Petra Travelers Recommend

With its age-old carved canyons, the Nabataean city of Petra—a UNESCO World Heritage Site—and its nearby attractions will easily fill a 3-day itinerary. Here are our ideas for spending three days in and around this ancient, pink-hued city.  

Day 1: Roam the Rose-Red City

Dedicate your first day to the main Petra site with a full-day tour. If you’re staying in Petra town—known locally as Wadi Musa—most tours are private, with a personal guide to show you the must-sees and provide historical perspective. Most also follow the main trail through the Siq canyon to view the stunning 1st-century Treasury and along the Street of the Facades to the Roman Amphitheater and Colonnaded Street. Some tours offer an optional Siq horseback ride. Consider climbing to the High Place of Sacrifice, a Nabataean ceremonial altar perched high above Petra’s valleys, or delve further into what’s known as the Petra Basin, where the cliffs contain royal tombs hewn by the Nabataeans. End the day with dinner at Petra’s Cave Bar, a candlelit Nabataean rock tomb.

Day 2: Wadi Rum and Beyond

The protected desert of Wadi Rum, another UNESCO World Heritage Site, is about a 2-hour drive from Petra, so take advantage of its proximity by booking a day trip. Many 3-day tours from places such as Amman and Tel Aviv combine a visit to Petra with a stay in this glorious wilderness. Most day trips and longer tours feature 4WD expeditions through Wadi Rum’s valleys and sometimes include an overnight stay at a Bedouin camp. Other multi-day journeys cover Petra and Wadi Rum along with other Jordan highlights, such as the Dead Sea, Aqaba, the Dana Nature Reserve, and Amman and Roman Jerash.

Day 3: Little Petra and Other Experiences

If you’re based in Wadi Musa, use your final day to inspect previously missed sights at Petra. Otherwise, head for Little Petra, reputedly Petra’s ancient suburb. See its rock-cut facades and triclinium dining halls—one still coated with colorful murals—on a 4WD safari or guided walk. Later, sample some Jordanian cuisine with a lunch or dinner experience at a local family home. Wrap up your stay with a classic Turkish bath, enjoying a steam room and invigorating-yet-relaxing massage. Alternatively, join a candlelit Petra tour to see the Treasury at its most magical—its sandstone pillars, portal, and statues softly illuminated against the darkened canyon.

Jordan’s rose-red city of Petra, once a trading hub of the Nabataean people, offers a long lineup of astonishing sights, from its Treasury and Monastery to Roman-built ruins. Here’s how to experience the highlights of this 2,000-year-old city and some of its surrounding attractions in just two days.

Day 1: The Full Petra

**Morning:**Devote today to covering Petra’s must-sees, whether you’re on a full-day tour from Petra town (Wadi Musa) or a 2-day tour with the first day assigned to the UNESCO World Heritage Site. Walk through the Siq canyon and marvel at star attractions such as the Treasury, Amphitheater, and Colonnaded Street—once Petra’s main shopping thoroughfare.

**Afternoon:**Dig deeper into Petra this afternoon: Many tours let you explore independently after the key sights. Perhaps trek to the High Place of Sacrifice, where a clifftop Nabataean ceremonial altar commands panoramic views, or ascend the 600 steps of the Al Khubtha trail to a vertiginous viewpoint over the Treasury.

**Evening:**Enjoy dinner at the Petra Cave Bar: an atmospheric restaurant within a 2,000-year-old Nabataean rock tomb. Many 2-day tours that visit Petra include an overnight stay at a tent camp in the desert valleys of Wadi Rum, giving you a full-on Bedouin cultural experience.

Day 2: More Petra Treasures, Little Petra, or Farther Afield

**Morning:**Continue inside Petra this morning, perhaps with a private tour customized to cover sights you missed yesterday. Maybe include a guided hike to the magnificent Monastery, or take a closer look at Petra’s Royal Tombs and temples. Alternatively, if you’re on a 2-day tour, take a trip to nearby Wadi Rum, Aqaba, or the Dead Sea.

**Afternoon:**Covered Petra? Then assign this afternoon to Little Petra, thought to have been a suburb of the main city. Book a tour of its rock-cut facades and triclinium dining halls—one bearing frescoes—or up the adventure with a 4WD journey that visits this mini-Petra and other local ruins.

**Evening:**Make your last night in Petra special with a Turkish bath: indulging in a steam bath and scrub. Otherwise, choose a Petra-by-night tour, returning to the Siq and Treasury to see them in the glow of hundreds of candles.

