Home > Tel Aviv > Petra Day Trip from Tel Aviv - UNESCO World Heritage Site
USD $396.00
Petra Day Trip from Tel Aviv - UNESCO World Heritage Site
Tel Aviv, Israel
Visit the UNESCO world heritage site of Petra, in a convenient day trip from Tel Aviv. With your round-trip flights to Eilat, and transfers to Petra included, you can relax and enjoy the sights of this spectacular rock-carved city without any hassle!
Your flight from Tel Aviv Sde Dov airport will take just under an hour to reach Eilat, Israel's southernmost city on the coast of the Red Sea. From here you will be driven to Arava to cross the border into Jordan. Occasionally there may be queues (approximately half an hour), however a local tour guide will be there to assist you, so rest assured that your border crossing will be as efficient as it gets!
Travelling in deluxe transportation via the Desert Highway your Petra Day Trip will head to the Hasan Prince Palace for stunning views of the Petra mountains. Remember to bring your camera! From here you will continue into Petra, where you will have 5-6 hours to take in the sights.
The entrance to the city itself is via a long, narrow gulley with impressive 220m (650ft) rock sides called the Siq. Emerging from here you’ll be greeted with the dramatic sight of the Treasury (El-Khazneh) – a majestic, red building, featured in several Hollywood films. While the purpose of the building remains a mystery, its sheer magnificence makes up for any gaps in its history. Standing over 40m tall and carved entirely of solid rock, this is one of the most elegant relics of the ancient world.
Visit Petra’s theatre, tombs, facades and colonnaded street before breaking for a well-deserved late lunch (included in price) at Nabatean’s Tent Rest. You'll have time to shop at the colorful Bedouin bazaars and stop to view Wadi Rum, the famous desert, before your drive back to Eilat (approximately 2.5 hours) to catch your Tel Aviv flight.
This tour was the worst we have ever experienced. Viator contracted with Fun-Time tours. We were told to be at the Sde Dov airport at 5:00 for a 6:40 flight. The airport wasnt even open at that time._br/_ We spent 3 hours at the border crossing from Israel to Jordan. Was the group too large 60 people for the passport control people to handle in a timely manner? No explanation was given._br/_ Then we spent another 2.5 hours waiting for our guide to buy tickets to Petra due to some rain showers in the area. The guide gave few instructions or explanations so most of us had no idea what to do._br/_ By the time they herded us into crowded convoy vehicles, we had 10 minutes at the Treasury and 5 minutes at the temple. The convoy spent most of our time driving on the city streets to arrive at those places._br/_ We met at a the Sandstone restaurant at 5:00 and we were back on the bus by 5:30. However, some people were called out to go to the office to settle their accounts. Couldnt they have done this while the rest of us were eating? The bus didnt leave Petra until 6:10 for the 2-hour drive back to the border. Our return flight was at 8:55. The guide never explained what we saw in Petra nor did he give us instructions for reentry into Israel._br/_ We ran through the passport control, got on the shuttle which left 2 people behind. We dashed through airport security and got our boarding passes barely in time to catch the last flight out. Of course, it flew into TLV instead of Sde Dov._br/_ The trip was poorly organized with very little instruction. The guide seemed to go through the motions and not really care. We paid a lot for our 15 minutes in Petra and would never recommend this tour to anyone.
Review by: Jane S, April 2018
This tour overall was excellent, but I would advise staying overnight. It would have been an advantage to allow for more exploration time. There were a few problems that are likely amenable to improvement:_br/_ 1. This was advertised as a small tour with 15-20 people. It was a large tour with a full bus load, about 70-80 people._br/_ 2. The 2.5 hours spent at the border waiting for all the border crossing things to be completed seemed highly inefficient. There may be a better way to do this, but maybe not._br/_ 3. The return to the border and then to Tel Aviv from the Eilat airport was chaotic and disorganized. First, the return from Petra was delayed for one hour while 4-5 people worked out problems with their credit card payment for the tour. This made the bus return late and we missed our scheduled flight back to Tel Aviv. No one seemed to know what to do. There did not seem to be one person who assumed responsibility for getting us back to Tel Aviv according to plan._br/_ If there is a more reliable local company, it would be wise for Viator to change from Ben Harim._br/_ It is a shame for these preventable mishaps to have detracted from the beauty of the trip.
Review by: mikelevysellshomes, March 2018
It was a good trip and we had great weather. I did not realize Petra was so large. I wished I had planned on a longer trip. We had a total of 3 hours at the site itself. You live and you learn.
