Where to begin…Included in the Jordan pass I think is worth to come here at least 2 days since there are a lot of paths you can follow in Petra, you could come with a 1 day ticket if you have limited mobility or are not keen on hiking a lot, you could still see the main highlights…including the Monastery although the hike to it is tough and steep I have to say (some 800 steps) but definitely worth it. You can still see the Monastery if you get the 1 day pass…don’t worry. If you can come early in the morning so the Treasury is not that crowded and try to save the Monastery for the end of the day since the sunset is the best up there BUT keep in mind you need to come back before the sun literally sets because otherwise you won’t have enough time to leave the park. Inside the complex you will find several places to buy food and drinks, and even 2 restaurants: one fo the Crown Plaza international chain (much more expensive) and another local right in front of the Crown Plaza one you will see it across the bridge and it costs 14JD all you can eat buffet plus 1 JD beverage (everywhere else a coke costs 2JD) so I really recommend. If you have a 2 day pass (Jordan Pass or normal ticket) take it easy and enjoy the views….don’t overdo it because you will be burn out the next day. Enjoy this world wonder…

If you only want to see the Treasury 1 day is enough. It's an easy path and mostly flat. If you want to see more, you need 2 or 3 days depending on your fitness. I had a 3 day pass and saw everything I wanted to and more. Top tips- buy your Jordan pass online before arriving as it is a better price and if your a visa on arrival nationality, you won't have to pay as it is included in your pass. Just be sure to have your pass at the airport. And, to avoid the masses of tourists and be able to get some great photos, go early in the morning. The 2 mornings I went at 7am, there were lots of opportunities for photos without other people. Jett bus lines have daily buses and they are comfortable for the 3 and a half hour trip with a 20min stop on the way. 11 JOD one way.

i have been to petra 3 times (yes, call me a lucky bi*ch because i am), in 1997, 2002 and 2019, and tbh, if you want to go, go now before it just gets totally ruined (no pun intended). for a start, get a jordanpass online. it costs about $85 and is valid for all of jordans monuments (with the exception of mount nebo). it says that you only have one visit to petra included, but we went 3 days running with no problem, well apart from the queue. second, go first thing in the morning. it opens at 6am, and its the only time you will get it in calm and silence. most people arrive at about 10am, by which time you will have seen it empty, and probably be climbing towards the monestary...thus avoiding the crowds until you leave. third. wear proper shoes, not sandals. the first time i went it was all soft sand, and i wore flip flops. i wouldnt be doing that now. so much of the ground has been washed away, and there is now a huge drain running down the main street. the ground is all tiny stones and grit and is very uneven, and the amount of tourists is contributing to the damage. be careful. fourth, remember that it is a long, long walk from the visitor centre to the center of petra, and will probably take you 45 minutes, even if you are a fast walker. i know if you have just visited, you have no idea, but i cant tell you how much this has changed since i last went. i dont mean its not still a beautiful and spectacular place, but honestly, go now, before it turns into disneyland. the original steps to the monestary have been washed away, so has half the main walk, there are tat stalls all over the place, and where you are allowed to walk to is half of what it was because everything is becoming worn away. in the future, i imagine it will all just erode away into the rock, so go now......

At first sight, I'm not sure Petra is what I expected. It took us a few hours to get to there down spirally roads and through little villages. When we arrived, the first thing I noticed was the number of coaches there was, there must have been over 100 coaches. Hotels, restaurants, and souvenir shops laid beside the entrance of the archaeological site, packed with tourists from all over the world, I was very shocked to see a museum, solely dedicated to Petra. The first day of Petra was a guided tour, witnessing locals selling souvenirs and taking some tourists to the Treasury in a horse and carriage. I wouldn't recommend the horse and carriage, the walk to the Treasury was comfortable, mostly under the shade and took around a duration of 30 minutes, this included stopping for information and photo viewpoints. Once we arrived at the Treasury, I couldn't believe my eyes, it was indeed the Wonder of the World, the site from Indiana Jones. The photo we all know Petra by was standing in front of us, 40 metres high and carved into the rocks. There were crowds that formed outside the Treasury, however, the crowds dispersed as we moved throughout the site. Petra felt empty when we left the Treasury, it is said that passengers from the cruise ships walk that far, then they walk back to the coach. We had a map that had the different routes you could take, some were harder than others and they all had different qualities. On the second day at Petra, there was no guide so we were free to go where we please. We walked high up a mountain route to get a full view of the Treasury, please note that this is not well signposted and ensure to ask other tourists for directions. Once you walk to the top there is a tent selling drinks, the owners will try to charge you to take a photo of the view. Please note that you do not have to do this. We headed up the famous 900 steps to the Monastery, it was definitely worth the walk and I would highly recommend it. There is a lovely cafe at the top with a view of the structure and other viewpoints. There are donkeys that take the same steep path up to the Monastery for JOD 40, however, the donkeys were mistreated and it looked extremely unsafe. I could have easily stayed at Petra for longer and explored the different routes, ensure that you have AT LEAST two days there.

