Where to stay near Petra: the 3 areas to know in 2026
The ruins of Petra are not so much visited as walked. After the ticket office comes the Siq, a 1.2-kilometre fissure between two walls, then the Khazneh, then kilometres of valley, and 800 steps if you want to climb to the Monastery. Our members all use the same word: it is a workout. And all of it begins at the bottom of Wadi Musa, a town clinging to a slope, whose hotels are strung out between the gate of the site and the top of the hill.
Two things therefore decide your room. The first is the slope: three minutes of walking from the bottom, the hill to climb back up from the top in the evening, on tired legs. The second is written nowhere, and yet it weighs: the entrance ticket costs $71* to anyone spending at least one night in Jordan, against $128* to anyone coming for the day from a neighbouring country. In other words, the hotel night is already partly paid for. This guide sorts the places to stay into 3 areas, from the gate of the site to the desert camps.
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The two ways to stay near Petra
Everything turns on the slope and on the hour you go in. Here is what each base costs and what it saves.
| What changes | At the bottom, in front of the gate | Higher up, or in the desert |
|---|---|---|
| Going in at 6 a.m. | Three minutes on foot: effortless | Shuttle, taxi or car, before daylight |
| The return in the evening | No hill, after a day of walking | The climb back up, or the desert road |
| The price of the room | The highest in town | Markedly less, for similar standards |
| The entrance ticket | $71* for the day, by sleeping in Jordan | $71* as well: what counts is the night, not the address |
| The evening | The hotel tables, and nothing around | The town's restaurants, or a shared meal under canvas |
| Two or three days on the site | The decisive comfort: you go back to rest at midday | Every return journey is paid for in time |
| The experience | An ordinary hotel, facing the entrance | The life of the town, or a night under canvas |
| Who it suits | Two intensive days, or tired legs | A budget to hold, or the wish for something else |
How long to the entrance, area by area?
The distances are counted from the visitor centre, at the bottom of the slope, and the drop counts as much as the metres.
| From | Time | How |
|---|---|---|
| In front of the gate of the site | 3 to 5 min | on foot The closest are 240 metres from the visitor centre, the rest hardly further. |
| The hill of Wadi Musa | the hill | shuttle, taxi or walking Easy downhill in the morning, uphill in the evening: it is the direction of the return that weighs. |
| The desert camps, to the north | 10 min | car or the camp's shuttle North of the town, on the road to Little Petra. |
At a glance: our picks by traveller type
Pick the profile that fits you and go straight to the recommended area.
Map of the areas near Petra
See how the areas sit relative to one another before choosing your base. Click a name to jump to its description.
In front of the gate of the site Three to five minutes on foot from the ticket office, at the bottom of the slope
Those who want to go in at opening and come back without climbing
At the bottom of town, around the visitor centre, a handful of hotels stand three to five minutes' walk from the ticket office. It is little, and yet it is the gap that counts here: you pass the gates at 6 a.m., when the light enters the Siq and the heat has not arrived, and above all you come back in the evening without having to climb the hill after a day of walking. The hotels in this row all show location scores close to the maximum, and they are also the most expensive in town. For two or three days on the site, the length our members recommend, the difference pays for itself in legs.
After walking through the Siq for a kilometer, the Treasury gradually reveals itself
Where to stay in this area
Mövenpick Resort Petra Luxury
The large stone house facing the visitor centre, with courtyards, marble and a roof terrace. Its location earns one of the best scores in our survey, and that is what you pay for.
Petra Guest House Hotel Mid-range
The historic hotel at the gate, whose bar occupies an old Nabataean tomb cut into the rock. Plain rooms and an unbeatable position: you enter the site by crossing the street.
Sunset Hotel Budget
Opposite the entrance, the best value for money in this area in our survey, with reviews that mention the staff before the room. The address for those who want the position without the price.
Pros
- The ticket office three minutes away, to go in from 6 a.m.