Review by: Denise V, March 2018
This is a great tour if you have only 1 day to see Petra. However, I highly recommend taking the 2 day tour and sleeping in the camp. For the tour, you need to be at the airport very early for check in. The airport is conveniently located very close to the beach areas. Be sure to bring walking shoes and sunscreen. Flt was on time and uneventful. There was a slight hold up at the Jordanian side of the border, but my impression is that it is normal. Our guide, Nezar, was extremely knowledgeable about Petra and Jordan and the surrounding areas. He was also efficient and organized in managing the group and keeping us on schedule. The first stop in Jordan was at a souvenir shop for a bathroom break. Then you head to Petra. By this time, the sun is straight up, so you need to be sure you have your sunscreen on. If you are not up for the walk down the canyon or back up the canyon, you can take a horse or carriage ride. The food at the restaurant was great and we made it back to the airport with ease.
Review by: cheryleev, March 2018
Wonderful trip. Everything from booking, getting tickets at airport, tour guide in Jordan was excellent. The lunch was not something my husband or I would eat. That said, we would do the tour again. The only hitch we had was the person to meet us at the airport when we_br/_ Arrived at Eilat was very late so much we began to wonder if someone would show up. Obviously they did and it went without a problem_br/_ On both Israel side and Jordan. We paid in cash the border visa and the border crossing fee. 65.00 and 60.00 for a total of _br/_ 135.00 American per person. Make sure you have exact change for your visa etc. do not show up thinking you will exchange dollars there. Take exact cash amount with you. Do not rely on a credit card it makes it difficult if not impossible. If you have exact amount it is_br/_ A simple process at border. You pay border crossing on Israel side before you board the bus. At the border you pay the visa amount to the Jordan side.
Review by: Andrew V, January 2018
Petra is one of those places like the Taj Mahal and Hagia Sophia - no photograph can completely capture its beauty and majesty. The trip began with an early morning flight, from the conveniently located Sde Dov airport, to the beautiful city of Eilat. After a few hours on the border, going through the bureaucracy on both the Israeli and Jordanian sides of the border, we boarded the bus to Petra. An employee of the tour company, on the Jordanian side, provided some much needed comic relief during the wait. On the way back, the border crossing took all of about 10 minutes!
Review by: timothy g, January 2018
This was a great trip to see Petra, but it is a very, very long day. Everything on the trip was great except the customs going into Jordan took about 2 hours, which shortened the time in Petra, but we still had enough time. If I was doing this again I would travel to Eilat the day before and spend the night there. Then book the tour that is offered from there. It will make you live easier and the day shorter. Otherwise was very neat to see this place.
Review by: Tim, January 2018
Seeing Petra is amazing. Through no fault of the tour company - it is a very long day. That said, the experience and learning the history and significance of Tetra was very enjoyable!
Review by: Melissa H, January 2018
Beautiful location but spent half the trip doing security check from Israel to Jordan. Our tour group was quite large and we had to go one by one for every single process, paying, passport pics, checking in. I think we no joke spent 5hrs trying to cross the border then we sped through our tour, not having enough time to appreciate the site. At the end of the tour, the bus just left us at the airport with no guidance. Again because of security the whole tour group almost missed the flight back. The plane had to wait for everyone to go through security to leave. I would recommend just doing a day tour in Israel and planning a separate trip to Jordan so you don't waste time and money since its an expensive tour.
Review by: MARK S, January 2018
Forget it. The bus windows were so dirty you couldn't see anything. The driver and the guide couldn't careless - very unprofessional.
Review by: Paul, December 2017
We flew from Tel Aviv to Eilat then crossed the border from Israel to Jordan and travelled on a coach to Petra. We were expecting to be met at the airport in the morning by the local agents but we had to figure out which flight we were booked on and checkin. Most people I met complained about this. When we arrived at Eilat I'd have expected someone with a board from the agency to make himself known. This didn't happen and many people hadn't a clue where to go. Eventually we we rounded up and went to the boarder. I'd advise against getting a Jordanian visa before travelling. This seems to cause more issues. Pay the guys at the border and get a visa there. There's a 2 hour wait for everyone to be processed so be patient. Petra though is stunning and worth all the hassle getting there. The guide was very informative and lunch was both included and very good.
Review by: GLORIA B, December 2017
Will do it again!_br/_ Guide was very funny and lunch was awesome!!!
