The best things to do in AlUla range from wandering the 2,000-year-old tombs of Hegra to drifting over the desert in a sunrise hot-air balloon. If you only have a couple of days, prioritise Hegra, Elephant Rock, the mud-brick Old Town and a stargazing night at Gharameel: those four cover the history, the landscapes and the sheer strangeness of the place. I spent three winter days here and still left with a list I hadn’t finished. This guide walks through the experiences genuinely worth your time, with real 2026 prices, drive times and honest notes so you can shortlist the things to do in AlUla that actually justify the journey.
Quick answer: the top things to do in AlUla are the Hegra UNESCO tour, Elephant Rock at sunset, Dadan and Jabal Ikmah, AlUla Old Town after dark, and a balloon flight or a Gharameel stargazing night.
In this guide
- Why Hegra tops the list of things to do in AlUla
- What to expect at Hegra
- Elephant Rock and the desert landmarks
- AlUla Old Town after dark
- Dadan and Jabal Ikmah: the deeper history
- Stargazing and ballooning: things to do in AlUla after dark
- Maraya and the arts side of AlUla
- When to go and how to get there
- How much do the things to do in AlUla cost?
- Planning tips for the best things to do in AlUla
- Frequently asked questions
Why Hegra tops the list of things to do in AlUla
Almost everyone’s list of things to do in AlUla starts with Hegra, and rightly so. This was the Nabataean kingdom’s second city after Petra, and in 2008 it became Saudi Arabia’s first UNESCO World Heritage Site. Where Petra is one carved canyon, Hegra spreads across an open desert basin dotted with more than 100 monumental tombs, their facades cut straight into freestanding sandstone outcrops.
You cannot self-drive inside the site. Every visit runs as a guided tour in a vintage-style bus or open 4×4, led by a local storyteller the guides call a Rawi. The standard Hegra tour starts from around SAR 95 per person and runs two to three hours, stopping at the Diwan, the tomb-lined Jabal AlBanat, and the show-stopping Tomb of Lihyan Son of Kuza, better known as Qasr al-Farid, a single 22-metre tomb standing alone against the sky.
If you want more flexibility, the Hegra hop-on hop-off ticket runs from about SAR 150 and lets you linger at each cluster with a multimedia guide. Book ahead on the official Experience AlUla platform, because slots fill fast in winter and self-drive is not an option. For a full breakdown of what each tomb holds, our guide to the Hegra tombs goes deeper, and if you are still on the fence, we weigh it up honestly in is Hegra worth visiting.
What to expect at Hegra
Go early. The 8 or 9 am departures give you soft light and cooler air before the basin heats up, even in winter. Wear closed shoes, because the ground is loose gravel and sand, and bring a hat, because there is almost no shade. Facilities are limited to the visitor centre, so use the restroom before you board and carry your own water. It is worth the early alarm for one of the marquee things to do in AlUla.
The Rawi does the heavy lifting here, weaving the Nabataean trade story between stops so the carvings stop being scenery and start being history. It is one of the few things to do in AlUla where the guide genuinely changes the experience rather than just ticking a box. Budget two to three hours and do not expect to wander freely; the tour keeps to a fixed route and a fixed set of tomb clusters. Even so, it stays near the top of any ranking of things to do in AlUla.
Elephant Rock and the desert landmarks
After the tombs, the natural rock formations are the other half of what makes AlUla special, and they account for many of the free things to do in AlUla. Elephant Rock, or Jabal AlFil, is the icon: a three-storey lump of red sandstone eroded into the unmistakable shape of an elephant with its trunk to the ground. Entry is free and you can drive yourself here off Highway 70, with free parking on site.
The setting has been developed with sunken lounge pods in the sand where you can order coffee or a mocktail and watch the rock change colour as the sun drops. It opens in the afternoon and stays lively into the evening, so it is one of the easiest things to do in AlUla to slot into a late-afternoon window. Sunset is the moment; arrive an hour before to claim a pod.
Nearby, Ashar Valley holds some of the most cinematic scenery in the region, along with the luxury resorts and the mirrored Maraya hall. Even if you are not staying out there, the drive through the towering cliffs is worth it. Our Elephant Rock AlUla guide and the Ashar Valley AlUla overview cover both in detail. Both rank high on my personal list of things to do in AlUla.
Other free landmarks worth chasing if you have a car include the Arch Rock (Rainbow Rock), the delicate wind-carved pillars of Gharameel, and the viewpoints along the oasis edge. None of these need a ticket, which makes self-driving a rewarding way to string together the outdoor things to do in AlUla on your own schedule.
