We dare to say that Petra, hidden for centuries, this Middle East pearl is on the top of every traveller’s itinerary. 

Come to explore the ancient Nabatean city of Petra, and don’t skip her smaller version, yet still impressive Little Petra. In this travel guide, we will tell you everything you need to know to enjoy these two historical sights, what to expect, tips and where to stay. 

Whatever you expect from Petra, forget it. People are coming here thinking nothing can surprise them anymore. As everyone once saw pictures of Petra, they know what to expect. But we just want to say we were the same, but nothing can prepare you for the beauty and the touch of history you experience when visiting this majestic place. We mean it. You will be genuinely blown away for some time after your visit. 

Let’s start with the ancient city of Petra.

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THE WONDER OF THE WORLD – PETRA

It is best to start exploring Petra early in the morning as the complex is vast. It reminded us of Angkor Wat, which we visited in Cambodia a few years ago. Entry to Petra is included in the Jordan Pass, and it depends on how many days of Petra visit you have chosen your Pass for. It is from one to three days. We visited Petra for one day and if you do the same be prepared for a day full of walking as the distances between the sights are huge. We walked 20 km and spent a whole day in the complex, from 8am to 4:30pm we have been just walking around. We managed to visit most of the exciting sights, and it was very exhausting, but the excitement was real, and it kept us going. 

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ENTRY FEE & OPENING HOURS

Entry to Petra is the most expensive fee you will pay from all the sights in Jordan. For this reason, it is worth having a Jordan Pass where the entrance to Petra is already included.

Otherwise, without a Jordan Pass, the entry fee for one day is 50 JD. The opening hours in summer are from 6am to 6pm and from 6am to 4pm in winter. 

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WHERE IS PETRA & HOT TO GET THERE

Petra is located in the South part of Jordan, 1 km away from the city centre of Wadi Musa. If you get inspired by our itinerary, you follow the King’s Highway from North that leads to Aqaba, through Petra, so it is very easy to get there by car from Discovercars.com.

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Many taxi drivers take you there from Amman or Aqaba if you do not have a rental car. There are also buses going from Amman or Aqaba bus station, but they are not frequent and leave once full.

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HOW MANY DAYS IS THE BEST FOR VISITING PETRA?

Even though we are saying the complex is huge, we still think for a general visit, one day is enough. Why? Because once you enter the complex, you need to walk a big distance to actually reach the crossroad from where you would continue the next day. Basically, every day you come, you have to walk many km’s on the same path as the previous day until you reach the crossroad.

Now it depends on what your plan is. Many side paths are perfect for hiking and exploring the ancient city from different angles. If you are interested in hiking, you should definitely choose at least two days. And if you want to add the hike from Petra to little Petra, which is 8 KM long one way, you should even choose three days. 

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THE LOST CITY OF PETRA

Nabataeans built Petra in Shara Mountains more than two thousand years ago. It wasn’t found until 1812, thanks to the Swiss explorer, until that Petra was home to Bedouins. 

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TOP PLACES TO SEE IN PETRA

Pick up the map at the visitor centre by the entrance; it is a handy map for easy navigation. All the trails are marked with the distance and estimated hiking times. Optionally you can download the official Petra app called Go Petra. 

Once you go through the ticket office, there is a small market to buy the traditional scarf or souvenirs, some food and water. The price for the scarf here is 2 JD, and once you continue further to the complex, the price increases. 

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Obelisk tomb

You follow a designated path from the entrance that leads next to the Obelisk Tomb and a beautiful stone area. Every now and then, you catch sight of the entrance carved into the stone. The tomb has four pyramidal obelisks, which served as funerary symbols made by Nabateans.

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The Siq

Then you face the massive Siq Canyon, the only entrance to the ancient world. This passage is 1.2 km long with 200 m high narrow walls, but the path is comfortable, and in hot months it must be an enjoyable walk in a shadow. The walk from the beginning is spectacular, and we had a feeling it was already the best place we visited in Jordan, but then at the end of the canyon, the dramatic view opens up as you approach the most famous part of Petra, Treasury. 

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Treasury (Al Khazna)

Treasury is the most popular place in the whole ancient city. And at this point, we were absolutely blown away. As we mentioned, you can never imagine the feeling of standing there until you experience it. It is great to arrive in the morning when the first sunlight touches the perfectly carved building. Be aware that locals in front of the Treasury can be very pushy while selling their stuff. Many of them can take you to the top of the opposite cliff to get the famous photo of you sitting on the carpet with the perfect view of Petra from the top. They charge 10-15 JD. But you can actually get to the top by yourself. If you go up to Royal Tombs – this is what we did. 

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Streets of facades

Once you’re done and believe us, you will spend a lot of time admiring the Treasury, walk through another Siq with over 40 tombs along the way. The tombs are easily accessible, so pick the one you like and explore it. 

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Theatre 

Once you walk out of the Siq on your left side is the Theatre. Carved into the mountain by Nabataeans, even though you would suggest by the look that it was built by Romans over 2000 years ago. This theatre once seated up to 4000 spectators. 

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Royal tombs

Continue a little bit further until you see the set of steps on your right side with tombs in the distance. This is where you want to go to see the Treasury from above. Firstly hike up to the tombs. Our favourite was the Urn Tomb which once served as a Byzantine church, but other tombs worth a visit too – Silk Tomb, Corinthian Tomb or the biggest one, Palace Tomb. 

