Petra
At the end of a canyon of shadow, the Treasury's façade catches fire in the morning light: two thousand years after the Nabataeans, it remains the ancient world's greatest stage entrance.
Suggested stay — 2 nights, 3 if you hike
You don't visit Petra, you pace it out: the site is the scale of a city, and the Khazneh — the Treasury bursting into view at the Siq's mouth — is merely its vestibule. Beyond open the colonnaded street, the Royal Tombs hemmed in red sandstone, the rock-cut theatre, then the 800 steps to the Monastery (Ad-Deir), a colossal façade facing the desert, finer still than the Treasury and photographed ten times less. Count on 15 to 20 km of walking per day, hat screwed on and water in quantity.
Two days change everything: the first for the classic axis, arriving at opening (6 am, alone in the Siq), the second for the heights — the High Place of Sacrifice trail, or the plunging view of the Khazneh from Al-Khubtha, the only one that shows the whole Treasury from above. Base yourself in Wadi Musa, the gateway town, and keep an evening for Petra by Night, the Siq lit by 1,500 candles (Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, not covered by the Jordan Pass).
Don't miss
- The Siq and the Treasury at opening (6 am), before the groups and in the best light
- The climb to the Monastery (Ad-Deir) in late afternoon, when the façade catches fire
- The Al-Khubtha trail for the plunging view over the Treasury
- Little Petra (Siq al-Barid), free and peaceful, 15 minutes' drive away
Our tips on the ground
- Take the 2-day Petra version of the Jordan Pass (Explorer, JD 75): the difference from the basic ticket is trivial against what the site deserves.
- Politely but firmly refuse the donkey and camel rides in the Siq: mistreatment there is documented, and your legs see ten times more.
- Enter one morning by the back door: the Little Petra to Monastery trek (2 hours via Wadi Ghurab, local guide recommended) delivers Ad-Deir first, against the flow of the crowd.
Our flagship guide — €29
Guide available“Jordan on Your Own”, the complete edition, is out
10 chapters: day-by-day itineraries, driving and transport, a costed budget and checklists — the same method as our Namibia guide.
The guide is currently written in French — an English edition is in the works.
Before you go
Readers' questions about Petra
Is one day enough for Petra?
You can see the Treasury and the colonnaded street in a day, but you leave feeling you've skimmed the book: the Monastery, the high trails and the Royal Tombs demand a second day — and the 2-day ticket costs only JD 5 more than the single. On a typical Jordan circuit, Petra is the stop you don't compress.
Is Petra by Night worth its JD 17?
Yes, if you accept the deal: you walk the Siq by candlelight in silence (magical), then sit before the illuminated Treasury for a rababa concert with 300 people and their phones (less magical). Go on your first evening: if the crowd spoils it, you still have the next day's dawn for revenge.