AlUla Old Town after dark
The Old Town is my favourite of the free things to do in AlUla. It is a labyrinth of roughly 900 mud-brick houses stacked along the oasis, abandoned only in the 1980s and now partly restored. Wandering the shaded lanes at dusk, with the Musa bin Nusayr citadel lit up on the hill above, is genuinely atmospheric in a way the polished attractions are not.
Entry to the Old Town itself is free. It technically opens in the morning, but it only comes alive after around 3 pm, when the restored Incense Road lane of shops, cafes and craft stalls opens, staying busy until 11 pm and later. Come for golden hour, eat dinner here, and climb to the citadel viewpoint for the sunset over the palm oasis. It is one of the quieter things to do in AlUla at that golden hour.
This is where AlUla feels like a living town rather than an attraction, and it pairs perfectly with an early Hegra tour the same day. For a full walking route and where to eat, see our AlUla Old Town guide. Budget travellers, take note: an evening here is one of the cheapest things to do in AlUla, costing nothing but dinner and balancing out the pricier daytime tours nicely.
Dadan and Jabal Ikmah: the deeper history
Long before the Nabataeans, the kingdoms of Dadan and Lihyan ruled this oasis. The Dadan site, with its lion tombs carved high into a red cliff, and neighbouring Jabal Ikmah are among the most rewarding things to do in AlUla for anyone interested in the ancient world.
Jabal Ikmah is often called an open-air library: a narrow desert canyon whose walls carry hundreds of inscriptions in Dadanitic, Thamudic, Minaic and other scripts, a record so significant it joined UNESCO’s Memory of the World register. Standing among that much ancient writing is quietly astonishing, and it is one of the more underrated things to do in AlUla.
The combined Dadan and Jabal Ikmah tour starts from around SAR 60 and lasts roughly two hours. You park free at Winter Park, board a coach to the Dadan Visitor Centre, continue to Jabal Ikmah, and return. It is the best-value guided experience in AlUla and, in my view, more moving than Hegra even if far less famous. For history lovers it may be the single best of all the things to do in AlUla.
Stargazing and ballooning: things to do in AlUla after dark
Some of the most memorable things to do in AlUla happen after dark or at first light. AlUla sits inside a certified Dark Sky reserve, and Gharameel stargazing tours drive you out to the rock pillars where, on a clear moonless night, the Milky Way is visible to the naked eye. Sessions typically include a guide with a telescope and a grilled dinner around a campfire, and run from roughly SAR 200 per person.
At dawn, the sunrise hot-air balloon is the big splurge. Flights lift off over the tombs and canyons and drift for roughly an hour; prices start from around SAR 1,295 per person and climb during the AlUla Skies Festival, held 17 to 26 April in 2026. It is expensive, weather-dependent and not for everyone, but the view of Hegra from above is unforgettable. Our hot-air balloon AlUla guide covers operators, timing and whether it is worth the cost.
If ballooning is beyond budget, the tethered balloon offered during festival season is far cheaper and still gets you off the ground for the photo. Either way, book the balloon early in your trip so you have spare mornings to rebook if wind cancels the flight, which happens more often than the brochures admit. Still, a dawn flight ranks among the most magical things to do in AlUla.
Maraya and the arts side of AlUla
Maraya, meaning mirror in Arabic, is a Guinness-record-holding concert hall clad in nearly 9,740 square metres of mirrored glass that reflects the surrounding cliffs and all but vanishes into the valley. It is one of the more photographed things to do in AlUla, and the reflection genuinely is startling in person, especially in the low light of late afternoon.
You can visit on a Maraya tour, dine at its rooftop restaurant, or catch a concert during the Winter at Tantora festival, which runs across the winter months with classical and contemporary performances. Concert tickets vary widely by seating tier, so the tour and dining options are the reliable year-round way in. If a big-name show coincides with your dates, it is worth building the trip around it, because a concert here is one of the more memorable evening things to do in AlUla.
Add the AlUla Arts District, the Wadi AlFann land-art project and rotating exhibitions, and there is a whole cultural layer beyond the ruins. These are the things to do in AlUla that surprise first-time visitors who came only for the archaeology and leave talking about the art.
