Demand by Hijri month
This table is the single most useful planning tool on this page. It uses relative demand levels rather than prices, because relative levels stay true across years while prices do not. Find your flexible window, then work backwards to the Gregorian dates for the year you are travelling.
| Hijri month | Demand | Relative price level | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Muharram | Low | Low | Immediately after Hajj, the softest window of the year |
| Safar | Low | Low | Quiet throughout, good availability across view categories |
| Rabi' al-Awwal | Moderate | Low to medium | Steady, still good value |
| Rabi' al-Thani | Moderate | Medium | Unremarkable in both directions |
| Jumada al-Awwal | Moderate | Medium | Watch for school holidays in your market |
| Jumada al-Thani | Moderate | Medium | Demand begins to firm |
| Rajab | High | Medium to high | Popular Umrah month, book earlier |
| Sha'ban | Mixed | Low early, high late | Mid-month is the second value window |
| Ramadan, first 20 nights | Very high | High | Roughly 3–5× regular season |
| Ramadan, last 10 nights | Peak | Peak | Highest of the Ramadan period, sells out first |
| Shawwal | High early | High then easing | Eid week is busy, then it settles |
| Dhul Qa'dah | Rising | Medium to high | Pre-Hajj build-up |
| Dhul Hijjah | Restricted | Peak | Hajj season; Umrah visas suspended around the pilgrimage |
Rates vary by season and room category. Message us on WhatsApp for live prices for your dates →
Flexible on dates? Let us find the cheapest week.
Send us the window you could travel in rather than a fixed date. We will come back with the quietest weeks inside it and what each one actually costs.
Find My Cheapest WeekWhy the weeks after Hajj are the best value of the year
Once the Hajj season closes and pilgrims depart, Makkah empties faster than at any other point in the calendar. Hotels that were sold out for months release unsold allocation, group blocks are returned, and the whole complex resets. For a pilgrim with flexible dates, this is the window where a Clock Tower stay costs the least and where the better view categories are actually obtainable rather than theoretical.
The practical trade-off is heat. Depending on where Hajj falls in the Gregorian year, this window can coincide with the hottest months in Makkah. Inside the Abraj Al Bait complex that matters less than it would elsewhere, because the route to Masjid al-Haram is covered and air-conditioned throughout, which is exactly why the Clock Tower is worth more in a hot month than a hotel that requires a street crossing.
The second window: mid-Sha'ban
The weeks before Ramadan begins are quieter than most travellers expect. Demand builds sharply once the month starts, but the run-up sits at moderate levels, and rates reflect that. If you want a calm Umrah with reasonable pricing and you cannot travel straight after Hajj, this is the next best window in the year.
How much does timing actually save?
More than hotel choice does. Moving from a peak week to a quiet one changes the rate by a multiple, while moving from the Fairmont to Al Marwa Rayhaan in the same week changes it by a fraction. If value is your priority, fix the dates first and the hotel second, not the other way round.
| Season | Demand | How far ahead to book | Rates |
|---|---|---|---|
| Regular Umrah season | Moderate | 4–6 weeks | Lowest of the year |
| School holidays & long weekends | High | 2–3 months | Above regular season |
| Ramadan, first 20 nights | Very high | 6–12 months | Roughly 3–5× regular season |
| Ramadan, last 10 nights | Peak | 9–12 months | Highest Ramadan pricing, sells out first |
| Hajj season | Restricted | 8–12 months | Highest of the year; Umrah visas suspended around Hajj |
Rates vary by season and room category. Message us on WhatsApp for live prices for your dates →
Does the hotel you choose still matter for value?
It does, but as a secondary lever. Inside the complex, Al Marwa Rayhaan by Rotana is the most accessibly priced, followed by the two Swissôtels and Mövenpick Hajar Tower. The Fairmont and Raffles sit at the top in every season. The other lever is the view category: a City View room in the same hotel and the same week costs materially less than a Full Kaaba View one, and if you intend to spend most of your day in the Haram, that is often the sensible trade. Our Kaaba View vs Haram View guide explains what you give up.
How to plan a value Umrah, step by step
- Start with a window, not a date. Tell us a two or three week band you could travel in. Flexibility of even a few days is worth more than any negotiation.
- Check the Hijri calendar against it. We will tell you where your window sits relative to Ramadan, Hajj and school holidays in your market.
- Decide what you are protecting. The view, the hotel, the nights, or the price. Whichever you protect, the others flex.
- Book four to six weeks ahead in regular season. Last-minute rarely wins in Makkah, and never in a busy month.
Want us to check live availability for your window?
We will price several date options in one message so you can see the difference a week either way makes.
Compare Dates on WhatsAppFrequently Asked Questions About Umrah Pricing by Season
The cheapest windows are the weeks immediately after Hajj, in Muharram and Safar, and the middle of Sha'ban before Ramadan demand begins. Because the Islamic calendar shifts against the Gregorian one by about eleven days a year, the cheapest Gregorian months change annually. Tell us your flexible window and we will price the quietest weeks in it.
Yes. The weeks following Hajj are consistently among the softest of the year for Clock Tower rates. Pilgrim volumes drop sharply once the season ends, hotels release unsold allocation, and availability across every view category improves at the same time.
Ramadan rates run roughly three to five times regular-season pricing, and the last ten nights sit above that. Off-peak weeks sit at the bottom of that range. We do not publish fixed figures because rates move weekly; message us with your dates for live pricing.
Occasionally in genuinely quiet weeks, but it is a poor strategy overall. Last-minute availability in Makkah tends to be the categories nobody wanted, and in any busy period there is nothing left at all. Booking four to six weeks ahead in regular season gets better rooms at better rates.
Al Marwa Rayhaan by Rotana is consistently the most accessibly priced hotel inside the Abraj Al Bait complex, followed by the Swissôtels and Mövenpick Hajar Tower. The Fairmont and Raffles sit at the top of the range in every season.
Yes, though less than the season does. Thursday and Friday nights carry weekend demand from GCC residents making short trips, so midweek check-ins are often softer. Over a seven-night stay the effect is usually modest compared with choosing the right month.
Avoid Ramadan, especially the last ten nights, the school holiday peaks in your home market, and the Hajj season, when Umrah visas are suspended around the pilgrimage. Those four windows account for almost all of the year's price spikes.
Why book your Clock Tower stay with Meliora Escapes
- Meliora Escapes is a Dubai based luxury travel consultancy serving guests across the Gulf, the UK and beyond.
- We send real room and view photos before you pay, so you know exactly which view category you are booking.
- No hidden fees. The price we quote is the price you pay.
- A named consultant handles your booking from enquiry to check-in, reachable on WhatsApp in your time zone.