AlUla

Neighborhoods

Where to base yourself

• Ashar Valley

  Stay here

  The headline luxury cluster — Banyan Tree AlUla, Habitas AlUla, the canyon-edge resort district 25 minutes north of the Old Town.

• AlUla Old Town

  The 800-year-old mud-brick settlement now restored as a heritage walking district — Dar Tantora boutique hotel, the Old Town café cluster, the Saturday market.

• Hegra (Madain Salih)

  The UNESCO Nabataean rock-cut tomb site — visited rather than stayed in, but the cultural heart of the entire AlUla experience.

• Maraya

  The mirrored concert hall in the desert — visited for the Winter at Tantora festival, the Maraya Social restaurant, and the Guinness-record building selfie.

Hotels

Where to stay

• Banyan Tree AlUla

  47 desert villas in the Ashar Valley — the architectural flagship of the AlUla resort cluster, with private pools and direct canyon views.

  $$$$

• Habitas AlUla

  96 design-led villas with lower environmental impact and lower rates — the right base for younger luxury travellers, with the strongest social programme.

  $$$

• Dar Tantora The House Hotel

  30 rooms in restored 800-year-old mud-brick houses in the Old Town — the heritage-stay alternative, candle-lit at night (no electricity in the rooms by design).

  $$$$

• Our Habitas AlUla Caravan

  22 retro-airstream caravans in the desert — the playful, photogenic alternative within the Habitas resort family.

  $$$

• Shaden Resort

  200 rooms in a more conventional resort setting — the right value pick for travellers prioritising rate over the canyon-edge atmosphere.

  $$

Dining

Where to eat

• Maraya Social by Jason Atherton

  British-chef Atherton's restaurant on the roof of the mirrored concert hall — the most polished dining experience in AlUla, with desert views and a tasting menu format.

  $$$$

• Tama, Banyan Tree AlUla

  The resort's signature pan-Asian dining room with canyon views — the consistent kitchen for travellers staying at the Banyan Tree.

  $$$$

• Suhail, Habitas AlUla

  Levantine open-fire cooking in a desert-tent dining room — the Habitas resort's flagship and a serious cuisine destination in its own right.

  $$$$

• Old Town café cluster

  Restored Old Town storefronts now operating as cafés and casual restaurants — Tasweer Café and Old Town Bistro for the relaxed daytime stop.

An ideal day

What to do

1. Pre-dawn (Day 1)

   Hot-air balloon flight over the Ashar Valley canyons — 90 minutes aloft, Champagne breakfast on landing, the most cinematic AlUla experience.

2. Morning (Day 2)

   Hegra (Madain Salih) rawi-guided tour — 110 Nabataean rock-cut tombs across 50 square kilometres, four hours minimum, modest cool-weather attire.

3. Afternoon

   Lunch at the Hegra Welcome Centre (the Six Senses-run café), then Jabal Ikmah inscriptions and the Dadan archaeological site — the older pre-Nabataean kingdom layer.

4. Evening

   Sunset at Elephant Rock (the natural sandstone elephant outcrop) followed by dinner at Suhail or Maraya Social — Maraya during the Winter at Tantora festival is the headline option.

5. Day 3

   Old Town walking tour with the Old Town Library and the Hijaz railway-station ruins, optional camel ride at Sharaan Nature Reserve, spa treatment at the Banyan Tree.

Logistics

Getting around

AlUla International Airport (ULH) connects to Riyadh (1.5h, daily Saudia and flynas) and Jeddah (1.5h, daily Saudia) with seasonal direct service from Dubai (2h, Emirates). Pre-arrange the resort transfer at booking — Banyan Tree, Habitas, and Dar Tantora all run private cars (90 SAR–250 SAR) and the airport-to-resort drive is 35–45 minutes through the canyon landscape. Within AlUla, the Royal Commission runs a free shuttle bus connecting the airport, the Old Town, the Ashar Valley resort cluster, and the Hegra Welcome Centre — useful for travellers who haven't pre-booked private cars. Self-drive is possible (rental at the airport) but most travellers find the shuttle and resort cars sufficient. Tour vehicles to Hegra are Royal-Commission-managed only — independent driving is not permitted to the archaeological sites.

Cost snapshot

What things cost in AlUla

Espresso

$5.00

Dinner for two

$90

Taxi (5 km)

$12

4★ hotel/night

$480

Numbeo medians, mid-week shoulder season. Verified 2026-05-13.

