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Perfect for those looking to hit the must-see sights of Jordan, this 7 day self-drive trip will highlight the best Jordan has to offer. Option to add or remove a day, without missing any locations.
Jordan has become an increasingly popular travel destination in recent years – earning itself a reputation as a safe haven in a tempestuous part of the world. We’ve had it on our bucket list for a while – longing to discover what more there is beyond Petra. Our 1 week trip (easily adjustable +/- a day) gave us a great taste of a welcoming country and culture that will bring us back one day without doubt
Highlights
- Downtown Amman
- Amman Citadel, Roman Theatre
- Jerash
- Petra
- Wadi Rum Desert
- Dead Sea
Itinerary Summary
Amman – Jerash – Wadi Musa (Petra) – Wadi Rum – Dead Sea – Amman
Detailed Itinerary
Day 1 – Amman
Downtown Amman, Markets, The Citadel, Temple of Hercules, Roman Theatre. Driving time: 15 mins
Arrival
Our flight arrived around midnight, so we pre-arranged a shuttle with our hotel to pick us up, this avoided having to collect a rental car in the middle of the night. Most hotels will offer a shuttle for a few JD, or there are official taxis at the airport – be sure to agree on a fixed rate before starting the trip. Amman is ~50 mins away from the airport, so unless you collect your car when arriving at the airport, choose a rental pickup in the city. We stayed at the Intercontinental Amman for a total of 3 nights including the night we landed. We had our rental car dropped off at the hotel in the morning of the first day.
Downtown Amman
That morning we drove to the Amman Citadel and the Temple of Hercules, free parking is available at the Citadel entrance. Allow 1-2 hours here, more if you want to explore all the grounds including the chapel and other sites. We found visitors came in waves, so some patience by the Temple of Hercules and you can enjoy a photo with nobody else in it.
Next we did a free walking tour in downtown Amman with GuruWalk, which we highly recommend (note tips are expected). We find walking tours a great way to orient yourself in a new city on the first day. Our guide was an expert on Amman and wider areas of Jordan – he recommended some interesting driving routes in the North of Jordan. There secure is parking across from the walking tour start location for 2JD for the day, meaning we could do other activities on foot without moving the car.
Tip: see useful information at the end of the post for where to park downtown
For lunch we recommend the must-see restaurant for visitors: Hashem Restaurant and while the food was equally as good as many other places, it’s the price that set it apart – 2JD for two people – hummus, bread, falafel, salad, tea. During busy times it appears chaotic due to customer turnover – but there are multiple places to sit – upstairs inside the main building, and an upper level outdoor courtyard area opposite.
In the afternoon we walked to the Roman Theatre, included in the Jordan Pass (they don’t seem to stamp or scan the passes here, so we visited again on our last night to watch the sunset). At the Theatre – stop in the court area and look behind you for some of the beautiful murals that are dotted throughout Amman.
Day 2 – Jerash & North
Ajloun Forest Reserve, Ajloun Castle, City of Jerash, including Arch of Hadrian, Southern Theatre, The Cathedral, Oval Plaza, Temple of Artemis, Temple of Zeus. Driving time: 1 hr 30 mins
We set off early for Jerash before the groups arrived, the drive from Amman is only about 45 mins and there are several small towns on route selling plants, ornaments, and other crafts.
City of Jerash
Jerash is included with the Jordan Pass. Once ‘inside’ the city of Jerash, it’s a short walk between each site – we started with the Arch of Hadrian which you pass through to enter, then zig zagged to the end of Cardo Maximus (the main road). Most visitors tend to walk along this main avenue, but you can use the many paths leading from site to site and enjoy a quieter experience. At the Temple of Armitis we talked to a vendor who took us inside the temple – showing the underground natural cold cellar and other hidden areas. He gave us some great insight on the temple’s construction and re-discovery in recent times.
