How to spend one day in Petra (Jordan)
Petra, one of the seven new Wonders of the World and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is famous for its rock-cut architecture. Petra is also called the “Rose City” because of the colour of the sandstone from which it is carved. Petra was since quite some time on our travel wish list and during our Jordan trip we finally could tick it off. Find here all the info you need in order to make it a wonderful experience in this special place. In this blog post you will see references to numbers, these are used on the official Petra map, which should make it easier for you to understand our journey.
How much time do we need?
This is a difficult question to answer. Some people might say you will need several days to explore the area, however, in our opinion a day will suit the majority of the people. So, how to spend one day in Petra?
We started our day around 8am and we were back at 4pm. In that timeframe we hiked up to 18 km, had a lunch of 1 hour at the Monastery, and saw almost all things which are out there. We didn’t rush and explored plenty of caves or locations.If you are really into history, take a guide or are not in shape, it might be challenging to complete the journey we have done. We did skip Little Petra so if you want to add that to your journey, you might want to start earlier but for us the 18 km of hiking with close to 700 elevation meters was more than enough. Do know that if you want to visit Petra for sequential days, you will only pay 5 dinar per extra day.
The route
We did some research on the best routes and also received some options from our guide, however, in the end we decided to make our own variant, wander around and see how far we would make it.From the entrance gate (1) we passed via the Djin Blocks (2) to the entrance of the Siq (3). At the end of the gorge you reach the iconic Treasury (4). We continued our journey via the Street of Facades (5) to the foot of the staircase towards the High Place of Sacrifice (6). Instead of returning, we took the Wadi al Farasa track which leads to Qasr al-Bint (13). We at once continued with the 961 stairs towards the marvellous Ad-Deir or Monastery (15). We headed back via the Colonnaded Street (11) to the Blue Church (10) from which you can take a shortcut to the Royal Tombs (8).
We returned via the main street back to the Treasury and the Siq. From there we headed back to the entrance of the park following the same path of in the morning. It’s important to realize that while in the morning it was constantly gently down, you’ll have to gently climb your way up back to the entrance. It’s nothing too severe, but it should also not be underestimated after a full day of hiking. When we started at the Siq, we had 16 km and were already busy for several hours. We were happy and relieved to reach the entrace, where just around the corner you can find the Red Cave bar (IHG Hotel). We stopped here for a well deserved beer. Cheers!
If you want to add Little Petra to your hike, it might be worth to go by taxi to Little Petra and start your journey from there. You can then save yourself some kilometers with an out and back hike to Little Petra. Downside is that you can’t see the Treasury revealing itself when you come at the end of the Siq.
As Siq (3)
The Siq is the main entrance to the ancient city of Petra in Jordan. The siq is a narrow gorge which is at some places only 3 metres wide. The length is around 1,2 kilometers and ends at Petra’s most elaborate ruin, Al-Khazneh or the Treasury. It is similar to Antelope Canyon or other canyons, but while most are formed by water erosion, this one is formed by a natural geological fault split apart by tectonic forces. It’s a special feeling to walk in this gorge, as you know you’ll reach one of the most iconic places of Petra. It’s hard to control your speed, as it’s like you are drawn to the Treasury. There were only a handfull of people and it was easy for us to take pictures without people. When over time tourism would get back to normal, it might be worth to go either early or go back by the end of they day, when most people are already back to their hotel.
The world famous and iconic Treasury (4)
The Treasury is one of the most iconic pictures you will see about Jordan. As described you’ll reach the place after you have completed the gorge of the Siq. We arrived around 9am and the place was mostly isolated. There were 2 camels lying around which made the picture even more iconic in our opinion. It’s worth to target to arrive here when the sun is highlighting the Treasury as the atmosphere is completely different as you can see in the below pictures. We have been told that a lot of people take back the free shuttle bus from the back of the area to the main entrance. As Sporty Travellers that isn’t something we do by default and hence we hiked back to the entrance. By doing so we arrived in the late afternoon for a second time at the Treasury. By doing so, I am now even more convinced that the Monastery (Ad-Deir) is even more impressive. So if your physical health allows, make sure to hike to the place.
