The drive from Amman to Petra is one of the most debated travel decisions in Jordan. The distance is 235 km. The Desert Highway covers it in about 3 hours. The King’s Highway takes 4–5 hours but passes through Madaba, Mt Nebo, Karak and Shobak — arguably one of the great scenic drives of the Middle East. The question that matters is not how to make the journey, but whether a day trip is the right call at all.
This guide does not pretend the answer is simple. It covers every transport option with real pricing, gives you the JETT bus timetable, and is honest about what you will and will not see if you do this as a day trip versus sleeping one night in Wadi Musa.
The honest case against a day trip
Petra’s entrance fee is 50 JOD for one day. That single number should give you pause. The Jordanian government charges that much because Petra is enormous. From the main gate to the Treasury through the Siq is 1.2 km each way. The Treasury to the Royal Tombs is another 400 metres. The Monastery (Ad Deir) — one of Petra’s most spectacular monuments, comparable to the Treasury in scale — requires an additional 850-step climb and a return trip. A serious visit to Petra needs 6–8 hours of active time in the site.
Now factor in a day trip from Amman. If you leave at 6:30 AM on the JETT bus, you arrive in Wadi Musa at approximately 10:00 AM. You must catch the return bus at 17:00. That gives you 6.5 hours — minus time to get into the site, stop for water, eat something. In practice, you are looking at 5–5.5 hours of actual sightseeing. You will see the Siq, the Treasury, possibly the Royal Tombs and the Street of Facades. The Monastery is a realistic stretch. Anything beyond that is not going to happen.
One night in Wadi Musa completely changes this. You arrive in the afternoon, have dinner in the village, enter the site at 6:00 AM before the tour groups, have the Treasury more or less to yourself for the first two hours, and leave after a full day with the Monastery, the High Place of Sacrifice, and the Byzantine Church all ticked. The 50 JOD entrance becomes excellent value.
If sleeping over is genuinely not possible — fixed flights, a short itinerary, no flexibility — the day trip is still worth doing. But go in knowing what you are choosing.
Option 1: JETT bus (cheapest)
JETT is Jordan’s national long-distance bus company. The Amman–Petra service runs from the Abdali bus station in central Amman.
Departure: 6:30 AM from Amman Abdali (verify current times at jett.com.jo — schedules change seasonally) Arrival Petra: approximately 10:00 AM Return from Petra: 17:00 (check at the Petra visitor centre on arrival) Fare: 11 JOD each way (~15 USD) Duration: approximately 3 hours each way
The JETT bus drops you at the Petra visitor centre main gate area. Return seats must be reserved at the Petra terminus on arrival — do this immediately as the bus fills up. The service does not run daily in all seasons; check the JETT website before building your itinerary around it. On days it does not run, you will need the bus station (Wahdat) minibuses or a private car.
Verdict: the cheapest option by far and perfectly comfortable. The fixed return time at 17:00 is the main constraint.
Option 2: Private driver (most flexible)
A private driver from Amman to Petra and back costs 120–150 USD all-in for the day. This typically includes pickup from your hotel, parking near the visitor centre, waiting while you visit, and return drop-off. Most drivers will wait as long as needed — agree the return time before you depart.
The advantage over the JETT bus is flexibility: you choose your departure time, your return time, and whether to take the Desert Highway or the King’s Highway (the scenic route via Madaba and Karak adds 1.5–2 hours each way but passes four significant sites). You can also stop en route without any extra coordination.
Reputable private drivers can be arranged through your Amman hotel, through GetYourGuide, or through Jordanian travel agencies. Verify that the quoted price is all-inclusive (no additional fuel or toll charges) and that the driver is licensed.
From Amman: private day trip to Petra with hotel pickupOption 3: Self-drive rental car
Car rental in Amman starts at 60–80 JOD per day for a small car including basic insurance. You will need a credit card for the deposit and, technically, an international driving permit (in practice, rarely checked for EU, UK, US and Australian license holders, but worth having).
The Desert Highway is a straightforward, well-maintained dual carriageway. There is almost no navigational complexity: you head south on the Desert Highway (signposted to Aqaba) and exit toward Wadi Musa. Google Maps works reliably. Fuel is inexpensive by European standards.
The advantage of self-drive is freedom: you leave when you want, return when you want, and can stop at Little Petra (Beidha, about 9 km north of Petra) on the way out. The disadvantage on a day trip is cumulative driving fatigue — 3 hours each way plus 5–6 hours walking in Petra is a long day.
