Petra by Night: The Candle-Lit Siq Experience
What Petra by Night actually involves — the candle-lit Siq, the Treasury plaza concert, the schedule, the cost and how to combine it with a daytime visit.
Petra by Night is the separately ticketed evening experience run by the Petra Development & Tourism Region Authority (PDTRA) on Monday, Wednesday and Thursday nights, starting at 20:30 from the Petra Visitor Centre at Wadi Musa. The Siq is lit by approximately 1,500 paper-bag candle luminaries spaced along the canyon floor, and the Treasury plaza becomes the setting for a 30-to-40-minute performance of traditional Bedouin music, storytelling, and tea-sharing under the stars. The experience lasts approximately two hours from gate to gate, is sold separately from the daytime ticket, and is one of the most-photographed evening events in the Middle East. It is also frequently misunderstood — visitors arrive expecting full access to the park, a multi-hour exploration, or a guided tour with detailed interpretation, and find a more contemplative, ceremonial experience instead. This guide sets honest expectations.
What Petra by Night Actually Is
Petra by Night is a guided, candle-lit walk through the Siq to the Treasury plaza, where visitors sit on the sandstone floor and watch a traditional Bedouin performance under the stars before walking back. The walk in from the Visitor Centre covers the same 2-kilometre route used for daytime entry, but at night, in silence, with the candles marking the path and the cliff walls rising into invisibility overhead. The atmosphere is intentionally meditative — guides ask visitors to keep talking to a minimum, phone screens dimmed, and flash photography off. The reveal of the Treasury at the end of the Siq, with the facade lit by hundreds of candles arranged in front of it, is the visual focal point of the experience, photographed by visitors but most rewarding when the camera is put away.
At the Treasury plaza, visitors sit on cushions or directly on the sand while Bedouin musicians perform on the rababah (a single-stringed instrument), oud (lute), and small hand drums. The performance is followed by traditional storytelling in Arabic with a short English summary, and sweet sage tea served to all attendees. The total time at the Treasury is approximately 40 minutes, after which visitors walk back through the Siq to the Visitor Centre. The full experience from gate to gate runs about two hours. It is not a substitute for a daytime visit and does not include the Royal Tombs, the Monastery, or any of the wider park — Petra by Night exists as an end-of-day cultural experience for visitors who have already spent at least one full day exploring the daytime park.
Schedule, Cost and How to Book
Petra by Night runs Monday, Wednesday and Thursday evenings year-round, weather permitting, starting at 20:30 from the Petra Visitor Centre. It is separately ticketed and not included in the standard 1-day, 2-day or 3-day Petra entry passes — it is a separately ticketed experience even for visitors with multi-day passes. Tickets can be purchased at the Petra Visitor Centre during the day, at most Wadi Musa hotels, or through tour operators in advance. PDTRA does not currently sell Petra by Night through the visitpetra.jo online portal as far as can be confirmed; same-day purchase at the Visitor Centre is the standard pattern. Petra Tickets does not currently sell Petra by Night admission; we recommend purchasing on the day of your visit at the Visitor Centre ticket office.
Sell-out conditions vary by season. In peak shoulder months (April, May, October, November), the Monday, Wednesday and Thursday evening events can reach capacity by late afternoon, particularly when the day's coach-group itineraries align. In off-peak months (December, January, February, June, July, August), capacity is rarely an issue. Cancellations due to weather are rare but happen — heavy rain, sandstorm, or unusual cold can cause PDTRA to cancel a particular night's event for safety, with refunds processed at the Visitor Centre. Children under 10 attend free; children 10–12 attend at a reduced rate. The event is unsuitable for children too young to sit quietly through the 40-minute performance; the Siq walk in both directions is also long for tired small children.
What to Bring and What to Wear
The Siq holds night-time cool year-round, and the Treasury plaza is exposed to the open sky — even in summer, the temperature at the plaza during the 40-minute performance can be 10–15°C below the day's peak. Bringing a warm layer is non-negotiable. In summer (June–August), a light fleece or windproof jacket is sufficient. In shoulder season (April–May, September–November), a warmer fleece or thin down jacket. In winter (December–February), a proper warm jacket, gloves, hat, and warm socks — the plaza floor draws heat from your body while you sit on it. A scarf is useful year-round for the cool walk back through the Siq after the performance ends.
Footwear should be comfortable walking shoes with good grip — the Siq floor is uneven sandstone and Nabataean paving stones, partially shadowed by the candle light, and slipping on the loose gravel sections is the most common minor injury at the event. Heels of any description are unsuitable. Bring a small daypack for water (the Treasury plaza does not sell drinks) and any layers you may need on the walk back. A small head-torch is useful for finding your way at the start and end of the event, though guides carry torches and the Siq is candle-lit throughout. Cameras are welcome; tripods are technically allowed but considered discourteous to other visitors during the performance, and flash photography is firmly discouraged.
