Updated · Saudi Arabia Taxi Services
When is Taif's rose season?
The Taif rose festival celebrates the spring harvest with farm visits, markets and rose-water distilleries, and it usually runs from March to April. The harvest itself is short, so check this year's dates with Visit Saudi or the festival's official channels before you fix flights and hotels, and ask us when you plan.
Taif sits in the highlands above Makkah and is cooler than the city below, so bring a light jacket for early starts at the farms.
Visiting the rose farms
The rose farms are fields of Taif roses in the highlands, about 25 km from the town centre. The flowers are harvested in spring to make rose water and oil, and many farms run small distilleries you can visit. Allow about 2 h for a farm and its distillery.
The farms are on mountain roads, so allow extra time for the drive. Send us the farm's name or a location pin when you book, and check visiting hours with the farm directly, because they can change during the harvest.
Markets, a palace and a park in town
The festival brings markets as well as farm visits. In the centre, Shubra Palace is a historic palace that once served as a royal summer residence. Allow about 1 h, check its opening hours before you go, and combine it with Taif's central souq.
Al Rudaf Park, among granite boulders on Taif's southern side, is popular with families and at its best on spring and summer evenings. Plan about 1 h 30 min for a walk or a picnic.
Day trips to Taif in rose season
Most visitors come up for the day from Makkah or Jeddah. The day-trip prices below are for a return trip with the driver waiting while you spend about 4 h 30 min in Taif, enough for a farm, Shubra Palace with the souq, and Al Rudaf Park.
From Makkah, the Al Hada escarpment road climbs steeply with many sharp bends, and drivers take it steady; the As-Sail road is about 20 km longer but flatter. Our Makkah to Taif via Al Hada article has the detail. If you plan to perform Umrah when you return to Makkah, read the Miqat guide before you go.
| From | Distance | Drive | One way | Day trip, driver waits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Makkah | 90 km | 1 h 30 min | SAR 160 | SAR 640 |
| Jeddah | 170 km | 2 h | SAR 290 | SAR 880 |
| Taif Airport (TIF) | 25 km | 30 min | SAR 60 | SAR 80 per hour in Taif |
A sample rose-season day from Makkah
- Morning: leave Makkah and drive up the Al Hada road, about 1 h 30 min.
- Rose farm and distillery: about 2 h. Go early, before the midday sun.
- Lunch in Taif, then Shubra Palace and the central souq, about 1 h.
- Late afternoon: Al Rudaf Park, about 1 h 30 min.
- Evening: drive back down to Makkah. The day is priced as about 8 hours, from SAR 640 in an economy sedan.
Going further: Al Shafa and the Al Hada cable car
Al Shafa, about 30 km from Taif, is a group of terraced mountain villages with fruit farms and cool air. In spring it pairs well with the rose farms, but the roads are winding, so plan on about 3 h there plus extra time on the road. A return trip from a Taif hotel with the driver waiting costs from SAR 320.
The Al Hada cable car (Al Kar) and its leisure village sit on the escarpment between Taif and the Makkah road, about 25 km from Taif. Allow about 2 h, and bring a light jacket. With several stops, a driver by the hour from SAR 80 per hour is simpler than separate rides; see getting around Taif.
Which vehicle should you book?
Fares are per car, fixed before the day, and include fuel and the driver. Farm entry and distillery tours are not included. To add Masjid Abdullah ibn Abbas to the day, see Taif Ziyarat from Makkah.
| Vehicle | Passengers | Makkah to Taif, one way | Day trip from Makkah |
|---|---|---|---|
| Economy sedan | Up to 3 | SAR 160 | SAR 640 |
| SUV | Up to 7 | SAR 320 | SAR 1,440 |
| Family van | Up to 11 | SAR 290 | SAR 1,200 |