Explore one of the world’s most renowned ancient sites—and be back in Jerusalem by dinnertime—on this full-day tour to Petra. Travel comfortably by air-conditioned vehicle, and receive assistance at the border crossing into Jordan. Guided tours include admission tickets to Petra, bottled water, and a scenic stop in the iconic desert landscapes of Wadi Rum.

A full-day tour to Petra from Jerusalem
Enjoy convenient pickup and drop-off points, plus air-conditioned transport
Cover the site’s most standout attractions, including the rock-cut temple
Get hands-on help crossing the border into Jordan and back into Israel

What's Included

Border crossing assistance
All tranfers in air-conditioned vehicles
Professional guide
Bottled water

Border crossing fee (65 USD per person) and visa fee (60 USD per person) - need to br paid by cash
Gratuities

Meeting and Pickup

Meeting point

David Citadel Hotel
King David St 7, Jerusalem, 9410119, Israel
King David St 7

Start time

03:00 AM

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

What To Expect

Set off directly from the meeting point in central Jerusalem before dawn for your transfer on board an air-conditioned vehicle to the border crossing in Arava. Your guide will assist you with the crossing procedure, and then you’ll change vehicles on the Jordan side of the border for the drive through the desert to Petra.

Once you arrive at Petra, you’ll meet your guide for a tour of the highlights, including the Treasury and temple. After free time to explore further and have lunch, board the coach for Aqaba, with stops along the way to admire the desert landscapes of Wadi Rum. You’ll have guide assistance at the Israel border crossing, where you’ll switch to a new coach for the return trip to Jerusalem and drop-off at the meeting point.

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Not wheelchair accessible
Infants must sit on laps
Passport name, number, expiry and country is required at time of booking for all participants
Passport valid for minimum 6 months is required on the day of travel.
Stroller accessible

Near public transportation
Most travelers can participate
Israeli passport holders (or holders of dual passports with an Israeli passport) must use their Israeli passport at every border crossing
The tour is ending at the Israeli side of the border
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 50 travelers

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.

Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.
This experience requires a minimum number of travelers. If it’s canceled because the minimum isn’t met, you’ll be offered a different date/experience or a full refund.

Frequently Asked Questions

The answers provided below are based on answers previously given by the tour provider to customers’ questions.

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Q:Do I need a visa prior to the tour or is one issued at the Border?

A:There are some nationalities that are required to pre-arrange a visa in order to enter Jordan. Please check all visa requirements with your local consulate before traveling.

Jun 2023

Q:What currencies can I use to pay the border processing fee?

A:The border processing fee can be paid in USD or Shekles. This fee is payable directly to the local tour operator.

Jun 2023

Traveler Photos

Reviews

3.5

59 reviews

Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews

Reviews by Viator travelers.

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Showing 1-10 of 59 reviews

Do not book

Richard_F, Aug 2023

No coordination or safety, the buses are old and caught on fire. The assistants at the borer contracted by Viator are rude and just want money. They beg for tips even if you ask them a question such as “where is the restroom?” DO NOT BOOK

Worth it

amanda_n, Jul 2023

A little pricy and quite a long trip for how long you are there, but when are you going to go otherwise? Worth it! If you can afford it and have the time do an overnight. Petra is SO much bigger than we though, but we enjoyed what we saw. Even the sand storm on the way back. The only thing is, the bus ride from Jordan. They switch at the border. The Israel side was a nice buss, but very crampt. the Jordan bus was maybe from the 70s or 80. Very old and dirty, but it did have AC! just bring some wipes if you are easily offended by dirt!

Good Riddance to an organization (Viator) that does not care about it's clients.

John_L, Jun 2023

Seeing the Treasury and the road to the Treasury was memorable, but at the end of the day, the mediocre guide who rushed people without telling us why was terrible. Then, we were told that it would take 45 minutes to get back to the bus. We were to meet at the restaurant for lunch at 3:45 and then back on the bus at 4:30. 4 of my party were going to take golf carts back, while 2 others walked. Those taking the carts did not get back until 4:30 because of the line. They were not able to eat a relaxing lunch, but we were able bring food onto the bus for them. But the food, from a buffet, was not that easy to bring, so they only were able to eat pita bread and meatballs. When I complained to Viator and asked them for 25% back, they rather stupidly said that it wasn't their issue. WE BOOK WITH YOU VIATOR. GROW A PAIR AND BE ADULTS. But they don't care and neither do I. As I continue to travel and book tours, I will look elsewhere and not give these morons a second thought. GFY

Very bad experience!

Lee_C, Apr 2023

It was a terrible experience. Crowded bus and one hour wait to get into Jordan. Too rushed in Petra so we couldn’t enjoy it! Bus over heated twice. Over all I would never recommend this tour to anyone.

One-Day to Petra

Bill_W, Apr 2023

Both the Israeli and Jordanian guides & drivers were great. I strongly recommend booking this as a 1 or 2 night trip. Too much to see for a one-day trip with all the hours (and hours) lost in driving & immigration delays.

More than a disappointment

Donald_T, Mar 2023

We were told that the bus was not for us . So we waited for a bus that didn't come . We did not see Petra and are waiting on a refund that may never come.

Not Allowed on Bus

Clifford_W, Mar 2023

Did not get to experience the trip because I was told the bus was not for Viator tours. Contact has been fragmented between WhatsApp, the website and email. Waiting to hear about refund.

