Petra visitor guide — everything you need to know before visiting

At a glance

Address

Petra Visitor Centre, Wadi Musa, Ma'an Governorate, Jordan

Hours (summer)

06:00–18:00 daily (last entry 17:00)

Hours (winter, Oct–Mar)

06:00–16:00 daily (last entry 15:00)

Operator

Petra Development & Tourism Region Authority (PDTRA)

Founded

Settled 4th century BC by Nabataean Arabs; capital from 2nd century BC

Western rediscovery

Johann Ludwig Burckhardt, 1812

Total park area

264 km² (102 sq mi)

Annual visitors

~905,000 (2022); peak ~1.14 million (2019)

UNESCO

Inscribed 1985, 9th Session, criteria i, iii, iv (ref 326)

New 7 Wonders

Named in 2007 popular vote

Typical visit

1–3 days (1 minimum, 2 ideal, 3 for the full park)

Children under 15

Free with paying adult

What is Petra?

Petra is a 2,400-year-old Nabataean Arab city carved into the rose-red sandstone cliffs of southern Jordan. The Nabataeans were a Semitic-speaking trading people who controlled the caravan routes that moved frankincense, myrrh, spices, and silk from southern Arabia to the Mediterranean and Damascus. Petra was their capital — a defended valley between cliffs, with a single narrow entrance called the Siq, and a population that historians estimate at 20,000–30,000 at its 1st-century AD peak under King Aretas IV. The Treasury (Al-Khazneh), the iconic 37-metre Hellenistic façade visitors first see at the end of the Siq, was almost certainly built as his mausoleum.

Rome annexed the kingdom in 106 AD; the city continued under Roman and then Byzantine rule. The Roman Theatre cut into the rock face dates from this period, as does the conversion of the Urn Tomb into a Christian church (446 AD). A devastating earthquake in 363 AD destroyed half of Petra, including the water-management system; trade routes shifted; the city was progressively abandoned over the next several centuries and became known only to local Bedouin until the Swiss-Arabist traveller Johann Ludwig Burckhardt rediscovered it for the Western world in 1812. UNESCO inscribed the 264-square-kilometre park in 1985 under cultural criteria i, iii, and iv; a global online vote in 2007 made it one of the New 7 Wonders of the World.

The Treasury, the Monastery, and what to actually see at Petra

Two carved monuments dominate first-time visits: the Treasury (Al-Khazneh) and the Monastery (Ad Deir). The Treasury is the photograph everyone has seen — a 24-metre wide, 37-metre tall Hellenistic façade carved straight out of the cliff at the end of the Siq, the narrow 1.2-kilometre canyon that is the only entrance to the city. Despite the name, it was never a treasury; it was almost certainly the mausoleum of King Aretas IV (9 BC – 40 AD), and the local Bedouin name comes from a folk legend that pirates hid gold in the urn carved at the top.

The Monastery is Petra's largest carved monument at 45 metres wide and 50 metres tall, larger than the Treasury, but reached only after an 800-step climb up the western cliff face. It dates from the 1st century BC, was probably dedicated to the deified Nabataean king Obodas I, and earned its modern name from later Christian reuse of the interior chamber. Most international visitors miss it because the climb intimidates and the visit-time budget collapses; visitors who do climb often describe it as the high point of the trip. Beyond these two, the park rewards a second day: the Royal Tombs (Palace, Corinthian, Silk, and Urn — the Urn Tomb was converted to a church in 446 AD), the Roman Theatre carved into the rock face with seating for ~8,500, the High Place of Sacrifice atop Jebel Madbah, the colonnaded street, the Great Temple, and the trail to Little Petra (Siq al-Barid) outside the main gate.

How do you get to Petra?

Petra is in Wadi Musa, Ma'an Governorate, southern Jordan — about 240 kilometres south of Amman and 130 kilometres north of Aqaba. From Amman, the JETT bus from the 7th Circle terminal runs daily to Wadi Musa for around 11 JOD one-way; the journey takes about 3.5 hours on the Desert Highway and books out 1–2 days ahead in peak season. Private taxi is faster (around 3 hours) but costs 75–100 JOD one-way. Self-driving on the Desert Highway is straightforward; the King's Highway via Madaba and Karak is more scenic but adds 2–3 hours. From Aqaba in the south, mini-bus to Wadi Musa is around 7 JOD and takes 2 hours; private taxi is 50–60 JOD and takes 1.5–2 hours. From Israel, the Yitzhak Rabin / Wadi Araba border crossing south of Eilat is the closest entry point, and many international visitors do Petra as an organised day-trip from Israel — though the day-tripper non-overnight rate at the gate is significantly higher (90 JOD vs 50 JOD).

What are Petra's opening hours in 2026?

Petra is open daily, year-round, with summer and winter schedules. Summer hours (April–September) are 06:00–18:00 with last entry at 17:00. Winter hours (October–March) are 06:00–16:00 with last entry at 15:00. The first-entry slot at 06:00 is the strongest planning move: the Siq is empty, the Treasury reveal happens without crowds, and you finish the Monastery climb before the heat of the day. The visitor centre and Siq become genuinely crowded after 09:00 in peak season; mid-afternoon often sees coach groups bottlenecking the Royal Tombs area. Petra by Night is a separate ticketed event running Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday nights from 20:30 — luminaries are lit along the Siq and the Treasury area, with Bedouin music. It is a separate 17 JOD ticket and is not included in standard day passes.

How much does Petra cost?

