To show the first glimpses of the Treasury. A small canyon, rocks rising high. In front through the opening part of a building. In front lots of people walking. Tour through Jordan.
Groupstour,  Jordan,  Kids,  Mountains,  Petra,  walking

A Dream Come True: Visiting Petra

February 20, 2020 / 58 Comments

Last Updated: August 21st 2025.

Ever since I saw pictures of Petra in National Geographic years ago I wanted to go there. In 2015 that dream finally came true. Visiting Petra was everything I expected it to be and more. We visited Petra as part of our tour through Jordan.

Visiting Petra: Some History

The start of Petra goes back to before Christ. The Nabataean, nomad people from Western Arabia, took over caravan routes. This way they founded a sort of ‘caravan kingdom’, with Petra as the blossoming capitol. Most of the buildings in the center of Petra were built between 9 BC and 40 AC. The water plumping through the Siq is from the same time.

To show what an advanced plumping system the Nabateaen already had. You see part of a broken stone pipe, that comes out of the rocks.
Part of the water plumping system that the Nabateaen build.

After 106 AC Petra came under the influence of the Romans. That’s when Petra got her present look. The colonnadestreet, temple, thermen and theatre are from the Roman era. But despite all this Petra lost it’s position to Bosra and Palmyra.

A picture to show an overview of part of Petra. Visiting Petra is a lot of walking.
The rest of Petra far down below in the canyon, seen from near the Monastry.

Decline

In the fourth century there were a few severe earthquakes. Christianity reached Petra and because of that a few buildings have a Christian function. In the 8th century there were even more earthquakes and Petra was forgotten by the world, except for the Bedouin.

Rediscovery

In 1812 Johann Ludwig Burckhardt is the first European to see the rose red city in ages. He told the Bedouin he wanted to visit the grave of Aäron. The Bedouin couldn’t refuse his request. In 1929 the first excavations started.

Our Visit

Our visit started at the visitor center. Our Jordanian guide wasn’t allowed to guide us in Petra, only guides from Petra. He walked with us till the Treasury.

A picture to show the path in front of the Siq, how you walk toward the Siq. A sand walking path. A beam of rocks and sand next to it. A larger sand road with a horse drawn cart on it. The rider talking to the people on the path.
The path to the Siq.

From the visitor center until the start of the Siq, there are already monuments to be seen in the rocks. After this path you walk through the Siq, a small canyon. At the end of the Siq is the most famous image of Petra, the Treasury. Although having seen lots of photos of this, it was still mesmerizing. At the last bend in the canyon you get a peek of the Treasury and then you’re in the open and you see the whole beautiful building.

A picture to show the most famous of the whole of visiting Petra, namely the Treasury. The Treasury carved out of the rocks, a grave tomb. In front are a few camels lying down. Some people are standing admiring the building.
The Treasury.

The Rest of Petra

A picture to show there's a lot of walking and stairs in visiting Petra. A path with stairs in between the rocks. People walking up on them. The sun is shinning, clear blue sky.
The path up to the Monastry.

At the Treasury the Petra guide said goodbye and we walked further on our own. Faisal, our Jordanian guide, had gone with us and walked further with us, but not through the whole of Petra. We walked past the colonadestreet and than started on the 800 stairs up to the Monastry. The second most famous image of Petra.

To show how beautiful the Monastry is in Petra. You see a large grave tomb carved out in the rocks. More yellowish here in the picture. In front a large almost empty square from yellow sand and a bit of grass.
The Monastry.

We walked with the other family from our tour. Two of their children encouraged Yuri to walk all those stairs. After all the climbing we came to the Monastry, which was worth the climb. We had our lunch there, sandwiches we had taken with us from the hotel.

And Further We Walked

After lunch, and after admiring the Monastry a little bit longer, we had to walk all those 800 stairs down again. We visited a church and the Kings graves after this. Then we walked back the same route. Passed the Treasury, through the Siq and all the way back to the visitor center. We were exhausted, after walking approximaly 12 kilometers with lots of stairs. But it was so worth it and I would do it again, visiting Petra, in a heartbeat.

To show what more there is to see in Petra. In the rocks more grave tombs have been carved out. In front is a rocky landscape. The graves are in the back of the picture.
King’s graves.

Petra by Night

The plan was to go to Petra by Night in the evening. But by then I was so exhausted that I just didn’t have the energy anymore. This is still on my to do list, since I would love to see Petra by candlelight. So we have to go visit Petra again!

Some Facts

From the visitor center till the Siq is 700 meters. The Siq is a small canyon, 70 meters high and in some places only 4 meters wide. The Siq is 1.2 kilometers long. So by the time you reach the Treasury you have walked almost 2 kilometers (and you have to walk the same route back). After the Siq, the canyon widens and even more after the Treasury.

The canyon itself came into existence because of a fraction in the rock.

Petra is the Greek name for the capitol of the Nabataean. The Nabataean itself called it Raqmu.

Petra is on the UNESCO world heritage list since 1985. Petra is known as the rose-red city. It’s the city of rock. These names are because Petra is known for being carved out of rose-red rocks. Despite of the names Treasury or Monastry, they’re grave tombs.

Good to Know

When we visited in 2015 we couldn’t see the inside of the Treasury and Monastry.

To show a picture of one of the restaurants in Petra itself. A mslla restaurant between the rocks a few trees here and there. Rose red colored rocks everywhere.
The restaurant near the Monastry.

The Bedouin are ‘everywhere’ trying to sell their souvenirs. There are a few restaurants in Petra itself. The Bedouin have the exploitation rights inside Petra. Horse rides are included in the entrance fees. The tip isn’t included. Horses aren’t allowed further than the entrance to the Siq. A horse drawn cart is allowed to go to the Treasury, but it isn’t free. The price of the cart doesn’t include the tip.

Prices

As of 2025 these are the entrance fees:

One day ticket 50 JD (about 60 euros).

Two day ticket 55 JD (about 66 euros).

Three day ticket 60 JD (about 73 euros).

Children under the age of 12 are free.

Opening hours:

Petra + visitor center are open 6 am – 6 pm, winter 6.30 am – 5 pm. Petra by Night takes approximaly 2 hours. It’s from Sunday till Thursday, in the evening. Fee is 30 JD (about 36 euros), children under the age of 10 are free. It takes place from 8.30 pm till 10.30 pm.

That’s a Wrap On Our Guide to Visiting Petra

Visiting Petra is high on everyone’s list who goes to Jordan and with good reason. It’s well worth the effort and time. If you can spare more than one day in your itinerary for Petra I would certainly do this. It’s a must on road trips through Jordan.

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