# Petra: map, what to do and when to go

Petra is a valley of facades carved into sandstone, almost all of them tombs, reached on foot through a 1.2 km canyon. The capital of the Nabataean kingdom in southern Jordan, it has more than 800 monuments, and no one has lived inside the site since 1985.

Canonical: https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/petra/
Language: en. Extended author commentary and itinerary notes may remain in Portuguese. Dates below belong to individual sources; this is not live availability.

## Direct answer
- **Petra: Is it worth buying only the one-day ticket?** For anyone who wants to see more than the Treasury, no: the two-day ticket costs 55 JOD, only 5 more than the one-day.
- **Petra: What's the closest airport?** Aqaba airport (AQJ), on the Red Sea, is about 125 km and 2 hours from Petra and is the shortest way in; from Amman it's 235 km and three hours by road.
- **Petra: How far is Wadi Rum, and what's there?** Wadi Rum is about 110 km south, 1 hour 45 minutes by car: a desert of sandstone and granite with Bedouin camps, climbing, and Jabal Umm ad-Dami, the country's highest point.

## The Siq and the facade
Enter at opening, 6am in summer or 6:30am in winter according to the official calendar, and walk the 800 m of Bab as-Siq.
- The Siq
- Al-Khubtha Trail

## The heights and the Nabataean center
Enter again at the seasonal opening time and head straight to the city center without stopping at the Treasury.
- Qasr al-Bint
- Byzantine Church
- Petra Museum

## The empty valleys
Climb to the High Place of Sacrifice via the staircase near the theater, about 45 minutes of steps, and see the two 6-meter obelisks at the top.
- High Place of Sacrifice

## The Siq
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/petra/#g-lugar-o-siq
Governadoria Maan
A gorge about 1.2 km long with walls up to 180 m, functioning as the ceremonial entrance to the city. Look for the original Nabataean paving in a few stretches, the empty votive niches, and the worn, life-size relief of a camel caravan on the left wall.
Check access

## Al-Khazneh (the Treasury)
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/petra/#g-lugar-al-khazneh
Al-Betrā'
A facade about 39 m tall, carved between the 1st century BC and the 1st century AD, probably the tomb of King Aretas IV. The urn on top bears bullet marks from people who believed it held gold; behind the door there's only a square, empty chamber.
Check access

## Ad-Deir (the Monastery)
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/petra/#g-lugar-ad-deir
Al-Betrā'
A facade about 47 m wide by 48 m tall, atop roughly 800 steps. Likely a worship hall linked to King Obodas I; the name comes from crosses carved inside during the Byzantine period.
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## Royal Tombs
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/petra/#g-lugar-tumulos-reais
Al-Betrā'
A row carved into the face of Jabal al-Khubtha: the Urn Tomb, converted into a church in 446 with a Greek inscription painted on the wall, the Silk Tomb, the Corinthian Tomb, and the Palace Tomb. Late-afternoon light is what reveals the streaks in the stone.
Check access

## Theater
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/petra/#g-lugar-teatro
Al-Betrā' · Up to half an hour
Carved into the rock in the 1st century, with 45 rows and an estimated capacity of 4,000 to 8,500. The Romans expanded it by cutting into earlier tombs, whose chambers stayed open and visible on the back wall.
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## High Place of Sacrifice
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/petra/#g-lugar-alto-lugar-do-sacrificio
Al-Betrā'
A platform on Jabal Madbah, at about 1,035 m, with two 6-meter obelisks left standing when the rest of the summit was chiseled away. It has an altar, a drainage channel, and the most complete view of the basin.
Check access

## Qasr al-Bint
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/petra/#g-lugar-qasr-al-bint
Governadoria Maan · Up to half an hour
Qasr al-Bint, the main temple of the Nabataean city, built near the end of the 1st century BC, facing what is today the central square.
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## Al-Khubtha Trail
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/petra/#g-lugar-trilha-al-khubtha
One to two hours
About 600 steps from the Royal Tombs up to the viewpoint looking down on the Treasury. It takes 1 hour 30 minutes to 2 hours round trip and is the best spot on the site in mid-morning, when the facade is lit up.
Check access

## Byzantine Church
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/petra/#g-lugar-igreja-bizantina
Al-Betrā' · Up to half an hour
The Byzantine Church, in the city center, holds mosaics of animals and the seasons on the floor, ruined since a likely 6th-century fire.
Check access

## Petra Museum
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/petra/#g-lugar-museu-de-petra
Up to half an hour
Opened in 2019 beside the Visitor Center, it brings together archaeological finds, Nabataean pottery and explanations of Petra’s water system. Admission is free; the museum has its own hours, different from the park’s opening, so plan a visit on your arrival afternoon or after the walk.
Check access

**Petra: Is it worth buying only the one-day ticket?**
For anyone who wants to see more than the Treasury, no: the two-day ticket costs 55 JOD, only 5 more than the one-day. Going from the gate to the Treasury and back is already about 4 km on foot; reaching the basin and back makes 8 km, and the Monastery is about 800 steps farther up.

**Petra: What's the closest airport?**
Aqaba airport (AQJ), on the Red Sea, is about 125 km and 2 hours from Petra and is the shortest way in; from Amman it's 235 km and three hours by road.

**Petra: How far is Wadi Rum, and what's there?**
Wadi Rum is about 110 km south, 1 hour 45 minutes by car: a desert of sandstone and granite with Bedouin camps, climbing, and Jabal Umm ad-Dami, the country's highest point. Admission costs 5 JOD, is included in the Jordan Pass, and it's worth spending a night there.

**Petra: How much to budget per day, with the ticket?**
Budget 35–55 JOD a day on the economical side and 70–120 JOD for mid-range comfort, not counting the ticket, which is the priciest item: 50 JOD for one day, 55 for two, and 60 for three. The currency is the Jordanian dinar (JOD), pegged to the dollar: 1 JOD is worth about US$1.41 and about R$7.80 in 2026.

**Petra: What's the best time to go?**
Spring (March to May) and fall (September to November) are the comfortable seasons: daytime temperatures of 18 to 28 °C in the basin, clear skies and flowers on the slopes in March and April.


## In the Nilo app
- Plan these 2 days on the map: https://nilopelomundo.com/en/app/guide/petra/?utm_source=llm&utm_medium=markdown&utm_content=door-itinerary
- Mark your hotel on the map: https://nilopelomundo.com/en/app/map/petra/?utm_source=llm&utm_medium=markdown&utm_content=door-stay

## Full editorial guide (Portuguese)
https://nilopelomundo.com/llm/petra.md