Amman Airport (Queen Alia) to Petra

At a glance

Distance from the airport

About 210–235 km

Usual drive time

About 2.5 to 3.5 hours

Where the car stops

Your hotel in Wadi Musa, the town beside Petra

Usual road

The Desert Highway (the Kings' Highway is longer)

Distances and times are road estimates from public guides, shown as ranges. Traffic, the exact drop-off and the vehicle change them.

Drop-off in Wadi Musa

The car ends at the hotel door in Wadi Musa. Entry to the archaeological site, a guide, and the walk to the Treasury are separate from this ride.

Use this when the first night is in Wadi Musa. An Amman airport to Petra request on this page starts at Queen Alia and ends at that hotel. A transfer booked only into the city leaves you in Amman.

• How the Petra transfer works
• Choose the first drop-off
• Petra on arrival day
• Hotel or visitor center
• Petra and the Dead Sea separately

The drive from Queen Alia to Petra

Petra lies in the south of Jordan, and the nearest town is Wadi Musa. From Queen Alia the usual road is the Desert Highway. Jordan Tourism Board pages give about 209 km and around two and a half hours to the Petra Visitor Centre in Wadi Musa, and other pages give 200 to 235 km and up to three and a half hours. Allow the longer figure when you plan the day.

The Kings' Highway is the scenic alternative, but it is longer and slower, so it is not the default for an airport transfer.

Why sleep in Wadi Musa on the first night

Many travellers land, spend the first night in Amman and go south the next day. Others go straight to Wadi Musa. The second plan gives you a full morning at the site, because you wake up beside it instead of starting a three-hour drive. It suits a late or an early flight arrival where Amman would only be a pause.

If you plan to see Petra early, tell the hotel your arrival time. A car that reaches Wadi Musa in the evening leaves you rested for the walk through the Siq to the Treasury the next day.

What the ride does and does not include

The request is the car from Queen Alia to the hotel you name. Entry tickets to the archaeological site, a guide and the walk inside Petra are arranged separately. The visitor centre is not a hotel door, so give the hotel name or street address rather than the site entrance.

Planning the arrival time

Work back from your landing time. Add time for passport control and bags, then the drive of about two and a half to three and a half hours. If the sum puts you in Wadi Musa very late at night, tell the hotel in advance so a night reception is expecting you.

A stop on the way, such as a meal or a viewpoint, makes the day longer. Write the stop in the request so the driver and you agree before the car leaves the airport.

What to arrange besides the car

Entry to Petra is separate from this ride. Check the current ticket rules on the official Jordan Tourism and Jordan Pass pages before you travel, because prices and conditions are published there and can change. Decide whether you want a guide, and tell the hotel the morning you plan to walk in, so breakfast and wake-up are set.

A worked example: landing to Wadi Musa

Suppose the flight lands at 13:00. Passport control and baggage take about an hour, so the car leaves the airport near 14:00. At 2.5 to 3.5 hours on the road, you reach Wadi Musa between roughly 16:30 and 17:30, with time left to check in and walk the town before dinner. This is an example, not a promise: a late flight or a long stop moves every figure.

Luggage and comfort on a long drive

Three hours is a long time in a car with bags. Tell us how many large bags you carry and whether anyone travels with a child, so the vehicle is the right size for the people and the luggage. If you want a short rest stop, write it in the request.

What to send

The hotel name in Wadi Musa, the flight number, the date and landing time, the number of passengers and large bags, and any stop. Ask for the fare for the Petra route in the same message. The reply confirms whether the car is available.

What to send

Write the hotel name, the flight number, how many people, and how many large bags. A stop on the way belongs in the notes. Ask for the fare for the Petra route in the same message.