Which airport should I choose to visit Mecca?

As one of the 4 pillars of Islam, the pilgrimage to Mecca is compulsory for Muslims. To get there, Muslims have a choice of airports throughout the country. As well as choosing the airport, you should also find out about the e-Visas offered by the Saudi authorities.

Jeddah airport

It is located 74.8 km from the city and is currently the closest airport to Mecca. It is the ideal destination for people who want to make a short journey by car. Leaving Paris, you can board a 5 h 30 min flight to Jeddah. After that, the rest of the journey will be overland.

By car, you can reach Mecca in around 1 hour 2 minutes, at a cost of between 32,00 € and 143,00 €. It depends on the choice you make (taxi, Uber). On the other hand, if you choose to travel by bus, the cost will be much lower. However, it will take much longer (2 hours), as the route will not be the same. This airport even has terminals specially dedicated to pilgrimages. It is therefore very busy.

Taif airport

After Jeddah City Airport, this is the second closest airport to the Holy City. It is 75.5 km from Mecca. It is therefore a good alternative for people who want to cut down quickly on the overland journey. The flight from Paris to this destination takes around 9 hours 5 minutes. It will take 25 minutes by taxi or 1 h 45 min by bus to reach Mecca.

Rates can vary between 35,00 € and 50,00 € if you choose the first option and 6,00 € for the second. The total journey time will be around 14 h 19 min if you want to visit Mecca arriving via this airport.

Al Bahah airport

A little further from the city is this airport, some 226.7 km from the pilgrimage city. This small airport is 10 hours 35 minutes by air from Paris and 4 hours 46 minutes by car from Mecca. As a result, the cost of travel between this point and your destination will be higher. On the other hand, it is cheaper than other airports when you leave France for Saudi Arabia.

Indeed, although the crossing time is relatively longer, the costs are much the same. Apart from these airports, there are many others in this Middle Eastern country. These are Medina and Abha, 347 km and 462.3 km respectively from Mecca.