PetraTravel Guide
Petra, the rock-carved capital of the ancient Nabataeans in southern Jordan, is one of the world's great archaeological sites and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Reached through a narrow sandstone canyon, its temples and tombs — the Treasury and the Monastery above all — were cut directly into rose-coloured cliffs more than two millennia ago.
Is Petra right for you?
March–May, September–November
Mid-range. Comfortable without planning around money, expensive if you stop counting.
We publish a multi-day route for this one.
Our editors pick it for a trip with children.
March–May, September–November
Mid-range
Typical cost profile for visitors
- Wadi Rum84 km
an easy day trip · both good in March, April, May · a different price level (mixed)
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a short hop — comfortable overland · both good in March, April, May
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half a day's travel · both good in March, April, October · a different price level (budget)
- AlUla, Saudi Arabia480 km
half a day's travel · both good in March, October, November · a different price level (luxury)
Wadi Rum
Cairo
AlUlaFinding Petra
Reading Petra
Three Days in Petra: The Complete Route
From Market to Table: A Food Day in Petra
- The ListPetra's essential bucket list, ranked12 min
- ItinerariesPetra with kids: the family day that actually works12 min
- StaysBoutique or grand: choosing your base at Petra11 min
- DestinationsPetra: Walking into the Rose-Red City2 min
- Hidden GemsPetra at First Light and Last: The City Before and After the Tour Groups2 min
- DestinationsPetra on a Budget: How to Do It Well for Less2 min
Petra, place by place
Everything below is named in one of our own stories about Petra. The line under each is the sentence that recommended it, and the link goes to the piece it came from.
Where to stay
The areas and addresses our writers put first
Mövenpick Resort Petra
PetraWadi Musa has accommodation at every level, from backpacker digs to the long-established Mövenpick Resort Petra directly opposite the gate.
Wadi Musa town
PetraThe town climbs the hill in tiers of family-run hotels, from very simple to perfectly comfortable, and the pattern is consistent — the higher up, the cheaper, and the longer the walk (or the short taxi) down to the gate.
Near Little Petra
PetraNorth of town, past the Bedouin village of Umm Sayhoun, the country opens out toward Little Petra and Beidha, and here the accommodation changes character entirely.
What to see
The things that justify the trip
Juli Kosolapova
Al-Khazneh
Al-Khazneh, the Treasury, is around 40 metres tall and best photographed mid-morning when sun reaches the facade.
Pier Averara
The Treasury
The moment the rose-pink columns of Al-Khazneh appear through the last slot in the canyon is the kind of reveal people remember for decades, at any age, and it is the one thing on this trip that cannot be given back o…
The Royal Tombs
PetraClimb the steps to the Urn Tomb and its neighbours for the classic elevated view back across the valley.
The Monastery (Ad Deir)
PetraThe site's grandest facade sits at the top of roughly 800 rock-cut steps, about an hour's climb from the basin.
Theatre
PetraBeyond the Treasury the canyon widens past rows of tombs to a 4,000-plus-seat Theatre, carved — not built — into the hillside in the first century AD.
Urn Tomb
Petra
What we'd do in Petra
See and do
- The Treasury (Al-Khazneh)
Emerging from the dark of the Siq to see the Treasury's columns glowing rose-pink remains, in our view, the single finest reveal in the ancient world.
Read: Petra's essential bucket list, ranked - The Siq and the Treasury
Enter early — the site typically opens at 6am and the first two hours are the coolest and quietest.
Read: Petra: Walking into the Rose-Red City - The free and nearly free extras
Little Petra (Siq al-Barid), a miniature carved canyon a short drive north, has typically been free to enter.
Read: Petra on a Budget: How to Do It Well for Less - The Monastery (Ad Deir)
Bigger than the Treasury and gloriously remote, the Monastery sits at the top of a rock-cut staircase of roughly eight hundred steps, rising from the far end of the city centre.
Read: Petra's essential bucket list, ranked - The Street of Facades and the Theatre
Beyond the Treasury the canyon widens past rows of tombs to a 4,000-plus-seat Theatre, carved — not built — into the hillside in the first century AD.
Read: Petra: Walking into the Rose-Red City
Eat and drink
- The national dish
mansaf — lamb in a fermented dried-yogurt sauce over rice
Read: From Market to Table: A Food Day in Petra
Practical essentials for Jordan
Jordanian dinar (JOD)
Arabic; English is widely spoken in Amman, Petra and throughout the tourist trade.
Type B/C/D/F/G/J, 230V 50Hz
There is no useful passenger rail - JETT coaches link Amman, Petra and Aqaba, Uber and Careem work in Amman, and most visitors hire a car or a driver.
About 10% in restaurants, though better places already add a 10% service charge, and taxi fares are simply rounded up.
Tap water is treated in the cities, but visitors should stick to bottled or filtered water.
Right-hand side; carry the 1949 International Driving Permit together with your national licence.
911
Country-level guidance, checked against official sources. Currency, fares and entry rules change — confirm anything time-critical before you travel.
Qatar
United Arab Emirates
Oman