The King’s Highway by self-drive is genuinely spectacular but adds 2–3 hours to the journey each way. It passes through Madaba, Mt Nebo, Karak and Shobak — each worth time. A King’s Highway day trip to Petra is better structured as a one-way drive (Amman → Karak → Petra, overnight Petra, return via Desert Highway) rather than a round trip.
Option 4: Group tour (best value with guide)
Organized day tours from Amman to Petra typically include hotel pickup, a coach, a licensed Jordanian guide for the Siq and Treasury, and return transport. Prices range from 85–120 USD depending on the group size, guide quality and what is included (some include the Petra entrance; many do not — verify before booking).
The group tour schedule is fixed: departure around 6:30–7:00 AM, return around 20:00–21:00, giving you roughly 5–6 hours in the site. You will follow a set route that covers the highlights efficiently. The benefit of having a knowledgeable guide in the Siq and at the Treasury is significant — the Nabataean hydraulic engineering, the carved rock facades, and the history of the city are far more coherent with explanation.
Full-day tour to Petra from Amman From Amman: private Petra day trip with guideThe King’s Highway: the scenic route option
The Desert Highway (Route 35 south) is fast, efficient and almost featureless. The King’s Highway — one of the oldest trade routes in the world, mentioned in the Book of Numbers — is the opposite.
Starting from Amman, it passes through:
- Madaba (30 km south): Byzantine mosaics, St George’s Church, 30 minutes minimum
- Mt Nebo (+10 km west): Moses’s final view of the Promised Land, 30–45 minutes
- Wadi Mujib (canyon viewpoint)
- Karak (+80 km south): the great Crusader castle, 1–2 hours
- Shobak (+60 km south): another Crusader castle, 45 minutes
- Petra (+60 km south via Wadi Musa)
If you drive this route and stop at everything, it is a full two-day journey — Amman to Karak on day one, Karak to Petra on day two. As a one-day round trip to Petra it is impractical. As a one-way journey (with a night in Petra) it is one of the best road trips in the Middle East. Consider the King’s Highway with the Desert Highway return.
What you can realistically see in a Petra day trip
Given roughly 5–6 hours in the site (generous for a day trip from Amman), here is what is feasible:
Definitely doable:
- The full Siq walk (1.2 km in, 1.2 km out) — do not rush this; the engineering is as impressive as the destination
- The Treasury (Al-Khazneh) — allow 30–45 minutes at the facade
- Street of Facades and Royal Tombs — 45 minutes
- The Colonnaded Street — 30 minutes
Possibly doable with efficient pace:
- The Monastery (Ad Deir) via 850 steps — allow 1.5–2 hours from the Treasury
Not realistic in one day from Amman:
- High Place of Sacrifice + Little Petra combination
- The full Petra Back Door (Beidha) approach
- Petra by Night (Monday, Wednesday, Thursday evenings — you will be back in Amman by then)
Petra entrance fees and Jordan Pass
The standalone Petra entrance fee is 50 JOD for one day, 55 JOD for two days, 60 JOD for three days. This is the most significant single tourism cost in Jordan.
The Jordan Pass (available from jordanpass.jo) includes the Petra entrance and covers the visa cost if you are staying three nights or more in Jordan. The Jordan Pass Petra 1-day option costs 70–75 JOD — which covers the 50 JOD Petra entrance and the 50 JOD visa, making it effectively free entry to Petra if you were going to pay for the visa anyway. For most visitors on more than a 2-night Jordan itinerary, the Jordan Pass is clearly worth buying.
See the full Petra tickets and Jordan Pass guide for the arithmetic.
Where to stay if you add one night
Wadi Musa is a functional small town built around the Petra tourism industry. Accommodation ranges from 20 JOD dormitory beds to 150+ JOD per night at the Mövenpick Resort Petra (which is inside the site boundary, about 200 metres from the entrance). The sweet spot for mid-range travellers is the Petra Guest House (attached to the main gate), Rocky Mountain Hotel, or Seven Wonders Boutique Hotel — all solid options in the 40–70 JOD per night range.
Booking even one night allows you to enter Petra at 6:00 AM (opening time) and have the Treasury in early-morning light without tour groups. It also means the 50 JOD entrance covers two days, giving you access to every corner of the site without rushing.
