---
type: Place
title: Petra
description: Jordan's ancient rock-cut Nabataean city — the Treasury, theatre, tombs, and hiking viewpoints, a five-minute drive from Wadi Musa.
tags: [petra, jordan, unesco, ancient-city, hiking]
coordinates: {lat: 30.3498, lng: 35.3765}
timestamp: 2026-07-12T12:00:00Z
---

# Petra

Ancient rock-cut city in southern [Jordan](/countries/jordan.md), reached from
the town of Wadi Musa (about a five-minute drive from Harry's hotel). Far more
than just the Treasury — the facade everyone knows from Instagram — the site
stretches on with a theatre, rock-cut tombs and cave dwellings that look like
carved houses, and long hikes up to viewpoints.

## What Harry did

Harry visited with [Mac](/people/mac.md) early one morning, arriving around
6:50am (the site opens at 6am). They hiked with a local guide up a steep climb
to a viewpoint above the Treasury and drank tea at the top, explored the
theatre and cave dwellings beyond the Treasury without a guide, were invited
by local Bedouins to stay the night in their camp, and ate a Jordanian buffet
lunch inside the site. He found parts of it commercialised — touts, queues,
"a little bit like Disneyland" — but calls Petra itself amazing and a
must-see. They walked roughly 16,000 steps and skipped the Monastery.

## Wadi Musa, the town you stay in

Wadi Musa is the settlement at the gate, and it has no page of its own for the
reason Harry gives on arriving: **it exists for Petra.** Hotels and restaurants,
and tourism is what he calls pretty much the main use of the town.

- **He arrives having read that it is the one unhospitable, slightly scammy
  corner of Jordan**, unlike the rest of the country, and says he's interested to
  find out. Nothing in the arrival video bears that out — the hotel staff are
  helpful and recommend where to go — so it is recorded as a reputation he
  brought with him rather than a finding.
- **A hotel for two nights came to about £100** (from video – unverified) —
  Petra Heart House, which he books and pays for himself. A desk, tea and
  coffee, a television, and a view of the road. He says it was exactly what they
  needed and good value.
- **It is quiet at night**, and the road in at night is dark and empty.
- **Alcohol is hard to find.** The bar they are pointed to is inside a museum,
  which Harry finds funny — the only place selling beer in town being a
  historical site.
- **Local beer**: a half-litre of Petra beer runs about $10
  (from video – unverified). The local beers are sweet, closer to an ale.
- **It is the most expensive place in Jordan he eats.** Dinner and drinks for
  two came to **78 JOD — roughly £85 or $100** (from video – unverified) — for
  chicken with peppercorn sauce, chips and vegetables, another dish topped with
  peanuts, tea and several beers. His advice is to expect that here, and that it
  is the priciest it gets.

## Getting there

- **About three hours' drive from [Amman](/places/amman.md).**
- **Rent a car for it.** Harry says outright they should have done it at the
  start of the trip instead of paying for taxis everywhere — see
  [rent a car instead of taxis](/tips/rent-a-car-instead-of-taxis.md). A rental
  from Amman was **20 JOD a day** against about $30 online
  (from video – unverified).

## Practical facts

- Opens at 6am; tour-bus crowds pour in from late morning, so early entry
  pays off.
- Entry is included in the Jordan Pass; a day ticket otherwise costs around
  40–50 (from video – unverified).
- Guided climb to the viewpoint above the Treasury: 15 JD for two people.
- Buffet lunch inside the site: 17 with drinks (from video – unverified).
- Expect persistent offers of horse rides, guides, and souvenirs at the
  entrance and around the Treasury.

## Harry's tips

- Get the [Jordan Pass](/tips/get-the-jordan-pass.md) before travelling —
  Petra entry is the main reason it pays for itself.
- Arrive at opening time to beat the tour buses; by late morning the
  Treasury area is packed.
- Do the paid climb to the viewpoint above the Treasury — fewer people are
  willing to hike up, so it's peaceful and the view is worth it. It's a real
  climb, tougher with camera gear.
- Don't stop at the Treasury: the theatre, tombs, and hikes beyond are a big
  part of the site.

## Source videos

- [Incredible PETRA tour by LOCAL BEDOUINS 🇯🇴](/videos/u67ibrN0Tnk.md) —
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u67ibrN0Tnk
- [We Rented a car and took a PETRA ROAD TRIP 🇯🇴](/videos/X01ujS2bxmk.md) —
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X01ujS2bxmk — the drive down, Wadi Musa and
  the hotel