Visiting Petra, Jordan: How to Plan Your Days

Everyone has seen the photograph. The narrow crack of the Siq, rose coloured walls, and then the Treasury appearing at the end of the gorge like a stage set. It really does look like that, and the first time you see it you will probably stop walking. What the photograph does not tell you is that the Treasury is only the front door. Petra spreads across a huge area of valleys, tombs and mountain trails, and visiting Petra well comes down to one thing: giving it more than a day.

The city was carved by the Nabataeans, Arab traders who grew rich on the caravan routes and made this their capital more than two thousand years ago. UNESCO listed it as a World Heritage Site in 1985. The town that serves it today is Wadi Musa, right outside the gate.

How many days you need

One day lets you walk the main trail from the Siq to the Monastery and back, which is already a long, hot day of walking and climbing. Two days lets you add a high trail and slow down. Three is ideal if you like hiking, and gives you time for Little Petra and a lazy morning. The Jordan Pass, a tourist bundle sold online, covers Petra entry for one, two or three days and, for most nationalities who stay a minimum number of nights, the entry visa fee too. Check the current terms on the official Jordan Pass site before you buy.

Day one: the Siq, the Treasury and the city centre

Be at the visitor centre for opening. The early hours are the only time the Siq feels like it belongs to you, and the walk through it, a little over a kilometre between walls that close in to a few metres apart, is half the experience. Look for the water channels cut into the rock along the sides and the worn remains of a carved camel caravan.

The Treasury, Al-Khazneh, is in shade early and catches the sun later in the morning, when the stone glows. Many people see it twice for that reason. Carry on past it along the Street of Facades, lined with tombs, to the theatre cut into the hillside. Then climb the steps to the Royal Tombs across the valley, especially the Urn Tomb, whose inside walls show the swirling colour bands Petra is famous for. Finish along the colonnaded street, past the Great Temple, to Qasr al-Bint.

Day two: the Monastery

From the city centre, a rock-cut staircase of around 800 steps climbs up to Ad Deir, the Monastery. It is larger than the Treasury and, for many people, more impressive because of the effort it takes to reach. Start early to climb in the shade. At the top, small tea stalls sell sweet sage tea, and short paths lead to viewpoints looking west over Wadi Araba.

Donkeys wait at the bottom to carry people up. Many visitors choose to walk instead out of concern for the animals, and that is worth weighing. If you do ride, choose an animal that looks healthy and well rested, and get off if it is struggling.

Petra is a place you walk into slowly, one bend of rock at a time.

Day three: the high trails and Little Petra

The High Place of Sacrifice trail climbs from near the theatre to an ancient altar on a summit with views over the whole site, then drops down the back past the Lion Fountain and the Garden Tomb into a quiet valley. It is one of the best walks in Petra and one of the least crowded.

The Al-Khubtha trail leads up above the Royal Tombs to a ledge looking straight down on the Treasury. Seeing it from above, with tiny people in the square below, is the second great Petra view. Go with a guide or with clear directions.

In the afternoon, drive the short way north to Little Petra, Siq al-Barid. It is smaller, but it has carved facades, rock-cut staircases and a painted ceiling in one of its rooms, and it is often almost empty. From here a trail known as the back door route leads to the Monastery from above. A local guide is a good idea for it.

Petra by Night

A few evenings a week, the Siq and Treasury square are lit with candles in paper bags for Petra by Night. People sit on mats in front of the Treasury, drink tea and listen to Bedouin music. It is atmospheric and often busy, more a gentle experience than a look at the ruins. Check which nights it runs before you plan around it.

Food in Wadi Musa

Try mansaf, Jordan's national dish of lamb cooked in a fermented yogurt sauce over rice, and maqluba, an upside-down pot of rice, vegetables and meat turned out at the table. Some places cook zarb, a Bedouin feast of meat and vegetables slow roasted in a pit under the sand. Cooking classes in Wadi Musa are a good way to spend an evening when your legs are done.

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Good to know

• Best seasons: spring and autumn are the most comfortable. Summer is very hot, and winter days can be cold, wet and occasionally snowy.
• Shoes: wear proper walking shoes with grip. The stone is polished smooth in places.
• Water and sun: carry more water than you think, plus a hat and sunscreen. Shade is scarce once you leave the Siq.
• Dress: loose clothes covering shoulders and knees are comfortable in the sun and respectful in Jordan.
• Tickets and times: opening hours and ticket rules change with the season. Check before you go.
• Travel advice: read your government's current guidance for Jordan before you travel.

Petra is a place of early starts and tired legs, and it is worth both. Give it the days it deserves and you will leave with the Treasury in your head, and the Monastery, and a dozen quiet valleys nobody else seemed to find.