Where to Stay in Petra: Best Places Near the Entrance
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If you’re planning a trip to Jordan, a visit to Petra should be high on your to-do list! But where do you stay when visiting Petra? I’ve rounded up the best places to stay near the entrance to make your visit a whole lot easier!
Petra is one of the most-visited attractions in Jordan and attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors a year. It’s known as one of the best places to stay in Jordan.
I’ll be honest, I didn’t know quite what to expect when we visited, but it blew all of my expectations out of the water.
One thing that confused us when planning was where to stay in Petra. Do we need to stay close by? How far is the nearest town? Can we actually stay IN Petra?
Petra is located in the town of Wadi Musa, which turned out to be one of our favourite little towns in Jordan.
As well as being home to the ancient city, it has an abundance of life and culture to be explored. You’ll also have the chance to try delicious traditional Jordanian food!
If you’re unsure what to expect from a day in Petra, or you’re not sure how long you’ll need to visit, check out my detailed Petra guide here.
So, let’s knuckle down to the important stuff, and talk about the best places to stay near the entrance of Petra.
All recommendations have either been stayed at by myself or recommended to me by other bloggers!
Need help planning your trip to Jordan? I’ve planned a perfect 7-day itinerary here!
Where we stayed in Petra
Petra Sky Hotel (£)
If you’re looking for somewhere close to Petra’s entrance, cheap, includes breakfast and has a decent sized room, I recommend staying at the Petra Sky Hotel.
A five-minute drive from the entrance, the Petra Sky Hotel is the perfect place to base yourself for your visit. We booked a double room for 2 nights and only paid £80, including breakfast.
Parking is on-site, the rooms are clean and it has good wifi. Plus the guy on reception was super friendly and made us feel so welcome! We were able to book our Petra at Night tickets here and get all the info we needed for visiting the site.
If you’re up for it after a long day of walking, the hotel is located right by some local and traditional restaurants, cafes and shisha bars.
We loved strolling out in the evenings and experiencing the buzzing atmosphere (especially as it was Ramadan when we visited so everywhere came to life around 8pm!)
If you haven’t hired a car, I recommend scrolling down this post and booking somewhere a tad closer to Petra. Whilst it’s not too far to walk, it is up a series of hills so would be exhausting after a day of exploring Petra!
You can book your stay at the Petra Sky hotel here 🙂
Where to stay in Petra: Within a 5-minute walk of the entrance
La Maison Hotel (£)
La Maison is one of the best lower budget hotels within a short walking distance of the Petra entrance.
It has free parking, good air con, a buffet dinner and the option to have a packed breakfast if you’re planning on leaving for Petra early.
For a double room, you can expect to pay around £60 a night, which is pretty good considering its location!
Movenpick Resort Petra (£££)
This one is going to set you back around £100 a night in price, but it’s worth it if you’re looking to stay close to the entrance of Petra.
Located directly opposite the site, the Movenpick will sort you out with a takeaway breakfast at 6 am and their rooftop restaurant has the best views of the sunset in the area.
It’s more of a resort typed hotel, with a gym, fitness centre, restaurant etc, so if you’re staying for a few nights and have the budget, I’d recommend it.
Book your stay at Movenpick Resort here.
Petra Moon Hotel (££)
The Petra Moon Hotel is again close to the visitors centre, so you won’t have far to walk after your 20,000 step-day (yep, you’re going to wrack up the steps in Petra, trust me!)
It’s around £80 a night for a double room, and again includes breakfast, has good wifi and is fully air conned. It also has a swimming pool which is a life-saver in the desert heat!
Book your stay at Petra Moon here!
If you’re visiting Jordan, you’ll need to purchase a visa before arrival. The easiest and cheapest way to do this is by buying a Jordan Pass. I’ve written a guide explaining this here!
🔌 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!
Petra Bubble Luxotel (£££)
Okay, so this has to be the coolest place to stay in Petra on the list.
Similar to the desert bubble tents in Wadi Rum, you can sleep in a clear roofed dome where you can stargaze from under the covers.
If you have the budget, I’d recommend staying in a desert bubble when visiting Petra. Located in Little Petra, you’ll watch the stars from your own private jacuzzi, enjoy live music from the local Bedouins, and enjoy a full buffet breakfast each morning.
We sadly didn’t stay here, although I wish we had known about it. The thought of soaking in a bubbly jacuzzi after a long day at Petra watching the sunset just sounds dreamy.
Prices start from £250 per night for a bubble dome.
