Guide

Jordan Pass and Petra Tickets: What the Price Covers

2026-10-16 · TourFax editorial team

Jordan Pass and Petra Tickets: What the Price Covers

Photo: Esin Üstün from Istanbul, Turkey (CC BY 2.0)

Jordan is one of the few destinations where a single purchase before departure settles three separate costs: the entry visa, the Petra ticket and most other site entries. The Jordan Pass bundles them for 70 to 80 JOD, and for anyone sleeping at least two nights in the country it is almost always cheaper than paying at each gate. This note sets out what the pass covers, what Petra costs without it, the two time limits that catch people out, and how it interacts with a package tour that may already include the ticket. Figures come from jordanpass.jo, visitpetra.jo and the UK government's entry-requirements page, checked October 10, 2026.

The three Jordan Pass tiers differ only in Petra days

The official prices page lists three packages, checked October 10, 2026: Jordan Wanderer at 70 JOD with one day in Petra, Jordan Explorer at 75 JOD with two consecutive days, and Jordan Expert at 80 JOD with three consecutive days.

Everything else is identical. All three include the tourist entry visa fee and what the site calls free entry to over 40 attractions. Petra, Jerash and Wadi Rum are named on the included-attractions page; the full list sits behind a separate link.

The 5 JOD step between tiers is small against the cost of a second Petra day bought at the gate, so the real question is how many nights your itinerary actually places you in Wadi Musa. Check the day-by-day with the itinerary reading guide before choosing a tier.

Without the pass, Petra alone costs 50 to 90 JOD

visitpetra.jo publishes the daytime fees, checked October 10, 2026: 50 JOD for one day, 55 JOD for two days and 60 JOD for three days, for visitors who stay at least one night in Jordan.

Visitors who do not stay overnight in the country, which in practice means cruise passengers and day-trippers crossing from Eilat, pay 90 JOD for a one-day visit. Children under 12 enter free during the day.

Add the 40 JOD single-entry visa quoted in the Jordan Pass FAQ and the arithmetic, which is ours, is simple:

  • One day in Petra, paid separately: 40 JOD visa + 50 JOD ticket = 90 JOD. The Wanderer pass is 70 JOD.
  • Two days in Petra, paid separately: 40 JOD + 55 JOD = 95 JOD. The Explorer pass is 75 JOD.
  • Three days in Petra, paid separately: 40 JOD + 60 JOD = 100 JOD. The Expert pass is 80 JOD.
  • Day-tripper not sleeping in Jordan: 90 JOD for Petra alone, and the pass does not waive the visa for you anyway.

Two time limits decide whether the visa waiver applies

The first is a minimum stay. The FAQ says the pass only waives the visa fee if you stay a minimum of two whole nights, which it describes as three days, and only if you buy before arriving in Jordan. The UK government page phrases the same rule as at least three nights. Plan to the stricter reading.

The second is validity. The FAQ states the pass is valid for use within three months following the date of purchase, and that it expires one month after its first scan at a tourist site. Buying it the day a package is confirmed, six months out, wastes the money.

The waiver covers a single-entry visa only. Anyone crossing to Israel or the West Bank mid-trip and returning needs a multiple-entry visa from an embassy in advance, per the UK page.

Where the pass works at the border, and where it does not

  • Queen Alia airport, Amman: visa on arrival is issued, and the pass waives the fee for eligible holders. This is how most package arrivals work.
  • Aqaba airport: the FAQ says non-restricted nationalities need no visa at all when arriving here, so the waiver is irrelevant; the site entries still count.
  • Sheikh Hussein (Jordan River) crossing: visa on arrival available, pass accepted.
  • Wadi Araba (Eilat to Aqaba): visa on arrival only for eligible Jordan Pass holders staying at least two nights.
  • King Hussein / Allenby bridge: no visa on arrival for anyone, pass or not. A visa must be obtained beforehand.

Leaving by land costs 10 JOD per person in cash, per the UK page. The cards, cash and tipping guide covers why small dinar notes matter on a Jordan circuit.