Review by: Robert M, December 2017
From Tel Aviv to Petra and back to Tel Aviv is a very exhausting day. After showing up early at the airport, going through Israeli security, and spending most of an hour on the airplane, one is already tired. Maybe the worst part of the trip is the two-hour wait at the Jordanian border, involving stops at several windows, paying 125, and having our whole group delayed by one couple whose papers were not quite right. After that, things got better. Our guide, Nizar, was very good. He showed us many points of interest on the bus ride to Petra, and also gave us a summary of middle-east history, explaining that this area of the world has been dumped on and mismanaged by numerous countries, especially the UK, which is the reason for most of the unrest in the middle east. After arriving in the modern city of Petra, it is still a two-mile downhill walk to the bottom of the valley where the stone tombs are located. There are thousands of tombs, and the most famous is the Treasury, which was the tomb of Herod Antipas' father-in-law. He was the Herod who had John the Baptist beheaded. It was very interesting, but we were allowed only two hours at the bottom before beginning the long climb back to the city. There we were served a very good lunch. Return to Eliat for the return flight to Tel Aviv was uneventful. My trip was very worthwhile, and I'm glad I did it, but would not do it again. I took some spectacular pictures. One needs at least two full days to see most of the sights in the Stone City. I got back to my hotel in Tel Aviv at about10:30 PM.
Review by: Mark H, November 2017
We had an excellent tour guide. Very knowledgeable, very organized and engaging. The site is incredible, and the guide made sure that each traveler had their needs met and interests minded.
Review by: Zornitsa K, November 2017
too much time waiting at the border
Review by: alycannata, November 2017
next time will take the three days tour to see petra one day is enough if you arent sure if you are interested thats how i felt before arrival but is not enought to see the whole beauty of petra.... our guide was so cool and professional he made our trip unforgettable. lunch at sandstone was great too! overall so pleased that planning on coming back next year. highly recommended!
Review by: gludema, November 2017
Crossing the border from Israel to Jordan took two over two hours. The Jordan tour guide, who was great, tried to make up for the delay but we nearly missed our flight back to Tel Aviv
Review by: Debra S, October 2017
Very disorganized... time was limited at Petra, no time to explore area. Pick up from airport to Petra took FIVE hours! Do your history research, tour guide was nice but, gave very little historical information.
Review by: Saravanan B, October 2017
Trip was great and food not bad. It was long day... having to travel from Tel Aviv. The biggest problem/hassle I had was at the domestic airport, both ways, with security... took for ever to get through screening/security.
Review by: Marshall T, August 2017
Seeing Petra for the first time is incredible! Too bad it's in the middle of nowhere and it takes so long hours to get there! I wish our guide had been either more knowledgeable or more engaging as we came away feeling like we could have learned a lot more. Lunch was only so-so and the kicker is, after paying hundreds of dollars, they charged us for water!
Review by: Grace C, June 2017
Petra was fantastic!
Review by: Frank L, March 2017
The information about this tour on the website and once I signed up was inadequate. it did not tell you the length of tie it would take to get to Petra by bus, or how long the flight was from Tel Aviv to Eilat, and what time you could expect to return at the end of the day. it gave no information about meeting the tour and people were standing around waiting In Eilat for the tour guide to show up not knowing what to do.
Review by: Ameet N, March 2017
If you had only one day to spare, and REALLY wanted to scratch Petra off your bucket list, take this tour. However, I can't say that I can recommend this tour to everyone. First of all, the organization was somewhat chaotic. There was no information provided in advance via email. You had to call the local travel agent, who asked you to show up at 5:45am at an airline counter in Tel Aviv's Sde Dov airport. Pickup was late in Eilat, and there was much confusion about who was with which tour company. There's a 65 gate fee to leave Israel, AND a 60 entry fee into Jordan not mentioned in the itinerary. The lunch stop was at 3pm, which is quite late considering you've been out since 5:30am and there are no refreshment breaks anywhere on the way. The approach to Petra is interesting, through the canyons. The main treasury building is about the most interesting building in Petra, but the facade is about all there is to see. There's also a monastery building but not part of the tour, since it's an additional 1hr uphill hike. Our tour guide was entertaining but didn't offer much additional information beyond 3-4 key sights. The area itself is quite commercial, filled with bedouin tents selling stuff. You'll constantly be harassed by vendors. Another long bus ride, and two more border crossings later, you'll be back in Israel. Expect lots of grilling at Eilat airport before they let you board the flight back to Tel Aviv. Everyone from our group was made to wait right until boarding time and got a thorough baggage scan.
