We are often asked how to get from Jerusalem to Petra. Two of the most impressive sites of the region are major features on many itineraries for travelers to Israel. Getting from Jerusalem to Petra is simple. There are many different ways that you can travel between the two locations, appropriate for different budgets, time scales, and preferred means of travel. You can travel from Jerusalem to Petra every day of the week. Differing tour schedules, public transportation timetables, and border opening hours do not make it equally simple to travel every day. Read our article on how to plan the perfect private tour to Jordan and Petra from Israel for more information.
Changing Jordanian visa requirements have not changed our tours from Jerusalem to Petra but has impacted the ease of travel for individuals not joining a group tour.
Update: July 01, 2022. Israel and Jordan have reopened the land borders for tourists, and our Petra tours are running regularly.
Travel With a Tour
There are tours available from Jerusalem to Petra seven days a week. The Allenby Bridge Crossing is not simple for tourists to use to cross into Jordan. With the nature of the roads in Jordan being as they are, our tours from Jerusalem to Petra cross into the Hashemite Kingdom either via the Bet Shean Crossing in Northern Israel or the Arava Crossing near Eilat in the South. Although looking at the map, these might look like longer routes around, time-wise they are the most efficient ways to travel.
One Day Tours
One day tours from Jerusalem to Petra are available daily and include $130 worth of entry fees to Petra. These involve transferring from Jerusalem to Eilat. You then cross into Jordan via the Yitzhak Rabin/Wadi Araba Border Crossing and transfer to Petra. In the evening, you return to Eilat, and from there continue back to Jerusalem. While these tours are popular, they involve a lot of traveling in one day. This makes them more expensive than many of the two and three-day tour options. This means that we only recommend them for those who are tight on time.
Two, Three, and Four Day Tours
Two and three-day tours from Jerusalem to Petra are available multiple times every week in two variations. These are our most recommended means of traveling from Jerusalem to Petra. They boast comfortable schedules, great traveling experiences, and great value – also those tours include the entry fees to Petra. The two-day tour options available are Petra and Wadi Rum from Jerusalem (day one at Wadi Rum and the second day at Petra, with overnight in a Bedouin Camp in between) and Petra & Highlights of Jordan 2 Day Tour from Jerusalem and Tel Aviv (day one in Northern Jordan, and day two at Petra). Our three-day tour option is a combination of these two options. It features Petra, Wadi Rum, and the Highlights of Northern Jordan. This is an ultimate tour experience and a good value way to explore Petra from Jerusalem. Meanwhile, the four-day tour adds a day touring Amman.
Private Tours
Custom private tours from Jerusalem to Petra can also be arranged for individuals and groups who wish to travel on different days, or prefer to customize the tour and include other sites such as Masada and the Dead Sea which can easily be included en route. Check out our guide on how to plan a private tour of Jordan.
Take the Bus
Whilst you can travel from Jerusalem to Petra via the Allenby Bridge Border Crossing, we suggest that you first travel to Eilat and then continue to Petra. There are regular public buses from Jerusalem to Eilat. Whilst there are night buses, we suggest that the best option is to travel first to Eilat, overnight, and then head on to Petra, as the night buses will leave you with a few hours of free time in the Central Bus Station. From Eilat, cross the border into Jordan (be aware of the visa restrictions meaning that only those on tours will be able to apply for a visa once in Israel).
Once on the Jordanian side, your best option is to take a taxi from the border to Petra. The official price from Aqaba to Petra is 54 Jordanian Dinar (approx $75), or for a return journey including waiting time, 87 Jordanian Dinar (approx $122). The taxis at the border crossing are operated by one company. Bear in mind that you must take a taxi from the border to Aqaba (11 Jordanian Dinar – $15 approx), and for a one-day visit, that can add time.
We recommend joining a group tour instead, which accounts for all transportation to and from a centralized pickup location in Jerusalem and provides border assistance, pre-arranged visa, and transportation to Petra.
What’s the Cheapest and Easiest Way?
The numbers speak for themselves, and generally, the cheaper way from Jerusalem to Petra is to travel with a tour group. We’ve based the exercise on a two-day tour because one day from Jerusalem to Petra is totally impossible with public transport.
Taking a two-day tour to Petra:
Tour Cost – $379
Border Crossing Fee – $65
Visa Fee – $60
Entrance Fee – included
Lunch – included
Dinner – included
Overnight in 4-star hotel/Bedouin Camp – included
Total – $504
(or if you opted for a 2-Day Highlights of Jordan Tour, $544, or a 3-day Highlights of Jordan Tour, $564)
Taking an independent 2-day visit from Jerusalem to Petra:
- Bus from Jerusalem to Eilat – $30
- Taxi from Eilat to Border – $15
- Border Crossing Fee – $65
- Visa fee (must be pre-arranged) – $60
- Entrance Fee to Petra – $130
- Guide at Petra – $100
- Taxi from Aqaba Border to Petra – $75
- Bus from Eilat back to Jerusalem – $25
- Taxi from Petra back to Aqaba Border – $75
- Taxi back from Border to Eilat – $10
- Overnight in 4-star hotel/Bedouin Camp – $60
Total – $655, but visa must be pre-arranged in your home country, and this does not include Wadi Rum or Jerash, Mount Nebo, and Madaba.
So for most visitors taking a tour from Jerusalem to Petra is the cheaper way to visit Petra, as well as being more efficient, informative, and fun.
