In this blog post, I am going to tell you all about Petra By Night in Jordan, what my experience was like, and whether I think you should go or skip it all together. Is Petra By Night really what it seems?
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
WHAT IS PETRA?
Before talking about Petra By Night, I first want to tell you about Petra. Petra is an ancient city built in approximately the 3rd century BCE by the Nabataeans, who carved temples, tombs, and palaces from the cliffs. It was eventually abandoned and only rediscovered in 1812. In 2007, it was announced that Petra was named one of the new Seven Wonders of the World.
Every year, almost 1 million tourists make their way to explore this ancient city. There are simply no words for how awe-inspiring Petra truly is. It’s one of those places that, when you see it in person, you feel lucky to be alive and explore all the world has to offer.
If you don’t already have your trip booked, I’m sure I’m convincing you to visit. Check out these resources and tools to help book and plan your trip!
- Booking.com – offers accommodation and unique places
- Vrbo – world’s leading marketplace for vacation rentals
- Hostelworld – global hostel-focused online booking platform
- Wayaway – flight aggregator to find the best rates on airline tickets
- Rentalcars.com – the world’s largest car rental service
- GetYourGuide – find top-rated tours and activities in your destination
HOW TO GET TO PETRA
Petra is located in southern Jordan. The closest international airport is Queen Alia International Airport (AMM), located near the capital city, Amman. There is another airport, King Hussein International Airport, which you can fly into if you are coming from nearby countries in the middle east.
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Since my readers are mostly based in the USA, I will explain what the journey is like coming from AMM. From AMM, the journey to Petra takes approximately 3-4 hours by bus or car. Since I traveled through Jordan as part of a guided tour, I took a bus, but others opt to rent a car and drive themselves.
There are also public buses, including JETT Bus, that run everyday from the Abdali Bus Station Amman to Petra between 9am-4pm. However, I have seen online that in 2023 tourists are having trouble reserving tickets for JETT Bus online in advance, so people are recommending waiting until you arrive in Jordan and calling the company to reserve over the phone.
WHERE TO STAY IN PETRA
When planning a visit to Petra, I definitely recommend staying at least one night. Petra is an all-day affair, so bussing it there and back from Amman in one day will be super tiring. If you do want to stay overnight, you stay in the nearby town of Wadi Musa (since Petra is a UNESCO site it is preserved and doesn’t have accommodation on site – nor should it!).
There are all different types of accommodation in Wadi Musa depending on your budget ranging from hostels to luxury hotels. I stayed in the Petra Canyon Hotel which was very nicely decorated, but I was not very happy with the food. Of course I can’t say 100% it was from this hotel, but the morning after our first dinner at this hotel we all were having stomach issues.
Considering this, here are some other hotels with good reviews that you should check out.
OK, NOW WHAT IS PETRA BY NIGHT?
Now that we’ve gone over all the logistics, let’s get to why you’re here. You are taking a trip to Petra, or are already at Petra, and want to decide if it’s worth it to go to Petra By Night.
Petra By Night is a nighttime experience offered at Petra and takes place every Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday starting at 8:30 PM. It is somewhat of a spiritual and cultural experience where thousands of candles light up the narrow gorge (Siq) into Petra and the famous Treasury. At the Treasury, there is a traditional Bedouin music performance and tea.
The main reason people go to Petra By Night is to experience the ancient city from a different perspective that can’t be seen during daytime visits.
HOW MUCH DOES PETRA BY NIGHT COST?
Petra By Night costs approximately $24 USD (17 JD) for one ticket and children under 10 are able to enter for free. I tried to buy tickets online ahead of time, but found out this is not possible and determined the best course of action was to buy them from the concierge at the hotel upon arrival. Online it says you can also buy them in the Petra Visitor Center before the event as well. Please note that if you have a daytime ticket to visit Petra, this does not include Petra By Night!
WHAT WAS MY EXPERIENCE LIKE AT PETRA BY NIGHT?
I went so back and forth deciding if I wanted to go to Petra By Night. I read and saw such mixed things on the internet and social media – some people absolutely hated it while others said it was the best thing they’ve ever done. I felt like I had to see for myself what it was really like, plus if I didn’t go I would’ve just been hanging out in the hotel anyway.
Our hotel organized a taxi to take us to and from Petra for Petra By Night. The experience starts at 8:30 PM at the Petra Visitor Center, and when we arrived at around 8:20 PM there were already tons of people walking into Petra and starting down the path of the Siq. It seems that the starting time is more of a suggestion as people seemed to be arriving at the Treasury up until the time we were leaving!
We followed the crowd and began walking down the candle-lit Siq. Online I read people are encouraged to be silent during the walk and avoid taking photos with flash, but this was not the case AT ALL. People were taking loads of photos with flash and talking super loudly, so the walk was not a peaceful or serene experience in the slightest.
Despite these annoyances, we had not yet been to Petra during the day, so it was really cool to walk through the narrow gorge to the famous Treasury. All in all the walk took about 1 hour each way. Once we arrived at the Treasury it was pretty chaotic and the seating was very unorganized. We eventually found a spot on the floor to squeeze in and waited for about 30 minutes for the Bedouin music performance to begin. In the meantime we were served a cup of tea, which I personally liked but my travel partners found too sweet!
The performance began but it was very difficult to hear the music because the crowd was so loud. We also had trouble seeing the musicians because we were sitting with the crowd and many people were standing in front of us. At one point someone shouted at the standing people to sit down and they eventually did, but this caused one of the candles to overturn and start a fire out of the bag it was inside! The performance lasted about 15 minutes but wasn’t very enjoyable because of the circumstances.
After the performance, we headed back down the Siq to the Petra Visitors Center. All in all, the experience took about two-and-a-half hours. Once we arrived we had to wait around 20-30 minutes for our taxi to arrive, possibly because there was so much traffic in this area with everyone else getting picked up.
MY OPINION: SHOULD YOU GO OR SKIP PETRA BY NIGHT?
Overall, my experience at Petra By Night was super mixed. I was expecting it to be a bit better so I was disappointed. It wasn’t great, but it also wasn’t the worst thing in the world. It’s probably not worth $24 especially if you’re planning to visit Petra during the day. But there’s not much to do in Wadi Musa at night, so it’s an activity to keep you busy.
In my opinion, you should go to Petra By Night but keep your expectations low and know that the vibes during the day are MUCH better!!
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