Tour was disappointing, Petra was not

Karen_E, Mar 2023

Well, what to say about this trip…I’ve had very good experiences booking through Viator but this was not one of them. I would suggest using another company for this experience. We knew to expect a long trip—no problem. I was so excited about Petra, I would have been willing to not sleep at all but, as it was, we left Jerusalem at 3am. No problem. But, while the trip promised a max of 25 people, there were 42 on the bus, almost double that. This meant that rest stops took twice as long, the border crossing took twice as long. The staff certainly made the process easier and it was interesting but they were dealing with 42 people instead of 25. By the time we arrived, because everything took so long, we had 2 hours in Petra. Bucket list of bucket lists and we had 2 hours! And, with massive crowds, we wandered down alone. Our guide was good and he told us a few things on the bus but, because it was a big bus and we were toward the back, it was hard to feel. it felt pretty disappointing about something I’ve wanted to see for years. Petra itself is totally awe-inspiring. I would for sure see this but, for the money you’ll be spending, spend a little more and ensure that you are with a small group.

You get only 2 hours in Petra! Don’t go!

Christa_M, Mar 2023

They lie about the time amount time you spend in Petra. The tour description said we would arrive around 11:30am however we didn’t arrive until 2:15pm providing us less than 2 hours inside Petra after allowing for time to hike out and eat to time dinner before leaving at 5pm. Given the more than 50% time reduction our tour guide recommendation going without him so we can more than the Treasury. Therefore we were also missed out on the guided tour. The team and Jordan passport control are extremely inefficient! It took us three hours to across the board into Jordan and get on to the second bus not an hour as they describe. Additionally after reaching out to customer service to explain the situation they offer no partial refund even though we certainty didn’t get what we paid for.

DO NOT BOOK THIS TRIP

Thomas_M, Mar 2023

Do not book this trip. It is a total scam!!! They claim to offer a time line which they do not respect because they are totally disorganized and do not care cause they already have your money!!

Lack of information

Johan_S, Feb 2023

The lack of detailed information on the origination of the trip. All information from the operator suggested that extra cost should be payed in us dollors cash, which show to not be true as one can pay even with card. We were picked up with no information about what would happen and we're not given any information before arriving at the Jordan check point. Once in Petra we were informed by a very friendly and good guide. It would have been good to known that a mail at the end was included, or even that there was stopped alone the long ride from Jerusalem to Petra. The operator needs to update their web information with good and correct information.

Great day trip

Jill_F, Jan 2023

Going to Petra is a long exhausting day but very worthwhile. It was an extraordinary experience to walk thru this scenery and see one of the seven wonders of the world! The guide Kareem was very knowledgeable, kind, and organized. The down side is the long uncomfortable bus ride. When the person in front of me reclined I had no room. Overall, it was a wonderful day trip.

Princess experience

Diana_F, Jan 2023

Long but full with great experience day! Our tour started at 3am pick up from David Citadel Hotel in Jerusalem. At 7:30 we were on the border with Jordan and because we were a huge group over 80 people & 2 buses it’s took us 2:30h to pass the border control. Everything was smooth and without any problems, we just needed to wait. Around 2 pm we were in Petra were we spent 3 hours walking around, took pictures and learned more about this magnificent place. At 5 pm we had a late lunch and 5:30pm we were back in the bus. Passing border controls were easier and 12:30am we were back in Jerusalem. It was a great experience! Highly recommended!

Great experience!

Denys_P, Nov 2022

There were some organizational mishaps by the tour company and an unnecessary delay at the Jordanian border, which left us very little time in Petra. However, Petra is stunning! It’s worth all the journey and the wait time. I highly recommend, especially if you can’t make it there on your own!

It was great we did it in...

Pilar_B, Nov 2022

It was great we did it in one day going and coming back which is super tiring but if you don’t want to waste time and have energy for it then do it it’s worth the effort Petra is amazing and they all were super nice and well orginozed

A BIG DISAPPOINTMENT - WITH A GREAT GUIDE!

Michael_M, Nov 2022

We thoroughly enjoyed the experience our guide, Mishkal - who was absolutely fantastic, there was too much "down time" in traveling from Jerusalem to Petra. The rest breaks were too long, too much wasted time at the border just going through administrative things that could have been avoided and just too much waiting around. It took us over 10 hours to get to Petra leaving us only a couple of hours to explore. I would not recommend this to anyone. We would have been much better off, even with a greater expense, in doing this privately.

Worth the Long Day

Daniel_J, Oct 2022

Great experience despite the long day of travel. Our tour guide Nessar was outstanding with great commentary and genuine concern for our tour group.

Take the Golf Cart

Phyllis_P, Oct 2022

Petra was wonderful, but tour company picked us up at 3 am then stopped 25 minutes later to get fuel. They made several more stops before we got to Jordan. We waited for people who had cancelled then rescheduled. Next a border crossing and more stops. By the time we got to Petra, we only had 3 hours. It takes almost an hour to walk in. I would ride the golf cart out for more time for touring.

Tour amazing, Travel time absurd

Sabrina_M, Sep 2022

Definitely go see Petra! It’s gorgeous! Our guide was well informed and humorous. There is one big butt— travel time! We left our hotel at 3am and had a bathroom break at 3:30 for 20 minutes! Trying to sleep and all the lights come on. We had at least 3 or 4 stops like that on our way there with 20 minute breaks each time at a place that sold snacks and had a bathroom . I was told once by a driver on another tour that they get kickbacks for stopping at certain rest centers so people will spend money. It was awful! On the way home the entire Bus agreed and we requested no more stops after the first one explaining we didn’t need rest or snack breaks and just wanted to get back to our hotels. The guide became very agitated and said “well I do!” and continues his stops and sat smoking while we waited. We got back to the hotel after midnight.

Great trip

Alice_C, Sep 2022

It was a long day but we got what we were promised . They packed a lot in and gave us enough time to explore and great advice