I flew to Amman and took a bus to Petra. Can't remember how long the ride was from Amman to Petra, though -- this was 17 years ago! EDIT: Looks like it's only 1.5 hours from Amman to Petra (http://wikitravel.org/en/Petra)
Yes I believe it is about 1.5 /2 hours to petra from Amman. You really should go there Petra really is amazing, I enjoyed it most of all the things I have seen in the middle east. If I where you you should stay in wadi Musa (the town next to petra) one night and go to petra early the next morning (it is on walking distance), you will get the best experience that way. Also it is nice to meet the people of Jordan, they are much nicer than most Egyptians i have met. In cairo the Citadel is nice to visit, and also the pyramids ofcourse. Like i said if you have time visit Saqqara and dashur (both some time by car from Giza). Then you have seen everything you want from the pyramids.