Ajloun Castle
15 mins West of Jerash is Ajloun Castle – worth a stop (included in Jordan Pass), the castle sits at the edge of the Ajloun Forest Reserve, which has camping, hiking trails, and new developments including a visitor center, a soap store, biscuit house (it’s what it sounds like!), and ziplining. We got a tour of the building and picked up a box of Jordanian biscuits – delicious cookies, handmade by the local woman. We couldn’t do the hiking trails – they were closed due to inclement weather (snow and hail!) but we walked around the trails of the visitor center and the cabins, these new cabins in the forest looked like they would be a great stay, and would be on our list if we find ourselves back in Jordan.
Tip: See our packing list for what to bring for Jordan’s climate
Day 3 – Wadi Musa
Amman to Wadi Musa (Petra) via stops on the Kings Highway. Driving time: 4-8 hours (depending on your stops)
There are three main highways in Jordan running North to South – the Jordan Valley Highway, the Kings Highway, and the Desert Highway. The Desert Highway is the newest and fastest (110km/h) but offers little in the way of sights. The Kings Highway is full of stops – from towns, castles, scenic lookouts and national parks. If driving from North to South – take the Kings highway (middle one) then loop back on the Jordan Valley Highway if you are visiting the Dead Sea, or do this in reverse.
The Kings Highway Stops
Mount Nebo is a short detour from the route to Madaba – and although entry to the Church is not included in the Jordan pass (4JD) you can park to enjoy the view and soak in the cultural significance for free.
Madaba is half way between Amman and Umm ar-Rasas, we stopped here to see St. George’s Church. It’s included in the Jordan Pass, and was under restorations when we visited – the church has an ornate mosaic floor but this that paled in comparison to the one recently excavated at Umm ar-Rasas.
Umm ar-Rasas according to some locals, is not frequently visited – which is a shame as it has a brand new entrance visitor center, and structure built over an excavated mosaic floor. Included in Jordan Pass.
Al Lahun is a lookout over a expansive canyon vista, slightly off the main road – worth the stop and offers some great pictures – we were the only people in sight.
Wadi Mujib viewpoint is few minutes down the road from Al Lahun, on the opposite side of the canyon (so the lighting will be better from one side, depending on the time of day) but it’s on the main road, so has many cars and busses at most times.
Karak Castle and Shobak Castle close earlier than we’d expected, so be sure to allow enough time when leaving Amman if you want to see them both, or just pick one.
Wadi Musa
After many stops, we arrived early evening, and went right to to the famous Petra Cave Bar – located in the Petra Guest House hotel (this was a great looking hotel if you want to be right next to the Petra entrance – just be prepared to pay for the location, however). To access by car – you can pull up to the barrier at the entrance and tell them you going to the bar, parking is free there. On foot you just walk in – the bar is accessed from the courtyard area of the hotel. The bar is beautiful inside – living up to it’s namesake with divided ‘nooks’ carved into the walls for couples seating, Sam sampled the cocktail menu – ‘One Night in Petra’ comes recommended. A curious thing is cocktails in Jordan seem to cost the same as a light beer on menus.
Day 4 – Petra
Full day in Petra. Driving time: ~0
We stayed two nights in Wadi Musa. As we had a car, our hotel – the brand new Petra Elite – was 5 minutes away from the Petra entrance in Wadi Musa town (most visitors without a car prefer to stay as close to the entrance as possible). The hotel was only open for 4 months, and everything was shiny and new – this was a great stay that we’d recommend. Note they did not having a restaurant nor serve any alcohol on the premises.
The Long Hike
Petra is an amazing place. If you didn’t know already – it is much more than just the infamous rock sculpture known as ‘The Treasury’. There are miles of trails and dozens of sights inside Petra, including the Monastery – a arguable more impressive structure reached via 800 steps carved into a rock path.
We spent 7 hours at Petra, arriving at open (6am) and leaving just after lunch. Arriving at open almost guarantees you’ll beat the crowds, and certainly avoid any tour groups – which is a must if you want to capture solo photos of the Treasury. When we left at 1pm, dozens of groups were at the Treasury and the trail from it to the entrance.
For dinner we went to Mr Falafal in Wadi Musa – highly recommended! We met the owner and discovered his interesting story – opening the restaurant after serving a long time in the Jordanian military, being deployed, and wanting calmer and stable future for his children – he opened the restaurant with the simple premise of simple, quality food – and he got it spot on.