Top of the list for experienced we have had. Highly suggest staying at a Bedouin camp nearby and hitting this early in the morning when it opens and before the crowds do. Go with a guide to the first 2 km walk (and walk it and learn about Petra as you do). This will take you to what is known as The Treasury. The scene you see in Indiana Jones and where a lot of people stop. If you take a buggy ride to this you may miss many important opportunities to learn and see how Petra came to be. Once you get here, it’s another approx 2 km and about 900 stairs up to the Monastery which you should not miss. We did not have a ton of time so did hop on donkeys for this part of the journey. This in itself was part of the epic experience. What this allowed us to do was experience everything. We were able to come down from the Monastery on our own and gauge the time we had to stop and see and visit all we trotted past between the Treasury and the Monastery. If you are on a limited timeframe I’d recommend this approach. So much to see and a lot to experience. There are bathrooms between the Treasury and Monastery and a few places along the way to buy drinks and souvenirs. Lots of opportunities at the entrance for that as well for after you finish taking in this incredible site. There are camels to experience as well if you are interested in that. By mid to late morning the Treasury will be absolutely overrun with tons of tours so get your pictures and experience that first before moving on to the rest of the city.

My experience at Petra this week was largely ruined by the treatment of the horses, donkeys and camels. I encourage anyone who felt the same to email Jordan's Ministry of Tourism and ask for changes. Some smaller horses were forced to pull carriages full of people, which were far too heavy for their size. They were being forced to run--when they tried to stop and rest the drivers whipped them and shouted. One had a wound on its neck and many clearly looked exhausted. From what I've since read on line, it appears that the horses are also forced to run with the carriages in the blazing summer heat as well. Additionally, the drivers were quite aggressive with trying to get me to take a ride. I was asked over and over and over again if I wanted to ride and when I said no, they continued to hassle me and insist that it was cheap and that I would like it. I came to Petra for a peaceful experience in nature, not to be bothered by pushy salesmen. It also seemed dangerous to have the horses running through the crowds of people. Petra is beautiful, but I left feeling very sad. I planned to stay two nights so i could return to Petra for the night tour, but I didnt want to give more money to a place that mistreated the animals.

Petra is beautiful and worth visiting in your lifetime. With that said you do need to keep a few things in mind. We personally stayed two nights in Petra town to make it easier and less hectic. On our first night we visited the Petra museum and found it a great introductory to the actual site. It is also free. The second day we had deducted the full day to Petra (Get the Jordan pass like we did). We had read about being there right when it opens at 6am and we were there at 6:30am. It was a very peaceful walk down to the main site (takes about 30min) so I recommend going early or based on our experience later in the afternoon. Due to Covid it wasn’t as packed so you still may be ok going around 8am but more people do come in around 9am-1pm. In terms of people bothering us, it was very annoying being asked to take rides non stop or buy stuff, or take us on tours or take pictures so be prepared to say no a lot. Also know what you want to spend money on. I would recommend a guide from the entrance. In terms of going up to take photos of the treasury, we got a local and he was phenomenal but again bargain on the price and know what you are looking to get out of it. Also the view from the top was great but the hike up is not for anyone that is not in decent shape. The 850 steps to the Monastery are a killer..we also ended up going at around 1pm so the heat made it a slow and hot journey up. Now here I would suggest getting a donkey if you wish. With that said, the animals are treated so so from the looks of it. I think some are treated better than others but overall they are there fo help provide them a livelihood. We said no to donkeys or camels all day but after walking and climbing since 6:30am we caved in for a 5-10min donkey ride back to the Treasury. Towards the end of day you may be able to bargain more on the price. Lastly we were lucky to see Petra at night (17JD per person in cash) and though it was beautiful and magical if you don’t have time you can skip it. This place is stunning and like some others have said it is run by the locals on the inside.

