Petra Day Tour Transfers Only from Amman
Driving solved, everything else left to you. It does not refund.
From $102 per person
Check AvailabilityGetting to Petra from Amman
Petra sits 235 km south of Amman by the direct road. Every way of covering that distance is below, with the time and the arithmetic each one actually involves. This is petra tours from amman, channel by channel.
The two roads, and what each puts on your itinerary
Two published routes exist, and which one your tour drives decides what else lands on your itinerary. The Desert Highway (Highway 15) covers about 235 km in roughly three hours. It is the only option that gets you back to Amman the same evening. The King's Highway (Highway 35) covers about 274 km in four to four and a half hours — slower, but it passes Mount Nebo, Madaba, Dana and Shobak Castle. A same-day itinerary has no daylight left to reach any of them.
That single choice is why every one-day tour runs the Desert Highway and every three-day tour runs the King's Highway. The road is not a preference; it is a function of how many hours your trip has to spend on the ground.
By guided tour
A driver, the vehicle and the route become one booking. The day tours here run 10 to 12 hours door to door: roughly three hours down, four to seven hours at the site depending on the product, and three hours back. The entry ticket is sold separately from every fare, so check what your fare covers before you assume otherwise.
Want the driving solved end to end?
The day tours from Amman collect you at your hotel, run the Desert Highway both ways and hand you the hours at the site rather than the hours on the road.
By JETT coach
JETT runs a scheduled coach from Abdali and from 7th Circle in Amman at about 06:30. It reaches Petra around 10:00 to 10:15 — roughly three hours and forty-five minutes, close to the guided-tour timing because it takes the same Desert Highway. The official pages read here publish no current fare, so none is printed; check the fare and the timetable yourself before you plan a day around it. A coach with no guide and no vehicle waiting at the other end puts the whole return trip on you.
By hire car
The Desert Highway is direct and well signed, and a hire car covers it in the same three hours a tour does. What a hire car will not give you is a driver who already knows the Visitor Centre car park, the ticket queue and the walk in. On a single day trip, that local knowledge is worth more to you than the flexibility of your own car.
By private taxi
A private taxi covers the same ground as a hire car with a driver included, at a fare you set directly with the driver rather than one published anywhere official. It suits a one-way trip better than a same-day round trip — arriving from Amman and continuing on to Aqaba or the Dead Sea, say. For a there-and-back day, a tour that already knows the route and the timing is the more predictable choice.
Doing it in one day, honestly
Six to seven hours of driving on the Desert Highway alone, out of a day that also has to hold the Visitor Centre, the walk in, the site itself and the walk out. Every one-day tour runs that arithmetic and lands you four to seven hours actually inside the park. It is a real day, but not a leisurely one. If you want the Monastery climb as well as the Treasury, that is the one thing a single day rarely leaves you room for; check the trail times before you plan around it.
Where the day begins in Amman
Every tour here departs from Amman itself — hotel pickup is the default, and the JETT coach adds two fixed points, Abdali and 7th Circle, for anyone travelling independently. You will not choose between departure cities: Amman is where south starts, whichever channel you pick.
The two roads compared
| Road | Distance | Driving time | Who takes it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Desert Highway (Hwy 15) | ~235 km | ~3 hours | Every one-day product |
| King's Highway (Hwy 35) | ~274 km | 4–4.5 hours | The three-day products, via Mount Nebo, Madaba, Dana and Shobak Castle |
Petra Visitor Centre
Tourism Street, Wadi Musa, Ma'an Governorate
Site and Visitor Centre: The site and the Visitor Centre open daily, 6am–6pm from 2 March to 1 October and 6:30am–5pm from 2 October to 1 March.
Where to check these facts
The distances, driving times and JETT schedule come from the Jordan Tourism Board's own published route information.
Which road do Petra day tours from Amman actually take?
The Desert Highway, Highway 15, every time: about 235 km and roughly three hours each way. It is the only combination that gets a day trip back to Amman the same night.
Why do the two- and three-day tours drive a different road?
They take the King's Highway, Highway 35: about 274 km and four to four and a half hours. It is slower, but it is routed past Mount Nebo, Madaba, Dana and Shobak Castle, stops a same-day return has no time for.
Is there a train from Amman to Petra?
No. The official pages read here do not describe a passenger rail option between Amman and Petra; road is the only way, by coach, private car, taxi or guided tour.
Tours built around the drive itself
From Amman: Private Day Trip to Petra with Pickup
Twelve hours, nothing bundled, and the two-tier gate spelled out.
From $125 per person
Check Availability
3-days private tour of Petra, Wadi Rum & Dead Sea from Amman
Three days you assemble yourself, grade by grade.
From $256 per person
Check AvailabilityWhat a day at the gate costs once you arrive is on visiting Petra, and which trails the extra King's Highway hours actually buy you is on Petra trails. Every guided day is on Petra Amman Tours.