Is Petra Worth Visiting? A Must-Read Before You Go!
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Is Petra worth visiting? I’ve rounded up all the must-need information you need before visiting Petra, Jordan, so you can make your own mind up on whether Petra is worth visiting!
Visiting Jordan? Then you’ve probably heard of the mega wonder of the world that lives there – Petra.
An ancient city inhabited by the Nabateans over 2000 years ago, it’s quite an experience just walking around what’s survived all of these years.
I’ll be honest, I didn’t really know what to expect before visiting Petra. I had seen the Instagram photos and the shots with the Treasury, the dusty paths and the colourfully dressed camels, but I didn’t really know what was in store.
So that’s why I’ve written this post to know whether or not Petra is worth visiting.
Whether you’re travelling to Petra, Jordan yourself, or you want to couch travel there (I’ve included lots of photos for you to enjoy), this post will inform you of all the much-needed questions about Petra.
Plus, that all-important question…is Petra worth visiting?!
Is Petra worth visiting? The Lowdown
So, is Petra worth visiting?
In short? Yes. Absolutely.
If you’re visiting Jordan, Petra should be one of the absolute must-go places on your list.
Located in the town of Wadi Musa, Petra (also known as ‘Rose City’ due to its colours) was named one of the Seven Wonders of the World in 2007, and it’s not hard to work out why.
With incredible, giant in size stone buildings, the remains of its own water system (that was created over 2000 years ago) Petra is perfectly named after the Greek word meaning ‘stone’. It’s full of them – from the ground to the mountains, to the iconic buildings you spend all day walking to.
FUN FACT: Only 15% of Petra has been explored by researchers and archaeologists. Anyone fancy a career change and joining the gang?
Tourists travel from all over the world to see Petra with their own eyes, and its even be used in Hollywood movies such as Indiana Jones and Disney’s Aladdin. (I find stuff like this so cool. Complete movie nerd).
Walking around the ancient city of Petra is an incredible and once-in-a-lifetime experience. I’m not much of a history buff when it comes to travel, but even I was blown away by the intricate architecture and design of the place. It really is something special.
What do you need to know before visiting Petra? Let’s get down to the details.
Need help planning your trip to Jordan? I’ve planned a perfect 7 day itinerary here!
What you need to know about visiting Petra (quick facts)
- Petra is around 150 miles south of Amman, and roughly a 2.5 hour drive.
- It is located in the town of Wadi Musa, which is where you will stay if you visit for longer than a day.
- Petra is over 264km2 and you can easily walk over 20km during a visit.
- The best time to visit Petra is either early morning (6am-8am) or late afternoon (3pm-6pm), due to the sheer number of tourists flocking to see it!
- The walk to the famous Treasury is 35 minutes from the entrance, whereas walking to the Monastry will set you back around 2-3 hours.
🌎 If you’re looking for a new backpack or suitcase, I highly recommend the Osprey 65L wheeled backpack. It’s a mix between your classic traveller backpack and an easy pull-along suitcase, so you get the best of both worlds!
What to expect when visiting Petra
So how does the day go when you visit Petra? I really had no idea what to expect before we visited.
You’ll arrive at the main entrance, where you can go to the loo, grab some food or ice cream, or shop in the little trinket shops.
Once you’re ready to start, you’ll need to check-in at the ticket booth and have your Jordan pass checked (more on this later). Then you’re all ready to enter and experience the wonderful world of Petra.
When you first enter, you’ll be given the option of riding a donkey or horse along the stony path to reach the Treasury. This is included in your ticket price, but a tip is also expected.
We didn’t engage in any animal rides and walked everywhere. I’ll be honest, the walk to the Treasury is long. Especially as you walk in so much anticipation of seeing for the first time!
If you have small children or difficulties walking, you can purchase a golf buggy ticket (£15 one way, £25 return). The buggy starts at the entrance and takes you right up to the Treasury.
You’ll walk through narrow (ish) passageways and through the famous Siq, a rock canal that towers over 80m in height. It’s pretty spectacular.
Even though we arrived around 10am and there were a lot of tourists, Petra is so incredibly big that you find moments of complete silence. We were walking through the Siq alone at one point, meaning we could get some of the amazing photos below.
The walk to the Treasury
As you’re walking through the Siq, you will be approached by many (and I mean many) Jordanians and Bedouin locals who want to ‘take you up the rocks for a better view’.
If you’ve seen the classic Instagram shots, you’ll know what shot this is. However, the rocks surrounding the Treasury are HIGH. Now I mean, high high. You wouldn’t catch me going up there!
However, the locals are knowledgeable about their rock climbing routes and offer to take you to the viewpoint for a tip ($10 is sufficient). If you’ve got a good head for heights, it’s worth it!