When to go and how to get there
Timing matters more here than almost anywhere. Summer is brutally hot, so plan your things to do in AlUla for the cool season between October and April. December to February is peak, with daytime highs around 15 to 25C and genuinely cold desert nights, so pack a warm layer for stargazing and dawn balloon flights. Get the season right and the things to do in AlUla open up comfortably from morning to night.
AlUla has its own airport (ULH) with direct flights from Riyadh, around 14 a week and roughly 1 hour 45 minutes, on flynas, Saudia and others, plus a Jeddah route. Many visitors instead drive the roughly 330 km, about a 3 to 3.5 hour trip, from Medina, which has the nearest major international airport. Renting a car once you arrive is the single best decision for reaching the free outdoor things to do in AlUla on your own schedule.
Distances and drive times
| From | To | Distance | Typical time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Medina | AlUla | ~330 km | 3 to 3.5 hrs by car |
| Riyadh | AlUla | Direct flight | ~1 hr 45 min |
| AlUla airport (ULH) | Old Town | ~35 km | ~30 min |
| Old Town | Hegra | ~22 km | ~25 min |
| Old Town | Elephant Rock | ~11 km | ~15 min |
How much do the things to do in AlUla cost?
AlUla has a reputation as a pricey destination, and the resorts earn it, but the core sights are more affordable than people expect. The heritage tours are heavily subsidised, and several of the best landmarks cost nothing at all. Here is a snapshot of 2026 starting prices to help you budget the main things to do in AlUla.
| Experience | From (per person) | Duration | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hegra guided tour | SAR 95 | 2 to 3 hrs | Book ahead; no self-drive |
| Hegra hop-on hop-off | SAR 150 | Flexible | Multimedia guide |
| Dadan & Jabal Ikmah | SAR 60 | ~2 hrs | Best-value tour |
| Elephant Rock | Free | Afternoon to night | Free parking |
| AlUla Old Town | Free | Best after 3 pm | Dinner extra |
| Gharameel stargazing | from ~SAR 200 | Evening | Dinner included |
| Sunrise hot-air balloon | from SAR 1,295 | ~1 hr flight | Weather-dependent |
Prices are starting rates at the time of writing and shift with season and demand, so always confirm on the official booking site before you plan. Booking bundles through Experience AlUla can save 15 to 30 percent versus buying single tickets. That discount adds up fast once you tally several things to do in AlUla.
Planning tips for the best things to do in AlUla
Two full days covers the essentials; three lets you slow down. A workable plan: Hegra plus Elephant Rock on day one, then Dadan, Jabal Ikmah and the Old Town on day two, with stargazing or a balloon slotted into either evening or the dawn between them. That rhythm covers the headline things to do in AlUla comfortably.
Book Hegra, ballooning and any Maraya concert online before you arrive, because walk-up availability is unreliable in high season. Free sights like Elephant Rock and the Old Town need no booking, so keep them as flexible fillers around the timed tours. Carry water and sun cover even in winter, respect modest dress at the cultural sites, and download an offline map because signal drops in the valleys. With that, you can build a route through the best things to do in AlUla without wasting a single morning.
To recap, the essential things to do in AlUla are Hegra and its Nabataean tombs, Elephant Rock at sunset, the free Old Town after dark, Dadan and Jabal Ikmah for the deeper history, and a Gharameel stargazing night or a dawn balloon for the sheer wow factor. Tick those off and you will have seen the best of what makes this valley special.
Frequently asked questions
How many days do you need in AlUla?
Two full days cover the headline things to do in AlUla: Hegra, Elephant Rock, the Old Town, and Dadan with Jabal Ikmah. A third day lets you add stargazing, a balloon flight or Maraya without rushing between them.
Is AlUla expensive to visit?
It can be, but it does not have to be. The luxury resorts are costly, yet heritage tours start from SAR 60 to 95 and marquee sights like Elephant Rock and the Old Town are free, so the sightseeing itself is reasonable. Plenty of the best things to do in AlUla cost nothing at all.
Do you need a car in AlUla?
For flexibility, yes. A rental car makes the free outdoor landmarks and the spread-out sites far easier to reach, though guided tours include transport and you cannot self-drive inside Hegra itself.
When is the best time to visit AlUla?
October to April, and ideally December to February, when daytime temperatures sit around 15 to 25C. Summer is too hot for comfortable sightseeing out among the tombs and rocks.
Can you visit Hegra without a tour?
No. Self-driving inside Hegra is not permitted; every visit is a guided tour booked through Experience AlUla, which is part of why booking a slot ahead of time matters so much in winter.
