Umrah Packages from Minneapolis
Flight-inclusive Umrah for pilgrims from the Minneapolis-St. Paul area, departing via MSP.
Umrah from Minneapolis made simple
Two terminals, a light rail line and a proper winter: those are the local details that shape an Umrah departure from MSP. The flying itself follows a familiar pattern. MSP isn't among the five airports we price fares from, so any difference in airfare is worked out and shared with you before you book. From there you'll usually connect at a European, Turkish or Gulf hub for Jeddah. This page sticks to the practical side. It covers the snow, where to sort out a passport problem in a hurry, and how not to get caught out by the wrong terminal. There's also a note on the time change, which runs to eight or nine hours.
Departures
MSP
Routing
Twin Cities pilgrims usually connect from MSP through a European, Turkish or Gulf hub. MSP isn't a priced gateway, so any airfare difference is confirmed first.
Community
The Minnesota Historical Society describes Minnesota as home to the country's largest Somali population, with most Somali Minnesotans living in the metro area and particularly in Minneapolis, after a surge of arrivals in the 1990s. Among the metro's Muslim institutions is Dar Al-Farooq Center, also known as the Al Jazari Institute, a nonprofit religious and educational organization whose mission is the well-being of the Muslim community across the Twin Cities. Its programs include a class for new Muslims and an online institute.
Getting to Makkah from Minneapolis
The day starts with getting to the right building. Check which MSP terminal your first flight uses the night before, and again on the morning itself. Once you're through check-in and security, the first flight takes you to your connecting hub in Europe, Turkey or the Gulf. Change planes there with enough time on the ground to pray, eat and walk a little, then board the long leg to Jeddah, where your included transfer to Makkah picks up. From the Twin Cities, allow roughly 16 to 20 hours door to gate, more if the connection is a long one. That's a big day for an older parent, so plan it around them rather than around the fastest schedule on the screen. Pack medication, documents and a change of clothes in the cabin bag instead of the checked one. In winter especially, a delayed first flight can separate you from your suitcase for a night, and you'll want the essentials with you. A heavy winter coat is a lot to carry for two weeks. If someone is dropping you off, think about handing it back to them at the curb.
Build in winter slack
MSP is used to snow. The Metropolitan Airports Commission puts the average at about 55 inches a year, and in March 2025 it announced its single biggest purchase of snow-removal equipment: 58 vehicles, arriving over three years starting that fall. So a snowy morning here is routine. What a snowy day can still do is slow things down, and a short layover has little room to absorb that. For departures between December and March, choose the longer connection and leave home earlier than feels necessary.
A passport agency downtown
Minneapolis has its own passport agency, at 212 3rd Ave S. It's open Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., by appointment only, for people with international travel inside 14 calendar days or a foreign visa needed within 28. The Government Plaza and Nicollet Mall light rail stops are several blocks away, several bus routes stop in front of the building, and nearby parking is limited. If your passport is lost, expired or close to it, sort that out before anything else. The rest of the booking depends on it.
Two terminals, one free train
MSP has two terminals. Eleven of its passenger airlines use Terminal 1 and four use Terminal 2, so check which one your first flight leaves from instead of assuming. If you do end up at the wrong one, it's fixable. Light rail between the two terminals is free and runs 24 hours a day. The Terminal 1 station sits below the Red, Blue and Silver ramps, and the Terminal 2 station is on the north side of the Orange Ramp. Add the ride to your timing.
Three ways to go from Minneapolis
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 Minneapolis: questions
Only if the timing works. The airport says METRO Blue Line trains on the full route run every 15 to 20 minutes from about 5 a.m. to midnight, and the ride between the airport and the Warehouse District downtown takes roughly 25 minutes. If you need to be at MSP before the first trains can get you there, book a ride instead. The section between Terminal 1 and Terminal 2 is the exception: it runs all night and costs nothing.
Minnesota is on Central Time and changes its clocks. Makkah stays on UTC+3 all year. That puts Makkah eight hours ahead from March to early November and nine hours ahead in winter. Leave MSP at 5 p.m. in January and it's already 2 a.m. the next day in Makkah. In the few days before you fly, try going to bed and getting up a little earlier than usual. It takes some of the edge off the first morning after you land.
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.