20 Best Tips for Petra

When I arrived at this magnificent site, I really had no idea what to expect. As far as logistics go, distances, what services were available etc., this is what I discovered. Here are my 20 best tips for Petra that might make your explorations a little easier.

1. Entrance

The main entrance is at the bottom of the main street through Wadi Musa, and encompasses the Visitors Centre. The Petra Museum is outside this entrance, and is free!

There is another entrance called the ‘back door’. Visitors can hire a taxi to take you there or there is a free shuttle that goes once an hour. The advantage to entering through the ‘back door’ is the proximity to the Monastery. Those who cannot walk and hike for hours through the centre of Petra, can take this shuttle and reduce that to a short climb. Please note that you will need to already have your paper ticket to enter this way.

2. Tickets

If you are arriving like many other visitors with the Jordan Pass in hand, you will need to trade that in for a paper ticket at the counters inside the Visitors Centre. Each day you enter, you will produce the same paper ticket, so if you are here on a multi-day pass, keep that ticket safe!

3. Passport

You will need to show you passport at the turnstiles, along with your paper ticket to enter the archaeological site. I didn’t have mine on me, so luckily the officer was gracious enough to accept a photograph from my phone. Currently there are hardly any tourists here, but in high season, this might not be so flexible.

4. Time

One, two and three day passes are available, both through he Jordan Pass and in person. I would highly recommend a multi day pass. There is an enormous amount to see here and the distances between things are great.

5. Cash/ATM

If you want to purchase anything at all inside the site, you will need cash. This includes souvenirs, water, guides, tips, photographers, a cup of tea, anything. There is one ATM machine right outside and to the left of the main entrance to Petra. While I had a difficult time finding machines to work for me in the capital Amman, this one works perfectly.

6. Map

There is a large map of the site on the wall of the ticket centre. I recommend taking a photo of this on your phone. When I was trying to navigate myself up in the mountains, on the way to the Monastery, there were times where I had no reception at all. I was unable to use my maps and trails app, or online sites that provide information.

Here you can see the Monastery in the far upper left corner and the Treasury in the bottom right. The entrance is further to the right and off the map.

5. Weather

My visit was during the winter, and its cold! 🥶 I entered the site between 8-9am each day and the average temperature at that time of day was a meagre 5 degrees Celsius! Wear layers, because by mid afternoon, after climbing mountains, I was down to my base layer of one long sleeve shirt.

I can only imagine the heat in the middle of summer. I would personally not want, or be able to do, as much exploring as I did, during those hot temperatures.

8. Toilets

Petra has really good facilities and they are placed regularly around the site. The longest stretch I saw without a bathroom was the hike up through the canyons and mountains from the Basin to the Monastery. Best and new facilities are located at the restaurant in the Basin and tucked inside a jebel at the Tombs.

9. Footwear

What ever you wear is going to get dirty and dusty especially if you plan to hike and explore. A portion of the Siq, the path to the treasury, is paved. The main trails beyond that, are small crushed rocks and sand. The jebels are of course rock and anything off course is sand.

I would recommend a comfortable pair of trainers, or at least something that fully encloses the foot. Socks are a good idea too, the sand is like liquid and will get inside everything, most especially your shoes.

10. Transportation

There are small golf carts that you can hire (with a driver) from the visitor’s centre to transport you around part of the site. These are clean and new, and are mostly used ferrying visitors from the Entrance to the Treasury.

There is a free shuttle too. The same one that I mentioned above, that takes visitors to the ‘back door’ of Petra. If you find yourself at the Monastery, and cannot face the walk back to the main entrance, its possible to take this free shuttle back. It returns via the exterior of the site, not through it. This is not something that is advertised, you have to ask for it and it only runs once an hour.

11. Food & Drink

All through Petra, visitors will notice Bedouin tents set up selling all sorts of wares. Here you can find various snacks and a small selection of drinks too. Prices are higher of course, because you are inside the site but I didn’t find them unreasonable.

At the centre of the city, in the Basin and just past the Roman Colonnaded Road, is a full-on restaurant called Nabateant Tent. Here they are cooking kebabs over the grill, and serving a small menu of delicious meals. One day I enjoyed a scrumptious chicken shawarma and a freshly squeezed pomegranate juice. Those together with a bottle of ice cold water was 10DR or $20 CAD.

On the hike up in the canyons to the Monastery, several of the Bedouins are selling authentic mint tea cooked over their open fires. There are also two tents that provide seating with stunning views. One of these has fresh juices too!

