah for children. A week is long enough to perform the rites and pray in both mosques without young children becoming exhausted.
• A shared experience. Many families travel with cousins or friends from the same school, sharing a quad room between two parents and two children to keep the cost per person down.
• Less heat than summer. For children who struggle in high temperatures, October’s average highs are a few degrees below July and August.

Whichever you choose, the earlier you register interest, the better your chance of the closest hotels once the season opens.

Shaping a seven-night half-term itinerary

1. Saturday: fly from the UK, entering ihram before the miqat if Makkah is your first stop.
2. Saturday night or Sunday: arrive in Makkah, rest, and perform your Umrah at a quieter hour.
3. Monday to Wednesday: prayers in Masjid al-Haram and a morning of ziyarat to Jabal al-Nour, Mina and Arafat.
4. Wednesday: transfer to Madinah; by high-speed rail the journey is about two to two and three-quarter hours.
5. Thursday to Saturday: Masjid an-Nabawi, Quba, Uhud and, if you can secure a Nusuk slot, the Rawdah.
6. Saturday or Sunday: fly home, ready for school on Monday.

The exact shape depends on flight days, which airlines publish closer to the time.

Flights from your area

Our 4-star and 5-star packages from Heathrow and Manchester fly non-stop with Saudia to Jeddah. Other departures and all 3-star packages connect through Istanbul with Turkish Airlines, except Glasgow, which flies Emirates via Dubai. Families in West Yorkshire generally fly from Manchester, about 1 hour 15 minutes by road from Bradford, as explained on our Bradford Umrah packages page, while the East Midlands typically uses Birmingham, about an hour from Nottingham; see Umrah from Nottingham. Scottish families, whose October break usually comes earlier, can fly from Edinburgh or Glasgow airport, each about 15 to 25 minutes from the city centre, with a one-stop connection.

Paperwork for a half-term trip

• Passports need six months’ validity from your arrival date.
• The meningitis ACWY jab must be given at least 10 days before arrival to everyone aged one and over. Conjugate vaccine certificates are valid for five years.
• Umrah requires a Nusuk permit for a specific time slot.
• Because a lot can change in a year, revisit the FCDO’s Saudi Arabia travel advice when you book and again before departure; it currently advises against all but essential travel, and your insurance may depend on it.

Get on the list for October 2027

Once the 1449 calendar is confirmed, half-term rooms near the Haram go quickly. Flight-inclusive packages carry ATOL protection under ATOL No. 11203. Send us an enquiry or message us on WhatsApp with your preferred tier and departure airport, and we will contact you as soon as bookings open. If you can travel in a different school holiday, compare our February half-term or summer Umrah options.