Whether you’re on a whistle-stop day trip to Petra from elsewhere or staying nearby with 24 hours to take in this age-old rock carved by the long-ago Nabataeans, planning ahead is essential. Read our tips for what to see and do in a day at this UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Morning: Petra’s Highlights

With only limited time, it’s best to focus on Petra’s highlights. Most half- and full-day trips from the town of Petra (Wadi Musa), Amman, Tel Aviv, Eilat, Aqaba, and the Dead Sea include a guide or let you hire one at the main entrance gate. From here, you’ll walk through the Siq, the canyon into the city, to marvel at the showpiece Treasury before continuing along the tomb-lined Street of the Facades to inspect the other must-sees: the Roman Amphitheater, Colonnaded Street, and Qasr al-Bint Temple. Many day trips end here before lunch at a Petra hotel, while longer tours usually let you explore further and include an optional lunch within the site. 

Afternoon: Delve Deeper

If time allows, continue deeper into Petra this afternoon to see another of its highlights—its legendary Monastery. Climb the 800 steps up to this spectacular edifice—originally a Nabataean tomb and far larger than the Treasury—and absorb its Hellenistic frontage and views over the surrounding mountains. Alternatively, hike to the High Place of Sacrifice, ascending steps from the Roman Amphitheater to this once-holy clifftop site, a Nabataean sacrificial platform. Soak in the bird’s-eye views over the gorges below and perhaps descend through Wadi Fasa—one of Petra’s most scenic trails.

Evening: Caves, Canyons, and Candlelight

Petra is especially magical after dark, so if you’re staying in the area, book dinner at the Petra Cave Bar, a restaurant set inside a lantern-studded Nabataean cave tomb. Alternatively, enjoy an evening walk through the candlelit Siq canyon to the Treasury, where a blanket of candles illuminates its façade. Sit on carpets and sip tea as you take in the sense of timelessness and listen to live Bedouin music—a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

Built by the Nabataeans thousands of years ago, the ancient city of Petra was lost to the ages until it was rediscovered by Johann Burckhardt in 1812. Even after its rediscovery, not many visitors came to Petra. It wasn’t until the site was featured in the third Indiana Jones movie in 1989 that visitor numbers started increasing, and today, more than 500,000 people visit annually. Here are some of Petra’s most famous appearances on the big screen.

Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade

In the third installment of the Indiana Jones series, Indy’s quest for the Holy Grail takes him to the Canyon of the Crescent Moon and the Holy Temple, where the Holy Grail was hidden. In reality, the Canyon of the Crescent Moon is the Siq, the narrow gorge that visitors first pass through at Petra, and the Holy Temple is Al Khazneh, or the Treasury, the massive rock-hewn temple and memorial at the end of the Siq. Visitors can walk along the Siq themselves and take in the amazing view as it opens up to Al Khazneh.

The Mummy Returns

Most of the desert scenes in The Mummy Returns were actually shot in Morocco, but some of the train scenes were shot on the Hejaz Railway in Jordan. Petra also makes an appearance, and its canyons and gorges feature in the scenes where the giant wall and skull of water created by Imhotep chase the hero and heroine in a dirigible.

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen

The second installment of the Transformers franchise features Petra’s Al Deir, or Monastery, as the Tomb of the Primes. In reality, Al Deir is a temple on top of a mountain, which created some logistical difficulties. The scenes were finally shot with the help of the Jordanian Air Force, which lent helicopters to transport the crew and equipment. Visitors will have to climb the more than 800 steps to the top themselves, but viewing the majestic Al Deir and the surrounding scenery makes it all worthwhile.

Since time immemorial, the nomadic desert people of Jordan and the Arabian Peninsula have raised horses. Today, traveling by saddle remains one of the best ways to explore the ancient Nabataean city of Petra and the nearby desert of Wadi Rum. Here is what you can expect from horseback riding tours in and around Petra.

Highlights

• Conserve energy by riding a horse from the nearby town of Wadi Mousa to the archaeological site—a journey that normally takes around 20 minutes by foot.

• Clip-clop through the Siq, a long and narrow high-walled gorge that serves as the main entrance to the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Petra.

• See the highlights of the stone city of Petra, including the magnificent Greek-inspired facade of the Treasury, from the saddle.

• Trot along paths up nearby Mount Aaron, also known as Jabal Haroun, a holy pilgrimage site for Muslims, Christians, and Jews, before completing the final ascent to the summit, where a small shrine is located, on foot.

• Embark on a horseback riding trek through the red sands of the nearby Wadi Rum desert, an area immortalized by T.E. Lawrence’s Seven Pillars of Wisdom and the 1962 epic film, Lawrence of Arabia.

• After your horseback ride, wash off the desert dust and soak tired muscles at spa resorts in the Red Sea’s Gulf of Aqaba.