Most Madinah ziyarat tours are over in ninety minutes. You see Uhud through a window, Quba from a car park, and the Seven Mosques from a slowing bus.
That is a drive, not a ziyarat.
I have done the Madinah loop by taxi five times, twice badly and three times the way it should be done. The difference was never the car, only the order of the stops and the hour you leave. This guide gives you the plan I use now, with clock times, minutes at each site, what to skip, and the fixed fare for the whole car.
Madinah ziyarat places you can visit by taxi in half a day
Seven ziyarat places in Madinah fit into one half day by private taxi, with the driver waiting at every stop. Everything sits within 6 km of the Prophet’s Mosque, so the car time is short and the site time is long.
| Ziyarat place | Distance from the Prophet’s Mosque | Why pilgrims visit |
| Masjid Quba | 3.5 km south | The first mosque built in Islam, two rak’ah carry the reward of an Umrah |
| Masjid al-Qiblatain | 4 km north west | Where the direction of prayer turned from Jerusalem to Makkah |
| The Seven Mosques and Masjid al-Fath | 3 km west | Where the companions stood during the Battle of the Trench |
| Mount Uhud and the martyrs’ cemetery | 5 km north | The battlefield and the resting place of Hamza and seventy companions |
| Bir Uthman | 5 km north west | The well Uthman bought and gave to the city |
| Jannat al-Baqi | Beside the mosque | The main cemetery of Madinah, resting place of the Prophet’s family and companions |
| Masjid Dhul Hulaifah, the Miqat | 10 km south west | Where Madinah pilgrims enter ihram for Makkah |
The first four are the sites in the title, and they are the four that every Madinah ziyarat taxi loop should include. The last three are worth adding if you have the time, and the sections below tell you when.
Madinah ziyarat itinerary by private taxi, stop by stop
Leave straight after Fajr, once you have prayed in the Prophet’s Mosque and made wudu again at the hotel. Quba comes first, for a reason covered in its own section below.
| Time | Stop | Minutes there | What you do |
| 6:00 am | Hotel pickup | 0 | Driver already has the list |
| 6:15 am | Masjid Quba | 40 | Two rak’ah with wudu from home |
| 7:05 am | Masjid al-Qiblatain | 20 | Two rak’ah, see the marked old mihrab |
| 7:35 am | The Seven Mosques and Masjid al-Fath | 25 | Walk the line of small mosques on the Khandaq slope |
| 8:10 am | Mount Uhud and the martyrs’ cemetery | 45 | Dua at the cemetery wall, then the archers’ hill |
| 9:05 am | Bir Uthman date farm, optional | 15 | Dates sold at the gate |
| 9:30 am | Jannat al-Baqi | 15 | Dua from the path, men only inside, no photos |
| 9:45 am | Back at the Prophet’s Mosque | Duha prayer, breakfast, rest |
Three hours and forty five minutes door to door, from a 6 am pickup to a 9:45 am return. If you only have ninety minutes, take Quba and Uhud and leave the rest. Those two are where the day lands for most people.
Pilgrims who arrive on the Makkah to Medina road in the afternoon should rest and do this loop the next morning rather than rushing it before Maghrib.
Masjid Quba ziyarat, why it comes first
Masjid Quba is the first stop because it is the only one with a specific act attached. Come with wudu made at the hotel, pray two rak’ah, and the hadith promises the reward of an Umrah. That deserves the freshest hour of the morning, not the heat at the end.
Quba is the first mosque built in Islam, on the southern edge of the old city where the Prophet stayed on arriving from Makkah. The mosque is fully open, with men’s and women’s prayer halls and wudu areas, and it is quiet at 6 am. The Prophet is reported to have visited on Saturdays, so a Saturday loop is the one to choose if your dates allow.
Most drivers default to a loop that starts at Uhud and ends at Quba, because Uhud is the furthest point. Ask for the reverse the night before. It costs nothing and it changes the whole morning.
Masjid al-Qiblatain ziyarat, the mosque of the two qiblas
Qiblatain is a twenty minute stop where you pray two rak’ah and look for the marked spot of the old mihrab. It is 4 km north west of the Prophet’s Mosque and the drive from Quba takes ten minutes.
The mosque marks where the direction of prayer changed from Jerusalem to Makkah during a congregation, and the worshippers turned mid prayer. Both prayer halls are open. The old second mihrab is a marked position on the wall rather than a separate room, so do not expect a second building.
The Seven Mosques of Madinah, what is actually there
The Seven Mosques are a short slope of small stone mosques on the western edge of the city, marking where the companions stood during the Battle of the Trench. Most of the small mosques are locked, one was rebuilt into the larger Masjid al-Fath, and the whole stop takes 25 minutes.
This is the site most likely to disappoint if you expect seven buildings you can enter. Read the story of the trench before you go. The slope, the view over where the ditch ran, and Masjid al-Fath at the top are enough once you know what happened there.
Mount Uhud ziyarat, the martyrs’ cemetery and the archers’ hill
Uhud is the second long stop, 45 minutes, and the one people remember. The cemetery of the martyrs, including Hamza, sits behind a low wall at the base of the mountain, and you make dua from the wall.
The small hill in front, Jabal al-Rumah, is where the archers stood, and it takes five minutes to walk up. Nobody climbs Uhud itself. There is a paved viewing area and shade, which matters because this stop falls at 8 am when the sun is already on the plain.
