Petra originally known to its inhabitants as Raqmu or Raqēmō, is a historic and archaeological city in southern Jordan. Famous for its rock-cut architecture and water conduit system, Petra is also called the "Rose City" because of the colour of the sandstonefrom which it is carved; it was famously called "a rose-red city half as old as time" in a poem of 1845 by John Burgon.
How to spend your day or 24 hours in Petra
We stayed at Seven Wonders Luxury Camp which you can book through VRBO . We paid £180 for two nights. This place was so worth it. They looked after us - upgraded us not just one room but two. Comes with dinner and breakfast included. We loved it. It is actually at Little Petra but only a ten minute drive to the main Petra entrance.
We only planned to spend one main day in Petra as we are young (and Giles is a real taskmaster on the hikes) but we felt that if we were going to spend the time walking to and from the Treasury which adds an hour we might as well get stuck in. If you want it more leisurely go for two days.
We arrived at the Treasury at 0630 and we cannot recommend this enough. The place was empty! As you can see below we got all the shots that we wanted.
Now you're probably thinking. What are the best vantage points at the treasury? How did we get these without paying?
SO! We paid a local Bedouin 10 JOD (that's it) and only because he was going to take the photos for us otherwise we wouldn't have done. They will badger you to the end of the world but you DON'T need to pay at all.
The photo on the right you can do yourself - just hop up. The photo on the left is what we technically 'paid for' BUT you can just walk there yourself. Simply turn left as you enter, walk behind the shop/loos and you will see the path up.
The Bedouins will try their best to make you pay. Just be obstinate and keep going - they can't do anything. They will try and sell you the 'high viewpoint' that saves you an hour or two walking. This is utter rubbish, it saves maybe ten minutes and they'll charge you.
The photo BELOW is even easier. You just have to walk the Tombs trail and keep going to the end - when you think you have reached the end just keep going. You will find a little cafe where you pay 1 JOD for tea and enjoy the view for as long as you like. You're welcome!
So yes once you've done the Treasury these are the Top trails to do in Petra.
Head to the Royal Tombs (Al-Khubtha) trail first. This will get you the photos above and it's quite interesting. You will need to return the route you came so there isn't a loop on this one.
2. Next we did the City Complex. Spent about an hour cruising around here seeing all the bits to see. We also brought our own lunch here so we sat down and had that here before we began what was the hike to the Monastery.
3. Then it's up to the Monastery. This hike isn't challenging per say but it is a lot of steps. Like a lot! Imagine doing your stairs at home but probably 500 times - it's not far off that. It took us probably an hour or hour and a half to walk to the top. That was with a few stops off as well. There is a cafe at the top and its reasonably priced - we ate here.
4. From here it's back down the way you came - if you don't have ripped calves by the end of this i don't know what you are doing wrong. But luckily it is much easier and you're back to the City Complex in no time.
5. Our final trail of the day was up to the High Place of Sacrifice. Again amazing views and a lot of stairs but we made it. This trail is also pretty much walking back to the entrance at the Treasury so you are sort of killing two birds with one stone.
The walking was a lot - we did just over 30,000 steps in the day, covered over 25km. Make sure to wear suitable clothing, light and airy with trainers or boots. Take lots of water! The trails in Petra are awesome but you can't want to be caught out.
From there we exited via the Treasury which by now was absolutely rammed full of tourists on their Go karts and camel rides but quite funny to see the before and after compared to 0630 in the morning.
We then headed to Cave Bar which serves alcohol just at the entrance to Petra. We really needed that after the day of walking and beers are around £7 but after a day like that it is so worth it.
We finished the day back in our hotel to be honest absolutely exhausted after the day of walking so we were very happy for an early night.
Petra by Night
So we thought we'd give this a little bit of attention as lots of people will want to do it. Petra by night runs on a Monday, Wednesday and Thursday evening starting at 2030. It's not included in the Jordan Pass so be aware of that as its 17 JOD added on. Make sure to get there early especially during summer season.
The walk down to the Treasury takes 20 minutes at a brisk pace.
Now we're going to be honest - is Petra by night the best thing in the world? Sadly it really isn't. The whole thing is a bit of a tourist trap and you find yourself there with about half the rest of the world. But would i do it again - yes i would. However what i would probably do is spend the day in Petra, watch sunset somewhere and then walk to the Treasury when it is dark again and get your pictures.
Petra by night is very crammed. When we were there the local Bedouins were basically having an argument and a fight during the whole thing which made it not quite the same experience. The Music they put on is also pretty shocking and has no relevance or introduction. It's all quite random. But let's be honest - you're going to do it aren't you.
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