- No hill to climb back up in the evening, after the walking
- Location scores at the very top of our survey
Cons
- The highest rates in town
- Few restaurants outside the hotels, right at the bottom
The hill of Wadi Musa Above the gate, with the view and the town's prices
Those who accept the shuttle or the taxi in order to pay less
The town climbs in hairpins above the gate, and that is where its 14,000 inhabitants live, where the restaurants, the grocers and most of the hotels are. Rates drop markedly, terraces open onto the mountains, and many addresses drive their guests down to the gate in the morning. The downside fits in one sentence: in the evening, after a day of walking and of steps, you have to climb back up. A taxi costs little, but you have to think of it, and hotel shuttles stop early. This is the area of long stays, half board and budgets that must hold.
That said, you spend a lot of time walking, climbing, and going down steps, so it is a workout!
Where to stay in this area
Petra Moon Hotel Mid-range
A few hundred metres from the gate, this is the most commented address in town, and one of the best rated on location as well as on value for money. The compromise most travellers are looking for.
Pros
- Rates well below those at the bottom of the slope
- The restaurants, the grocers and the life of the town
- Terraces opening onto the mountains
Cons
- The climb back in the evening, on foot or by taxi
- Hotel shuttles that stop early
The desert camps, to the north Ten minutes by car, under the rocks of Little Petra
Those who want a night under canvas, and the desert after the site
Some ten minutes by car to the north, the road leads to Little Petra, a second and far shorter Nabataean defile, and to a few camps set up beneath the rocks. You sleep under canvas, in cloth rooms pitched over iron beds, with a meal taken in common and the absolute silence of the desert. It is not the handiest base for tackling the site at 6 a.m., since it takes the car or the camp's shuttle, but it is an experience the town does not give, and the reviews talk about the welcome first. Many travellers spend one night there, before or after their days among the ruins.
Where to stay in this area
Seven Wonders Bedouin Camp Mid-range
Tents lined up beneath a rock face, ten minutes by car from the gate of the site, with a meal served in common. The reviews put the welcome and the hospitality ahead of everything else, far ahead of the comfort.
Pros
- A night under canvas, and the silence of the desert
- Little Petra and its paths within walking distance
- A welcome the reviews mention ahead of the comfort
Cons
- The car or the camp's shuttle, for every journey
- The comfort of a camp, not that of a hotel
Our tips for booking the right place
- Sleeping in Jordan brings the ticket price down: This is the least-known rule of the site, and the one that settles a budget. Entry comes to $71* for one day, $78* for two and $85* for three, provided you spend at least one night in the country. Anyone coming for the day from a neighbouring country pays $128* for the same day. The gap is more than the price of a night in town: the question is therefore not whether to sleep on the spot, but exactly where, and how many days to put on the ticket.
- Go in at 6 a.m., and tell your hotel the evening before: The site opens at 6 a.m. and closes at 6 p.m. from April to October, at 4 p.m. for the rest of the year. The first hour is the one when the Siq is empty, when the light falls between the walls, and when the heat has not begun: one of our members points out that the summer should be avoided, describing it as a furnace. From the bottom of the slope, that hour is taken on foot without thinking about it; from the top of town or from a camp, it is prepared the evening before, with the shuttle or the taxi booked.
- Count on two days, and on legs: Our members agree: two or three days allow you to go round at your own pace, and the visit is a workout. The Siq runs 1.2 kilometres before the Khazneh, the valley carries on for kilometres, and 800 steps climb to the Monastery, which many give up on. A two or three-day ticket costs barely more than a one-day ticket, which settles the matter: take two, and sleep at the bottom if your legs count.
- Coming for the day from a neighbouring country: the ticket goes to $128*, far more than a night on the spot costs.
- Booking at the top of town without checking the morning shuttle: the way down is easy, the climb back in the evening much less so.
- Planning the site in high summer without going in at opening: our members speak of a furnace, and shade is scarce.
FAQ: where to stay near Petra
Should you sleep in Wadi Musa?
At the bottom or at the top of the slope?
How many days should you plan?
Is the Monastery worth the climb?
Can you sleep in the desert?
Which season should you avoid?
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