The ancient city of Petra, located in the Jordan desert is one of the most popular places to visit and has been named one of the Seven Wonder of the World in 2007. We visited Petra on a 2-day tour from Amman and we absolutely loved our time there. Even if you are not a big history fan, just walking around Petra was fun – it is absolutely worth visiting!

History of Petra

Petra is the site of an ancient city dating back to as early 5^th century BC when Nabataean nomads settled there. They were a nomadic people who moved their settlements to wherever they could feed their livestock. Located in the town of Wadi Musa, Petra (also known as ‘Rose City’ due to its colours) was rather prosperous due to its convenient location along trade routes between Arabia and the Mediterranean. Petra became a sign of the Nabatean wealth, using stone carving to create structures to show their prestige to trading partners and neighbours.

Petra eventually fell to the Romans in 106 AD, where they built the amphitheatre and colonnaded street. It was then eventually abandoned except for some Bedouin tribes who remained in the area. It wasn’t until the 19^th century where Johann Ludwig Burckhardt ‘rediscovered’ Petra and brought mass tourism to it. Arabs always knew about it, but it wasn’t being used as the centre of a civilisation. Since then, it has become one of Jordan and even the world’s unmissable experiences.

Entrance Prices

You can buy tickets for one-, two- or three-day visits to the site. You can also buy ‘Petra by Night’ ticket as well. Ticket prices are extortionate – 50 JD (£55) for a one-day ticket and a two-day ticket costs 5 JD extra but you can’t come all the way to Jordan and not visit Petra – it is worth it.  If you have time, it is definitely worth doing the additional day. We only had 3 – 4 hours to explore Petra before moving on to Wadi Rum.  

If you purchase the Jordan Pass online before you arrive, this gives you free entrance to several places like Wadi Rum, Petra and Jerash. Tickets can be purchased from the Petra Visitor Centre and you can also book guided tours from here.

The Major Sights at Petra

The Siq

The Siq is the winding canyon that starts about 10 minutes’ walk from the Visitor Centre and reaches the Treasury. This is where you start your journey and is by far the best way to see the Treasury. It starts off with an uninspiring gravel track…

But then gradually leads into the Siq – a beautiful canyon with high walls and narrow paths. This completely blew me away as I felt like I was walking through a secret passageway.

You can also see carvings from the various civilisations who ruled Petra in the Siq.

After 1.2km, you’ll come to the entrance of the Treasury – make sure you pause and take in the first glimpse when you see it peak through the walls.

The Treasury

After the siq, you will enter the Treasury, carved into the cliffs of Petra. It is hard to really convey just how magical it is to see this place first hand.

This is the most special place in Petra – though the building is not actually a treasury but a tomb. No one know who the remains inside the tomb belong to.

Make sure you appreciate the view from both ground level…

…And from above. To get to this place, you have to pay around £3 pp to this random guy to go up. Not sure if we got conned or not, but I thought it was pretty cheap anyway and something we couldn’t miss doing.