Petra was the capital city of the Nabataeans from nearly 300 BC to 100 AD. With so much of history and architectures around the lost city of Petra it is one of the seven wonders of the modern world, and today it’s a UNESCO World Heritage site too, which is 6 km long. Read through our ultimate Petra travel guide to know best things to do in Petra including where to stay in Petra and our experience at Petra by Night! Looking for a perfect Jordan Itinerary – check ours here.
This city remained hidden until 1812 and it has been rediscovered 200 years ago as it remained buried due to the effects of multiple and massive earthquakes. Its very interesting to know that till date 85% of Petra is buried and still undiscovered. With so much of architectural wonders around this city, it has drawn many travelers from around the world, and definitely it is one of our favourite destination.
How to reach Petra in Jordan : Petra Travel Guide
Most travelers arrive in Amman which is the capital city of Jordan. From Amman to reach Petra it would take almost 3-4 hours of driving. You can pre-book a self driving car before arrival and collect it from the airport itself. The best we would suggest is the Rentalcars which would give you the best deals from a range
of various companies and is trusted globally.
However in this trip we didn’t wish to self drive, so we hired a driver for the entire trip to ourself from a local tour company called Zaid Tours and Travels. You can definitely check out their offers for car and city tour services at great deals. We would highly recommend them.
Best time to visit Petra : Petra Travel Guide
Usually the best times to visit Petra, Jordan are during spring (March to May)or autumn(September to November). But we took a chance visiting in the month of February which is the winter( December – February). It was relatively colder yet manageable. We packed few layers of woolens and were good to go, didn’t feel we were in Iceland honestly. However nights were cooler but the days were bright and warm.
Note: Winter is the off season in Jordan and you won’t find too many visitors there. So the deals you get with hotels and airfares are comparatively cheaper. In addition you find most of the touristy places empty and all for yourself to click some of the best pictures for your Instagram feed.
How many days do you need in Petra : Petra Travel Guide
We spent two amazing nights in Petra and was the best decision we ever made, and would highly recommend you to do the same to explore the gems of this hidden city. In two days you will have enough time to explore the city at your own pace without any rush.
How to get Jordan Travel pass : Petra Travel Guide
You can get your Jordan pass before arrival which is really well designed for the visitors. Having this pass means that you have pre-booked most of your entry fees for over 40 Jordan attractions.
Entry charges at Petra for one day is 50JD per person for two days its 55JD and for three days its 60JD and free with Jordan pass. You can get the Jordan travel pass packages from the link here.
NOTE: make sure you carry your passport, you might need to show that at the entrance along with the tickets.
Where to stay in Petra : Petra Travel Guide
We stayed in this beautiful hotel in Petra which is just 2min of walking from the Petra main gate.
Petra Guest House
Petra Opening Hours:
The gate opens from 6am -7pm in summer months and 6am -5pm in winter. So start your day early morning when the crowd would be lesser in front of top sites like The Treasury and others.
Things to do and getting around Petra
Petra is a massive straight forward site with single walking route starting from the main gate. It leads from the Siq all the way to the Treasury up to the Monastery. The best way to explore Petra is on foot, and on the way you would come across many detailed structures carved out of sand stones which has been preserved so well through ages.
We walked across the cobblestone Siq trails while the first rays of the sun made the sand stones sparkle and look extremely dramatic. Make sure you wear comfortable pair of walking shoes because you literally have to walk for miles and miles. We were inside Petra from 7am-5pm, so it was a long and tiring day.
Note: Free donkey rides are available with the entry fee itself, but the riders still would charge you with anything that fits. So negotiate. Still would recommend you to walk and if you can and spare the animals.
Petra Treasury
We entered from the main gate and walked till the treasury (almost 1hr). That was one magical moment when we first saw the beautiful structure. Spend some time there taking good pictures and wander around. Also make sure you climb some vantage points there for a good aerial view.
We hired a guide to explore this city, however its not impossible to go around without one. He is the best guide we can recommend- Sakher(+962798002248) and tell we said hello if you meet him!
Street of Facades
From the Petra Treasury on your left hand side you would find the narrow outer Siq carved between the rock architectures. Here the paths widens up and you see huge facades which stands at a exposed location which is over 15m high. These tombs and houses were built by the Nabataeans, 2000 years ago.
Hike through Petra
We followed our guide Sakher and listened to his detailed explanations while hiking through Petra. We took the off road and climbed not much difficult rocky trails for some of the best views of the day.
We reached the highest vantage point and realized that we were surrounded by the ruins from all sides and witnessed some of the unique views over Petra. The ruins of the monumental amphitheater at the end of the street of Facades looked amazing from the top. You can also climb and pose near those beautiful multi coloured sandstones.
So if you are interested to explore some unexplored corners we would suggest hiring a guide, who can take you around the completely unmarked and almost impossible trails.
The Royal Tombs
We descended back down in front of the Royal tombs of Nabataean royalty which has very impressive facades.
The Great Temple
The Great Temple at Petra lies across the Colonnaded Street which was built in the early first century CE. This temple was not used for any religious worship, but was built as a royal reception hall, which is also the largest free standing building.
The Monastery (El-Deir)
From the Treasury we explored the valley and hiked for almost 1.5 hour to reach the Monastery, almost clearing 900 uncut stair steps, phew that was really tiring, but the walk over the panoramic viewpoints through the deserted land was extremely gorgeous.
This Monastery is the largest and one of the beautiful structures discovered in Petra. Along the way you would pass numerous stalls where women sells souvenirs, scarves, home decors, jewelry and so much more.
Once you make it to the Monastery take your time to wander around and don’t worry about getting food and water supplies because there are few local food joints available where you can grab a bite and enjoy the magnificent view. You can also witness the sunset from there. For those who are not into hiking, donkey rides can be an option with 10JD for single direction, but if you are physically abled you can surely avoid them and prefer walking.
Petra by Night
We would recommend building your itinerary around Petra on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays where you can witness the stunning Petra by night, its an occasion you truly can’t afford to miss.
We entered from the main gate and walked till the treasury (almost 1hr). That was one magical night we will never forget in our lifetime. The entire gorge was lit up with 1500 candles and on reaching we quietly sat there for almost 2 hours gazing at the illuminated stars and the treasury ruins with a different perspective altogether.
You can buy a ticket to visit the Treasury at night from the information centre which is just nearby the main gate. Entry charges for Petra by night are 17JD per person and not included in Jordan pass.
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Envisioning the lovely end to this amazing time at Petra .So guys hope you find this blog helpful planning yours, and if you have any queries please write it down in the comment section below. We would try to help with the best of our knowledge.
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Planning to club Egypt with Jordan? Egypt is a great option to travel with Jordan with flight distance between Amman and Cairo is only 1.30hr Check out our Egypt Itinerary here.
