Madinah is one of the two holiest cities in Islam after Mecca, and it’s only 2 hours away by bullet train from Jeddah, the 2nd largest city in Saudi Arabia. While visiting the kingdom, I was able to complete a one-day trip to Madinah from Jeddah with the following itinerary.
Itinerary
| Time | Activity |
|---|---|
| 10 AM – 12 PM | Ride bullet train from Jeddah to Madinah |
| 12 AM – 3 PM | Visit the Prophet’s Mosque (Masjid Al-Nabawi) |
| 3 PM – 6:30 PM | Have lunch Visit the Qiblatain Mosque Visit the 7 Mosques Visit Mount Uhud Visit the Quba Mosque |
| 7:30 PM – 9:30 PM | Ride bullet train from Madinah to Jeddah |
Costs
| Activity | Cost |
|---|---|
| Round trip bullet train ride between Jeddah and Madinah | $155 |
| 6-hour car + driver/tour guide | $120 |
| Lunch at a Turkish restaurant for 3 people | $43 |
Transportation
Bullet train
We purchased tickets online at https://rail.ninja/ for $72 per person. We chose the economy class because the business class didn’t seem worth the extra cost. The train travels at 300 km/h (186 mph). It’s clean, fast, convenient, and comfortable. There are 2 train stations in Jeddah, one in the north at the airport and one in the south.
Car + driver/guide
We thought about taking an Uber from place to place, but with so many places to visit, we didn’t want to waste time and try to figure everything out ourselves, so we decided to hire a driver for about 6 hours who could show us around. We were referred to Ibrahim, a Madinah local. He picked us up at the train station, took us to all the tourist spots, came with us inside the Prophet’s Mosque to show us around and explain things, had lunch with us and helped explain things to the waiter, and eventually dropped us off back at the train station. He doesn’t speak English, but I was able to communicate with my somewhat broken Egyptian Arabic I had learned while studying at the American University in Cairo, Egypt. If you don’t speak Arabic, you can always use Google Translate on your phone in “conversation” mode.
Trip at a Glance
A friend dropped us off at the train station at the Jeddah international airport at 9:30 AM.
The train station was very spacious, clean, modern, and not crowded at all.
Your train e-ticket will come with a QR code. Just scan the QR code to open the turnstiles. And, of course, there is a Starbucks there with the Starbucks logo right above the arrivals and departures screens.
As you can see below, economy class was clean, comfortable, and spacious.
The bullet train travels at 300 km/h (186 mph).
On the way to Madinah, the scenery is mostly just desert.
Ibrahim, the driver/guide, picked us up at the train station in Madinah.
Our first stop was the Prophet’s Mosque (Al-Masjid Al-Nabawi).
There was convenient and ample parking below the mosque.
Below is a Google Earth view of the mosque.
There are many restrooms all around the mosque and huge umbrellas to provide shade during the day.
The Prophet’s Mosque is big. Ibrahim, our driver/guide, came with us inside to show us around and help guide us.
People from all over the world visit Madinah and the Prophet’s Mosque, like the person on the left, who may be from somewhere in Africa.
As we explored the mosque, I asked Ibrahim about various aspects of the mosque.
The interior design of the mosque was very elaborate with huge chandeliers.
I especially like the design of the striped arches.
People can be seen praying, relaxing, reading, and chatting in their ethnic attire.
Being from the US, I normally wear a baseball cap and simple Western clothes, but I decided to dress more like a local for this trip. See photo below. The headscarf is commonly worn in Arabia whereas the black turban on top is more north African. I bought both on Amazon. When I tried the headscarf on, it kept moving around and looked messy, so I used safety pins to hold the shape I wanted. I also wanted a visor to provide some shade on my face, so I cut a visor off of an old had, stuck it in between the folded scarf, and secured it using safety pins. For the black turban on top, I didn’t want to mess around with folding and wrapping it on me, so I bought one that came pre-shaped that you wear like a hat. It had 2 straps on the back to tighten it to your head.
Inside the mosque, there were many water dispensers contain Zamzam water.
All over the mosque, both inside and out, you can find free Zamzam water, which was necessary considering the very hot climate.
If you visit Prophet Muhammad’s tomb, it will likely be very packed with people as shown in the photo below.
All around the mosque there are numerous golden doors with intricate designs.
After visiting the Prophet’s mosque, we went for lunch. I wanted Turkish food. Ibrahim took us to a place somewhat distant from the touristy Prophet’s Mosque area where it wasn’t crowded and the prices were more reasonable. Though I was able to read the Arabic menu, I didn’t understand what everything was. Luckily, Ibrahim was able to explain everything to both me and the waiter, who happened to be Egyptian. Apparently, there are many Egyptians working in Saudi Arabia.
We ordered a mixed plate that was enough for all 3 of us, including the driver, Ibrahim. The food was acceptable and fair for the price.
We then went to the Qiblatain (Two Qiblahs) mosque, where prophet Muhammad was commanded to move the qiblah (prayer direction) from the Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem to the Haram mosque in Mecca.
Since it was super hot, I asked our driver, Ibrahim, to take us to get some ice cream.
I ordered a mix of pistachio and vanilla ice cream with pistachio shavings on top. Pistachio seems to be very common in the Middle East, like in Turkey.
We then went to the Seven Mosques, a historical collection of small mosques.
We then went to Mount Uhud, a historical site where the prophet Muhammad had a battle with the polytheists of his Quraysh tribe.
Here’s a photo of me (right) with our driver, Ibrahim (left).
Our last stop on our one-day Medina tour was to the Quba mosque, the first mosque to exist. This was one of the busier mosques we visited. Many people were praying and reading the Quran, and there were groups of kids learning something.
After that, Ibrahim took us back to the train station in time for us to catch our 7:30 PM train ride back to Jeddah.
Video
Watch the full video of my one-day excursion to Madinah.