Nowadays no matter how hide and far a place is located, if it´s beautiful it will be discovered, and people will visit it, that´s what happened with Petra. Although Petra in Jordan is one of the seven wonders, until not long ago, it was still a hidden gem, but its tourism is increasing a lot in the last years. It was unknown for a big portion of the world until probably 10/15 years ago. Later, social media started to show the beauty of the treasure of Petra and people decided go more. Luckily, although we went during the period of summer vacations, we still got to see Petra almost empty. But it´s getting really busy and that´s why we are going to tell you when is the best time to visit Petra in Jordan.
Best months to visit Petra Jordan
Although we got to visit Petra during summertime, we do not recommend it at all. We believe the best months to visit Petra are during spring and autumn.
If you visit Petra in the months of summer, you will suffer not just the 35º/40º degrees, but also a lot of tourists. Summer is for us the worst time to visit Petra. In wintertime it will be really cold and during Christmas you will also see a lot of tourists.
Meanwhile, if you decide to go in spring or autumn the temperatures are between 17º and 25º which is nice. Definitely that´s the best time to visit Petra.
Next you will find how is visiting Petra month by month:
Visiting Petra in December, January and February
If you decide to visit Petra in these months be well prepared with a big coat as the weather in Petra in January is the coldest of the whole year. If you are lucky you may find it with snow! It´s also the wettest season of the year.
A visit to Petra in May, April or March
It´s one of the best times to travel to Petra. It stops being cold (chilly at night) and everything starts getting more lush and green, which is beautiful. The only problem is that many people like to visit Petra during these months. But it´s still worth it.
Visiting Petra in June, July and August
As we said, for us these are the worst times to visit Petra. The wonder of the world is still getting a lot of tourists compared to other seasons, and the temperatures during summer in Petra are crazy. Jordan in July and August are extremely hot, it´s awful.
Visit Petra in September, October and November
By far this is for us the best time to visit Petra. Tourists are gone as in many places September is when people go back to work after vacations. Plus, the temperatures go down a little bit and is not as dry as the summer season.
Best time of day to visit Petra
On another note, you should also choose at what time of the day do you want to go to Petra as there are many options. You can decide to stay the whole day there from sunrise to sunset or even stay until night, but it may be a little bit painful. These are the best times of the day to visit Petra:
Wake up for sunrise in Petra
We know it´s hard to wake up at 05:00 in the morning, but sometimes it´s worth it. Of course, Petra is one of those cases. The sunrise in Petra is at 6Am, and that´s actually the same time they open the gates. As soon as you get inside skip the rest of the places and go to either the monastery or the treasure of Petra… you will have it all for yourself! If that´s not the best time to go to Petra, we don´t know what is.
Golden hour and sunset in Petra
Another really good option in case you couldn´t make it for sunrise is to go at sunset time. Of course, in a sunset in Petra you won’t have the advantage of having the place empty for yourself, but the colours on the sky will be worth it. The sunsets in Petra are nice but it´s important that you don´t miss the golden hour, as it´s at that time when the treasure has the best light and the red tone.
Petra by night is worth it
Those were the best times to visit Petra during the day, but what many people don´t know is that you can also go at night. Seeing Petra by night is totally worth it, as there is also a light show and the famous architecture gets outstanding.
Enjoy visiting Petra!!
Although we recommend you check out the weather in Petra and Jordan, always keep in mind that no matter when you go to Petra, you will love it! Hope you found this blog about “the best time to visit Petra in Jordan” useful. Enjoy your trip!!