Top 10 Things To Do In AlUla Saudi Arabia

Are you looking for the best things to do in AlUla, Saudi Arabia? You’re in the right place.

Located in northwestern Saudi Arabia, the Historic City of AlUla was an important trading center on the Ancient Incense Route. Many ancient civilizations, such as the Dadanites, the Lihyanites, and the Nabateans, called AlUla home, the evidence of which we see in the ancient towns of Hegra and Dadan.

However, AlUla’s history dates back more than 7,000 years to the Bronze Age. The prehistoric rock paintings of Jabal Ikmah stand witness to that long history.

From visiting the monumental Nabatean tombs of Hegra and marveling at the sentinel lions of Dadan to admiring the Martian landscapes and gazing down at colossal stone structures from a chopper, here are the 10 best things to do in AlUla, Saudi Arabia.

Also Read: How to Visit the Ancient City of Hegra in AlUla?

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10 Best Things to Do in AlUla, Saudi Arabia

When I first read about AlUla, I thought it was only about Hegra, the ancient Nabataean city. But I was so wrong.

Hegra is just one of the many fascinating places to visit in AlUla. There are so many more amazing places in AlUla, including Dadan, Jabal Ikmah, Daimumah Oasis, and the Old Town, while beautiful places like Khaybar and Tayma are only a short drive away. We recommend spending at least 4-5 days in AlUla to see them all.

This AlUla Travel Guide covers all these places and is loaded with tips on how to visit them.

Nabataean Tombs of Hegra

Hegra, also known as al-Hijr and Mada’in Salih, is the most popular place to visit in AlUla.

Listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2008, the first to be listed in Saudi Arabia, Hegra is an ancient Nabatean city filled with monumental tombs dating to the 1st century. Hegra is believed to be a sister city of the Nabatean capital of Petra, Jordan.

You can visit Hegra’s monumental rock-cut tombs, adorned with intricate inscriptions and carvings. There are 111 tombs, and the largest and most iconic one is Qasr al-Farid, or the Lonely Castle.

Some of the tombs and the rocks surrounding them also have water wells and channels used to collect and store spring and rainwater in the arid deserts of Hegra, pointing to highly advanced hydraulic skills.

It is impossible to see all the 111 tombs in Hegra in one trip. But here are the best ones that you should not miss.

• Lonely Castle or Qasr al-Farid
• Jabal Banat has a cluster of 29 intricately carved tombs – many of which were built for influential women.
• Jabal Ahmar is home to 18 red sandstone tombs.
• Jabal Ithlib is believed to have been a religious site and contains sculptures of ancient deities, and an example of the Nabatean water system.

In Hegra, you’ll also find the Hegra Welcome Center, home to a reconstruction of Hinat, a Nabataean woman who lived in AlUla over 2,000 years ago.

The best way to visit Hegra is with a knowledgeable local guide on this excellent guided tour.

★ Related Read: For more tips, check out our Ultimate Hegra Guide before planning your trip.

Lion Tombs of Dadan

Venture further into the past of Saudi Arabia with a visit to Dadan, the ancient capital of the Dadan and Lihyan Kingdoms.

Located in the Al-Ula region, Dadan was once a thriving center of commerce and culture. It was located on the ancient incense route to Tyre in Lebanon.

Archeologists have excavated an entire city in Dadan. However, the tombs of Dadan are the most interesting.

Ancient Dadanites had simple tombs. These were small, rectangular niches carved into a mountain called Jabal Dadan.

There are over 700 such tombs in Dadan, but two tombs with lion carvings on top of them are the absolute highlights of AlUla. These are called the Lion Tombs of Dadan. These tombs could have belonged to wealthy and influential people of the time, or they could have belonged to the Minaean people from Yemen, who had a trading colony in Dadan.

Dadan’s tombs date to 500 BCE and are even older than the Nabataean tombs of AlUla.

★ Pro Tip: Check out this guided tour of Hegra and Dadan.

Ancient Rock Art of Jabal Ikmah

Known as the “open-air library of AlUla,” Jabal Ikmah is a treasure trove of ancient inscriptions and petroglyphs etched into the rock faces of this remote valley.

