Ramadan in Saudi Arabia 2027: a visitor’s guide

Rules for visitors

• Do not eat, drink (even water) or smoke in public during daylight. Hotels serve meals to guests, often in a screened area, and room service works as normal.
• Dress more conservatively than usual. See our dress code guide.
• Keep music low in public and be patient: people are fasting.
• Non-Muslims cannot enter Makkah at any time of year.

What changes during Ramadan

• Opening hours: many shops and attractions open later in the day and stay open until late at night. Check times for museums and tours before you go.
• Iftar is the meal at sunset (Maghrib). Hotels and restaurants run iftar buffets; book ahead. Traffic is heaviest just before sunset.
• Suhoor is the pre-dawn meal. Many restaurants serve it late into the night.
• Offices and government services keep shorter hours.
• Umrah is at its busiest, especially in the last ten nights, so Jeddah and Madinah flights fill up.

How to plan sightseeing

Plan outdoor sights for the morning, rest in the afternoon and head out after iftar, when the cities are at their liveliest. Ramadan nights in Jeddah’s Al-Balad are especially atmospheric. In AlUla, check tour times with the Hegra ticket planner and build your days with the AlUla trip planner.

Eid al-Fitr follows Ramadan: a joyful holiday, but hotels, domestic flights and attractions get busy. Book early. See all dates in the events calendar.