Review by: baldylocks, January 2017
It was a little disorganized. The man opposite the airport exit didn't have a sign saying Viator or Ben Harim. He just had a little sign saying Petra. When I gave him my last name he said I wasn't on his list. After a few minutes he asked for our first names I told him then he said oh yes you are on my list. We were driven in a small van to the border crossing there we had to pay 65 each to leave Israel. We had to walk thru a no man's land alone then met our Jordanian guide. Then we had to pay 60 each to enter Jordan. This is in addition to what we had to pay for the tour. We lost a lot of time at the crossing. Petra was interesting but the walk back up was hard. The food at the restaurant was not good. The chicken was very dry. I was really looking forward to this trip but all the hassles took away from .
Review by: Nancy S, December 2016
It was amazing! My sister and I did a day trip from Tel Aviv. We flew to Eilat from Tel Aviv where our guide was waiting for us with other guest who had also booked the tour. We had a very short bus ride to the border of Jordan where we then went through some check points leaving Israel and again entering Jordan. Our day trip Visas were waiting for us there. The crossing went smoothly. Once we were finished with the border crossing we loaded a bus and headed for the 2 1/2 hr ride to Petra. The trip was incredible! It was December and I which we had more hours of daylight and more time to explore once there. We only saw a portion of Petra, because it is really quite large and there wasn't enough time to see any more. Lunch was included with the tour and the food at the restaurant was excellent! I highly recommend this tour!!
Review by: Patricia W, September 2016
Petra was a unique and interesting place. Glad we took this tour
Review by: Chiara M L, August 2016
The Petra part was amazing, but I never received any flight information and it caused me a great deal of stress! When I called the number that was given to me during the tour they had no record of my booking because it was a different company who did it. There was really no organization that I could find and It was extremely stressful to not know anything. Because I did not receive any flight information I was searched and questioned multiple times in the airport in Tel Aviv and Eilat.
Review by: Mario Octavio V, July 2016
It's a very long and Intense day but Very Happy to having done it, more than one day is a lot better. We lost time upon arrival to Petra waiting for some people to pay for the Tour 2 hours and that delayed our visit causing us to being dropped late back in Eilat, we missed our flight because this problem in Organization, nobody helped us out to get another flight but Israeli Airport security and Airlines Employees, they were amazing! Nobody from the Tour showed up or was responsible for this inconvenient.
Review by: Elisa B, July 2016
Great experience. However, I still don't get why we had to wait more than one hour at the Jordan border to get everything settled with two Indian passport of two group members. Didn't they already had our passports numbers? However, verything was great and the early wake up was really worthy!
Review by: Pete, June 2016
It's an early start 0515 arrival at Dov airport, which thankfully is very close to the main hotels, 3 doses of Israeli border security 2 x internal flights for which they still scrutinise your passport and ask many questions, 1 x re-entry from Jordan, 1 border crossing into Jordan which takes about an hour in itself and 4-5 hours in the coach in total with an arrival back after 10pm all of which gives about 3 hours on site in Petra. But it's oh so worth it and much more.
Review by: Grant R, April 2016
A long day but very worthwhile. _br/_ Early start in Tel Aviv to fly to Eilat. _br/_ Crossing into Jordan was fairly easy with the help of the guide who met us at Eilat airport._br/_ 2hr trip to Petra in 2x16 seater aircon vans. Young, vibrant and friendly group. _br/_ Fantastic trip around Petra. Spectacular. Nice lunch overlooking Jordan valley. _br/_ Arrived back in Tel Aviv around 10pm
Review by: sellmons, April 2016
Petra is incredible and definitely a must. There is an incredible amount to see and not enough time during the tour. In summary, we safely made it from Tel Aviv to Petra and back and had a great tour guide in Jordan. There are many options and I chose the included flight from Tel Aviv to Eliat. When you book this tour, you are simply given a flight time at the domestic Tel Aviv airport. They don't tell you the airline and just say to show your passport at the counter. This flight will be around 6:45am. The flight is about 40 minutes and you land in Eilat, Israel. Don't expect a guy to be holding a sign with your name when you arrive :. After about 10 minutes of waiting, a guy with a Petra sign comes over, doesn't introduce himself, doesn't ask who we are, and tells us to follow him. After a few quick words, he asks for the Israel/Jordan exit fee of 65USD. He has no change on hand and is far from formal about it. When then board a bus, which was actually a nice bus. They take us to the Jordan border. The process was fairly quick and you then walk across the border without the guide. The walk is about 100m. We then met another guy. He takes our passports. After 45 minutes or so, another guy collects the 60 Jordan visa fee. For about 2 hours, we waited at the Jordan border with flies buzzing around for them to complete this Visa process. We then boarded another bus with a new guide that takes us to Petra. We made one stop on the way. We finally got to Petra at 12:30pm 1:30pm Israel time. We had to be back to leave for lunch at 3:30pm. Reading previous reviews, I got my ticket from our guide and left the group immediately. I was able to make it to the monastery and beyond to the higher view points. I kept a quick pace and was able to see the majority of sites. However, I was fatigued on the way back and only had about 10 minutes left. I could have easily spent another 2-3 hours there. The tour will not see all the sites.