Silk Road Hotel (£)
Last on my list is the Silk Road Hotel. Located within a 5-minute walk of Petra’s entrance, Silk Road is the perfect place to stay if you’re wanting a bit of luxury on a budget!
All rooms come with a full buffet breakfast and access to the spa and wellness centre. Some even have large windows overlooking the red dusty mountains.
It’s just perfect for budget backpackers who don’t want to stay in a dorm room.
You can book your stay at Silk Road Hotel here!
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.
🚰 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.
Best hostels near the Petra entrance (£)
If you’re on a tighter budget as a Petra tourist, I recommend looking at some of the hostels in the Wadi Musa area.
Booking a hostel with like-minded travellers is super easy with Hostelworld. As a previous solo traveller myself, I’d always recommend checking out the reviews first. It helps to see what vibe you can expect!
Some of the hostels I’ve been told are amazing include:
Nomads Hostel: £12 for a shared dorm or £70 for a private room
Petra Gate Hostel: £11 for a shared dorm or £23 for a private room
Rafiki Hostel: £8 for a shared dorm
None have major ‘party’ vibes, but all three are great for meeting new people and even finding someone to experience Petra with.
You can book any hostels on my favourite backpacker accommodation site, Hostelworld here 🙂
Recommended budget for staying in Petra
Accommodation in Wadi Musa isn’t too expensive, and you won’t need to budget a large sum of money to visit this wonder of the world. We stayed for 2 nights and only spent £30 each on accommodation.
If you buy a Jordan Pass before arrival, your entry fee is included. The only thing you’ll need to buy on the day is food and water. If you’re not sure what a Jordan Pass is, check out my post here!
However, if you’re looking to visit Petra at Night, you’ll need to purchase a separate ticket. You can get this from your hotel or a local shop for around £18 per person.
The restaurants in Wadi Musa are reasonably priced, with you being able to dine out in the higher-end restaurants for around £20 per person (not including alcohol).
We didn’t actually drink any alcohol in Jordan. It’s not a dry country, but we didn’t see anyone drinking. Not a lot of venues even serve it. We’re not big drinkers, so it didn’t affect us at all!
If you’re visiting Jordan, chances are you’ll check out one of the 7 Wonders of the World, the ancient lost city of Petra. I’ve written a guide to help you prepare for your first visit to Petra here!
Can you stay in Petra?
You’re not able to stay onsite unaccompanied.
But you can book a traditional Bedouin cave or tent stay if you want to immerse yourself fully in the ancient city!
You’ll experience sleeping under the stars, hearing tales from the Bedouin culture and a traditional fire-cooked Jordanian dinner. It’s definitely worth looking into!
NOTE: You may still need to pay a Petra entry fee when staying at these hotels. This is dependent of your accommodation.
Where is Petra, Jordan?
The location of Petra, Jordan is in the southwestern part of the country. It is around a 90-minute drive from Wadi Rum, or a 3-hour drive from Amman, the capital city.
If you’re looking to spend more than a day, you’ll need to book a hotel in the surrounding town of Wadi Musa.
Book your stay in Petra here 😀
How many days do you need in Petra?
So, how long should you stay in Petra?
Two to three days in Petra is enough, but this is really down to you and how much of a walker/hiker you are. For us, one day was enough. We had enough time to see the famous Treasury and delve a bit deeper into the ancient city in 6-7 hours.
If you want to visit the Monastery or the carved buildings that are further from the entrance, budget 2-3 days.
Like I said, this is totally down to you and what you want to gain from your experience in Petra. Most tourists will spend 1 day exploring Petra, and one visit to the Petra at Night experience.
Can you stay in the caves at Petra?
Only if you book a designated hotel that allows you into the caves. There are no hotels or hostels in Petra, apart from the traditional Bedouin cave stays. You are not allowed to stay in Petra overnight unaccompanied.
Where to stay in Petra: In a Nutshell
Wherever you stay near Petra will be fine if you have a car. There is a large car park right next to the visitors centre. Ooh, and if you’re unsure about driving in Jordan, I have a post detailing why it’s the best thing ever here!
Visiting Petra is one of those ‘pinch me’ moments, and such a unique and amazing experience. If you have the time to stay for a few nights, I’d highly recommend it.
As always, if you have any questions about where to stay in Petra, let me know in the comments below. Or shoot me a DM on Instagram. I’d be happy to help!
Happy travelling!
Jennie 🙂 x
Visiting Jordan? Check out my other posts below:
