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Jerusalem to Petra Day Tour: An Enchanting Experience with Professional Guides
3.4
60 Ratings
Jerusalem
Experience an enchanting day trip in Petra. Select any preferred date and delight in a splendid tour to Petra with experienced guides.
Transportation to and from a centralized location in Jerusalem is provided.
Experience an enchanting day trip in Petra. Select any preferred date and delight in a splendid tour to Petra with experienced guides.
Transportation to and from a centralized location in Jerusalem is provided.
Duration:
1 day
Cancellation:
24 hours
Highlights
The tour begins at 3:00 am with a pickup from Jerusalem. Enjoy a comfortable drive through the desert to reach the Arava Border. Our team will assist with the border crossing, which may take up to an hour, so your patience is appreciated.
At 8:30 am, transfer from the border to Petra in new, air-conditioned vehicles. This journey takes about 2-3 hours,…
The tour begins at 3:00 am with a pickup from Jerusalem. Enjoy a comfortable drive through the desert to reach the Arava Border. Our team will assist with the border crossing, which may take up to an hour, so your patience is appreciated.
At 8:30 am, transfer from the border to Petra in new, air-conditioned vehicles. This journey takes about 2-3 hours, traveling along a vast highway known as the “desert way,” and continues through a scenic mountain route, arriving at Petra’s historic site, one of the Seven Wonders of the World.
Around 11:30 am, the Petra tour begins at the site entrance, with a maximum group size of 25 passengers and a guide. The package includes entry fees to Petra (valued at 130 USD!). Explore the highlights of this remarkable site, one of the Seven Wonders of the World, with your guide.
At 4:30 pm, begin the journey towards Aqaba. This route includes several stops at observation points to enjoy the stunning landscape of Wadi Rum. At 7:30 pm, return to Israeli territory with the help of your guide. Transportation back to the pickup location in Jerusalem is provided, with arrival by midnight. Drop-off in Tel Aviv is also available upon request.
Points of Interest
- Tourist Israel
What's Included
- Bottled water
- Professional guide
- All transfers in air-conditioned vehicles
- Border crossing assistance
- Bottled water
- Professional guide
- All transfers in air-conditioned vehicles
- Border crossing assistance
What's Not Included
- Border fee (to be paid in cash at the border)
- Gratuities
- Visa fee (to be paid in cash at the border)
- Border fee (to be paid in cash at the border)
- Gratuities
- Visa fee (to be paid in cash at the border)
Additional Information
- Border crossing fee of US$70 (230 NIS), which should be paid in cash or by credit card on the Israeli side, and the visa fee of $60, which should be paid in cash (USD or JOD) on the Jordanian side. No visa fee is required for stays of 2 nights or longer
- Please note, border fees and visa fees are NOT included in the tour price and are paid directly at…
- Border crossing fee of US$70 (230 NIS), which should be paid in cash or by credit card on the Israeli side, and the visa fee of $60, which should be paid in cash (USD or JOD) on the Jordanian side. No visa fee is required for stays of 2 nights or longer
- Please note, border fees and visa fees are NOT included in the tour price and are paid directly at the border, in cash or by credit card. Border fee is for departure tax from Israel, the departure tax for operated groups from Jordan, arrangement, and preparation of Jordan visa, assistance service from border representative on departure from Israel, assistance service from border representative on arrival in Jordan and assistance service from border representative on departure from Jordan
- Modest clothing is recommended (no short skirts, low-cut shirts, or garments revealing the midriff), headscarves are not required
- Please bring your passport, sunscreen, sunglasses and hat, scarf, ATM card or cash, US Dollars or Jordanian Dinar for tips, and shoes suitable for walking
- Small delays can sometimes occur at the border, or at other points during the tour
- During Ramadan the tour itinerary will change due to earlier closure of the border
Location
David Citadel Hotel
King David Street
King David St 7
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
3.4
(60 Ratings)
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1 star
Ignacio
Sep 21, 2023
Marvellous and unimaginable! - It was a wonderful adventure like the place visited, a wonder of the world, a little long to get there but it was worth the wait. The guide in Petra was extraordinary!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Arthursp9146vo
Jul 7, 2023
Priceless Petra - The trip was conducted very professionally, allowing a full understanding of the archeological sites. Thoroughly recommend.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Craigbm1460oy
Jul 7, 2023
Petra from Jerusalem. - Our guide for the day was excellent. Its a long day on the bus but well worth it. The process of crossing the border was well organized. Go for it!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Amanda_n
Jul 7, 2023
Worth it - 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!
Review provided by Viator
Jsh326
Dec 10, 2023
RUSHED - LATE PICKUP - We stood outside in the cold for over an hour starting at 3:00 A.M. All of us weren't sure the bus was ever coming. Finally, it did come, but with an hour and a half delay, our time in Petra was cut short.
Some of the seats on the bus have broken levers, so you can't recline to sleep. It is a long ride, so pick a seat that works.
After the tour, we had little time to look around or take advantage of other opportunities there. We are fast walkers, so we bee-lined it back (not enjoying the site) so we could quickly pick up a couple of t-shirts to take back (10 minutes). After rushing through lunch, we were taken back to the entry point. The person in charge was confused about which bus we were supposed to be on. We changed three times. People - double and triple check that you are on the right bus!
We are glad we went, but we needed more time. We knew it was going to be a fast trip, but due to the starting delay, it was worse. And yes, there are delays at the border, etc. that one can never know. I found the ride in Jordan very interesting and fascinating. There is a lot to see if you keep looking and don't fall asleep!
I say only take this quick trip if it is the only way it is possible to get there. Other visitors told us that two days was too long. It would be nice to have one day, but roughly three hours is too short.
Our guide did the best he could with the time he had. No complaints there.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Christiane_sydney
Sep 10, 2023
Too much time spent at souvenir shops, too little time to visit Petra - We arrived at Petra with delay for no obvious reason (other than spending too long at an overpriced souvenir shop) which shortened our visiting time by more than an hour. Camel ride not recommended - overpriced and really only 5 min on the back of a camel, then waiting for the sun to rise right next to camp…
Review provided by Tripadvisor
156coryv
Jun 20, 2023
It could have been better, but it wasn't the worst - I'm going to start with all the positives. The bus was punctual. It was a nice bus. They did a good job at the border and there were no issues crossing into Jordan or back into Israel. The tour guide on the bus was a very nice man. They arranged for a second tour guide because the group was so large and we were able to divide into two groups. The lunch provided was fine. It wasn't great, but it wasn't bad.
Now for the things that were tough. The buses were full. Our family was one of the last to board and we were scattered throughout the bus just to find seats. The stops in Israel were fine. But in Jordan they stopped at the same souvenir store twice (before Petra and after), which was located very close to Petra, using up valuable time we could have had at Petra. My biggest complaint of all was how they handled lunch. We boarded the bus at 3 AM. They said they would provide lunch. However, we found out right before we arrived at Petra that lunch would be after the tour of Petra - at 3:30 PM. In Jordan, we were not taken to any stop that had more than snacks. If they weren't going to feed us until 3:30 PM, after the arduous tour of Petra, they could have at least told us to bring a lunch with us. My other big complaint is that the bus driver on the Israel side on the way home was reckless. He drove way too fast around corners and we nearly had a collision when he passed a vehicle on a 2 lane road.
All that said, it was the only way we could see Petra in one day. Petra was amazing and we survived.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Rayoboone
Jan 23, 2025
90 minutes at Petra - 22 hours of travel, including 90 minutes at Petra.
This is a very late review, and I don’t know if anything may have changed — it was better than nothing, but this is absolutely not how I’d recommend someone see Petra.
First of all, the people who are initially on your bus aren’t the people you’ll be with the entire day. Which is fine in itself, but comes into play later.
Some people are on the one day tour. Some are on the two day tour. Some aren’t going to Petra at all, but are using the bus as a shuttle to another city.
Again, this is all fine.
The problems began to arise at the border. Multiple other buses showed up at the same exact time, all full of tourists using the same company. This created a massive line of people trying to get into Jordan.
We spent *hours* waiting to cross. That’s not an exaggeration. I understand that some things are out of the company’s control, but this isn’t one of them.
Once you cross, you get on another bus and meet the guide. This all makes sense, as it’s logical to have a Jordan-based guide/driver/bus.
We made a stop at a gift shop on the way. A very, very long stop. We were there for over an hour.
I’m sure the guide got a very nice commission, as lots of people were buying souvenirs.
Of course when you arrive at Petra, the very same souvenirs are available all over the place…for about a third of the price.
I have no problem with a guide getting a commission, but I couldn’t help but feel a little misled. I’m sure the guide knew the prices were massively inflated at the gift shop. And I’m sure he also knew he was eating into our time at the site.
Between the border wait and the gift shop wait, I was left with about an hour and a half at Petra. I had to leave the group behind, in an attempt to actually see more than just the Treasury.
Everyone met back up at a designated restaurant afterwards — again, I’m sure there was a nice commission to be had.
Yes, the description of the tour says they can’t guarantee a certain amount of time at Petra. I fully understand that. But some things are absolutely within their control…they just choose not to prioritize the experience of their customers.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
John_l
Jun 22, 2023
Good Riddance to an organization (Viator) that does not care about it's clients. - 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
Review provided by Viator
Richard_f
Aug 14, 2023
Do not book - 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
Review provided by Viator
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