Petra Travel Guide

Getting There

Petra has become increasingly popular as a daytrip from Israel, which is just across the border from Aqaba, and even from Egypt a little farther across the Red Sea.

By land: tour companies and scheduled bus services run regularly from numerous big towns and cities in Jordan. From Amman it’s less than a three-hour journey overland. Private taxis are usually prepared to do the trip for less than 100 JD and get you there slightly faster.

By air: flying to Petra means catching a plane to Aqaba airport to the north of the city, just an hour by land to Petra. From Amman airport, expect a journey that is about three hours, depending on traffic. The only domestic route in Jordan is the Amman-Aqaba flight so getting to Petra by air is not considered a viable option usually.