1 week Itinerary for Jordan

Part 1 of Jordan Travel Blog Series: Complete 1 week Itinerary for Jordan. Start your journey to the land of Petra from here.

Part 2: Exploring the Lost City of Petra

Blog Part 3: Martian landscape of Wadi Rum

Part 4: Floating in the Dead Sea

I won’t lie, the thought of authentic Falafel and Hummus enticed us for this trip. But Jordan was so much more than just food, as we got to tick so many bucket list items. A beautiful road trip through the country, sleeping under a starry sky, experiencing the grandeur of Petra, floating in the Dead Sea were some of the highlights of our trip. Read further for a complete 1-week itinerary for Jordan.

Safety during your week in Jordan

Jordan, even though surrounded by a lot of troubled middle eastern nations like Syria, Palestine, and Iraq is surprisingly very peaceful and friendly. We faced absolutely no issues and this trip turned out to be one of our best vacations.

I should however note that while we were in Jordan we read that there was a stabbing attack in Jerash and 9 people were injured. This would be one of those very rare events which can happen anywhere in the world.

How to reach

There are two ways of entering into Jordan i.e flying into Amman or Aqaba. Amman being the capital is often the most popular entry point into the country. Since we are based out of Ireland, we took Turkish airlines which had a layover in Istanbul . However, if you are flying from mainland Europe, try to find budget airlines like Ryanair. Your flight would be extremely affordable.

Best time to visit

The best time to visit is either in Spring or autumn. The weather is not scorching hot or very cold. We traveled in early November, and the weather was gorgeous.

The best mode of transportation

We highly recommend renting a car as the convenience is unmatched. Public transportation is available in Jordan but not very convenient. Car rental is cheap and so is fuel cost. We paid 150 euro for a 1-week car rental which is very cheap.

We also recommend getting a sim card from the airport itself with the internet, which will help with navigation during your trip.

Visa / Jordan pass

Please check with the embassy for the exact procedure as this keeps changing. When we traveled (Nov 2019), people of Indian nationality could obtain visas on arrival. The best way to travel is to buy a Jordan Pass in advance, which includes a visa along with access to all the historical sites including Petra. Our Jordan pass cost us 75JD per person, which included a two-day pass to Petra and the Jordan visa. This turned out to be much cheaper than getting the visa and Petra ticket separately.

In addition, Jordan pass also includes many other historical sites, if you wish to fit those in your 1-week itinerary for Jordan.

1-week Itinerary for Jordan

Day 1: Reach Amman and rest for the night

Our flight reached Jordan very early in the morning, and all we could think of was hitting the bed. We decided to stay in Madaba, which is a small town halfway in between the Queen Alia International airport and Amman city. Ideally, you should be renting the car from the airport, however, the one-way taxi charge to Amman / Madaba city is around 35JD.

Where to stay in Madaba:

• We stayed in this small charming Black Iris Hotel, and had a very comfortable sleep.

Day 2: Drive to Wadi Musa

Wadi Musa is the entryway into Petra. The drive from Amman to Wadi Musa takes about 4.5 hours through the desert highway and longer through the scenic route. The drive and the road in itself are quite boring, but considering our early arrival, we wanted to get some rest and start our day late. We used this day 2 to drive to our next destination and recoup from a late-night flight into Jordan. Also, you will need all the rest and energy before heading for adventure in Petra.

Where to stay in Wadi Musa: 

• If you are looking for something close to the visitor center, check out Petra Sky Hotel.
• For a very budget trip, the Petra Capsule Hostel is a good option.
• If you are looking for a more fancy stay, check out Petra Bubble Luxotel and enjoy the night under a billion stars. This is the Instagram famous hotel in Petra, in case you are wondering.

Day 3 & 4: Explore Petra

We highly recommend getting a 2 days to pass for Petra (if you are up for all the walking, that is) as the site is huge and there is a lot to see and do. It’s possible to explore Petra in 1 day, but that would just lead to a hurried trip and exertion. The Treasury in Petra is the main site and face of Petra but there are the tombs, monastery, and other viewpoints that should definitely be on your list if you are up for all the walking.

Petra by Night is very famous as well but happens only on Monday, Wednesday and Thursday. Tickets for Petra by Night are separate and not included in the Jordan Pass. It costs 17JD per person and can be purchased at the visitor center an hour before the show.

Day 5: Explore Wadi Rum desert

Wadi Rum is about 1.5 hours drive from Wadi Musa. As opposed to the desert highway, this drive is very stunning. You can expect camels crossing the highway and first view of the stunning desert. We highly recommend staying overnight in one of the Bedouin or Martian tents to experience the sky full of stars. In addition, we also recommend taking a desert tour as this place will completely blow your mind. We did a short sunset tour of the desert and got to experience the unreal landscapes and so many free camels walking around.

Where to stay in Wadi Rum: 

• We stayed at Jamal Rum Camp and the guys at the camp were very friendly and took good care of us. We booked one of their martian tents for our stay.
• For a more fancy stay, check out Memories Aicha Luxury Camp or the Wadi Rum Bubble Luxotel

Day 6 & 7: Relax at a resort around the Dead Sea

We both have itchy feet and can’t stay put in one place. But for once we treated ourselves to a stay at Hilton and really enjoyed a relaxing vacation in the resort. Most resorts have a private beach for the Dead Sea, where you can experience floating freely, apply the mud mask, and be yourself. Hilton in itself was a really amazing experience, as we got to enjoy sunset swims in the pool, a couple of drinks in the pool bar, and a delicious breakfast buffet.

Where to stay in the Dead Sea:

• We stayed at Hilton Resort and had the most comfortable stay of our trip. Highly recommend it as the prices are very reasonable as well.

Day 8: Explore Amman

Amman reminds me of all the delicious food we ate in Jordan, as it has some of the most amazing middle eastern restaurants that you could experience. We tried two very famous places – Hashem for cheap and delicious falafel hummus and Sufra for some really delicious high-end dining experience. There is a Roman amphitheater in the middle of the city, which could be of interest to you. Try going to the Citadel for sunset, as the view of the city is breathtaking from there.

Where to stay in Amman:

• Check out Layaali Amman Hotel which is located right in the city center.

That was the end of our trip as we flew back on the same night. We will be writing detailed articles on Petra, Wadi Rum, and the Dead Sea which additional helpful points.

As always, the above itinerary can be customized to fit your travel style and the places you want to cover. There were a few places that we skipped but I am detailing them below.

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Places we didn’t cover, but you could fit in your 1-week itinerary for Jordan

Aqaba

Aqaba is a Jordanian port city on the gulf of the Red Sea and is a great spot for water activities like Subba diving, windsurfing etc. Definitely consider this location if you are interested in these activities.

Wadi Mujib

Another great location if you are interested in adventure activities. Wadi Mujib is a river canyon that enters the Dead Sea. This adventure walk through the canyon also includes swimming and hiking, so consider this if you are fit and are looking for some adrenaline rush. Make sure that you arrive early as entry is on a first come first serve basis.

Ma’In Hot Springs

These hot springs are about 30 mins drive from the Dead Sea and probably the best way to enjoy a winter morning. This thermal hot spring is about 260m below sea level and includes a beautiful waterfall. We got very lazy during our trip and decided not to step out of our resort in the Dead Sea, but this was one of the activities on our list.

Roman Ruins of Jerash

Jerash is another very famous tourist spot in Jordan and about 1.5 – 2 hours drive north of Amman. You could spend hours exploring the Greco-Roman architecture, filled with temples and beautiful amphitheater’s, however, we decided to give it a skip as we really took this vacation as a vacation.

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