Mecca Transportation – Taxi, Bus & Airport Tips

Mecca Transportation

There are multiple transportation options while in Mecca, but beware of Muslim law as non-Muslims are not permitted in the Holy City.

Taxi

You can find a taxi anywhere and anytime. You simply need to scream TAXI or point using your hand and they will stop for you. Price seems negotiable; I recall about 10 minutes of driving and the driver accepted 15 riyals. He might have even accepted lower. The drivers are friendly and are mostly from South East Asia and Saudis.  Unfortunately, the driving isn’t very good. If you would like to catch a shared taxi from Makkah to Jeddah (city and airport) or Madinah, you should come to the taxi stand just 50 meters from Haram’s Bab-ul-Fahad. There are many taxis waiting that can be shared, but the taxi will only leave when it gets filled  The prices are just a bit more than the bus.

Use your feet

During the Hajj season, as well as in Ramadan, the best way to get around in Mecca is walking. Every other means of transportation will cost you a lot of money and leave you stuck in traffic for hours. We still had to use the coach most of the time during our Hajj because we had our little son with us and couldn’t have walked long distances with him. But, if you perform the Hajj without kids, then I would recommend to walk as much as possible.

Bus Service

The bus service from Jeddah to Mecca seems much better than going by car because you will always have trouble with parking in Mecca. They operate frequently, have air-conditioning and are also clean. The seats are quite comfortable and the charge is 10 Riyals which is  approximately  $2.70 USD for the one-way trip.

Jeddah/Makkah Highway

The highway between Jeddah and Makkah is about 80km long. Before reaching the boundry of Makkah, the highway indicates that  Non-Muslims take the right exit, as it’s against Islam law to let non- Muslims enter the Holy City. The distance between this exit and the holy Mosque is 27km.

Editor’s note: The information contained on this page was compiled using real traveler reviews about Mecca transportation