I wish I had the opportunity to visit Petra 20 years ago - sadly this beautiful historical site has been very commercialised. Entrance fee at £55 feels overpriced. Lots of shops, cafes and restaurants throughout and some hassle to buy souvenirs, take camel rides etc. Camels, horses and donkeys don’t look happy or well cared for it was sad to see. I visited during the day in February and needed a light jacket although it gets warm in the sun once you walk a bit. Takes 3.5hrs to get as far as where you would start the Monastery walk and back again. I opted not to do the Monastery walk. The Treasury is beautiful, as is the walk to it through the rocks, although I was disappointed by the rest of the site. It felt like it hasn’t been very well maintained/too many tourists now. You definitely need walking shoes and it’s perfectly safe to go solo. I imagine it gets extremely crowded at peak season, February was a good time to go. I visited again at night for Petra by Night which was fantastic - a beautiful sight to see the Treasury lit up. Don’t leave early the best bit is at the end! Nice touch to be offered hot tea. Gazing up at the stars from there was wonderful. £20 extra to add this on to a day ticket. Bit of a treacherous walk in the darkness so go easy. It would be good if they could light up the paths just a touch more so you can see where you’re walking.

My adult son and I began our journey from Eilat, Israel, on the Gulf of Aqaba, where an Israeli tour company successfully got us through this easier southern border crossing into Jordan, for a day excursion to Petra. Following a wait, we were picked up by a Jordanian tour company on the Jordan side of the border, which provided a sack lunch and all entrance and border fees for our visit. This was my second visit to Petra. While the first visit was indeed a wonderful experience, on this subsequent visit we left our guide and group, and departed to explore on our own at a more rapid pace. We are avid hikers and adventurers, so we were able to make it all the way back up to The Monastery, enjoy a cup of hot mint tea, and complete an overall 10 mile hike in our allotted time. On my first visit, I was unable to proceed much further than half way, due to the group limitations and time constraints. So much to see, if you are interested in "Ad Deir" (The Monastery), initially work your way up to it, then explore all of the other wonderful sites on your return. Be aware of the donkeys bearing tourists led by Bedouin children, or worse yet, the adult Bedouin men upon horseback as you scale the approximate 850 steps up to The Monastery. Both Bedouin males and females wear and sell charcoal black eyeliner, which renders an attractive "Johnny Depp, Pirates of the Caribbean" appearance to the Bedouin men. Souvenirs and scarves are sold by vendors throughout Petra, which is an unusual contrast to the ancient, surrounding setting. "Al Khazna" (The Treasury) is the icon of Petra, intricately carved out of the beautiful rose colored sandstone. Walking through the slot canyon gorge approach to Petra called "The Siq", the sense of excitement upon your first glimpse of the immense Treasury facade finally being revealed to view is quite overwhelming and stunning, causing most to gasp with wonder and amazement. Along The Siq, notice the ancient cartwheel ruts worn down into the original stone streets of this historic, yet rediscovered gem (1812 by Swiss Explorer Johannes Burckhardt), having been lost since the mid 7th century to all except the Bedouins. Logistically placed on an a formerly active trading route, prospering in the 1st century B.C. as the Nabataean Capital, the history of Petra's inhabitants dates back thousands of years B.C. Be cautious in The Siq of the horse-drawn carriages that rapidly transport visitors through The Siq which is 1.2 kilometers in length, to The Treasury at its terminus, although they do make for an exotic photo. We visited Petra in December and it was extremely cold. Bring numerous layers of clothing if you are able to visit Petra in the winter, when it can be closed due to snow and adverse weather conditions. A visit to Petra is a truly magical experience!

There are a number of options for the ambulatory handicapped person. Just inside the entrance, you can choose to take a golf cart (up to 5 people and price is basically by the cart), donkey, or horse drawn carriage (two people). I saw a number of people pose on a camel in front of the Treasury, but did not pass any riding the trail leading to and from the Basin. I also heard that you could ride a horse, but saw none on the day our group was there. Regardless of mode of transportation, all will take you further on to the end of the Main Trail and the Basin Restaurant, for an extra fee. It appears that there is a general Jordanian government fee for the transportation and then a tip on top of that is expected. If going further on to the Monastery, you will need a donkey as it’s tough and broken ground from there and it’s a 90 minute or more ride. But worth the view, if time permits. Donkeys are the slowest as you are led. The carriage rides are terribly bumpy and not recommended for anyone with sensitive back issues. But it is the fastest and not terribly expensive. The golf cart was mega expensive since they are very limited. Each driver will give you plenty of time at the Treasury for pictures. But drivers are generally not amenable to making photo stops further along the route. Once past the Treasury, they want to deliver you to the end of the Main Trail. There, you can schedule them to come back and pick you up later or you can choose to return immediately. We spent an hour there early in the morning before the restaurant opened up and that was sufficient for us. Be sure to visit the few Bedouin vendors that still live in the caves there. They have some great stories to tell. One vendor knew the couple written about in ‘Married to a Bedouin’. Yes, they have corded ropes that they whip the horses with. But not hard, just enough to get their attention and keep them moving. They do care for the horses as my guide got out of the carriage and walked beside the horse on one uphill portion of the journey.