Hegra (Madâin Sâlih)
Saudi Arabia’s first UNESCO World Heritage Site, a Nabataean city of more than 110 tombs carved into sandstone outcrops, visited on a guided tour that has to be booked.
Saudi Arabia
AlUla
AlUla is an oasis in the sandstone desert of northwest Saudi Arabia, where Nabataean tombs, a thousand-year-old mud-brick old town and a mirror-clad concert hall sit within a short drive of each other.
Hegra, also called Madâin Sâlih, was Saudi Arabia’s first UNESCO World Heritage Site and is the region’s headline sight, with more than 110 tombs carved into rock and visited on a guided tour. Dadan and Jabal Ikmah take the story back to the earlier Dadanite and Lihyanite kingdoms, with lion tombs and open-air inscriptions. Above ground, Elephant Rock and the Harrat Viewpoint are free sunset spots, AlUla Old Town has lanes, cafés and shops, and Maraya’s 9,740 mirrored panels reflect the valley. Hot-air balloons, desert stargazing and a nature reserve safari complete the picture. Winter, from roughly November to March, is the comfortable and busy season, with festivals through the cold months. This guide shows which sights to book ahead, which are free, and where to stay, from a villa resort in Ashar Valley to a heritage hotel inside Old Town.
Don't miss
AlUla Old Town
A free, car-free maze of mud-brick lanes about a thousand years old, now with cafés, galleries, shops and restaurants that stay open late.
Dadan and Jabal Ikmah
The ancient capital of the Dadan and Lihyan kingdoms, with lion tombs cut into red cliffs, plus the inscriptions and petroglyphs of Jabal Ikmah a short drive away.
Maraya Concert Hall
The world’s largest mirrored building, a glass-clad cube in Ashar Valley that dissolves into the desert and hosts concerts in a 500-seat auditorium.
AlUla Stargazing Experience
Dark desert skies far from city light, with a guided stargazing or moon-night evening in the sandstone landscape; cool winter nights are the best season.
Things to do in AlUla
Hand-picked: every experience here has strong traveler reviews and a verified booking link.
Elephant Rock (Jabal AlFil)
A sandstone monolith shaped like an elephant with its trunk to the ground, AlUla’s best-known sunset spot, with a wooden path, food trucks and fire pits at its foot.
1 to 1.5 hoursDetails →
FreeAlUla Old Town
A free, car-free maze of mud-brick lanes about a thousand years old, now with cafés, galleries, shops and restaurants that stay open late.
2 to 3 hoursDetails →
Dadan and Jabal Ikmah
The ancient capital of the Dadan and Lihyan kingdoms, with lion tombs cut into red cliffs, plus the inscriptions and petroglyphs of Jabal Ikmah a short drive away.
Maraya Concert Hall
The world’s largest mirrored building, a glass-clad cube in Ashar Valley that dissolves into the desert and hosts concerts in a 500-seat auditorium.
Harrat Viewpoint
A free lookout on a volcanic ridge, 1,219 metres up, with sofas, fire pits, telescopes and a pizzeria overlooking the oasis, Dadan and Old Town.
1.5 to 2 hoursDetails →
AlUla Sunrise Hot Air Balloon Flight
A sunrise flight over the oasis, sandstone cliffs and lava fields, one of the region’s most memorable splurges, booked in advance and subject to weather.
AlUla Stargazing Experience
Dark desert skies far from city light, with a guided stargazing or moon-night evening in the sandstone landscape; cool winter nights are the best season.
Sharaan Nature Reserve
A protected reserve of canyons and sandstone ridges in the AlUla highlands, part of a wildlife and Arabian leopard conservation programme, visited on a guided safari.
Where to stay
Hotels we would book ourselves, from splurges to good-value bases.
$$$$Banyan Tree AlUla
Ashar Valley
A luxury villa resort in Ashar Valley, three minutes from Maraya, with private-pool villas, Thai and local dining, a spa and a natural rock pool for adult guests.
Check rates →Dar Tantora The House Hotel
Old Town
A heritage hotel of 30 restored mud-brick houses in Old Town, with a fine-dining restaurant, a café, a pool and the lanes on its doorstep.
Check rates →Shaden Resort AlUla Managed by Accor
Hail Street, AlUla
A four-star Accor-managed resort on Hail Street, about five kilometres from town and Elephant Rock, with a pool, spa, international restaurant and rooms, suites and villas.
Check rates →Caravan by Habitas AlUla
Ashar Valley
Airstream caravans on private decks in Ashar Valley, with food trucks, an outdoor cinema club, wellness classes and access to stargazing and canyon sound baths.
Check rates →Cloud 7 Residence AlUla
AlAziziyah
A value base of 300 one-bedroom bungalows with kitchenettes and terraces, an L-shaped pool, a restaurant and a gym, about fifteen minutes from Old Town.
Check rates →AlUla guides
First-Timer’s Guide to AlUla: What to Book, How Long and When to Go
How to plan a first trip to AlUla: what to book ahead, how to get around, how many days to allow and how Hegra, Old Town, Maraya and the desert fit together.
Where to Stay in AlUla: Ashar Valley, Old Town or the Town Edge
Where to stay in AlUla: the valley resorts, a heritage hotel inside Old Town and the value options near town, with the best hotel for each style of trip.