When you arrive at the Treasury, you’ll find camels, market stalls, a bustle of tourists and locals and just a vibrant atmosphere.
It’s hard to get a photo without anyone in the shot, but we didn’t find it to be too chaotic.
Beyond the Treasury
Some people do reach the Treasury and then decide to call it a day. Many jump in a golf buggy to return to the entrance and grab some food and a drink, in the shade away from the harsh sun.
But some do continue to see more of the ancient city. We continued on and were able to see more gigantic architecture and buildings, and I’d highly recommend it.
I wouldn’t advise any kind of animal tourism (in Petra or anywhere). If you’re feeling tired, buy a golf buggy ticket or have a rest. The donkeys looked exhausted and the sun is incredibly hot.
How much walking will I have to do in Petra?
This all depends on how much you want to walk. As I said, there are golf buggies on offer to get you to/from the Treasury (the main building). If you decide to call it a day there, you won’t have to do really any walking at all!
If you want to visit the Monastery, you’re looking at at least 2 hours of walking from the visitor centre. Some of the buildings are high in the mountains, meaning you’ll need to climb up to them if you want to see them.
It really all depends on where and how much walking you want to do.
Ticket pricing and the Jordan Pass: How much does Petra cost?
If you’re visiting Jordan, I highly recommend buying a Jordan Pass.
A Jordan Pass costs around £70 each, and includes your country visa (which alone is ___) and entrance to all the major sites in the country, including Petra.
There are different Jordan Passes depending on how many times you want to enter Petra, and we just got the basic package which allowed us to visit for one day.
If you’re a big hiker/walker, you may want to consider the second package, so you can enter Petra for two consecutive days in a row. This is all totally down to you.
NOTE: Petra at Night is NOT included in your Jordan Pass, and tickets for this need to be purchased separately for around £18 per person.
If you have NOT bought a Jordan Pass, it costs around £50 to enter Petra on a day pass, and £55 for a 2-day pass.
How many days do you need in Petra?
This really depends on what kind of person you are. Do you love history and learning about other cultures? Enjoy ancient architecture? Not mind being on your feet all day?
For us, one day was enough. Although I have seen many others visit Petra for 2 or 3 days in a row (but my feet would be in bits!)
We spent around 6 hours inside the city and this was enough time for us to walk around, stop for drinks and really take our time. As I said though, this is totally down to you.
There were so many parts we didn’t even come close to seeing (it is truly huge), but we were content enough with what we did see.
Tour or self-guided Petra?
Should you hire a guide when walking around Petra? If you enjoy learning the facts and history of a place, I’d definitely recommend it. But if you’re on a budget or enjoy going at your own pace, self-guided is also fine.
There is a Petra app you can download for extra information, and there are some locals within the city who are more than happy to talk to you about the history behind some of the buildings.
But if you really want a thorough experience filled with lots of information, I’d recommend hiring a guide.
You can hire a guide for around £50 from the entrance of the site, and they’ll lead you around the main trail.
What to wear in Petra
Jordan is a predominantly Muslim country, and clothing is to be quite conservative. It is more liberal than its neighbours, like Saudi Arabia, but you still need to keep your knees and shoulders covered.
As Petra is a tourist hotspot, I noticed clothing there to be a lot less conservative than in other areas of Jordan. Personally, I still wanted to stay covered up, but there were some girls in denim shorts and vest tops.
Not sure what to wear in Jordan? I’ve written a definitive packing list and guide on what to wear in Jordan here.
As a general rule of thumb:
- Women: Keep shoulders, knees and the majority of your chest covered, and nothing too tight or revealing. I found flowy dresses to be perfect!
- Men: Normal summer clothes. Shorts, t-shirts, loose trousers, jeans… normal clothes apart from vests.
Need to know what to wear in Jordan? Check out my guide here!
Where to stay in Petra
Nobody actually stays in Petra, but rather in the surrounding town of Wadi Musa.
We loved Wadi Musa, and found the locals to be so friendly and inviting. The food is incredible and you can find some amazing local cuisines to try camel (eek!) and other Jordanian dishes! I highly recommend My Mom’s Kitchen for a traditional Jordanian dinner!
In terms of accommodation, we stayed in the Petra Sky Hotel. This was under £30 a night for a private room and was only a 5-minute drive from Petra itself.
Food and drink in Petra
There are frequent food and drink stalls throughout Petra. I read somewhere beforehand that water is expensive (it’s not!) and there aren’t any options inside. There are plenty.
You can either grab some western food at the entrance or some local cuisines and sandwiches throughout. Water only costs £1 a bottle if you need a top-up.
The tap water in Jordan isn’t safe to drink, so I used my filter water bottle pretty much every day to keep myself hydrated. I take it everywhere with me, and it works in every country where you can’t drink tap water! You can grab yours here.
