Hail travel guide
A'arif Fort, Rashidi history and the Jubbah rock carvings
Ha'il is a highland farming city in the north-west, the old Rashidi capital and the base for the UNESCO-listed rock art at Jubbah. Go between October and April. Two days covers the forts in town and a trip out to the carvings. Prices are high, and many passports qualify for the tourist eVisa.
Ha'il sits on a plateau about 1,000 m up in north-western Saudi Arabia, between the Aja and Salma ranges of the Shammar mountains. The altitude takes the edge off the heat compared with Riyadh. Most visitors come for the prehistoric rock carvings at Jubbah, about 90 km away, which UNESCO lists together with Shuwaymis as the rock art of the Hail region.
History here runs through the Al Rashid dynasty, who ruled from Ha'il and were long rivals of the House of Saud. A'arif Fort, a 17th-century mud-brick citadel on a hill above town, gives the best view; the square Qishlah fortress stands in the centre. The town also claims Hatim al-Tai, the pre-Islamic poet whose generosity is still proverbial across the Arab world.
Farming is the other story. Irrigated wheat fields and date gardens spread across the land north-east of the city. Locals eat sitting on floor cushions, and Alwadi Almubarak is a good place to try traditional Saudi dishes that way. Winter nights are cold.
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Mud-brick forts in town, rock art in the desert beyond.
Hail
Nafud Desert
The Nafud, also called the Great Nafud, is a sand desert in the north of the Arabian Peninsula, lying mainly in Hail Province of Saudi Arabia, north of the city...
Best time to visit Hail
Month by month, so you can pick the weather and the crowds you want.
Days from 18C in January to 33C in October; pack a jacket, as winter nights fall to about 4C.
Highs near 40C and no rain from June to September, though still a little kinder than Riyadh; see sites early.
The Ha'il rally fills hotels when it runs in the desert around the city, so check its dates before booking.
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Getting there
Flights land south of town, trains stop to the north
Ha'il is easier to reach than its remote position suggests. The airport sits about 10 km south of the centre and handles frequent flights from Riyadh and Jeddah, plus a few international routes to regional hubs such as Dubai, Kuwait and Cairo. Car rental desks are in the terminal, and Uber or Careem will have you in town in about a quarter of an hour. Trains on the north-south line call at a station about 15 km north of the city, with Riyadh roughly four and a half hours away; departures are limited, so check the SAR timetable. Drivers come in on Highway 65 from Riyadh or Highway 15 from Medina.
- Airport
- Ha'il (HAS), about 10 km south; app car or taxi in about 15 minutes
- Train
- Riyadh in about 4 hours 30 minutes; station 15 km north
- Road from Riyadh
- About 600 km via Highway 65, around 6 hours
- Road from Medina
- About 430 km via Highway 15, around 4 hours 30 minutes
- Trains also run north towards Al-Jouf and Qurayyat, so Ha'il can be one stop on a longer rail trip.
- Pick up a hire car at the airport if Jubbah is on your plan; it saves a second trip out of town.
Getting around
Apps in town, wheels for the petroglyphs
Uber and Careem are plentiful, and they are the simplest way to hop between A'arif Fort on its hill, the Qishlah in the centre and dinner at Alwadi Almubarak. The older core around the Qishlah is compact enough to walk on a cool winter afternoon, but the city as a whole is spread out. For the rock art you need wheels. Jubbah is about 90 km north-west, roughly an hour each way on a good road, and easy in a normal hire car. Shuwaymis and the Tuwarin oasis are a different proposition: remote, partly off-road and best done with a 4x4 and a guide.
- Ride-hailing
- Uber and Careem are plentiful
- Car hire
- Desks at the airport; fine for Jubbah
- 4x4 and guide
- Needed for Shuwaymis and Tuwarin
- Climb to A'arif Fort in the late afternoon, then stay for sunset over the city.
Know before you go
What makes Hail worth the trip, and what catches visitors out.
Why travelers love it
- Jubbah's petroglyphs, carvings of people, cattle and chariots going back thousands of years.
- A'arif Fort at sunset, with the whole city spread below the hill.
- Lunch at Alwadi Almubarak, traditional Saudi food eaten on floor cushions.
Good to know
- Train departures are few, so check the schedule and book ahead.
- Shuwaymis is remote; go with a guide and a 4x4.
Trip fit
BookingMentor editorial ratings out of 5, based on a first-time visitor's experience.
Weather in Hail, month by month
Ha'il's January nights average 4°C under 18°C days, and July peaks at 40°C. March is the wettest month, at about 17 mm.
Climate figures are approximate long-term averages for Hail (World Meteorological Organization, via Wikipedia).
