The closest hotels to the Haram in Makkah

Five prayers a day can mean ten trips between your room and the Haram, more if you pray at night or make tawaf after Isha. From a hotel on the edge of the plaza, each trip takes a few minutes. Further out, the walking adds up fast, and going back for every prayer starts to feel heavy.

How we measure the walk

Every hotel on Jiwar shows the walk from its front door to the nearest gate of the Haram, in steps and minutes at a quiet time. At prayer times, add the lifts: in the tall towers, the Clock Tower above all, waiting for one can take longer than the walk, so leave well before the adhan. The gate can change too. When one fills, the staff close it and send people on to the next.

The closest hotels right now

Nearest first, by the walk from the hotel's door to the mosque's. The price on each card is for tonight; pick your dates on the hotel's page.

Which side of the Haram?

• The Clock Tower (Abraj Al Bait), to the south: its hotels open onto the plaza facing King Abdulaziz Gate, with shops and restaurants under the same roof, though the lifts are slow at prayer times.
• Jabal Omar, to the west: newer towers facing King Fahd Gate, with only the plaza between them and the mosque.
• Ajyad, to the south: a street of hotels near the Safa side, with plenty of choice a few minutes further on.
• The King Abdullah expansion, to the north: hotels such as Anjum sit beside the newest part of the mosque, some with their own way in.

Is the closest always the best?

For a short Umrah of two or three nights, the closest hotel is usually worth paying more for, because the time you save goes to the Haram. On a longer stay, or with children, a bigger room, breakfast and a quieter street can matter more than five minutes' walk. Each hotel's page shows its rooms, its views and what guests say about it.

In Ramadan and on Fridays the plazas fill hours before the prayer, and some gates close early. To pray inside the mosque, go early, however close your hotel is.