Entry Fees Decoded
Petra Ticket Prices and the Jordan Pass
Petra's fees look random until you know the one rule behind them: overnight visitors pay far less than day-trippers. Here's the breakdown, the penalty, and when the Jordan Pass wins.
Book your Petra tour ↗What Petra Actually Costs
Petra's entry fee turns on one question immigration checks at the border: did you spend at least one night in Jordan? For overnight visitors — the vast majority of tourists — a one-day pass costs 50 JOD, a two-day pass 55 JOD, and a three-day pass 60 JOD, as of 2026 (confirm current rates at the official petrapass.pdtra.gov.jo site before you travel, since fees do get revised). Multi-day tickets must be used on consecutive days; you can't split a three-day pass across a week apart. Buy online in advance or at the Petra Visitor Centre in Wadi Musa on the day itself. Children under 12 enter free during daylight hours. These overnight rates are the numbers most travel guides quote — and the reason some travelers are shocked when they price it elsewhere and see something much higher.
Petra entry fees by visitor type (2026, JOD — reconfirm before booking)
| Ticket type | Overnight visitor | Same-day (no overnight stay) |
|---|---|---|
| 1-day | 50 JOD | 90 JOD |
| 2-day | 55 JOD | not applicable |
| 3-day | 60 JOD | not applicable |
The 90 JOD Penalty: Why Petra Feels So Expensive
Here's the figure that actually answers "why is Petra so expensive": a visitor who enters Jordan and leaves the same day, without sleeping a single night in the country, pays 90 JOD for Petra — not 50. That's not a random markup; it targets day-trippers crossing from Eilat, Israel, via the Wadi Araba border, spending a few hours at Petra, and exiting the same afternoon. Jordan's tourism authority wants visitors to stay, spend on hotels and other sites, and treat Petra as part of a longer trip, not a rushed excursion. Immigration checks your passport's entry and exit stamps to determine status — spending a night anywhere in Jordan counts, not just near Petra. Travelers who paid the 90 JOD rate and then unexpectedly stayed overnight have reported being able to claim back the difference the next day, but confirm current procedure at the Visitor Centre rather than assuming it.
The Jordan Pass: What It Actually Bundles
The Jordan Pass is a single prepaid package sold by the Jordanian government that bundles three things: a Petra ticket, a waiver of the standard Jordan tourist visa fee (worth 40 JOD), and free entry to more than 40 other attractions nationwide, including Wadi Rum, Jerash, Ajloun Castle, Umm Qais, and the Amman Citadel. You buy it online before arrival at jordanpass.org and receive a QR code scanned on entry and at each site. Because the visa fee is folded into the price, comparing the Pass's sticker price directly to a standalone Petra ticket is misleading — subtract the 40 JOD visa waiver first to see what you're actually paying for Petra plus 40-odd extra sites, which is the real comparison that matters.
The Three Tiers and the Real Math
As of 2026, the tiers are Jordan Wanderer (one Petra day) at 70 JOD, Jordan Explorer (two Petra days, the most popular option) at 75 JOD, and Jordan Expert (three Petra days) at 80 JOD — verify current pricing at jordanpass.org before buying, since rates are periodically revised. Subtract the 40 JOD visa waiver built into each tier and the real cost of the attractions comes to roughly 30, 35, and 40 JOD respectively — cheaper than a standalone one-day Petra ticket (50 JOD) plus a separate visa, before counting the 40-plus extra sites included. For anyone visiting more than Petra alone, or anyone who'd otherwise pay for a visa on arrival, the Pass beats buying separately by a wide margin.
The Catch: You Need Three Nights in Jordan
One condition trips people up: the visa fee waiver only applies if you stay at least three nights (four days) in Jordan. Multiple current sources confirm the three-night threshold, though it's worth reconfirming at jordanpass.org, since this is a Jordanian Border Police rule rather than a marketing detail and can be updated. Stay fewer than three nights and you still get Petra entry and the 40-plus attractions, but you'll be charged the standard visa fee separately on arrival — the Pass doesn't refund or discount in that case. In practice this rewards exactly the kind of trip Jordan wants: a proper multi-day itinerary rather than a Petra-and-out day trip, which is the same logic behind the same-day entry penalty above.
Buying Your Ticket: Practical Notes
A few operational details worth knowing before you go: the Petra Visitor Centre in Wadi Musa opens early, with queues forming before 6am; buy tickets online in advance where possible to skip the line. Multi-day tickets and Jordan Pass Petra-day allowances must be used on consecutive calendar days, not spread out, so plan your itinerary before committing to a two- or three-day pass. Children under 12 enter free during daylight hours. E-tickets are typically valid for several months after issue, which helps if your travel dates shift. Because prices, minimum-stay rules, and included-attraction lists all get revised periodically, treat every figure here as a 2026 snapshot and reconfirm exact numbers at petrapass.pdtra.gov.jo or jordanpass.org before you book or travel.