As a budget traveller, I did bring my own food in each day. Except for the one treat, it was lovely to have the flexibility to sit down where ever I was, usually with a stunning view, and munch away on my goodies.

12. Police

You will see them everywhere. This was something that surprised me. All departments too, ranging from the tourist police, to regional, federal and the military with their armoured vehicles.

Stop and look around at any of the jebel tops, and you will most likely spot an officer up high, tiny as an ant. Do not be alarmed, it’s a reassurance, not something to be leery of.

13. Donkeys

Ok let’s talk animals. Another thing that surprised me greatly, was the sheer number of animals here. Donkeys are everywhere and you will be asked *repeatedly* and *constantly*, if you want a donkey ride. This is especially prevalent just before and during the hike up to the Monastery for it is a considerable distance and a climb of near 1,000 steps.

A pleasant and polite ‘la shukran’ works about 75% of the time. You may have to repeat that, wave your hand and carry on walking the other 25% of the time. The Bedouins are extremely kind, but can be very persistent. I must say, the visitors I saw riding the donkeys did not look like they were having a joyous time.

14. Horses

Possibly the most aggressive are the horse owners. They are mostly located in two areas. One is in the Siq on your way into and out of the site, nearest the entrance to the canyon portion. They will tell you that the horse ride is included with the price of your ticket. It is not.

When one gives up trying, another is right there to begin. The second place they are located is in the Basin. The Bedouins are less aggressive here.

15. Cats & Dogs

They are everywhere! It was such a joy to see them and interact with these fur-balls almost every time I stopped to admire something. Most seem healthy and robust; however, a few were struggling with eye infections. I didn’t see a single one that seemed like it was in distress.

Far fewer than the cats but there are some. They seem hungry and will approach you to see if you have anything to offer. None that I encountered were aggressive but they can be persistent. If you are inclined to, pack some kibble into your backpack to share amongst these lovely creatures.

16. Camels

The most charming animals for me at Petra are the camels. They can be found in three separate areas. Two are always at the treasury, another two down near the restaurant in the middle of the city, and another two move around. These can be hired for a ride or for photo ops.

17. Goats

Don’t be surprised to see herds of goats walking over everything, and through the site. This is Bedouin territory and their herds will go where they are led by the shepherd.

While I was in the Great Temple, there was a group of goats on the wall up above me. Rocks were tumbling down into the site where I was standing. They are cute to watch and a strange sight as they make their way through the ancient ruins.

18. Distances

This really surprised me, just how spread out everything is. From the Visitors Centre and entrance, it can take upwards of 45 minutes just to reach the Treasury. From there, walking past the tombs and through the basin another hour.

Beginning the hike up to the Monastery another 45 minutes to an hour. Now imagine to stop, take photo’s, look at things along the way, it’s a huge city. I had three full days and divided the sites up between those. My first day was just the Treasury and Monastery, and then all the way back.

Second day was the Basin, Great Temple, Byzantine Church, Temple of the Winged Lions, Theatre and Colonnaded Street. Exploring all the trails around this central region too, is very interesting. There are piles of treasures, that are exposed, but not yet placed into their respective homes.

My third day was the Street of Facades, the Royal Tombs and the Al-Khubtha hike to the two big viewpoints of the Theatre and Treasury. Each day I did between 22,000 and 25,000 steps and there are still many things I did not see.

19. Souvenirs

The shopping. Who would have though there would be so much shopping to be done at one of the World Wonders. Bedouins have their tents set up all along every path you might take and at each destination. They will encourage you to come and visit, have a look at their wares, and of course make a purchase.

Visitors will see a lot of pieces of broken pottery, antiquities, old coins and other historical artifacts and items. I would strongly suggest you do not purchase these. Firstly, it is illegal to do so and secondly it reinforced the practice to strip these sites bare of items that should remain here and be treasured.

20. Photographers

These will be numerous at the Treasury and Monastery. If you would like to be taken to the best viewpoints, and have really amazing photos done, please hire these men. I was approached at the Monastery by Audi, he is incredibly kind and skilful with the iPhone. We agreed on a price of 5DR which I though was really quite reasonable. I was with him for almost half an hour and absolutely love the photos and videos that resulted.

I hope this exhaustive list gives you, my travel friends, an insight into your next visit to Petra. It is such a magnificent site. There is no wonder at all, why it ended up on the list of World Wonders. Petra is truly stunning in every way.