What to see, where to stay and the best time to visit Petra, Jordan.
Photo: ChiemSeherin / Pixabay
Petra is Jordan's ancient city carved into rose-coloured rock, reached through a narrow canyon called the Siq. Inside the Petra Archaeological Park you walk past tombs, temples and a theatre cut straight into the cliffs, with the Treasury as the famous first view and the Monastery as a steeper reward further on. It's a walking destination with a lot of sun exposure and uneven ground. The best months to visit are October, April, November and March, when temperatures are milder for the long walks between sites.
Plan on 2 full days. One day covers the Siq, the Treasury, the Street of Facades and the Royal Tombs; a second day lets you reach the Monastery, the High Place of Sacrifice and Little Petra without rushing.
Petra Archaeological Park
A tall tomb façade carved into pink sandstone, and the first major monument you see as you leave the Siq. Light on the façade changes through the day, so many visitors return to see it again on the way out.
Petra Archaeological Park
A narrow, winding gorge with high rock walls that forms the main walking entrance to Petra. Look for the old water channels cut into the sides and the carved niches along the way.
Petra Archaeological Park
A huge carved façade high above the main valley, reached by a long, steep stairway path. The climb is tiring in the heat, but the monument is less crowded than the Treasury and the nearby viewpoints look out over the desert mountains.
Petra Archaeological Park
A row of large tombs cut into the cliff of Jabal al-Khubtha, including the Urn Tomb, the Silk Tomb, the Corinthian Tomb and the Palace Tomb. Inside, the rock shows bands of red, yellow and white, and the terrace gives a good view over the city centre.
Petra Archaeological Park
A ceremonial site on a mountaintop, reached by a steep path of carved steps. The descent on the far side passes the Lion Fountain, the Garden Tomb and the Roman Soldier Tomb, and it returns to the valley floor with far fewer people around.
Petra Archaeological Park
A line of tomb fronts carved into the cliff between the Treasury and the Theatre. It is an easy stop on the main route and shows the step-topped style typical of Nabataean tombs.
Petra Archaeological Park
A large theatre carved straight out of the mountainside, with rows of seats cut from the rock. Older tombs were partly cut away when it was built, and you can still see their openings above the seats.
Petra Archaeological Park
The old city centre on the valley floor, with a paved Roman-era street, the ruins of the Great Temple complex and Qasr al-Bint, one of the few free-standing buildings left in Petra. It helps you picture Petra as a living city and not only a place of tombs.
Beidha
A smaller Nabataean site north of the main park, with carved buildings in a short canyon. It is usually quiet, and one chamber still has traces of its original painted ceiling.
Wadi Musa
A modern museum near the visitor centre at the main entrance, with finds from Petra and clear displays on the Nabataeans. It is a good first stop for background before walking into the site, or a cool break after a hot day.
Average weather and our month score, from 10 years of climate data.
| Month | High / low | Rain days | Sunshine | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 13°C / 6°C | 8 days (45 mm) | 9.2 h/day | 5.9/10 |
| February | 15°C / 7°C | 7 days (43 mm) | 9.7 h/day | 6.9/10 |
| Best month: March | 18°C / 9°C | 5 days (29 mm) | 10.8 h/day | 9.0/10 |
| Best month: April | 24°C / 13°C | 3 days (11 mm) | 12.0 h/day | 9.5/10 |
| May | 28°C / 17°C | 1 day (6 mm) | 12.7 h/day | 8.7/10 |
| June | 31°C / 20°C | 0 days (0 mm) | 13.1 h/day | 7.6/10 |
| July | 32°C / 22°C | 0 days (0 mm) | 13.1 h/day | 5.4/10 |
| August | 32°C / 22°C | 0 days (1 mm) | 12.8 h/day | 5.2/10 |
| September | 30°C / 20°C | 0 days (1 mm) | 11.5 h/day | 7.7/10 |
| Best month: October | 26°C / 17°C | 2 days (8 mm) | 10.7 h/day | 9.6/10 |
| Best month: November | 20°C / 12°C | 5 days (19 mm) | 9.9 h/day | 9.1/10 |
| December | 15°C / 8°C | 5 days (23 mm) | 9.1 h/day | 7.7/10 |
Highs near 13°C with about 8 rain days, the wettest time of year. Cold mornings around 6°C. Score is 5.9, an ok month for walking Petra in cooler, wetter conditions.
Highs reach 14.6°C with 7 rain days still common. Score rises to 6.9, a good month as the weather starts to dry out.
Highs climb to 18.4°C and rain drops to about 5 days. Score hits 9, one of the best months, with comfortable walking weather.
Highs of 23.6°C and only 2.7 rain days bring the top score of 9.5, the best month overall for clear skies and mild heat.
Highs reach 28.1°C with barely 1 rain day. Score is 8.7, still rated best, though midday sun gets strong.
Highs hit 30.7°C with almost no rain. Score drops to 7.6, still best, but heat makes afternoons tough for hiking.
Highs peak near 32.3°C with no rain at all. Score falls to 5.4, an ok month because the heat is intense for sightseeing on foot.
Highs stay at 32.4°C, the hottest month, with rain days close to zero. Score is 5.2, ok, due to tough daytime heat.
Highs ease to 30.4°C with rain still rare. Score climbs back to 7.7, rated best, as heat starts to soften.
Highs drop to 25.9°C with under 2 rain days. Score peaks at 9.6, the top-rated month for comfortable exploring.
