5 Top-Rated Tourist Attractions in Jordan With Itinerary

We spent 7 days road-tripping through Jordan: the desert camp of Wadi Rum, the ancient city of Petra, the mosaics of Madaba, the capital Amman, and the Roman ruins of Jerash. The Jordan Pass covered our entry visa and admission to every major site, and the trip cost our family of 4 947 JOD (about 1,339 USD at 2018 rates). Here is our itinerary, our budget, and the attractions we’d recommend first.

Most people think of Jordan as a single site: Petra. That would be a shame — beyond Petra, the country is very safe, its population is welcoming, and it is full of cultural history and spectacular natural beauty.

The Top-Rated Attractions in Jordan

Wadi Rum

After arriving in Wadi Rum Village, where our Bedouin host awaited us, we immediately set off in a Jeep to reach the camp. There we were welcomed with a hearty meal and a beautiful starry sky. The next day we went on a 6-hour excursion by Jeep through the desert. We felt like we were on another planet — the landscapes of Wadi Rum are enchanting and will always stay etched in our memories. This region topped our list of highlights, above Petra.

Petra

We traced the steps of Indiana Jones and the Transformers in Jordan’s most touristic region: Petra, the mythical, otherworldly place where the Nabateans once prospered. The site, with its buildings carved directly into the rock, is colossal and would take at least a week to explore fully. We chose to do it in two days and only saw the main attractions. We spent two nights in a rustic tent on the terrace of a building in a Bedouin village overlooking the Petra valley, and a third night under the stars, Bedouin-style.

Madaba

Madaba is the town of mosaics and Moses, the famous prophet of Law. It’s on Mount Nebo that God showed Moses the Promised Land, onto which he never set foot. In the neighboring town of Madaba, in the Orthodox Church of St. George, we saw a masterpiece of the Byzantine era: a mosaic depicting an incredibly precise cartography of the Holy Land, with 157 towns and villages spanning from Lebanon to the Nile Delta and from the Mediterranean eastward, originally measuring 21 by 7 meters. Madaba is also home to the Shrine of St. John the Baptist, said to be the oldest church to have held services without interruption to the present day — fitting, since John the Baptist lived and died in the region.

Amman

Amman, the capital of Jordan, is one of the most dynamic cities in the Arab world and one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the region. It appears in the Bible under the name Rabbath-Ammon, capital of the Ammonites, and was called Philadelphia in Roman times. At the top of the hill, the Citadel of Amman holds the Temple of Hercules, built during the Roman era.

Jerash

Jerash is a small town with an impressive archaeological site, considered the largest and best-preserved Roman site outside of Italy. With its temples, Roman theaters and countless columns, it’s known as the “Pompeii of the Middle East.”

How to Plan a Trip to Jordan

Itinerary: From Aqaba to Jerash

Our trip started in Aqaba, in the south of the country, after crossing the border on foot from Eilat, Israel. We rented two cars in Aqaba to reach Wadi Rum for the night, then drove to Petra, where we spent three days before parting ways with our friends, who returned to Tel Aviv to catch a flight. We continued north, where Madaba, Amman and Jerash were waiting.

1. Petra
2. Wadi Rum
3. Jerash
4. Amman Citadelle
5. Church of Saint George, Madaba
6. Mount Nebo

Accommodation

Our 4 nights in Wadi Rum and Petra with our friends from Quebec were fabulous — we slept in tents or under the stars, Bedouin-style. It was rustic but well organized, and a lot of fun. In Amman, we rented an apartment for 3 nights to reconnect with everyday comforts.

Getting Around Jordan by Car

We rented a small Kia Picanto in Aqaba and dropped it off at Amman airport when we flew out of Jordan. We’d been warned about the driving in Jordan, and after that experience I feel like I could drive anywhere in the world — though driving in Jordan is a breeze compared to driving in Lebanon.

What to Eat in Jordan

Jordanian gastronomy is strongly influenced by the cuisine of its Lebanese and Turkish neighbors, with shawarma, hummus and meat dishes featuring mutton, chicken and lamb. Bedouin food was no exception, and the tea they served was delicious.

How Much Does a Week in Jordan Cost?

The Jordan Pass cost us 80 JOD (113.15 USD) per adult, but it actually saved us money: besides giving us a free entry visa to Jordan, it covered Wadi Rum and the archaeological sites of Petra, Madaba, Amman and Jerash at no extra cost.

The price of our trip to Jordan for our family of 4 worked out to:

• 947 JOD (1,339 USD);
• 135.28 JOD (191.34 USD) per day;
• 33.82 JOD (47.83 USD) per person per day.

Amounts were paid in Jordanian dinars. US-dollar equivalents use the average exchange rate during our trip (October 11 – 17, 2018): 1 USD = 0.71 JOD.

In detail :

Expense Category	Amount Spent
Visa	160 JOD (226 USD)
Accommodation	148 JOD (209 USD)
Transport (including gas)	228 JOD (322 USD)
Eating out	103 JOD (146 USD)
Groceries	61 JOD (86 USD)
Activities	15 JOD (21 USD)
Total	947 JOD (1,339 USD)

Conclusion

We had an extraordinary time in Jordan. The places we visited amazed us not just for the beauty of their landscapes but for the fascinating cultural history behind them. Jordanians, and the Bedouin in particular, are extremely welcoming, which contributed greatly to our experience. After leaving Jordan, we set our sights on the United Arab Emirates.