Practical tips for the journey
- Book the JETT bus return seat as soon as you arrive in Petra — they sell out
- Carry your own water into the site; vendor prices inside are high
- ATMs at Wadi Musa are reliable — withdraw JOD before entering Petra as card payments inside are unreliable
- The Petra visitor centre has bag storage (small fee) if you want to leave luggage before entering
- Horses are included in the Petra entrance fee for the first 800 metres of the approach road (the “horse parade” section before the Siq). The horse is included; the tip for the handler is not. Negotiate clearly or decline and walk — the walk is better anyway
What to expect on the road: Desert Highway vs King’s Highway
The two routes between Amman and Petra are so different in character that choosing between them is genuinely meaningful.
Desert Highway (Route 35): the fastest and most used. It is a dual carriageway running south from Amman toward Aqaba, skirting east of the highlands. The landscape is arid and largely featureless — flat desert plateau on both sides for much of the journey. Ma’an appears at around the 220 km mark, a significant junction town. The exit toward Wadi Musa is well-signposted, taking you west through increasingly dramatic sandstone and granite scenery for the last 35 km into the site.
Advantages: speed (3 hours reliable), no complex junctions, consistent road surface, no risk of running out of time.
King’s Highway (Route 35 variant north, then local roads): one of the oldest continuously used trade routes in the world, referenced in the Book of Numbers as the path Moses requested permission to use through Edom. The modern road follows the same ridge-top route, winding south through Madaba, the escarpment above the Dead Sea, Karak, Shobak, and then into the highlands above Wadi Musa.
What you gain: Madaba’s mosaic map (30 minutes), the view from the escarpment, Karak Castle (1–2 hours, a magnificent Crusader fortification), and Shobak Castle (45 minutes, another Crusader site). The mountain scenery in the Karak–Shobak section is extraordinary.
What you lose: 2–3 hours versus the Desert Highway. On a day trip from Amman, this is usually too much. On a one-way journey (King’s Highway south, Desert Highway return, or vice versa, with a night in Petra), it is one of the great road trips in the Middle East.
Wadi Musa: the town behind Petra
Wadi Musa is the service town for Petra, built along a valley 5–10 minutes by foot or taxi from the main entrance. Most travellers experience it only as a place to eat or withdraw cash before entering the site, but on a day trip from Amman it is worth knowing what is available.
Cash: ATMs on the main street (several from Cairo Amman Bank and Arab Bank) are reliable. Withdraw JOD before entering Petra — card machines inside the site are unreliable and not present at all vendor points.
Food before entering: several bakeries and cafes on the main street offer good breakfast options — ka’ak bread, hummus, labneh (strained yogurt), and fresh juice. This is meaningfully cheaper than anything available inside the site.
The Petra visitor centre: has clean toilets, a café, bag storage and a small shop selling Petra merchandise and souvenirs. A brief orientation in the visitor centre (5 minutes) helps with understanding the site map and the order of monuments.
Petra by Night: if you somehow are staying a night in Wadi Musa, Petra by Night runs on Monday, Wednesday and Thursday evenings. The entrance is separate (approximately 17 JOD) and covers a candlelit walk from the site entrance to the Treasury — atmospheric and genuinely memorable, though the 1,500 candles cannot compete with a full moon for lighting the Treasury facade.
FAQ
Is there a direct JETT bus from Amman to Petra?
Yes — JETT operates a direct coach from Amman Abdali terminal to Petra visitor centre. Departure is at 6:30 AM, return from Petra at 17:00. Price: 11 JOD each way. Verify current schedule at jett.com.jo as times adjust seasonally.
How long is the drive from Amman to Petra?
Three hours via the Desert Highway in normal traffic. Four to five hours via the King’s Highway with scenic stops at Madaba, Mt Nebo and Karak. Both routes are well-maintained.
Is Petra worth visiting as a day trip from Amman?
Yes, if your schedule does not allow a night in Wadi Musa. You will see the most important monuments. But one night dramatically improves the experience — you can see the Treasury at dawn without crowds, and the second day allows the Monastery and other areas a one-day visit misses.
How much does a private driver cost from Amman to Petra?
Expect 120–150 USD for the full day, including pickup, waiting time in Petra, and return. Book through your hotel or a reputable tour platform. Verify the total price is all-inclusive before agreeing.
Can I drive myself from Amman to Petra?
Yes. The Desert Highway is straightforward: head south toward Aqaba on Route 35 and exit at Wadi Musa. Google Maps is reliable. Rental cars cost 60–80 JOD per day including insurance. International driving permit is technically required but infrequently checked.
What is the cheapest way to get from Amman to Petra?
The JETT bus at 11 JOD each way is the cheapest dedicated option. Public minibuses from Amman’s Wehdat station via Ma’an are cheaper still (around 5–7 JOD) but require a connection in Ma’an with unpredictable timing.