Why You Need Two Days in Petra (And how to make the most of it)

Petra is pretty much the singular reason I wanted to go to Jordan. Ever since seeing it in Indiana Jones, visiting the majestic archeological site has been on my bucket list. Then I found a girlfriend who had the same dreams, and it was on! When I was choosing which tour of Jordan to take, I knew I wanted one with the most amount of time there. Which is how I ended up with two days in Petra, and I wouldn’t recommend it any other way.

This post covers my Petra itinerary, reasons why you need two days in Petra and all the things you can do there. It also answers a few common questions — like is it safe to travel to Jordan, and if you should pay extra for Petra By Night.

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What is Petra?

If you are reading this page, you probably already know a bit about Petra and are seriously considering a trip. But let’s recap what’s exciting about this place.

Petra is an ancient desert city hidden in the mountains of southern Jordan. It’s nicknamed the Rose City for its elaborate monuments — think tombs, temples, caves and such — carved out of pink-hued sandstone more than 2,000 years ago by the Nabateans. They knew a nice and secure spot along the incense trading route when they saw one, and made Petra their capital. It’s been part of the Roman Empire, the Byzantines ran it for a while (and built Christian churches) and in the 12th Century after the Crusaders came through, it was abandoned. There’s a story about a Swiss man who pretended to be Arab who “rediscovered it” in the 1800s. But I think appearing in National Geographic in 1909 probably had more to do with it becoming a famous tourist attraction.

Today it is part of Petra Archeological Park, which is a massive UNESCO World Heritage site, and was named one of the New 7 Wonders of the World. More than 1 million people visit Petra every year. I’m so grateful than I have been one of them.

What is there to do at Petra?

In a word: walk.

The site is spread out over a hundred square miles (four times the size of Manhattan), and to experience its many wonders you’ll be putting in the steps. Which is one reason to spend two days in Petra, so you can see much more than the Treasury, and at your own pace.

Like hiking? Several trails ranging from medium to difficult offer extraordinary views.

Don’t be too intimated by this. You can also stick to the main road and have a full experience. That’s about a 4km walk each way, and there are some golf cart options. (See FAQ below)

Camels and donkeys and horses are on site — for riding, posing for photos, etc. I do not recommend this. They do not appear well treated. Very sad.

There’s a museum at the entrance, and it’s free.

Petra at Night is a sound and light show in front of the Treasury on certain nights of the week. I wrote a detailed review of my Petra at Night experience here.

Petra Day One: A Guided Visit

• Guided Tour of the Main Monuments
• Quick lunch on site
• Visit the Petra Museum
• Nice dinner in town

Whether you are travelling with a group, or independently, I highly recommend having a local guide for your first day in Petra.

My friend and I travelled in Jordan with Intrepid Travel, my favourite small-group tour company. Our specific tour included two-day passes to Petra — one half-day with a guide, and one free day. This worked out perfectly. Because honestly, what did I know about the Nabateans? Nothing. Having an expert in history to introduce us to the civilization, explain their innovations, and point out all the cool things I would otherwise walk right past really brought the ancient city to life.

Guides are available for hire at the visitor’s centre, in English and many languages. Resist the urge to book a tour from Amman that takes you there and back in one day. Guide or no guide this is not enough time!

We started at the Petra Museum, which is just outside the visitor’s centre. It’s quite modern and full of cool artifacts and displays that gave me some context about what I was about to see. My favourite part of the museum was learning that the Naboteans worshipped a … stone cube. Yes, just a cube. To be specific, they worshipped many gods and goddesses which they represented by cubes. I learned there’s a word for that: aniconism.

I think you could also happily do the museum after seeing some of the sights, but whenever you have the time, it’s worth a stop. (I spent about 30 minutes there.)

First impressions of Petra: The Siq

You’ve likely heard the word “siq” related to Petra.

This is the main entrance, a winding narrow passageway that meanders about 1km down from the visitor’s centre until it reveals the showstopping Treasury monument. Our guide explained how the Nabateans used this geographical faultline, smoothed out by water, to provide natural protection for the city. It’s also a dramatic way to enter a place. So many archeological sites are in wide open spaces, to be deep inside a gorge on our way to an Indiana Jones adventure was quite extraordinary.

Quite a few cool carvings line the siq: an obelisk, some tombs, and my personal fave, the Djinn Tombs. But the entire walk down I kept thinking, “Are we there yet?” The anticipation for that first reveal of the Treasury was so high that I didn’t even catch on when our tour leader kind of tricked us into standing the perfect spot but backwards, then just suggested we turn our heads. Voila!

