Walk the Siq into Petra$70
A narrow sandstone canyon opening suddenly onto the Treasury facade: still one of the great reveal moments in travel, best done at first light.
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Middle East
Things to do in Jordan
A rose-red city carved into rock and a desert landscape that feels otherworldly.
Explore Jordan on the map →Budget$$
Best for7-10 days
CapitalAmman
VisaVisa on arrival, ~$56, waived with a Jordan Pass if staying 3+ nights
CurrencyJordanian dinar (JOD)
LanguagesArabic; English widely spoken in tourism
InternetGood
Typical lodging$30–$85/night
Driving sideRight
Power & voltage230V / 50Hz (Type B/C/D/F/G/J plug)
Time zoneUTC+3
Emergency number911 or 112
Dialing code+962
★★★★★ Culture★★★★★ Adventure★★★★★ Photography
Visa rules and emergency numbers can change without notice. Confirm the specifics for your nationality and dates before you travel.
Travel smart
Bottled water recommended. 10–15% expected, often added as a service charge.
Jordan is one of the more stable and tourist-friendly countries in the Middle East, and it packs an outsized range of landscape into a small footprint, you can stand in Wadi Rum's Mars-red desert in the morning and float in the Dead Sea, the lowest point on earth's land surface, by afternoon. Petra alone was voted one of the New Seven Wonders of the World and still isn't fully excavated.
When to go
SpringMarch–May
Widely considered Petra and Wadi Rum's best season: mild temperatures, clear light, and occasional desert wildflowers.
SummerJune–August
Intense heat, often exceeding 35°C at Petra and higher in the Dead Sea valley: manageable with an early start, and noticeably quieter.
AutumnSeptember–November
A second sweet spot with fewer crowds than spring and similarly comfortable temperatures.
WinterDecember–February
Cold at Petra's elevation, sometimes near freezing at night, with occasional snow, the quietest and cheapest season by far.
20 things to do
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Culture & history
6See Petra by candlelight$70
Three evenings a week the Siq is lined with candles leading to a Bedouin music performance at the Treasury after dark.
Explore the Roman ruins at Jerash
One of the best-preserved Roman provincial cities anywhere, with a colonnaded main street, amphitheatres and temples still largely intact.
Visit Mount Nebo
The site where Moses is said to have viewed the Promised Land before his death, with views across the Jordan Valley to Jerusalem on a clear day.
Visit the ancient mosaics of Madaba
Known as the City of Mosaics, its Byzantine-era church floor holds the oldest surviving map of the Holy Land, made from two million tiny pieces.
Explore the crusader castle at Kerak
A hilltop fortress built by crusaders in the twelfth century, later expanded by Islamic forces, with tunnels and halls still open to explore.
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Food & markets
3Eat mansaf, Jordan's national dish
Lamb cooked in fermented dried yogurt sauce over rice, traditionally eaten by hand and shared from a communal platter at celebrations.
Wander the souks of downtown Amman
Gold, spice and fabric markets in the older, lower part of the capital, alongside the Roman theatre carved into a hillside in the city centre.
Try Bedouin-style zarb cooking
Meat and vegetables slow-cooked underground over hot coals, then unearthed in a small ceremony, a specialty of desert camps in Wadi Rum.
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Adventure & outdoors
6Camp overnight in Wadi Rum
A desert of red sand and towering sandstone monoliths, still home to Bedouin communities running Mars-like camps under some of the clearest night skies in the region.
Hike Petra's back trails to the Monastery$70
Nearly 900 steps lead up to Ad-Deir, a monument larger than the Treasury and far less crowded, especially in the late afternoon.
Drive or 4x4 through Wadi Rum's desert
Bedouin-guided jeep tours reach rock bridges, ancient inscriptions and canyons that aren't walkable from the main camps.
Ride a camel or horse into Wadi Rum
The traditional way to enter the desert, still offered alongside jeep tours, moving slowly enough to actually take in the scale of the landscape.
Hike the Jordan Trail
A 675km long-distance route running the length of the country, from Um Qais to Aqaba, most visitors walk a section rather than the whole thing.
Rock scramble in the Jebel Rum massif
Scrambling routes up Wadi Rum's sandstone peaks for those who want more than a jeep tour, generally done with a local Bedouin guide.
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Coast & water
1Snorkel or dive the Red Sea at Aqaba
Jordan's only coastline, with coral reefs, a sunken tank and shipwrecks accessible close to shore, and warmer water than the Mediterranean side of the region.
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Slow days
4Float in the Dead Sea
Water so dense with salt and minerals that sinking is genuinely impossible, most resorts along the shore offer mineral mud alongside the float itself.
Watch the sunset from Petra's High Place of Sacrifice$70
A steep climb above the Treasury to a Nabataean ritual site with panoramic views over the whole ancient city.
Soak in the hot springs at Ma'in
Waterfalls of naturally heated mineral water cascading into pools near the Dead Sea, a mineral-rich contrast to the sea's still, salty float.
Star-gaze from a Wadi Rum desert camp
Minimal light pollution and clear desert air make this one of the best accessible stargazing spots in the Middle East.
Common questions
▾Is Jordan safe to visit?
Yes. Jordan is one of the more stable countries in the region and is considered safe for tourists, with a strong security presence around Petra, Wadi Rum and Amman. Areas near the Syrian and Iraqi borders carry travel advisories and aren't part of typical itineraries anyway.
▾How much does it cost to visit Petra?
A one-day ticket for visitors staying overnight in Jordan costs 50 JOD (about $70), rising to 55 JOD for two days and 60 JOD for three: Petra rewards more than one day, so the multi-day tickets are worth it if your schedule allows. Visitors who aren't staying overnight in the country pay a steeper 90 JOD single-day rate, and Jordanian citizens pay a fraction of that, around 1 JOD.
▾How many days do you need in Jordan?
7-10 days lets you cover Petra properly (two days is worthwhile), Wadi Rum, the Dead Sea and Amman without rushing. A shorter 5-day trip can still work if you focus on just Petra and Wadi Rum.
▾Do I need a visa for Jordan?
Most nationalities need a visa: a standard single-entry visa at the border costs 40 JOD, though it's often better value to buy the Jordan Pass instead, which bundles the visa fee with entry to Petra and dozens of other sites for roughly 70-80 JOD depending on the tier, as long as you're staying at least three nights.
▾Is the Jordan Pass worth it?
For most visitors, yes. The cheapest Jordan Pass tier alone is close to the cost of a standalone one-day Petra ticket plus the visa fee, and it also covers Wadi Rum, Jerash and dozens of smaller sites. It only stops making sense if you're skipping Petra entirely, which very few Jordan itineraries do.
▾Is Jordan expensive?
Jordan reads as a mid-range destination, Petra's entry fee and desert camp stays in Wadi Rum push costs above neighboring Egypt, but it's still less expensive than a comparable trip in Western Europe. The Jordan Pass is the single biggest lever for keeping costs down if you're visiting multiple sites.