Petra
Travel Guide

Also known as Al-Batrā in Arabic, Petra is a beautiful historical and archaeological city located in the south of Jordania, in the governorate of Ma'a. It is very famous around the world for its elaborate stone-cut architecture as well as water conduit system. Petra is also frequently referred to as the 'Pink city' due to the color of the stone out of which it is carved. Among its incredible architecture, The Treasury... is probably the most popular piece, estimated to be over 2,000 years old. Petra is thought to have been built during the Byzantine Era of the 5th and 6th AD when it became an important Christian center. Within it you can find more than 800 carved tombs and around 800 monuments (buildings, tombs, baths, funerary halls, temples, arched gateways, and colonnaded streets) most of them carved from the kaleidoscopic sandstone. The city was officially established in 312 BC, making it one of the oldest metropolises in the world.

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Petra Overview

Language

The official language in the Kingdom of Jordan is the Arabic, but many young people also speak fluently English.

Weather

In Petra, the summers are quiet long, warm, arid, and clear and the winters are quiet cold, dry, and mostly clear. The summer or hot season starts in May until September, with an avarage temperature of 26°C.

Money

Jordanian dinar. To give you an idea, 1 Jordanian dinar is 1,22 Euros

When to go

Petra is a perfect destination during almost the whole year, but if you decide to go in the summer, try to avoid Agust, it is very hot and dry. The colours of the archaeological sites of Petra change throughout the year, during the winter it is also very nice.

Days

2 days. It’s totally recommended to spend at least 2 days in Petra, taking into a count that there are many things to see around it, but if you are visiting Jordan it is worth to spend 10 days at least to see a bit of everything.

Surroundings

Amman
Wadi Rum
Aqaba
Dana Biosphere Reserve

Store Hours

The official weekend in Jordan is Friday and Saturday. Banks usually open from 8h to 15h Sunday to Thursday, restaurants from the noon until the midnight everyday, cafes from 9h to midnight daily, some clubs until 1 am and shops from 9h to 20h Saturday to Thursday, some of them close from 14h to 16h and souqs daily from 9h to 20h. The ancient site of Petra and its Visitor Center are open from 6h to 18h in the summer and from 6h to 16h in the winter.