Once you’re done, follow the Al-Khubtha trail (the green one if you picked up the map from the visitor centre), which leads up the stairs until you reach the flattened area of High Place of Jebel Khubtha. From there, follow the trail until you get to a little Bedouin tea house from where you can take the beautiful photos of Treasury from the top. The walking distance is 3.5 km and expect it will take 2.5 to 3 hours round trip. This trail is marked as hard, but it was so worth it. It was actually one of the most favourite part of the whole Petra for us. 

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Great Temple

After returning from the challenging hike, continue through Colonnaded street marked with tables full of souvenirs and camels as many people actually take a camel ride to reach the top places. Then on your left side is a major Nabatean Great Temple, which must have been a huge centre of life back in the time. Still, until today columns and the main structure remain. 

At this point, we started to feel pretty exhausted, so we just sat down and refilled energy with some snacks as there was still a lot of walking ahead of us. If you continue to the temple Qasr al-Bint, opposite, there is the only restaurant in the complex. It is a traditional restaurant, with nice seating outside. We didn’t try it, but it is good to know your options. 

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Monastery (Ad-Deir)

From the restaurant, follow the Ad-Deir Trail, which leads you to the Monastery, yet another impressive and famous sight in Petra. The round trip takes 2-2.5 hours, and it is 2.5 km. Once again, you won’t avoid climbing the stairs. The Monastery is one of the giant monuments in Petra, with a height of 48 metres. 

Monastery, Treasury and Royal Tombs are, in our opinion, must-see places in a whole Petra. Obviously, it is not possible to see everything that is in the complex in just one day. We managed to see the places written in this post in a simple visit, and we are very happy about it.

Tip: Your way back to the visitor centre goes the same way you walked in, so try to walk under the Royal Tombs at sunset because they turn into a fantastic colour show. 

There are toilets by the Treasury, Monastery and Great Temple.

Petra by Night

If you want to see Petra by Night, you need a separate ticket which costs 17 JD. We did not do this.

Read more: How to visit desert Wadi Rum in Jordan & Useful tips

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THE MAP OF PETRA

This is a map you can pick up at the visitor centre. You can see all the trails in the Petra complex, and honestly, this map was such a big help for us and saved us a lot of time. Feel free to screenshot it if you want to use it before you get there.

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WHERE TO STAY BEFORE VISITING PETRA

The best base is in Wadi Musa, which is literally a walking distance from the Petra entrance. It is still better to go by car since after you’re done exploring, trust us, you will be happy to have a car nearby even though your hotel might be just 1 km away. 

If you stay in Wadi Musa, this way, you make sure you can come to Petra as early as possible. Since they open at 6am. It is also good to book two nights so after Petra you just comfortably return to your room. 

Budget I Petra Cabin Hostel – the best budget option in the area. Comfortable futon beds and some of them include windows with amazing views. 

Mid-range I Petra Heart Hotel  – We stayed in this centrally located hotel as we managed to get a great price since it was the offseason. We have to mention a hot shower because there was just cold water in most of the places we stayed before. They also serve traditional breakfast, and you can try many different kinds of Jordanian dishes. Private parking included.

Luxury I  Petra Moon Hotel – right by the entrance to the ancient city of Petra, this hotel features a pool to dip in a hot summer, a restaurant and a terrace with great views.

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LITTLE PETRA (SIQ AL-BARID)

Do you think nothing can surprise you after visiting the ancient city of Petra? Don’t be silly. You are in Jordan, and this kingdom is full of surprises. So please, don’t skip Little Petra. Once again, we made our way to Little Petra without expectations, and we were so nicely surprised. 

The road from Wadi Musa to Little Petra is very scenic and deserted. When we reached the car park, we were surprised by how small the entrance looked compared to a huge visitor centre in Petra. 

Make sure you have a good two hours for exploring Little Petra. 

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PLACES TO SEE IN LITTLE PETRA

The first sight just a few steps from your car is 400 m long Little Petra Siq. Before entering this small gorge, there is a nice small temple on your right. This whole area felt very surreal for us as we were the only visitors walking around at the time of our visit. We visited Petra in December, which is the offseason. 

Climb up the stairs to the Painted House, which is in the siq before you get out, and the view of Al-Beidha opens up. These Neolithic ruins are much smaller than in Petra but still majestic. It is unbelievable that somebody could make this masterpiece without any modern world tools. Today, Al-Bedha is one of the oldest archaeological sites in the Middle East. 

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Hiking

It is possible to hike from Little Petra to the Monastery. But since this trail doesn’t go through the visitor centre in Petra, you already need to have a ticket. 

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Entry fee & Opening hours

Entry to Little Petra is free, so you don’t need a Jordan Pass here. In general, the opening hours are not set. It is open during daylight hours. 

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WHERE TO STAY AROUND LITTLE PETRA

Budget I Little Petra Bedouin Camp – stylish Bedouin tents with a proper bed inside. The campsite is magical with the lights in the rocks and lounge you can relax in. It is located within walking distance from Little Petra. 

Mid-range I The Rock Camp Petra – perfect alternative if Bubble Hotel is out of the budget. Beautiful tent accommodation with pool and restaurant on the spot.

Luxury I Petra Bubble Luxotel – if you desire a real luxury, look no further. Bubble Hotel with magnificent views, hot tub and breakfast included. 

Do you wonder where to go next? What about a dreamy beach destination Aqaba that is just a short drive from Petra!