Petra uses a tiered ticket structure: 50 JOD for an adult 1-day pass, 55 JOD for 2 consecutive days, 60 JOD for 3 consecutive days, all from the Petra Visitor Centre at Wadi Musa. Children under 15 enter free with a paying adult. Day-trippers without an overnight stay in Jordan pay a higher 90 JOD rate, designed to encourage longer stays in the local economy. The Jordan Pass (the Ministry of Tourism's combined pass) is an alternative if you're staying in Jordan 3+ nights and visiting other sites: it is 70/75/80 JOD for the three Petra-day tiers, includes the visa fee waiver (worth 50 JOD on its own), and covers entry to 40+ other Jordanian attractions. For pure Petra-only visits the standalone ticket is cheaper; for multi-site Jordan trips the Jordan Pass is excellent value. Concierge-booked prices are displayed on the homepage ticket cards inclusive of our service fee — what you see is what you pay, no FX surprise, no hidden add-ons. We help with the standalone Petra ticket; for the Jordan Pass, book direct at jordanpass.jo.

When is the best time to visit Petra?

Visit in March–May or September–November. Both windows give 22–28°C daytime temperatures, comfortable cliff-shadow during the Monastery climb, and acceptable evening temperatures for Petra by Night. June–August reaches 35°C+ in the open valleys, the rocks radiate stored heat well into the evening, and the Monastery climb becomes genuinely demanding for fit visitors and dangerous for less-fit ones. December–February brings cold (5–15°C daytime) and occasional rain, with snow possible in higher elevations roughly once every 3–5 years; the Monastery trail can be slick and the visitor flow drops. Petra in light winter conditions is one of the great quiet experiences of the Middle East. Avoid Jordanian holidays (Ramadan dates shift annually; Eid al-Fitr; Eid al-Adha) when the park is busy with domestic visitors and dining options reduce around Wadi Musa.

Should I do the Monastery climb?

Yes, if you have basic fitness and the day's heat allows. The Monastery (Ad Deir) is reached by an 800-step climb up the western cliff face, branching off the main route after the Royal Tombs and the Qasr al-Bint area. The climb takes 45–60 minutes; you gain about 220 metres of elevation; the path is partly Nabataean original, partly Byzantine reuse, partly modern restoration. Donkeys are offered at the bottom and stationed at staging points; we strongly recommend walking down regardless of how you go up — the views downhill are remarkable, and donkeys descending the steep sections is uncomfortable for everyone. The Monastery itself is Petra's largest carved monument (45m × 50m) and the chamber inside, accessible up a short flight of steps, was probably the cult room dedicated to the deified Nabataean king Obodas I. Five minutes' walk past the Monastery brings you to a viewpoint over the Wadi Araba valley toward Israel — the photograph most visitors miss because they leave before they realise the viewpoint exists.

Petra scams and pressure tactics — what to know

Petra is generally safe and welcoming, but a recurring set of pressure tactics catches first-time international visitors. The most common is the donkey-or-horse 'free ride' offered near the visitor centre — visitors who accept without negotiating a price are charged 50 JOD or more at the destination. Always agree the price in JOD before mounting, and refuse politely if uncertain. The 'Treasury view from above' offered by guides at the Siq exit is a real viewpoint accessed via a Bedouin trail behind the Treasury — the experience is genuine but the negotiation can be hard-pressure; expect 30–50 JOD per person and decide in advance if it's worth it for your group. Bedouin tea hospitality near the Royal Tombs is a beautiful gesture but a gentle expectation of payment follows; 1–2 JOD per cup is reasonable. None of these are scams in the dishonest sense — they are commerce in a place where the local Bedouin community has genuine claims to the land — but the international visitor who has not been briefed often feels ambushed, which is the experience our 5-minute audio history pre-empts.

What else can you see in Jordan the same trip?

A 5–7 day Jordan trip is the standard pattern around Petra. The southern circuit pairs Petra with Wadi Rum (the desert valley filmed for Lawrence of Arabia, Mars in The Martian, and Tatooine in The Force Awakens) — about 2 hours from Wadi Musa, easily done as one or two nights in a Bedouin camp. Aqaba on the Red Sea adds a beach day and is 2 hours from both Petra and Wadi Rum. North of Petra, the Dead Sea is on most itineraries (lowest land elevation on Earth, 430 metres below sea level) and is 3 hours' drive. Madaba (the mosaic-map town) and Mount Nebo (Moses' supposed view of the Promised Land) are an hour from Amman. Jerash, the best-preserved Roman provincial city in the Middle East, is 50 minutes north of Amman. The Jordan Pass covers all of the above plus 30+ smaller sites — strong value for any visitor staying 3+ nights.

Why book Petra tickets through a concierge?

The official Petra ticketing site (visitpetra.jo) is bilingual but operationally inconsistent for international cards: payment failures are reported regularly, the timed-entry calendar can be slow to load, and the email confirmation flow sometimes drops international addresses to spam. The Petra Visitor Centre at Wadi Musa sells tickets at the gate — but the queue at peak hours absorbs 30–60 minutes that a 06:00-arriving visitor cannot afford to lose. Concierge bookings handle the official portal in English, deliver your dated ticket to your inbox within 2 hours, and let you walk past the visitor-centre queue at opening. If your time in Jordan is limited, the cost of the concierge service is a small fraction of the total trip budget and meaningfully reduces the risk of a wasted morning on payment-portal friction.

Frequently asked questions