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Tel Aviv to Eilat to Petra

Posted by (Atlanta) on

Will be in Israel the end of Jan '23 and the first week of Feb. with my friend Roger.

WE DO NOT WANT TO JOIN A TOUR.

Need some expert advice on how to get from Tel Aviv to Eilat, cross into Jordan, and then get to Petra.

We plan to spend 2-3 days in Petra, and then head back to Tel Aviv.

I've done some research and it looks like we could rent a car in Tel Aviv and safely park it at the Eilat border
crossing. This would be better than the 4 hour bus ride with over 40 stops?

Thanks in advance for pointing us in the right direction.

Posted by
15780 posts

I would only rent a car if I wanted to do some sightseeing for 1-3 days on the way there and/or back. Unless your Tel Aviv hotel has parking, you'll either rent the car in the morning (and get a late start) or rent it the evening before and have to find a place to park. Driving in Tel Aviv can be a terrible experience with lots of one-way streets and heavy traffic. According to google maps, it's less than an hour faster by car than bus. Though there are a lot of stops, the bus may not make them all - it depends on whether there's anyone getting on or off. The bus probably makes a pit stop for 15 minutes or so (maybe 2). I think you'd be spending a great deal of money to save a couple hours - if that, since you have to allow for time to rent and return the car and buy gas twice (1 tank won't get you there and back). If you do decide to drive, don't drive after dark - that's when most accidents happen and besides, some of the scenery is well worth enjoying. If you opt for the bus, book tickets in advance - they sell out.

Yes, parking at the border is safe.

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