Oooh, and Jordanians are GREAT at smoothies and fruit juices. They really hit the spot when you’ve been walking around the city for hours and need a refreshment!
Visiting Petra during Ramadan
Visiting Petra during Ramadan and don’t know what to expect? We’ve been to Petra during Ramadan, and it’s not much different to any other time of year.
You can still buy food and drink like normal, and everything is open just the same as any other time of year.
Make sure you know the tipping etiquette in Jordan before visiting. You don’t want to go upsetting anyone! I’ve written a guide to tipping in Jordan here.
How long is the walk in Petra?
The walk from the entrance to the Treasury is 2km. It takes around 35 minutes with photo ops and scenic stops.
If you don’t want to walk, there are golf buggies to take you from the entrance right up to the Treasury for a £15 single, or £25 return.
How to get to Petra from Amman or Amman Airport
You can get to Petra easily from Amman.
By car: if you decide to drive to Petra from Amman, it will take around 2.5 hours. It’s an easy journey along the highway, and then through some mountainsides when you get to Wadi Musa. It’s an easy drive, and I’ve written an entire guide to travelling in Jordan here.
By bus: You can reach Petra by bus from Amman using JETT services. Buses leave at 6.30am daily and take around 4 hours. The bus stop is in the 7th Circle in Amman, and costs around £28 return.
By taxi/private driver: Alternatively, you can reach Petra by taxi or private driver. It will set you back at least £100, so if you have someone in the group who can drive, I’d highly recommend hiring a car in Jordan. Prices to hire a car can be as cheap as £45 a day!
🚌 If you don’t feel like hiring a car, you can hire a private driver or do a tour. This tour is great if you just want to see Petra from Amman!
Not sure whether or not to hire a car Jordan? Check out my guide to driving in Jordan here!
Parking at Petra
As you can imagine, parking at Petra can get chaotic. They do have a large car park, but it gets full pretty quickly.
If you can walk from your hotel, I’d advise it. If not, you might just be circling around to find a space for a while.
Parking is totally free and in a safe area.
If you’re not sure whether or not to drive in Jordan, check out my guide here.
When is the best time to visit Petra?
Jordan on a whole is a hot country. If you visit during the summer months (June to August), walking around somewhere like Petra is going to be hot.
I’d recommend visiting Petra either in spring (March-May) or autumn (September-November). This means the evenings and mornings are cooler, and you only have to battle with that midday heat for a short while.
🏛️ You need to make sure you have enough time to enjoy Petra, the Dead Sea and Aqaba. This tour takes 3 days from Amman so you can make sure you experience each area properly!
Petra at Night: Is it worth it?
Hmmm, this is a tough one.
I’ve seen many, many people say it’s a magical experience. Whilst it is special, there are some faults with it.
I’m glad we did Petra at Night, but I wouldn’t rush to do it again.
Petra at Night costs around £18 per person and begins at 8.30pm every Monday, Wednesday and Thursday night.
The walk to the Treasury is lit up by hundreds of lanterns, and you walk quietly with the other tourists, taking in the surroundings in the dark.
The stars, moon and shine on the rocks as you walk are pretty cool, and the anticipation building to see the Treasury in the dark is amazing.
We were quite early, so we were very lucky to see the Treasury lit by candlelight without anyone in the way.
However, about 3 minutes after we’d soaked it all up, 500+ more people entered and the lanterns were difficult to spot.
Unfortunately, there is no limit to the number of people entering Petra at Night, so it’s just too crowded. If it was a ticketed system with a limit of people, I truly believe it could be an incredible experience.
Hopefully, in the future, this is something they consider!
Petra at Night involves some traditional music and the story of why Petra is called Petra, with some free tea passed around by the locals.
It was still an amazing night, I just wish they let fewer people in!
Petra opening and closing times
Petra is open daily from 6am-6pm.
If you’re visiting during winter, it may close at 4pm. Just be sure to check with the ticket booth at the entrance.
🔌 Whilst you won’t want to be glued to your phone whilst travelling Jordan, I highly recommend carrying a power bank. Losing battery whilst driving in the Middle East and not having a map would not be ideal! It also gets super hot so your battery will drain faster than normal. I use this power bank, and it’s not let me down yet! It easily lasts for a whole week trip!
Is Petra worth visiting? In a Nutshell
I hope this all-rounded, info-packed Petra guide has helped you plan your trip to Petra, and made you realise that Petra is totally worth visiting!
So, is Petra worth visiting?!
There is absolutely no question as to whether this incredible place should be a wonder of the world, and I am still in awe of how amazing it was today. I can’t wait to go back!
Have a question about visiting Petra? Let me know in the comments below!
Happy travelling!
Jennie 🙂 x
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