Jordan

Jordan, in a few days

From Amman and Jerash to the Dead Sea by way of Petra and Wadi Rum: the map, what is worth booking, everything that costs nothing, and where to sleep at three budgets.

Day by day

1

Amman & Jerash

Days 1-2

A capital spread over hills, built on Roman Philadelphia. The citadel and the theatre sit in the middle of town, and Greco-Roman Jerash is an hour north.

🎟️ Worth booking

• Ancient Jerash, guidedHalf day · from €35
  Half a day in one of the best preserved Roman provincial cities anywhere: colonnaded street, oval forum and two theatres.
• Amman food tour3h · from €30
  Three hours downtown, from the falafel counters to the sweet shops, with the knife-sharp tea in between.

✦ Free to visit

• The Amman citadel
• The Roman theatre
• The downtown souk
• Rainbow Street

🛏️ Where to sleep · Budget: Jordan Tower Hotel ↗ (€35 a night) · Mid-range: Toledo Hotel Amman ↗ (€70 a night) · Luxury: Four Seasons Amman ↗ (€300 a night) · All places to stay by budget →

📲 Book things to do in Amman & Jerash on GetYourGuide

2

Petra

Days 3-4 · 🚗 Car 3h

A Nabataean city cut into rose sandstone from the fourth century BC, UNESCO-listed since 1985. The Treasury waits at the end of the Siq.

🎟️ Worth booking

• Petra: a full day with a guideFull day · from €75
  The Siq, the Treasury, the royal tombs and the climb to the Monastery, which is eight hundred steps up.
• Petra by Night2h · from €25
  Two hours walking the Siq by candle, three evenings a week, ending in front of the Treasury with Bedouin music.

✦ Free to visit

• The Treasury (Al-Khazneh)
• The Monastery (Ad-Deir)
• The Siq
• The royal tombs

🛏️ Where to sleep · Budget: Valentine Inn ↗ (€25 a night) · Mid-range: Petra Moon Hotel ↗ (€75 a night) · Luxury: Mövenpick Petra ↗ (€260 a night) · All places to stay by budget →

📲 Book things to do in Petra on GetYourGuide

3

Wadi Rum

Days 5-6 · 🚗 Car 1h30

Sandstone and granite desert, where Lawrence of Arabia fought and later wrote about it. Bedouin camps put you under the stars.

🎟️ Worth booking

• Desert 4x4 and a night in campFull day and night · from €85
  An afternoon crossing the dunes and rock bridges, then dinner cooked in the sand and a night at a Bedouin camp.
• Hot-air balloon at first light1h · from €170
  An hour above Wadi Rum as the sun comes over the ridge and the sand turns properly red.

✦ Free to visit

• The red dunes
• The rock arches
• A night under the stars
• The petroglyphs

🛏️ Where to sleep · Budget: Rum Planet Camp ↗ (€45 a night) · Mid-range: Mazayen Rum Camp ↗ (€85 a night) · Luxury: Memories Aicha Luxury Camp ↗ (€280 a night) · All places to stay by budget →

📲 Book things to do in Wadi Rum on GetYourGuide

4

The Dead Sea

Day 7 · 🚗 Car 4h

The lowest point on the surface of the earth, 430 m below sea level. The water is salt enough to float you, and the mud is sold worldwide.

🎟️ Worth booking

• Spa and mud bathsHalf day · from €45
  Half a day of black mineral mud, a salt float and a long freshwater shower afterwards, which you will want.

✦ Free to visit

• Floating in the salt water
• The mineral mud
• The sunsets
• The viewpoints

🛏️ Where to sleep · Mid-range: Dead Sea Spa Hotel ↗ (€145 a night) · Luxury: Kempinski Ishtar ↗ (€340 a night) · All places to stay by budget →

📲 Book things to do in The Dead Sea on GetYourGuide

Worth sorting before you go

A car, or a driver · The King's Highway is a driving road. Hire a car, or hire a driver and watch the country go by instead.

📶 eSIM data
Online the moment you land, no roaming bill.
Get one · Holafly

🛡️ Travel insurance
Health, luggage, cancellation.
Cover it · Ekta

🚗 Car hire
Compare the agencies before you land.
Compare · Booking

💳 Fee-free card
Pay at the real rate, with no exchange markup.
Open one · Revolut

🚐 Airport transfer
A private car at a fixed price from the moment you land.
Book it · GetTransfer

Some links are partner links: we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you.

Flavours & local habits

🍽️ Worth tasting

• Mansaf: lamb with rice and fermented yoghurt, the national dish.
• Falafel and hummus, eaten from morning to night.
• Maqluba: rice, chicken and vegetables turned out upside down at the table.
• Kunafa: hot stretchy cheese under shredded pastry and syrup.
• Tea with sage, or tea with mint.

⚠️ Best avoided

• Buy the Jordan Pass before you land: it covers the visa and Petra entry.
• Haggle calmly, and turn down guides who attach themselves to you at the gate.
• Cover shoulders and knees at religious sites.
• Bottled water, and more of it than you think in the desert.

Words that help

English ↔ Arabic

✈️ Flight delayed by 3 hours or more, or cancelled? You may be owed up to €600. Check your flight on AirHelp.

The practical page

Scan to open this guide online, always up to date.
https://offwegooo.com/en/guides/jordan

Packing checklist

Have a good trip.
Guide made on offwegooo.com · Photos via Pexels · Details are indicative, check before you leave.