Umrah Packages from Detroit
Flight-inclusive Umrah for pilgrims from Metro Detroit, departing via DTW.
Umrah from Detroit made simple
More than a century ago, Muslim immigrants in Highland Park put up a mosque of their own, so an Umrah planned from here has deep local roots. The practical side begins at Detroit Metropolitan Airport in Romulus, about 18 miles southwest of downtown. DTW isn't one of the five gateways our airfare is priced from. That leaves a choice between connecting at DTW and flying first to a gateway, and Chicago O'Hare is the nearest one. If starting at DTW changes the fare, the team confirms the figure before anyone books. The notes below stick to what's particular to Detroit: an airport with two separate terminals, an urgent passport office downtown and the customs step on the way home.
Departures
DTW
Routing
From DTW, plan on at least one connection through a European, Turkish or Gulf hub, or a first hop to Chicago O'Hare, the nearest of the five priced gateways.
Community
Detroit's Muslim story is more than a century old. Work on a mosque in Highland Park began in January 1921, and the first prayers there, for Eid al-Fitr, were held that June while the building was still unfinished. Sunni and Shi'a Muslims backed it together, and a University of Oxford history project calls it the first mosque built by immigrants, for immigrants. It didn't last long. By 1922 the building had fallen out of use, and in 1926 it was sold to the city of Highland Park.
Getting to Makkah from Detroit
Two interstates lead into the airport, I-94 and I-275, and SMART's FAST Michigan bus covers the trip from downtown for anyone without a car. Check which terminal you need before you leave, because McNamara and Evans are separate buildings.
The flights take one of two shapes. The simpler one connects at DTW onto a long-haul routing through a European, Turkish or Gulf hub. The other starts with a short positioning flight to a gateway such as O'Hare and carries on from there, which can mean an extra stop. From your front door to the gate in Jeddah, allow roughly 18 to 24 hours, depending mostly on the layovers.
If Makkah is your first stop, you need to be in ihram before the plane passes the miqat. Decide in advance where you'll change: at home, at the connecting airport or on board. Keep the ihram garments in your carry-on, not a checked bag, since a delayed suitcase shouldn't decide when you can start your Umrah. And eat properly before the long leg. It's a long time to run on airport snacks.
McNamara or Evans?
DTW has two passenger terminals, McNamara and Evans. They're separate buildings, linked by free shuttle buses, so a drop-off at the wrong one costs real time on a day that's already long. Check the terminal on your first boarding pass before anyone leaves the house. Parking follows the same split. McNamara has its own very large garage, and the Big Blue Deck sits next to Evans. Use the one that matches your departure, and check current parking details on the airport's own website.
Urgent passports, downtown
The Detroit Passport Agency is on the 3rd floor of 477 Michigan Avenue. It sees people by appointment only, for international travel within 14 calendar days. If you haven't applied yet, book through the State Department's online appointment system. If you already applied and the trip has become urgent, call 877-487-2778. Bring printed proof of the appointment and of your flight, plus your form, citizenship evidence, photo ID and a passport photo. It's closed at weekends and on federal holidays, and on Wednesdays it opens later, at 10 a.m.
Customs on the way back
Both DTW terminals have customs facilities on their lower levels, but you'll only use them if your flight from overseas lands in Detroit. Land first at another US airport and you're inspected there instead. O'Hare's guidance shows what that involves: after inspection you claim every checked bag, even one tagged through to your final city, and hand it back at a recheck counter. Routings through a preclearance airport, such as Abu Dhabi or Dublin, move the inspection to before you board.
Three ways to go from Detroit
Seven nights, flights included. The tier decides how close your hotels are.
- AffordableVoco Makkah (IHG)5-7 minutes by shuttle, or about 15 minutes' walkShaza Regency PlazaAbout 3 minutes' walk$1,590per person, quad
- PremiumRotana Jabal Omar MakkahUnder 2 minutes' walkPullman Zamzam MadinahUnder 1 minute's walk$1,790per person, quad
- LuxurySwissotel Makkah, Clock TowerFacing the HaramAnwar Al Madinah MövenpickFacing Masjid an-Nabawi$1,890per person, quad
Umrah from Detroit: questions
Yes. SMART's Route 261, FAST Michigan, runs between downtown Detroit and both DTW terminals seven days a week. Its downtown stops include Jefferson at Beaubien and Michigan at Cass, and the route heads out along Michigan Avenue through Dearborn. SMART also lists Routes 125 and 280 among its airport services. Buses come less often at weekends, so look up the current timetable before you count on one for a very early flight.
It comes down to your dates and how you feel about connections. Our airfare is priced from five gateways, and O'Hare is the closest of them to Detroit. Starting at DTW lets you board close to home and can mean fewer changes of plane, but it may add to the fare. Tell the team which you'd prefer. They'll confirm any difference in airfare before you book, so you can decide with the real numbers in front of you.
Our 7-night flight-inclusive packages run from $1,590 to $1,890 per person on quad occupancy, with airfare, the e-visa, medical insurance, both hotels and the Haramain train inside that figure. Advertised prices are based on departures from JFK, IAD, ORD, ATL and LAX. Flying out of your city may add to the airfare, and we'll confirm exactly how much before you book anything.