Behold, the Treasury

Man, it’s gorgeous.

The Treasury’s formal name is Al Khazna. It’s almost 40 metres tall. Carved from a single block of rock, the intricate façade reveals more and more treasures the longer you look. The Corinthian columns, winged griffins, and, oh look, it’s the Goddess Isis. Did it hold actual treasures? Archeologists are not sure — most likely it was a mausoleum.

This is a very popular place. All groups stop and gather here for photos and story time. Another reasons you need two days in Petra: so you can come back in the early morning and beat them all. (See: Day Two)

Here I was approached by local guys (who for some reason all dress like Johnny Depp) who hustle tourists to pay a few dollars to be escorted to a gorgeous vantage point overlooking the treasury for a photo op. I decided I would come back for this, as our group was headed for lunch.

Petra has several places for food and drink inside the park, and our guide brought us to a simple café that was quick and delicious. Once fuelled up, we continued our tour.

Beyond the Treasury, we saw an amphitheatre dating to 4BC that could accommodate 4000 spectators and several Temple Complexes. You really do feel like you are in an ancient city on par with Carthage, Angkor Wat, Pompeii and the like.

Petra Photo Spots

Our guided tour of these main structures and attractions lasted about four hours. By then, I had clocked about 20,000 steps and was tapping out. My girlfriend continued with some of the other members of our tour to explore further while I returned to the local Jack Sparrows for my photo op.

To get to one of the lookouts above the Treasure was an easy climb up, but I was grateful to have an extra hand leading the way. They do this all day and know all the angles for photos etc. I am happy with the experience, and it only cost a few dollars. I know there are some other higher vantage points you can hike up to as well, but I was satisfied with my choice. Another reason to have a guide on your first day is to ask what the fair price is for things like this, so you don’t get ripped off.

A note here about safety: I’ve read reports that some of these local men lure women out after dark with promises of “dinner with my family” who live in the caves. No families live here. They were resettled in the 1980s to a nearby village. This is a scam, and dangerous.

Dinner in Town

The closest town to Petra is Wadi Musa. Like, it’s just across the street. As a tourist hot spot there are many hotels, obviously, and restaurants catering to groups.

Our guide took us for dinner to Elan – great service, a delicious meal and a station where you can watch them make kunafa, a popular desert here that’s kind of like a cheesecake in a sweet syrup, but also like nothing else.

You could stay up later as there are many hookah bars and places to hang out or shop, but we prioritized getting a good sleep because there was a whole second day in Petra ahead of us.

Day Two: Hike to the Monastery

• Morning hike to the Monastery
• Leisurely lunch
• Afternoon further hiking or relaxing/shopping
• Petra at Night Show

So here’s where things get exciting: my girlfriend is an early riser and convinced me to get up early enough to be at the Petra entrance before it opened at 7am. And you know what? We had the place almost all to ourselves. Our walk down the siq? Alone. When we arrived at the Treasury, there were maybe a dozen people milling around. What a luxury. Well worth the early start time.

Our plan for the second day at Petra was to hike to the Monastery. This major monument is actually bigger than the Treasury, with stunning views of the surrounding area. The trail begins where our tour left off the day before, so first we had to walk all that way, and then it’s about 1.5km from there. It’s all uphill, about 800 steps. And what a wonderful walk. The rocks here are a kaleidoscope of colours. There are many cats that follow you. And goats to meet. There’s a small ice cream shop at the half-way point. And eventually…the top!

Note: if you don’t think you can do all those steps but still want to see the Monastery, there are donkeys you can hire to take you up. Honestly most of the people I saw riding them looked very uncomfortable and so did the animals. A better option, in my opinion, is to hire a car to take you to the Little Petra entrance on the backside, from where you can hike more easily to the Monastery without the big steps, then it’s just a walk back downhill when you’re done.

After admiring the Monastery from all its angles, we stopped for mint tea at the small cafe where we just sat and enjoyed the view. Other members of our Intrepid tour with the same idea arrived and we all high-fived to our good life choices.

Back at the bottom of the trail, we went for lunch at the “fancier” restaurant – which had shade, and wifi, and delicious juices. Then once again we split up so that my friend could join some harder hikes and I made a slow meander back, stopping to look at ruins I skipped yesterday and end my (day time) visit to Petra sitting in front of the Treasury writing out some postcards.

Confession: My one regret from the trip is that I didn’t take up the many (many) offers to get kohl eyeliner applied by one of the women vendors. I wear a lot of eyeliner already and it felt like a weird cosplay. In retrospect, I think I missed out on a legit local experience.