Best time to visit

Twelve months in AlUla

FAQ

Common questions about AlUla

AlUla or Petra — which?

Both are extraordinary and they are genuinely different experiences. Hegra (the Nabataean site at AlUla) is older, more spread out, accessed only with a rawi guide on a Royal-Commission-managed tour, and visited by a fraction of the crowds at Petra. Petra is more architecturally dramatic in compressed scale, free to walk independently, and significantly busier. Most editors now recommend AlUla as the headline if you can only do one — but ideally, do both, on separate trips.

How long do I need?

Three nights minimum for a focused trip — Hegra, Dadan, the Old Town, plus one experience day (balloon, Maraya concert, or Sharaan camel ride). Four nights is the editor's preferred length and lets you add Jabal Ikmah at proper depth, the AlUla Heritage Trail, and a relaxed day at the resort. Beyond five nights you'll be repeating activities; the cultural depth doesn't currently support longer.

Is Saudi Arabia open to tourists?

Yes — the eVisa launched in 2019 and is now well-established. Cost is around $130 USD, valid for one year, multiple entries, and processed in 24–72 hours via the Visit Saudi portal. There is no religious requirement for visa eligibility, and women travel freely without a male guardian. Hegra and AlUla are explicitly designed for international tourism.

What about dress code?

Modest dress is required (covered shoulders, knees, and chest) but the abaya is no longer mandatory for women. Inside the resorts, dress codes are fully relaxed (swimwear at the pool is fine). Outside the resorts and at cultural sites, long trousers or maxi skirts plus loose tops cover the requirement; loose linen works well for the desert heat.

Banyan Tree or Habitas?

Banyan Tree for the polished international-five-star experience, larger rooms, and private pools. Habitas for the more design-led, lower-impact, sociable atmosphere with stronger nightly programming and lower rates. Both sit in the Ashar Valley with comparable scenery; the choice is stylistic.

From the edit

Guides & stays in AlUla

Hotels

The 5 Best Luxury Hotels in AlUla, 2026: An Editor's Guide

The definitive 2026 AlUla luxury guide. We tested five top resorts from the Ashar Valley to the Old Town to find the best in desert architecture.

May 14, 2026 · 15 min read

Destinations

Where to Stay in AlUla (2026): Ashar Valley vs Old Town vs Banyan Tree Picks

The three AlUla bases that earn a luxury booking — the Ashar Valley flagship sandstone-canyon resort cluster, the Old Town heritage-restoration boutique anchor, and the Banyan Tree-Habitas alternative — with named hotels and the textbook Hegra-and-Elephant Rock access rhythm.

May 20, 2026 · 13 min read

Destinations

AlUla Hegra and Heritage Itinerary (2026): 4-Day Nabataean and Old Town Rotation

A four-day AlUla itinerary built on the Hegra UNESCO Nabataean-tomb site, the Dadan and Jabal Ikmah Lihyanite kingdom anchors, the Old Town heritage walking-rotation, and the Elephant Rock and Sharaan Nature Reserve anchors — with named hotels, RCU ticket pricing and in-property programmes.

May 20, 2026 · 14 min read

Also in Saudi Arabia

Hotels

Best Luxury Hotels in Saudi Arabia 2026

We tested Saudi Arabia's luxury hotels in 2026 across five regions, from Red Sea wellness resorts to Riyadh's design-forward towers.

May 14, 2026 · 8 min

Hotels

Best Luxury Resorts on Saudi Arabia's Red Sea 2026: Five Giga-Project Stays Tested

Five Red Sea Project resorts we paid to test in 2026 — the Ritz-Carlton Reserve overwater flagship, the design-led island properties, and the smartest sub-USD 1,800 sleepers in Saudi Arabia's new luxury archipelago.

May 14, 2026 · 11 min read

Hotels

The 5 Best Luxury Hotels in Riyadh for 2026

The Ritz-Carlton's palace grounds, the new Mandarin Oriental Al Faisaliah, and the Diriyah-adjacent boutiques — five properties tested during Saudi Arabia's tourism opening.

May 14, 2026 · 13 min read

Sources

• Numbeo cost-of-living — AlUla — verified 2026-05-13
• climate-data.org — AlUla — verified 2026-05-13