Review by: Elva D, March 2016
The major issue with the tour is the lack of time at the actual site, we would have preferred more free time to explore the area on our own. It was convenient that all details and transportation were taken care of by the guide and organization but there was a lot of wasted time, especially critical on a day trip. I would recommend at least two days for this trip.
Review by: David T, February 2016
guide is good and was accompanied by travel police._br/_ lunch at the local restaurant was delicious with wide array of local dishes.
Review by: Lucy, January 2016
Petra trip was one of my best tour so far . It was a long day , but full of pleasure. Be prepared for a long walk through the Canyon where you get very dusty. That doesn't matter , the trip is worth every penny . I can not forget it !
Review by: Sandra B, December 2015
The day trip to Petra from Tel Aviv was fantastic! Petra is one of the seven wonders of the world. The tour was extremely well run and the guide and drivers were outstanding. It is a long day but well worth it.
Review by: jose034, August 2015
Highly recommended tour if you like to see you one of the wonders of the world! Must do tour if you are in the Middle East.
Review by: jose034, August 2015
Must to do tour while in the Middle East!
Review by: Richard M, August 2015
My wife, daughter and I did a 2 day tour which if you ask you can do. Second day is on your own as is a hotel for that night and you return with the tour for that day.. The one day tour is a hard day leaving Tel Aviv at round 5:30am and returning late that same night. You could possibly do the trip on your own but the border crossing was all very smooth with our guide. All in all very good trip with all things going as planned. The one day tour gives you about 3 to4 hours in Petra which may be OK for some. .
Review by: coralellen, July 2015
Absolutely amazing! Thank you!!!!
Review by: Vincent F, June 2015
Great tour and guide in Jordan. Very well organized. Very long day but well with it.
Review by: Jose Leon A, June 2015
It was ok...to enter Jordan should be faster, because we lost 90 minutes. Our guide in Jordan was excellent.
Review by: Alejandro P, June 2015
Great experience! Definitely a tour that everyone must make once in their lifetime. The guide knew the place like a local and took us to the right places.
Review by: Lilianarees, June 2015
Wonderful trip! Just the guy that took care of us in Jordan was extremely hurried, did not really give us insight of what Petra is.... But over all, specially the guy fron Israel was wonderful,
Review by: MARK H, May 2015
Tour was good I will recomended to my friends and relatives for sure. Thank you
Review by: Christian D, May 2015
Petra was great, but the Guide was not very good._br/_
At first we had to wait for him for 45 minutes at the border to Jordan._br/_
Then he told us wrong information about the site._br/_
At the site he did not want to make a guided tour and he stayed at the car instead. We had to walk alone without any explanation.
Review by: Tjeerd H, March 2015
The trip went smooth no delay at borders only pick up at airport eilat was delayed. good tourguide at petra, funny and a lot of information. He was full of akaba and in the end drove through akaba en stopped for toilet at shop, must be a relative lol !
Review by: marinag, March 2015
Unforgettable site, excellent organization of the tour
Review by: Patrick W, December 2014
Need more time in Petra it see it all.
Review by: Siegy W, November 2014
Oct 6th,2014. Flew from Tel Aviv at 6:30 in the morning and landed in Eilat where I was picked up to travel the 2 km to the border. The crossing into Jordan went smoothly. A bit of a wait for everybody else in the tour to get there. The tour was very good and the guide was as well. Had a lunch that was included and was good, but not great. After the day of touring made our way back to the border and crossed again, no problem. I flew back to Tel Aviv and was back at the hotel at 10:00 pm. A long day but well worth it.
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