Combining Petra by Night with a Daytime Visit
The strong recommendation is to schedule Petra by Night on a Monday, Wednesday or Thursday evening following a rest day rather than after a long Monastery climb day. The 06:00 first-entry daytime route, including the Monastery, is genuinely tiring — 12–14 km of walking, 800 rock-cut steps up and down, and the cumulative effect of desert sun and dry air. Stacking Petra by Night onto the same day means starting at 06:00 and walking back through the Siq at 22:30, which works for younger visitors but exhausts most. The cleaner pattern is a two-night Wadi Musa stay with the daytime visit on day one, a slow morning on day two, an afternoon at Little Petra or the Wadi Musa baths, and Petra by Night on the evening of day two before a Wadi Rum onward departure on day three.
Three-night stays add the obvious flexibility — daytime day one, a second daytime day with the High Place loop and Wadi Farasa, and Petra by Night on either the first or second evening depending on which is Mon/Wed/Thu. Visitors with only one night in Wadi Musa face a harder choice: prioritise the daytime visit and skip Petra by Night, since seeing Petra only at night without ever seeing it in daylight misses the point of the visit. If your single Wadi Musa night happens to fall on a Mon/Wed/Thu and you arrive with energy, the late-night option is fine — but daytime Petra is the experience that justifies the trip. The concierge can suggest itinerary timings to land your night-time visit on the right day of the week.
Honest Caveats and What Petra by Night Is Not
Petra by Night divides visitor opinion more sharply than the daytime park. Visitors who arrive expecting a guided tour with detailed historical interpretation are sometimes disappointed by the meditative-ceremonial register of the actual experience. Visitors who arrive expecting a romantic dinner or a private moment at the Treasury plaza find a crowd of 200–500 people sitting together on the sand. Visitors hoping to wander the broader park at night discover that the route is restricted to the Visitor Centre, the Siq, and the Treasury plaza — no Royal Tombs, no Monastery, no Theatre. The experience works best for visitors who understand it as a cultural-immersion event rather than a structural exploration of the site.
The reverse is also true: visitors who arrive understanding what the event is — a contemplative candle-lit walk and a Bedouin cultural performance — frequently describe Petra by Night as the most memorable hour of their entire Jordan trip. The Siq at night, with candle flame reflecting off the sandstone, the silence broken only by the soft crunch of feet on gravel, and the Treasury revealed by candle-light rather than morning sun, is genuinely unlike any other heritage experience in the region. It is not a substitute for daytime Petra, it is not a guided history tour, and it is not a private experience. It is exactly what its name implies: Petra by Night. With the right expectations, it earns its place on a two-or-three-night Wadi Musa itinerary.
Frequently asked
What is Petra by Night?
A separately ticketed evening experience: a candle-lit walk through the Siq to the Treasury plaza, where visitors sit on cushions or the sand to watch a 30–40 minute Bedouin music and storytelling performance before walking back. Total duration approximately 2 hours from gate to gate.
When does Petra by Night run?
Monday, Wednesday and Thursday evenings year-round, weather permitting, starting at 20:30 from the Petra Visitor Centre. The schedule is set by PDTRA; nights are occasionally cancelled in heavy rain or sandstorm conditions.
How much does Petra by Night cost?
It is separately ticketed at current PDTRA pricing and not included in standard 1-day, 2-day or 3-day Petra entry passes — a separately ticketed experience even for visitors with multi-day passes. Children under 10 attend free; children 10–12 at a reduced rate.
Where do I buy Petra by Night tickets?
At the Petra Visitor Centre ticket office during the day, at most Wadi Musa hotels, or through tour operators in advance. Petra Tickets does not currently sell Petra by Night admission; we recommend purchasing on the day of your visit at the Visitor Centre.
Is Petra by Night included in the Jordan Pass?
No. The Jordan Pass covers daytime Petra entry for 1, 2 or 3 days plus 40+ other Jordanian sites, but Petra by Night is a separately ticketed evening event. You need to buy Petra by Night admission separately on top of your Jordan Pass.
What should I wear to Petra by Night?
Warm layers — the Siq holds night-time cool year-round, and the Treasury plaza is open to the sky. In summer a fleece is sufficient; in winter a proper warm jacket, gloves and warm socks. Comfortable walking shoes with grip; no heels. A scarf for the walk back.
Is Petra by Night suitable for children?
For children old enough to sit quietly through a 40-minute performance and walk 4 km in total at night, yes. For toddlers and tired small children, no — the late timing, the long walk and the seated performance are unsuitable. Children under 10 attend free; the event ends close to 22:30.
Can I take photos at Petra by Night?
Yes — cameras are welcome. Flash photography is firmly discouraged out of respect for other visitors and the candle-lit atmosphere. Tripods are technically allowed but considered discourteous during the performance. The candle-lit Treasury photographs work well at relatively long exposures.
Does Petra by Night include the Monastery or Royal Tombs?
No. The route is restricted to the Visitor Centre, the Siq and the Treasury plaza. The Monastery, the Royal Tombs, the High Place of Sacrifice and the wider park are not accessible after dark. Petra by Night is not a substitute for a daytime visit.
How crowded is Petra by Night?
Capacity varies by season — typically 200–500 visitors per evening. The Siq holds the group comfortably during the walk, but the Treasury plaza is densely seated during the performance. The atmosphere remains contemplative because guides ask for quiet, but it is not a private experience.