Highs fall to 20.1°C with rain returning to about 4.5 days. Score stays high at 9.1, best for mild, fresher conditions.
Highs reach 15.3°C with around 5 rain days as winter sets in. Score is 7.7, best, with cool but manageable weather.
Climate averages 2015–2024 · Best time to visit Jordan →
The best areas to base yourself and who each one suits.
Good for first-timers, short stays, early starts
This is the strip of Wadi Musa closest to the Petra Visitor Centre and the main gate, so you can walk in at opening time and come back for a rest at midday. Restaurants, shops and the Petra by Night start point are all close by. It is the busiest and most tour-group-heavy part of town, so expect traffic and higher demand in peak season.
Good for budget travellers, independent travellers
The centre around the main roundabout is where locals live and shop. It has bakeries, simple grill restaurants and more budget guesthouses than anywhere else. The drawback is the hill: the walk down to the Petra gate is easy, but the walk back up after a long day on foot is steep and tiring, so many people take a taxi.
Good for views, quiet, travellers with a car
At the top of Wadi Musa, around the spring linked to the story of Moses, this area is calmer and has wide views over the valley at sunset. Several larger hotels sit along the ridge. It is too far and too steep to walk to the Petra gate, so you will rely on taxis, hotel shuttles or your own car.
Good for couples, quiet, scenery
Taybeh is a small village on the hills south of Wadi Musa, with views over the Petra mountains and a slower, rural feel. It suits people who want peace after busy days in the site. You need a car or taxi for every trip to Petra, and there are few places to eat outside the hotels.
Good for camping, stargazing, adventurous travellers
North of Wadi Musa, near the small rock-cut site of Siq al-Barid, you sleep in Bedouin-style desert camps surrounded by sandstone. Nights are dark and quiet, good for stars, and there is a walking trail towards the Monastery for fit hikers with a guide. It is a drive from the main Petra gate, facilities are basic, and desert nights can be cold outside summer.
Good for cultural interest, homestays
This is the village where many Bdoul Bedouin families were resettled from inside Petra, on the hillside above the site's northern edge. Staying here gives a closer look at local life, and some guides lead walks into Petra from nearby. Accommodation is limited and simple, and there is little in the way of restaurants or shops.
Typical journey times and fares from the airport and other cities.
| Route | By | Time | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amman → Petra JETT runs one daily bus. It leaves Amman (Abdali or 7th Circle) early in the morning, about 06:30, and returns from Petra (Wadi Musa) at about 17:00. The trip takes about 3.5 hours, including one rest stop halfway. The fare is about JOD 10 at the JETT office (jett.com.jo). Resellers such as 12go charge about JOD 18.44. Book a day or more ahead in high season. I could not open the JETT site, so I used a 2025 guide and a reseller listing. | bus | 3 h 30 min | 10–18.44 JOD ↗ |
Places within 2½ hours by train, bus, ferry or car.
bus · 5 JOD
Direct public minibuses run between Wadi Musa (Petra) and Aqaba, with few departures (around midday in the afternoon from Aqaba, none on Fridays). The fare is about JOD 5. You can also change in Ma'an, which is cheaper. The 150 minutes is a rough figure based on reported 2.5-hour taxi rides; I did not find a published bus time. A taxi costs about JOD 35–55.
This is Jordan's national dish: lamb cooked in a fermented dried yogurt sauce called jameed, served over rice and flatbread. Restaurants in Wadi Musa, the town beside Petra, serve it for lunch or dinner, often for group gatherings.
A layered dish of rice, fried vegetables and meat cooked in one pot, then flipped upside down onto a serving tray. It's a common home-style meal found in local eateries around Petra.
Roasted chicken piled on taboon bread with onions, sumac and olive oil. It's a filling dish often eaten at midday in family-run restaurants near the Petra entrance.
Meat and vegetables slow-cooked underground in a pit covered with sand and hot coals, a Bedouin cooking method still used by camps in the Petra and Wadi Rum region. It's often prepared for evening meals for visitors staying overnight.
Small plates like hummus, baba ghanouj and local olive oil are served with warm flatbread baked on a metal dome called a saj. These are common starters before a main meal in Wadi Musa.
August is rated ok, not ideal, for Petra. Daytime highs reach 32.4°C with very little rain (0.3 rain days), so the heat is the main issue. Walking long distances, like the trail to the Monastery, is tougher in this kind of heat, so early morning visits work best.
October scores highest at 9.6 out of 10. It has a high of 25.9°C, a low of 17.1°C, and only 1.9 rain days, giving warm, mostly dry conditions for walking around the site. April, November and March also score in the 'best' range and are good alternatives.
Plan for at least 1 full day, 2 if you want to see everything. The Siq and Treasury alone take about 1.5 hours, but the Monastery needs 2–3 hours round trip and the High Place of Sacrifice another 2–3 hours. A second day lets you add Little Petra, which takes 1–2 hours.
Yes, winter in Petra is cool. January has a low of 5.6°C and a high of 12.9°C, with 7.8 rain days, the wettest month of the year. Layers are useful since mornings and evenings get cold even though daytime temperatures can feel mild in the sun.
Rain is limited and seasonal. January and February get the most, with 45mm and 43mm respectively over around 7–8 rain days. From June through September, rainfall drops to 0–1mm with almost no rain days, making summer the driest time.
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