What the pass leaves out

  • Petra by Night. The FAQ is explicit that it is not included in any package. It needs its own ticket plus a valid daytime ticket, and children under 10 are free. The price was not shown on the pages we could read.
  • Anything inside Wadi Rum beyond the gate. The protected-area entry is covered; the jeep tour, the camel ride and the camp night are commercial services priced separately.
  • Guides, horses and donkeys at Petra. The horse ride down the first stretch is advertised as included in the ticket but a tip is expected; guides are extra.
  • The Dead Sea. Resort day passes are private, not site entries.
  • A second visa. Re-entry after a side trip to Israel or the West Bank is not covered.

Petra's opening hours set the shape of the day

visitpetra.jo gives summer hours of 06:00 to 18:00 from March 2 to October 1, 2026, and winter hours of 06:30 to 17:00 from October 2, 2026 to March 1, 2027. The Little Petra ticket office runs 07:00 to 16:00 in summer and 07:00 to 14:00 in winter. Last-entry times are not published.

That matters for the Monastery. It sits roughly an hour's uphill walk beyond the Treasury, and a group that enters at 09:00 after a hotel breakfast has far less margin in winter than in summer. Packages that schedule a single Petra day in December are relying on a brisk pace.

The two-day Explorer tier exists for this reason: day one for the Siq and the Treasury, day two for the Monastery. Add-ons such as Petra by Night belong in the optional-excursions total.

What a package usually includes already

Our destination checklist notes that Jordan packages often include the Jordan Pass or the site entries it replaces. The word often is doing work there. Operators handle it three ways, and the listing rarely says which.

  • The operator buys the Jordan Pass for you. Best case: visa and sites covered, nothing to do at the airport but queue.
  • The operator supplies Petra tickets only. You still pay the 40 JOD visa on arrival. If you are staying two nights or more, buying your own pass would duplicate the Petra ticket, so ask whether the operator can credit it.
  • Entries are excluded. The itinerary says entrance fees not included. Buy the pass yourself, inside the three-month window.

Ask one question in writing before paying the balance: does the price include the Jordan Pass, Petra tickets only, or neither? Small-group operators such as G Adventures and Intrepid publish an inclusions list per trip; marketplaces such as TourRadar repeat whatever the operator supplied, so check the source listing.

If two Jordan itineraries look identical in price and one includes the pass, that is a 70 to 80 JOD difference per person hidden in a footnote. The two-itineraries comparison method shows how to line those footnotes up.

Petra and Wadi Rum package checklist

Bottom line

Staying two nights or more and visiting Petra? Buy the Jordan Pass before you fly, inside three months of arrival, and pick the tier that matches your Petra days. It saves 20 JOD per adult at minimum and removes the visa queue payment.

On a package, confirm in writing whether the operator already provides it. Entering via Allenby, or planning a side trip to Israel? The pass does not solve your visa; an embassy does. And budget Petra by Night separately; it is never included.

Frequently asked questions

Is the Jordan Pass worth it if I only stay one night?

Not for the visa. The FAQ requires a minimum of two whole nights for the waiver, so a one-night visitor pays the 40 JOD visa regardless. The pass would then cost 70 JOD against a 50 JOD one-day Petra ticket; only buy it if you will also visit several other covered sites.

Does the Jordan Pass include Petra by Night?

No. The official FAQ states it is not included in any of the packages. It is a separate ticket, requires a valid daytime ticket, and runs on set evenings. Ask the operator or hotel for the current price and schedule, as the pages we checked on October 10, 2026 did not publish one.

Can I buy the Jordan Pass at the airport when I land?

You can buy it online at any time, but the visa waiver only applies if the pass was bought before arrival, per the FAQ. Buying it in the arrivals hall on your phone is a grey area; buy it at home, within three months of the trip, and keep the PDF offline.

Sources checked

  • Jordan Pass prices page and FAQ, jordanpass.jo, checked October 10, 2026 (tier prices, 40 JOD visa, two-night rule, three-month validity, Petra by Night exclusion, border list).
  • Visit Petra fees and opening-hours pages, visitpetra.jo, checked October 10, 2026 (50, 55, 60 and 90 JOD tickets; 2026 to 2027 seasonal hours).
  • UK government foreign travel advice for Jordan, entry requirements, checked October 10, 2026 (three-night wording, Allenby rule, 10 JOD land departure tax, six-month passport validity).
  • Not readable on October 10, 2026: the Jordan Pass full included-attractions list and the Petra by Night price. Check the official sites before travelling.

Sources