The site is home to thousands of engravings and rock art, ranging from religious texts to depictions of daily life, animals, and birds, providing a fascinating glimpse into the thoughts and beliefs of AlUla’s ancient people.

Be sure to ask your guide to show you the ostriches, horses, and cattle that are etched onto those rocks. Thousands of years ago, these animals were believed to roam the valleys of AlUla because the climate was so different then. From a later period, we can see drawings of camels, oryxes, and ibises.

Do not miss the thumb piano-shaped rock etchings, which are also now the official logo of Jabal Ikmah. Maybe the Dadanites played music with this 2,500 years ago?

The inscriptions at Jabal Ikmah are in many languages predating Arabic. These include Aramaic, Dadanitic, Minaic, and Thamudic, among others.

★ Pro Tip: Book this guided tour of Hegra, Dadan, and Jabal Ikmah.

Old Town of AlUla

AlUla Old Town is a maze of narrow streets and about 800 mudbrick houses that date back to the 12th century.

The Old Town of AlUla was once a bustling hub on the caravan trade routes and was settled in for a long time until it was abandoned about 50 years ago. It was also an important pilgrimage center for people traveling to Mecca from the Levant.

Now, the Old Town is being restored and converted into a living museum, where each corner tells a story of the merchants, pilgrims, and traders who once traveled through these paths.

There are handicraft shops, boutique hotels, and atmospheric cafes and restaurants in the Old Town where you can sit down and watch the world go by. If you’re looking for cool AlUla souvenirs like rugs, scarves, palm crafts, and pottery, you’ll find the best ones in the Old Town shops.

AlUla Old Town has a few hotels where you can stay for an authentic Saudi old town experience. Dar Tantora, housed in 30 heritage houses or “dars,” is the best place to stay here.

★ Pro Tip: Book this 2-hour tour of AlUla Old Town.

Khaybar

Visit Khaybar on a day trip from AlUla.

Located about 2.5 hours southeast of AlUla, Khaybar is an oasis with volcanic black soil that supports immense biodiversity even today. Here, you’ll find large palm groves pinned between black volcanic outcrops.

Khaybar was once a prosperous oasis town and an important halt for traders on the Incense Route. Recent archeological excavations have led to the discovery of a bronze age town in the region called Al Natah. Dating to 2000 BCE, Al Natah was a large town divided into residential, administrative, and funerary areas.

If you look up Khaybar online, you’ll also see a mention of the Battle of Khaybar that happened between early Muslims and the Jewish community in the 7th century.

You can do a chopper ride in Khaybar to get a bird’s eye view of AlUla’s magnificent monoliths, the mustatils, and desert kites.

Maraya – The Mirrored Building

If you’re a fan of modern, futuristic architecture, be sure to check out Maraya or the mirrored building of AlUla that vanishes into the desert.

Maraya means mirror in Arabic, and that’s exactly what this building is – the largest mirrored building in the world!

Maraya is a large concert hall and cultural space located in the Ashar Valley of AlUla. All four sides of the building are covered with nearly 10,000 mirrors, which reflect the surrounding desert scenery and give us the feeling of disappearing into the desert.

Maraya has a 500-seater concert hall where the likes of Andrea Bocelli and John Legend have performed.

I was in Maraya for the AlUla World Archaeology Summit in 2024 and absolutely love that space. I was totally in awe of the views of Ashar Valley that we had from our tables at lunch.

This year, Maraya is also home to the Masterpieces of the MANN (Naples Archeological Museum) exhibition, which showcases AlUla’s connections with the ancient Roman Empire.

Even if you have no plans to go inside Maraya, be sure to check out this architectural marvel from the outside and click some cool pictures with it. The Maraya has, after all, become an Instagram sensation of late.

Tayma

Tayma is an ancient city with a rich and long history. It is another oasis town that was always an essential stop on ancient trading routes.

