Overnight trip to Petra

The biggest advice I can give you is to change your plans.

You have no idea as to the size and scale of Petra. You can't see much of Petra in just a few hours and the costs associated with the trip don't justify such a short visit. It is very large geographically and it's also highly vertical; meaning that in order to see the place properly you need to ascend and descend literally thousands of steps. It takes two full days to see Petra. You can only see a few highlights in one day, and your plan won't even give you that.

You won't qualify for a discounted rate under any circumstances. The regular price is 50JD for one day or 55JD for two days (either one of those is what you'll pay) there is a surcharge if you don't spend the night in Jordan. Rather than worry about how to prove it, just spend the night in Wadi Musa and take two days to explore Petra.

Once you cross the land border from Israel to Aqaba you can get a taxi on the Jordanian side directly to Wadi Musa. You can get a free visa on arrival.

Good luck.

Okay I will look into that possibility. But yes by discounted price I meant to not pay the 90JD.

I am happy to stay in Jordan for a night I just don't understand how I am supposed to prove it.

What is to stop everyone from just buying the three day pass for 60JD and saying they are staying overnight somewhere to avoid the 90JD one??

Do I need a hotel receipt? What if i find someone on CouchSurfing? What if I get a room on AirBnB?

Okay well what about this new tentative plan...

Early morning on the 3rd head to Petra. Spend day in Petra. Sleep nearby. Do Petra the next morning. Head to Aqaba in the evening. Sleep there. Head to Eilat the next day on the 5th.

Sound better?

Here's my other question...
If I was in Jerusalem on July 2nd, would it make more sense to sleep there and take the Allenby Bridge to Jordan in the morning and then head to Petra from there?

(versus my other plan of taking the overnight bus to Eilat and then heading from there in the morning)

As for how you proven you spent the night in Jordan; I believe the authorities are more concerned with the tour buses from Eilat that they know are people from Israel on day trips than they are with just normal people who wander up and buy a ticket. I was not asked to prove anything when I purchased my ticket, but I arrived when they opened at 6am and I guess they just figured I had to have spent the night there to be at the gate that early.

Your new plan sounds better.

No, it makes no sense to cross the Bridge and head south through Amman for several reasons. One is crossing the Bridge. That could take an hour or it could take eight hours. Next, visas are issued for free on arrival at the southern border crossing. They are not issued at all on the Jordanian side of the Bridge meaning you have to get one in advance and it will cost you. Next, the exit tax from Israel is more costly at the Bridge than it is at the southern border and lastly, although it doesn't seem like it, it simply takes longer to go to Petra via the Bridge and Amman than it does via Eilat.

Have fun.

Great. Thanks!

Thanks again also for your help earlier when I was planning to do Egypt. We agreed that it was just much too rushed so decided on Petra instead.

Cheers.

Sure.

I hope you guys have a great trip.

Let us know if we can offer any additional help.

Definitely spend as much time as you can in Petra. You'll need decent hiking boots, plenty of water, and a sense of adventure. It takes at least two whole days to see the main sites, another day or two to see the sites along Wadi Musa (nice Bedu showed us where there were still some remaining Egyptian style offering carvings high up on the wall of the wadi that's been blocked by recent rain & rock fall). There's also little Petra, but if you don't hire a car, you'll need to hire a taxi to get to it.

I was in Petra in October of last year. I twice bought a ticket at the discounted rate and neither time was asked for proof that I was staying in Wadi Musa. Also was two separate people who sold me the ticket.