Ad-Deir (Monastery - 15)
In order to reach the most impressive place of Petra in our opinion you will need to conquer 961 stairs. You will find the start of the staircase in the end of the area, near the Qasr al-Bint (13) place. The stairs are doable and the entire track is to be considered safe. At the location you will find shops for drinks and coffee and they also have a terrace where you can sit. During our visit in November 2024 the place was quite isolated. We were the only ones sitting on the terrace and enjoyed our lunch brought in our backpack while admiring this unique place. In this part of Petra we have spend over an hour. Make sure you continue up to one of the viewpoints. From their you can look down on the Monastery which is even more impressive.
High Place of Sacrifice (6)
Our very initial thought was to make this return trail, but we changed our mind on the top and decided to take the Wadi al Farasa trail instead of the (boring) main street. It was also a more efficient usage of our hiking time. However, it means that when you are heading up towards the High Place of Sacrifice, don’t forget to look back every now and then, as the views are insane. Mainly the first part of this trail is very impressive. You won’t come down via this trail, so make sure to absorb it all while going up. At moments you have a great overview of the city and mainly the Royal Tombs. The High Place of Sacrifice itself wasn’t that impressive in our opinion, certainly not compared to the other locations during our trail.
Royal Tombs (8)
The Royal Tombs exist out of several Tombs of which the Palace Tomb, Corinthian Tomb, Silk Tomb and the Urn Tomb are the most famous ones. When you follow our track, you will reach them after you come from the blue church, where you can admire the mosaic. When you approach them, you will realise how big and impressive they are. You can enter some of them, but most of them aren’t that impressive from within the inside.
Other interesting view points
Next to all the main view points described above there is still plenty more to observe while you wander around Petra. You shouldn’t think that Petra is limited to the Treasury which you might have seen when looking for the new World Wonders. This is an entire ancient city which deserves at least a day of your time. When you follow our route described above, you will pass the Painted Triclinium during the Wadi al Farasa trail. It’s one of the most nice rooms we have seen during the hike. While heading to the Royal Tombs, after you have visited the Monastery, you will pass the Colonnaded street, which was the heart of the ancient city over two millennia ago. It’s difficult to get this one on a picture via our mobile phones. So I’ll leave that one for you to discover during your own exploration of Petra. When coming back from the Royal Tombs, back to the Treasury, you will pass the Theatre. It must have been so impressive when the crowd filled up this area.
Some final tips
Directly after the entrance gate, when you enter the path with small stones, you will be offered a free horse ride towards the entrance of the As Siq. Although this is for free, please note that a tip of 10 dinar will be expected and as we heard might even be demanded. The path goes gently down and is a nice stroll. If you are moderate fit, I wouldn’t doubt and just do it by foot like we did, but obviously that is your own choice.
Towards the Monastery or Ad-Deir you can go up the stairs by horse, but this ride is not included in your ticket. Although it might be tempting for less fit people, I would like to share that we saw some less fit people on the horse going up and down, and I can’t say they really enjoyed it. It also looked just dangerous in my opinion.
In November 2024 the routes to the viewpoint of the Treasury were all closed by either high fences or guards. From what we understood this could be for quite some time as new excavations are ongoing. We can’t compare, but probably the views from the viewpoints on the Monastery are similar and maybe even better.
There are only few locations where you can get alcohol which are the Red Cave bar and the Kilkenny Bar. There are also no liquor stores in the town, so you might want to take that into account. Certainly if you head towards Wadi Rum from here and had planned to have a drink in the dessert. You better buy your drinks up front in Amman or Aqaba depending of your direction.
Wadi Musa Park (viewpoint)
The Wadi Musa viewpoint isn’t in the Petra valley itself, but allows you to observe the valley from above. It’s super crucial you do this after you have visited Petra itself. When you watch at the picture below, you might see an impressive landscape, but it’s all in the details, which you will way better understand after you have visited the valley. On this Picture you can see the path with small stones, some Djin blocks, the entrace of the Siq and the Siq itself. In reality you can see even more, but I couldn’t capture that on this picture.