Ask the driver to stop at the cemetery wall, not only at the viewing area. Some default loops do only the second.
What is open at each Madinah ziyarat site
Pray inside at Quba and Qiblatain. See the Seven Mosques and Uhud from outside. Make dua at Baqi from the path. Knowing this before you arrive removes most of the disappointment people report.
| Site | What is open | What is not |
| Masjid Quba | Full mosque, men’s and women’s sections, wudu areas | Nothing closed |
| Masjid al-Qiblatain | Full mosque, both prayer halls | The old mihrab is a marked spot, not a room |
| The Seven Mosques | Masjid al-Fath and two or three smaller mosques, from outside | Most small mosques are locked |
| Mount Uhud | Cemetery wall, the archers’ hill, the paved viewing area | The cemetery interior and the mountain |
| Jannat al-Baqi | The path inside, for men, between Fajr and sunrise and after Asr | Women make dua from the gate, no photography |
| Bir Uthman | The farm gate and shop | The well shaft itself |
Madinah ziyarat taxi price per car
A half day Madinah ziyarat of under four hours, with the driver waiting at every stop, costs SAR 150 for a sedan and SAR 200 for a Staria, fixed for the whole car. That is about a third of the Makkah loop, because the distances are a third as long.
| Vehicle | Passengers | Madinah ziyarat, fixed fare (SAR) |
| Camry | 1 to 3 | 150 |
| Hyundai Staria | 4 to 7 | 200 |
| Toyota Hiace | 8 to 12 | 250 |
| GMC Yukon | 4 to 6 | 300 |
| Toyota Coaster | 13 to 20 | 450 |
These are the fixed fares on the Ziarat Medina page and they include fuel, waiting and the return to the hotel. Split a Staria across six people and the whole morning is about SAR 33 each.
A shared ziyarat bus from the hotel costs SAR 25 to 40 per person, stops for ten minutes at each site, and does not wait while you pray at Quba. For a family the private car is both cheaper and slower in the right places.
Best time for Madinah ziyarat and what to skip
After Fajr is the best time, on any day, and after Fajr on a Saturday is the best of all. An afternoon loop after Asr works too, run in reverse so Quba falls at Maghrib.
| If you have | Drop these stops | You still see |
| Ninety minutes | Qiblatain, Seven Mosques, Bir Uthman, Baqi | Quba and Uhud |
| Elderly parents | Archers’ hill, Bir Uthman | Everything else from the car or a paved area |
| An afternoon only | Nothing, but go to Uhud first | The whole loop, with Quba at Maghrib |
| A second morning | Nothing | Add the Miqat mosque at Dhul Hulaifah if you are going on to Makkah |
Skip Baqi from this loop if your hotel is beside the Prophet’s Mosque, because you can walk there between prayers. Add the Miqat mosque only if you are leaving for Makkah by road, and have the driver stop there on the way out rather than as a separate trip.
How to book a Madinah ziyarat taxi and what to tell the driver
Send the stop list in order the night before, and say three things with it. That you want Quba first and the full 40 minutes there. That you want the Uhud cemetery wall, not only the viewing area. And whether Bir Uthman and Baqi are in or out.
The fare should be per car, fixed in the WhatsApp chat, and paid at the end of the morning. On my last loop Hujjaj Umrah Taxi confirmed the order and the Quba time in one message the night before, and the driver waited through the full prayer without a word. That is the standard to ask for, and asking is free.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does a Madinah ziyarat by taxi take?
About three hours and forty five minutes for the full loop of Quba, Qiblatain, the Seven Mosques, Uhud, Bir Uthman and Baqi, with the driver waiting at each stop. Quba takes 40 minutes and Uhud 45, and the other stops are 15 to 25 minutes each. Leave at 6 am after Fajr and you are back at the Prophet’s Mosque by 9:45 am for Duha.
How much does a Madinah ziyarat taxi cost?
SAR 150 for a sedan and SAR 200 for a seven seat Staria, fixed for the whole car with the driver waiting at every stop and the return to your hotel included. Larger vehicles run SAR 250 to 450. A shared bus costs SAR 25 to 40 per person but does not wait while you pray.
Which Madinah ziyarat places can you pray inside?
Masjid Quba and Masjid al-Qiblatain, both fully open with men’s and women’s sections. Masjid al-Fath at the Seven Mosques is usually seen from outside, and the smaller mosques on the slope are locked. Uhud and Bir Uthman are outdoor sites. At Baqi, men can walk the path at set hours and women make dua from the gate.
Should you visit Masjid Quba or Mount Uhud first?
Quba first, straight after Fajr. Praying two rak’ah at Quba with wudu made at your hotel carries the reward of an Umrah, so it deserves the freshest hour and the full time. Most drivers default to Uhud first because it is the furthest point, which leaves Quba for the heat. Ask for the reverse the night before.
What is the best time for Madinah ziyarat?
Straight after Fajr, and on a Saturday if your dates allow, because that is the day the Prophet is reported to have visited Quba. An afternoon loop after Asr works for pilgrims who arrive from Makkah at midday. Run it in reverse, Uhud first while there is light and Quba at Maghrib. Baqi is easier from the hotel between prayers.