Day 5 – Wadi Rum
Petra to Wadi Rum. Driving time: 1 hr 45 mins.
Wadi Rum to Dead Sea. Driving time: 4 hours.
From Petra we drove to Wadi Rum. We did not stay in Wadi Rum – instead we arrived early in the morning for a jeep tour with Wadi Rum Excursions, who we’d planned the tour with from home via WhatsApp. Note: this is where you can alter the itinerary – stay a night in Wadi Rum by adding a night to the trip, or by removing one night from the Dead Sea.
When arriving in Wadi Rum you need to stop at the Wadi Rum Village entrance and provide your information to the police, including where you are saying – if applicable, as well as arranged tours, names of tour guides and contact information. At this entrance ‘center’ has facilities including a restaurant and shops if you need to get anything before spending night(s) in the desert.
Jeep Tour & Camels
Our jeep tour was about 3 hours – enough time to see the main sights – in truth you can see little more unless you stay a night. We saw the ancient Bedouin caves with petroglyph art, met locals, and had tea – we decided on an impromptu camel ride as we hadn’t in Petra (the enterprise looked less commercialized than Petra, and the camels had rested for some time before we went out). You don’t need to plan this extra ahead of time, but make sure to bring some cash if there’s a chance you’ll make ad-hoc tour additions.
A note on the Wadi Rum desert, the weather is very changeable. There was a lot of wind, making it feel cold, despite the strong sun that burned. At night, expect it to get considerably colder, layers really are key to the weather in this environment.
Jordan Valley Highway
From Wadi Rum – after our tours – we drove to the Dead Sea Hilton Resort hotel. This is a longer drive than some might want near the end of the trip, but in our opinion it’s worthwhile. You get to see Wadi Rum, plus spend enough time at the Dead Sea to fully relax and enjoy no driving on your penultimate day!
Tip: here you can adjust the trip length by either adding a night at this point to visit Aquaba, or removing a night at the Dead Sea, shortening the trip by one day.
The drive to the Dead Sea is beautiful – from Wadi Rum you first head South towards Aquaba, then West to the Jordan Valley highway, then North along the Israeli boarder, eventually meeting the Dead Sea and hugging it’s shoreline all the way up.
There are several things to see on the way to the Dead Sea – some might be before your hotel (depending on where you stay) however back tracking the following day is only 15-20 mins to most of these sights:
- Wadi Al Mujib – a national park roughly half way up the Dead Sea, it offers canyoning and waterfall hiking – there is no casual hiking here.
- Dead Sea museum – we went here for lunch on Day 6 – highly recommended!
- Ma’in Hot Springs – to the East, a possible stop on the last day when heading to Amman
- Wadi Himara – waterfall hiking and canyoning.
Day 6 – Dead Sea
Driving time: 0
Relaxation
If you are doing two nights at the Dead Sea – as we did – then you can enjoy this day of no driving and relax. Treat yourself to a Dead Sea mud treatment (no cost at the Hilton where we stayed), lunch at one of the many restaurants in the hotels, or our recommendation – lunch at the Dead Sea museum with a view over the entire Dead Sea to Israel.
The next morning we enjoyed an early breakfast at the hotel (at open) then went right to the sea when the beach opened, when most people were just arriving for breakfast – and it was blissful – the water was still warm, and the novelty of floating had not worn off. Jaclyn enjoyed a mineral mud skin treatment, which is an interesting process! Soak in the sea, mud is applied, 20 mins in the sun, a soak to wash the mud off, then olive oil is applied, 10 mins in the sun, then a final soak – this experience is recommended!
Tip: take a few JD for tips to the beach if you plan on having the mineral mud and olive oil treatment applied by the guys at the beach
Day 7 – Amman
Return to Amman via any. Driving time: 1 hr
The end of this trip we designed to be relaxing – with our rest day above, followed short 1 hour (or less) drive on this last full day.
After check out at the hotel, we drove back to Amman – but here you could do anything from the list above that you didn’t do on your way into the Dead Sea.
Useful information
- Jordan Pass: https://www.jordanpass.jo/
- Car rentals: https://www.economycarrentals.com/
- Parking:
