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November to March is the window the AlUla forum recommends, with February squarely inside it: days in the low 20s C and nights properly cold, so layers rather than desert clothing. Winter is what makes the sites walkable - Hegra, Saudi Arabia's first UNESCO listing, is open desert with carved tombs and no shade, and regulars say walking it under the sun is only bearable in these months. Two practical points that catch people out: you cannot enter Hegra without a pre-booked official tour, and the 3pm slot is the one locals pick precisely to miss the heat of the day. The record: 23.3C days against 9.5C nights, humidity 39 percent, 0.6 precipitation days, 10.3 hours of sun and AQI 60.

Forum posters are consistent that AlUla's comfortable travel season runs November through March - low 20sC by day, genuinely cold enough at night that layers are needed - and that May sits right at the front edge of the brutal summer stretch that follows, with mid-June temperatures reported reaching 115F. Posters explicitly warn against visiting in the May-June window specifically because of this escalating heat, a sharp contrast to the mild winter conditions the destination is known for. For anyone visiting anyway during this shoulder period, the standard advice is to front-load outdoor sightseeing (Hegra, the canyons) into the early morning and treat the afternoon as effectively off-limits for anything but shaded or indoor activities, with bottled water treated as essential regardless of time of day.

AlUla's forum rates November through March as the recommended season, with daytime temperatures settling into the low 20s°C — genuinely pleasant for walking around Hegra and the old town. Regulars flag the desert nights as cold enough to need real layers, a sharp contrast to the mild days.