This is where I took advantage of the golf cart service, to take me back up the hill through the siq to the visitors’ centre. That thing really zoomed. Totally worth it to save my energy for the evening’s Big Show.

Petra at Night. Worth it?

I had seen the photos of Petra at Night and absolutely wanted to go. Visiting after dark, hundreds of candles, the Treasury bathed in colour? That’s right up my alley. It’s not included in your ticket, and was an optional add-on on our tour. Perhaps that should have been a hint that it would be…not great?

Petra at Night is basically walking through the siq in the dark with hundreds of other people. Sitting in front of the Treasury – which was not lit up for most of the “show.” Trying not to laugh at the narrator’s overdramatic reading. I found the whole experience to be cheap, and hilarious. Not quietly beautiful. Not culturally deep. But at the end you do get the Treasury lit up. I’m glad I did it. But it’s hard to recommend. Read my full detailed review and decide for yourself.

To be fair, I understand they’ve made major updates to Petra at Night since I visited – there is more of a sound and light show now. And it is a once in a lifetime experience.

Final Impressions after Two Days in Petra

I left Petra understanding why it’s a world wonder, and understanding so much more about the people who built it. I observed the different vibes in morning, afternoon, and night. I did more hiking than I expected and managed to cover a lot of ground. I did not take a photo with the life-sized cut-out of “Indiana Jones” at the market because it was clearly not Harrison Ford — but my friend and I did hum the movie theme song a lot as we wandered the temples, tombs, caves and churches here. It was beautiful, and a lot of fun.

If you have a chance to visit Jordan, schedule two days in Petra. The Treasury is extraordinary, but Petra is so much more than that.

Petra FAQ

What are the Petra opening hours?

Petra has summer hours and winter hours.

Summer (March to Sept): 6am to 6pm
Winter (October to Feb): 6:30am to 5pm

The “Little Petra” ticket office around the back has different hours: 7am to 4pm in summer and 7am to 2pm in winter.

How much are entry tickets to Petra?

A one-day pass is 50 Jordanian Dinar. (Aprox $96 CAN) A two-day pass is just 55 JD ($106 CAN). And three days is 60 JD ($115 CAN).

What do I need to bring?

First off, you must present your passport to the ticket office to enter.

Do not forget sunscreen. And a hat. There is very little shade out there.

Comfortable walking or hiking shoes.

Water. There are places to purchase drinks on site if you don’t want to carry but if you’re planning to hike of course you should have.

A jacket or scarf if you are visiting outside of summer.

Small bills for souvenirs or to pay the locals to take you to the photo vantage spots.

When is Petra by Night?

Petra by Night runs only Sunday to Thursday. It starts at 8:30pm and ends at 10:30pm. That does not mean the show is two hours! That’s the total time the event is open, including walking up/down to the Treasury.

Tickets are 30 JD – and you must hold a day ticket as well.

Is it worth it? Yes, if you are curious at all, and have tolerance for cheesy events, it’s a small amount to pay for a one-of-a-kind night.

When is the Petra Museum open?

Every day. Opens at 8:30am to 7:30pm (November to March) or 8:30pm (April to October)

See more information about the Petra Museum on their official site.

What are the hiking trails in Petra?

There are lots! See the official site for trail descriptions and maps.

Is Petra safe?

I can only speak from my own experience: I felt very safe throughout Jordan, including at Petra. I spent time there with our group/guide, with my friend, and wandering solo, and was treated the same in all cases.

As mentioned above, be mindful of anyone trying to get you to go with them alone to some “special” or “secret” cave. But as you can imagine, it’s very busy here, so there’s always people around, both locals and tourists. Keep your usual wits about you and don’t go off to a remote area alone. There is a Tourist Police station at the Visitor’s Centre/Entrance.

Is there any transportation within the park?

Yes, there are golf carts (they call them “club cars”) you can grab to take you from the entrance to the Treasury (4km) or further on from the amphitheatre to the Qaser Al Bint Temple Complex  (1km, unshaded). No reservation, you just buy the ticket on site. It’s a small fee, about 10-25 JD. I used the club car to get back up a hill at the end of a long day of walking and it was worth it. Note that during Petra by Night, the cars are available only to “elders and disabled visitors.”

What tour did I take?

I travelled in Jordan with Intrepid on their Jordan Discovery tour – 8 days including two days in Petra, camping in Wadi Rum, floating in the Dead Sea, and more. I highly recommend it.