The hilltop fort, then the chariot carvings
Two days cover Ha'il: the forts on the first, A'arif on its hill and the Qishlah in the centre, then the rock carvings of Jubbah, about 90 km north-west, on the second, starting early before the sandstone heats up. A third day with a 4x4 and a good driver reaches the remote Tuwarin oasis.
Keep day one in town. Climb to A'arif Fort in the morning while the air is cool: the mud-brick walls and towers on the hilltop give the clearest view of how Ha'il sits between its two mountain ranges. Then head down to the Qishlah, the big square fortress in the centre, and look for what remains of the Barzan Palace quarter, once the seat of the Rashidi rulers. Have a late lunch lying back on floor cushions at Alwadi Almubarak, and pass the Al-Rajhi Mosque on the way back to your hotel.
Give day two to Jubbah, about 90 km north-west. Leave early in a hired car or with a guide, because the carvings sit on open sandstone with almost no shade by noon. The panels show people, cattle and even chariots, some going back around 10,000 years, cut at a time when this desert held a lake. Walk slowly and look closely; the best figures are faint until the light hits them at an angle.
Jareesh, Margoog and spring truffles from the Ha'il plateau
Wheat dishes, big lamb platters and generous hosts make up the Ha'il table. The province grows much of the kingdom's wheat, so jareesh and margoog are the local dishes, best eaten reclining on cushions at Alwadi Almubarak, open until after midnight. Spring after a wet winter brings desert truffles to the markets.
Ha'il takes its reputation for hospitality seriously. Hatim al-Tai, the pre-Islamic poet remembered across the Arab world for giving away everything he had, lived here, and his grave is pointed out near the city. In practice that means generous portions and hosts who keep refilling your cup.
The province grows much of the kingdom's wheat, and the local cooking leans on it. Look for jareesh, cracked wheat slow-cooked with meat into something close to porridge, and margoog, thin sheets of dough simmered in a meat and vegetable stew. Big rice platters topped with lamb are standard for groups.
Dates from the irrigated gardens north-east of the city come with every coffee. In spring after a wet winter, keep an eye out for desert truffles at the markets; the Ha'il region is one of the places where they are gathered, and locals cook them with meat or rice.
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How we research our Hail travel guide
We verify Ha'il's rock-art access and city details with the official Ha'il website, Visit Saudi and the Saudi tourist eVisa portal.
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Quick answers to the questions travelers ask most before visiting Hail.
Getting there
In about 15 minutes. The airport is roughly 10 km south of the centre, and rental desks are in the terminal too.
About 90 km north-west. Go by hired car or on a guided trip, and start early to avoid the midday sun.
A few, to regional hubs such as Dubai, Kuwait and Cairo. Most flights are domestic, from Riyadh and Jeddah.
Ha'il is easier to reach than its remote position suggests. The airport sits about 10 km south of the centre and handles frequent flights from Riyadh and Jeddah, plus a few international routes to regional hubs such as Dubai, Kuwait and Cairo. Car rental desks are in the terminal, and Uber or Careem will have you in town in about a quarter of an hour.
Timing & weather
October to April. The 1,000 m altitude keeps days mild, but bring a layer for the evenings.
The best time to visit Hail is Oct to Apr. Mild days at 1,000 m; winter nights get cold.
- Best overall: October - April (Days from 18C in January to 33C in October; pack a jacket, as winter nights fall to about 4C)
- Summer: May - September (Highs near 40C and no rain from June to September, though still a little kinder than Riyadh; see sites early)
General
Not often, and the timetable changes by season, so check SAR's schedule before you plan. Riyadh is about four and a half hours away, and the station lies about 15 km north of town.
Yes: one day for A'arif Fort, the Qishlah and a traditional lunch, one for the Jubbah rock art. Add a third for Tuwarin or Shuwaymis.
It is remote and partly off-road. Go with a guide and a 4x4 rather than a standard hire car.
Jareesh and margoog, both slow-cooked with meat. Rice platters with lamb, garden dates and, in good springs, desert truffles complete the picture.
Around 4C, even though January afternoons reach about 18C. A fleece or light down jacket earns its place in the bag.
A pre-Islamic Arab poet from Ha'il whose generosity became proverbial. His grave is one of the local sights.
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Visa & documents
A one-year multiple-entry tourist eVisa is available online or on arrival to citizens of many countries, including the UK, the EU, the US, Canada and Australia, and holders of valid US, UK or Schengen visas may also qualify. Umrah is allowed on a tourist visa outside Hajj season; Hajj needs a special visa.
Health & safety
Crime is low, but laws are strict and penalties severe, including for drugs and alcohol. Regional tensions can affect travel; check advice for areas near the Yemen border.
