Things to do in AlUla

Things to do

1. Hegra, the Nabataean city

   A hundred and eleven tombs carved into the sandstone, Saudi Arabia’s first UNESCO site. On Wikipedia

   Culture and historyMonument3 hr≈ €25best in the morning

2. Elephant Rock at sunset

   A fifty-meter sandstone arch shaped like an elephant, and seating set into the sand. On Wikipedia

   RelaxationViewpoint2 hrFreebest in the evening

3. AlUla Old Town

   Nine hundred houses of mud and stone, lived in until the 1980s. On Wikipedia

   Culture and historyMonument2 hrFreebest in the afternoon

4. Maraya

   The largest mirrored building in the world, reflecting the canyon until it almost disappears.

   Off the beaten trackMonument1 hr 30 minFreebest in the evening

5. Dadan and the Lion Tombs

   The capital of the kingdom of Dadan, and tombs guarded by lions carved into the cliff.

   Culture and historyMonument2 hr≈ €20best in the morning

6. Jabal Ikmah, the open-air library

   Hundreds of inscriptions carved into the rock of a canyon, in the scripts of the Dadanite and Lihyanite kingdoms. On Wikipedia

   Culture and historyMonument1 hr 30 min≈ €25best in the morning

7. AlUla by hot-air balloon

   At sunrise, over the sandstone rocks and the palm groves. Winter flights only, depending on the wind.

   Adventure and sportsViewpoint3 hr≈ €350best in the morning

When to go

The most pleasant months in AlUla: from November to March, taking weather and crowds into account.

More ideas for those months: where to go in January, where to go in February, where to go in March, where to go in November, where to go in December.

Averages measured over recent years: mean temperatures and number of rainy days, month by month.

What budget on the ground?

Per person and per day, including accommodation, meals, local transport and visits — excluding the round trip. An estimate calculated the same way as in the app, from the local cost of living.

Budget

€55

Mid-range

€105

Comfort

€200

Getting there from Paris: the carbon footprint

Per person, round trip, in kilograms of CO₂ equivalent — manufacturing, energy and, for flights, contrails included.

Plane

1.3 t

Factors from ADEME (Impact CO₂); outside France, rail uses the European average published by the European Environment Agency.

Book on the ground

Tours and tickets

• Go City Multi-attraction passes for big cities
• KKday Activities and tours, especially in Asia
• Klook Tours, tickets and excursions
• Tiqets Museums and monuments, skip-the-line tickets
• WeGoTrip Self-paced audio tours

Internet on site (eSIM)

• Airalo Data eSIM, by country or region
• Drimsim SIM card that works in almost every country
• Saily Data eSIM
• Yesim Data eSIM

From the airport

• GetTransfer Drivers make an offer for your ride
• Intui Private transfers at a fixed price
• Kiwitaxi Booked transfers, from taxi to minibus
• Welcome Pickups Driver waiting on arrival, price fixed in advance

Rent a car

• Auto Europe Rental comparison
• EconomyBookings Rental comparison
• GetRentacar Cars from rental companies and private owners
• Localrent Local rental companies, often no credit card needed

Partner links: if you book through them, Tripora may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you and without changing the order of these lists, which is alphabetical.

Good to know: Saudi Arabia

Plugs

Type A, B, G, 230 V

Emergencies

911

Driving

On the right

Near AlUla

• Sharm el-Sheikh Egypt, 380 km
• Wadi Rum Jordan, 410 km
• Hurghada Egypt, 410 km
• Petra Jordan, 480 km
• Luxor Egypt, 540 km
• Aswan Egypt, 580 km

Elsewhere in Saudi Arabia

• Abha and Asir
• Al-Ahsa Oasis
• Jeddah
• Riyadh