Photos: Bethany Beach by Doug Olson, CC BY-SA 3.0, cropped; Petra by Yasir Gürbüz, Pexels License.
Bethany Beach or Petra?
Our verdict in twelve categories, each scored against the same fixed benchmark cities, and the climate month by month, so you can choose for your trip.
Choose Bethany Beach for
- beaches
- families
- day trips
What lies behind each score is written up on Bethany Beach’s own page.
Choose Petra for
- culture and sights
- nature and the outdoors
- prices
What lies behind each score is written up on Petra’s own page.
Scoreboard
Twelve categories on one fixed scale from 0 to 100. The shaded stretch is the gap between the two.
What lies behind each score is written up on the two cities’ own pages: Bethany Beach and Petra.
Your match
Pick a travel style or drag the sliders, and both match scores follow your weighting.
Wins on beaches and families with your weighting.
Wins on culture and sights and nature and the outdoors with your weighting.
What matters to you?
When should you go?
Pick your month. The climate figures are measured averages, not a forecast.
Bethany Beach in July
Petra in July
Daytime high, °C
Rainfall in the month, mm
Where the figures come from
Bethany Beach's temperatures are measured 45 km from the centre, at Salisbury / Quail Ridge.
Bethany Beach has no rain gauge within 25 km of the centre, so its rainfall comes from a gridded climate dataset read at the city rather than from a gauge further away.
Petra's temperatures are measured 34 km from the centre, at Ma'An.
Petra's station stands 219 m above the city centre, so the centre is likely a little warmer than the figures say.
Petra has no rain gauge within 25 km of the centre, so its rainfall comes from a gridded climate dataset read at the city rather than from a gauge further away.
Temperature and rainfall are climate normals, averaged over the years shown. Bethany Beach: 1991-2020 normals, Salisbury / Quail Ridge (44.9 km from centre). Petra: 1991-2020 normals, Ma'An (33.9 km from centre).
Before you go
| Measure | Bethany Beach | Petra |
|---|---|---|
| Official language | - | Arabic |
| Currency | US Dollar (USD) | Jordanian Dinar (JOD) |
| Sockets | AB120 V, 60 Hz | BCFGJ230 V, 50 Hz |
| Driving side | Right | Right |
| Time zone | UTC-5, UTC-4 in summer | UTC+3 |
| Emergency number | 911 | 911 |
| Elevation | 3 m | 850 m |
| Main airport | Salisbury Ocean City Wicomico Regional Airport (SBY)45 km from centre4 non-stop destinations | King Hussein International Airport (AQJ)90 km from centre5 non-stop destinations |
| Public holidays this year | 12 days | - |
By the numbers
| Measure | Bethany Beach | Petra |
|---|---|---|
| City population | 954 | - |
| People per km² | 318 | - |
| Museums within 10 km | 0 | 2 |
| UNESCO World Heritage sites within 50 km | 0 | 1 |
| Swim season, months above 21 °C | 3 months | - |
Where else could you go?
Every comparison below shares a destination with this one, so you can follow Bethany Beach or Petra somewhere new.