More importantly, Tayma was home to the last Babylonian emperor, Nabodinus, in the 6th century BCE. It is known that Nabodinus abandoned Babylon and decided to live in the deserts of Saudi Arabia, which made him quite infamous as a king.

There’s a lot to do and see in Tayma, including visiting the 3000-year-old Temple of Salm, seeing the ancient Haddaj well, and learning all about traditional arts and crafts at the old marketplace of Souq Al Najm.

Located about 2.5 hours north of AlUla, Tayma is easily done as a day trip from AlUla.

Daimumah

Daimumah is a hidden gem tucked away in the heart of AlUla. It is a farming landscape created by the locals near the AlUla Old Town.

Daimumah has lush palm groves, citrus trees, a few art installations, and several recreation areas for kids and adults.

Daimumah is also home to old farm dwellings where nobody stays now, but you can see how farmers lived here, grew their crops, and watered their lands.

At the end of the trail, you will find a group of houses believed to have been the summer houses for people in AlUla Old Town. When temperatures soared, they often moved to these houses within the oasis to keep cool.

From Daimumah, you can walk back to Old Town, where you can sit and relax in one of the many cafes.

The best part about Daimumah is that it is always open, and you don’t need a ticket to enter. It is a great place to visit on a Friday morning when everything else is closed.

Quhr Village

Quhr is one of the most recently excavated villages in AlUla. It was an early Islamic city and an important stop for pilgrims to Mecca.

The site includes the remains of an old wall, a mosque, and a tabby fort.

I visited Quhr with the Royal Commission of AlUla as part of the AWAS Conference in 2024. I don’t know if they have any tours/excursions to this area yet.

AlUla Festivals

When visiting AlUla, attend one of the many festivals the ancient city hosts annually.

My favorite AlUla festivals/events are the Ancient Kingdoms Festival (Sep – Nov) and Winter at Tantora (Dec – Jan).

The Incense Road Experience is a new event that aims to give visitors a glimpse of the ancient incense route and the smells and sights associated with it. After my immersive experience at the Al Shindagha Perfume Museum of Dubai, I am really excited about this one.

More details about all AlUla festivals are on their official website here.

Best Places to Stay in AlUla, Saudi Arabia

First, let me tell you that AlUla is still in its nascent stages of development. New hotels are being built every year, so you can expect many exciting things in the years ahead.

But right now, the best place to stay in AlUla is Habitas. Located in the middle of the stunning rock formations of the Ashar Valley, Habitas AlUla has beautiful cottages, each fitted with its own telescope. You can see the 500 million-year-old rock formations from the infinity pool near the restaurant and gaze at the stars at night. The setting of Habitas is epic—nothing can get better than this. If you’re willing to splurge on your AlUla vacation, then be sure to pick Habitas.

If you want to be in the Old Town, Dar Tantora is an excellent choice. Housed in 30 restored mudbrick buildings, this beautiful boutique hotel provides rich insights into local life and culture.

If you want something more budget-friendly, check out Cloud 7, where I stayed. They have lovely cottages with a living room, bedroom, bathroom, a small kitchenette, and a portico. Breakfast at the restaurant is excellent, and service is pretty good.

Best Time to Visit AlUla, Saudi Arabia

AlUla has a desert climate characterized by hot summers and mild winters.

The best time to visit is during the cooler months, from October to March when temperatures are pleasant and ideal for outdoor exploration.

The winter months also coincide with various cultural events and festivals, allowing you to experience AlUla’s vibrant traditions and heritage.

AlUla Travel Tips

• AlUla is located in the desert. When venturing outdoors during the day, be sure to carry your sunglasses, hat, and water bottle. It can get pretty chilly during winter, so pack accordingly.

• If you’re a woman and wondering what to wear in AlUla, let me tell you that you can wear almost anything except shorts and noodle straps. Even though AlUla is in Saudi Arabia, you will find tourists from all over the world here, and long, flowy dresses, sleeveless tops, trousers, and jeans are pretty common.

• You cannot explore the tombs in Hegra on your own—driving your car is not allowed inside the archeological area. The best way to visit Hegra is to book a guided tour, which also covers the entrance fees.