Day Trips From Medina, Near and Far
Medina itself doesn’t carry UNESCO status; the nearby site that does is Hegra, at Al-Ula, and that trip is a demanding half-day drive away rather than a quick outing. Here’s what the distances actually are.
Under two hours: Khaybar and Badr
Khaybar Oasis sits about 170 km north on Route 15, roughly two hours each way, an easy half or full day around a genuine volcanic oasis: black basalt lava fields, ancient stone “kite” structures, and the ruined Al-Nizar fortress from the 628 CE Battle of Khaybar. Badr Battlefield is closer still, about 140 km southwest, roughly 1.5 hours each way, a half-day historical stop covering the site of the foundational 624 CE battle and the Badr Martyrs’ Cemetery. Both fit comfortably into a single afternoon without an early start.
Two to three hours: Yanbu’s coast
Yanbu al-Bahr, about 220 km west, runs 2 to 2.5 hours each way and is the one trip that trades desert scenery for the Red Sea: restored coral-stone merchant houses in the old town, a corniche, and snorkeling or diving along the Seven Sisters reef. Browsing what’s currently bookable in Yanbu is a reasonable way to gauge whether a reef trip fits the time available once the drive is accounted for.
The demanding one: Al-Ula and Hegra
Al-Ula is roughly 330 km north, 3.5 to 4 hours each way, which turns this into a 12- to 14-hour day rather than a casual outing. It’s also the trip with a fixed rule: nobody drives into Hegra itself. Every visit runs on a pre-booked, timed-entry coach through the official portal, experiencealula.com , booked well in advance. The reward is real: rock-cut Nabataean tombs, Elephant Rock, and the mirrored Maraya hall. Comparing Al-Ula’s tour and transport options ahead of time saves scrambling for a seat once in the region, and the general day trips category for Al-Madinah Province is worth a scan for whatever else is currently running.
The one only Muslims can take
The Haramain High-Speed Railway reaches Makkah in exactly 2 hours 15 minutes, which makes an Umrah day trip genuinely feasible: an early train, Tawaf and Sa’i at Masjid al-Haram, an evening train back. Tickets to Makkah require confirmed Muslim status and are booked through sar.hhr.sa ; anyone entering Ihram for this leg needs to be dressed and have declared intention before the train departs Medina, since it doesn’t stop at the Meeqat boundary en route. The Rawdah permit for the Medina side of the trip, separately, runs through the official Nusuk platform , and like the mosque it sits inside, it’s a Muslim-only space: non-Muslims can spend as long as they like in Medina city, but the Haram boundary around it is not one they can cross.
What isn’t a day trip
Riyadh, 850 km away, and Tabuk, 680 km away, both require far more than a single day; treat either as a separate leg of a longer itinerary rather than an add-on. For a longer stay built around these same routes, see the multi-day trips guide .