Petra
A Nabataean city cut from sandstone at the end of a narrow gorge, a walk by candlelight to the Treasury after dark, and a private jet terminal at Aqaba about a hundred kilometres south.
- Arrival
- Queen Alia International · AMM
- To the city
- About 3 hours from Amman by the Desert Highway
- Private jets
- Private jet terminal at Aqaba (AQJ)
- Best time
- March to May · September to November
The city
Through the Siq.
Petra was the capital of the Nabataeans from the second century BC, and in the first century AD a city of some 20,000 people. The way in is still the Siq, a gorge three or four metres wide in places, which opens without warning onto the carved front of the Treasury. Higher up the valley, the Monastery is larger still. UNESCO listed the site in 1985.
Come in spring or autumn, when the days run from 19 to 31 °C. Summer is rainless and reaches 33 °C; in winter the days fall to 13 °C and January nights come close to freezing. The site lies at about 810 metres, 3.5 km from the town of Wadi Musa.
- Al-Khazneh, the Treasury A façade 37 metres high carved straight from the rock, perhaps the tomb of King Aretas IV.
- Ad Deir, the Monastery The largest monument at Petra, 45 metres tall and 50 wide, at the top of a long climb.
- Petra by Night Two thousand candles along the Siq to the Treasury, from 8.30 pm, Sunday to Thursday.
Arriving
Amman for airlines, Aqaba for jets.
Queen Alia lies about 30 km south of Amman, already on the road to Petra: three hours by the Desert Highway, four by the slower King’s Highway. Aqaba is about 100 km south of Wadi Musa, and buses take around two hours.
- Kuwait City 1 h 55
- Riyadh 2 h 00
- Rome 3 h 30
- Cape Town 9 h 50 long-range jet
- São Paulo 14 h 00 long-range jet
When to go
March to May, and September to November.
A dry upland climate, with most of its little rain between November and March. Spring and autumn are warm; June to September bring 31 to 33 °C and not a drop of rain.
- 13° J 17
- 15° F 17
- 19° M 15
- 24° A 7
- 28° M 3
- 32° J 0
- 33° J 0
- 33° A 0
- 31° S 0
- 27° O 4
- 20° N 7
- 15° D 16
Where to stay
Fifty metres from the gate.
Shown for information. We have no arrangement with any of these hotels.
Where to dine
Where to book in Wadi Musa.
No MICHELIN Guide covers Jordan, and Wadi Musa has little high-end dining. Al Iwan is the formal dining room of the Mövenpick.
- Al Iwan Signature restaurant, Mövenpick Resort Petra Mediterranean and Jordanian Mövenpick Resort Petra, at the site entrance
Flying to Petra?
Choose how you arrive.
A Business or First Class seat on a scheduled airline, or an aircraft of your own. Tell us the date and how many are travelling, and we reply with one final price, our margin included.