Petra is one of the most enthralling historic sites in the world
It's a huge collection of amazing tombs and palaces carved out of the rock. It's an absolute must-see, but it can get busy and hot. Here are my top tips for exploring Petra with kids to help you get the most from a trip.
Give yourself time
Far too many people try to do Petra in a day. That’s crazy. The site is enormous and if you have kids with you with shorter legs you’ll struggle to even see the most important temples. Walking into the site, all the way up to the Monastery and back is around a 10km hike. So, I recommend buying a three-day pass which will give you lots of time to explore at your own pace and really soak up the unique atmosphere of the place.
If you’re planning on visiting any other sites in Jordan, buy a Jordan Pass. It includes entry to most other sites in the country as part of the deal – over 40 of them. The base level Jordan Wanderer Pass which offers just a single day at Petra is currently 70 Dinars – it’s well worth paying the extra 10 Dinars to upgrade to the three day Jordan Expert pass if you have time.
>> Important to buy your Jordan Pass before you arrive in the country as the deals are available uniquely for overseas tourists.
Go well prepared
It gets hot and there’s not a great deal of shade. You’ll be walking quite a distance regardless of what you see, food options inside the site are adequate but a little expensive. So, I recommend you take snacks and even consider taking a packed lunch. Absolutely essential to wear good shoes or walking boots, put on sun screen and cover up – wear a hat and long loose sleeves and pants rather than shorts and a T-shirt. This is particularly important for kids with their fair skin. Take plenty of water as well. Toilets inside the site are modern and clean, but no bad idea to carry some spare loo roll or tissues.
Time it right
Day tour parties coming from Aqaba and Amman arrive late morning around 11am. Petra is a big site so it doesn’t ever feel crowded but the most famous temple the Treasury can feel busy at peak times. Your choices for a quieter, more atmospheric tour are go early, or late. Some prefer to be ready to enter the site soon after it opens at 6am and then aim to be back at the hotel for late lunch to relax in the afternoon.
Alternatively, as we did, drop the early rise and have a leisurely breakfast. Maybe pick up a few extra bits and pieces from the buffet to use for lunch then relax by the pool aiming to get into the site around lunch time. It’s likely to be hotter but less busy too. Typically tour groups and most of the tourists are eating lunch at this time and the temples are nice and quiet. Have a late snack lunch mid afternoon and then keep exploring with a view to watching as the gorgeous golden light of the late sun illuminates the remarkable temple facades. It makes sense to choose a hotel close to the entrance for these strategies to work nicely for you! We really liked the Petra Moon – a modern family-owed hotel with a lovely roof terrace restaurant and roof top pool.
Read more > Family holidays in Jordan
Plan your route
You can pick up maps and leaflets at the visitor centre at the entrance which is really well laid out. It also features a great museum explaining the history of the site, containing lots of interesting remnants. If you want a little context it’s well worth a visit. There’s only one route into the front of the site and it’s quite a long walk, You proceed through the long narrow cleft in the rock face known as the Siq and arrive right in front of Petra’s most famous site - the Treasury. You might want to linger here, but it’s a bit of a bottle neck. We opted to keep going knowing we’d come back the same way.
There are a couple of walks marked on the leaflets, but both are quite full on for younger visitors and quite exposed to the sun. On our first day we opted to walk all the way to the Monastery and then make our way slowly back taking in a few of the other sites in the centre of the complex en route. It's a long old walk so you need to take your time - we were very tired by the end of it.
Day two we took the free shuttle to Little Petra about 20 minutes away and then walked into the site at the far end. You arrive right i front of the Monastery. It's a fantastic trek with spectacular view- really but only OK for older kids. Best to get up early so you're not walking in the heat. Once we'd seen the Monastery again, we walked down the many steps into the centre of Petra and focussed more on the sites there – a whole collection of rows of temples side by side, some interesting mosaics and some Roman remains too.
This then left the morning of day three to get up early and just take in the Treasury for an hour or so before we headed off. W
Be canny with your cash
There are lots of little shops and shacks selling souvenirs, but we choose to buy ours from a little girl who had just a handful of postcards. She clearly really needed to make the sale. A significant local population were booted off the land around the site and rehoused nearby to make way for more tourism development. Many struggle to make a living without proper access to tourist Dinars. If you do buy from the more established shops be prepared to haggle if you don’t want to pay way above the odds.
Similarly be cautious about camel and donkey rides. Unsuspecting tourists end up paying a fortune for them, particularly at the end of the day when everyone is tired and is thinking about maybe getting a lift back up the rather long track back to the town. It’s not a bad idea to take a few sweets and pens to give to kids who come chat to you if you don’t want to buy their postcards.
For more informatiom about exploring Petra with kids check out the Visit Petra website.