Places to Visit in Jordan : Top 11 Things To Do (With Map)

People with wandering spirit, I know you are there and you are reading this article. If you are searching for places to visit in Jordan, you are in the right place. I’m telling you right away, if you have the idea of traveling to Jordan and haven’t bought a flight ticket, I think you should buy a ticket immediately and discover this beautiful country. Magnificent beauties await you in Jordan. We were amazed here.😍

We planned a 7-day trip to Jordan in September 2022 and had a trip where we made wonderful memories with everything. You will witness many things in this beautiful country, from deserts to seas, from historical places to natural beauties. Especially the smiling face, hospitality and helpfulness of the Jordanians pleased us above all else. I guarantee you’ll love everything about it except the currency. All you need is a good trip plan. At this point, I will try to guide you as much as I can.

We had so many beautiful experiences in Jordan in 7 days that all of them are precious from each other. In my Jordan travel guide I have listed everything you need to know before going to this country. Make sure you check this article before you go. (https://bujuyollarda.com/en/jordan-travel-guide/)

Important Note: Do not be misled by the small number of places (11 places) in my list of places to visit in Jordan. If I tried to write every place, my list would be quite long and boring. Below is the link to my detailed articles about the places on my list. You should read these articles well to master the details. Leave a comment below wherever you get stuck. If I’m not traveling, I’ll get back to you within 24 hours.😊

My Detailed Travel Posts About Jordan

• Jordan Travel Guide
• Places to Visit in Amman
• Petra Ancient City and Petra Travel Guide
• Wadi Rum Travel Guide and Wadi Rum Attractions
• Places to Visit in Aqaba & Aqaba Travel Guide
• Aqaba Scuba Diving

Jordan Travel Plan

What should be an ideal Jordan trip plan? For the answer to this question, it is important how many days and how much budget you will allocate to Jordan. This situation is completely related to your budget and time, but for Jordan, I think you should spend at least 3 days, maximum 7 days. It should not be less than 3 days because there are important places you need to see. It can be more than 7 days, but I think it would be better to leave it in full flavour. Well, where should you visit in these time periods now let’s make a plan for this.

This is exactly how you should plan your trip in Jordan. There are two must-see places in Jordan’s list of places to visit: the Ancient City of Petra and Wadi Rum. Do not return from Jordan without seeing these two places, you will regret it. I have solid guides that I have prepared in great detail for these two places. I can say that we became Petra experts, especially in the 2 days we spent in Petra.😊

Well, if you say I have plenty of time, I have more than 7 days in Jordan, I can give you an idea right away. If you have plenty of time, I think you should go beyond the north-south route generally drawn for places to visit in Jordan and explore the eastern side of the country. My suggestions for the eastern side would be to visit the quartet of desert castles and historical ruins: Umm Ar-Rasas, Al-Azraq Castle, Quseyr Amra, Qasr Al-Kharranah. If you have even more time, you can add +1 more day to Petra or Wadi Rum.

Map of Places to Visit in Jordan

Jordan Attractions Map (You can click on the numbers on the map and zoom in.)

Map of Places to Visit in Jordan

1. Amman
2. Jerash Ancient City
3. Madaba
4. Mount Nebo
5. Dead Sea
6. Ma’in Hot Springs
7. Wadi Mujib
8. Al Karak Fortress
9. Petra Ancient City
10. Wadi Rum
11. Aqaba

Places to Visit in Jordan

There are a total of 11 places on my list of places to visit in Jordan. As you can see from the map, these places are ordered from north to south. In other words, it starts from the capital Amman and goes south to Aqaba. If you start your trip from Amman, you can follow this route. If you start from Aqaba, you can follow the reverse route.

We had made a nice route for a 7-day holiday, but when our flight from Turkey to Jordan was delayed for 12 hours in Pegasus Ankara, we had to remove some places from our list. Although we started the trip badly, we returned from Jordan very satisfied. Be sure to take a look at the articles I linked in my list. Good tips are waiting for you. Our first stop is the capital city Amman.

Amman

I am starting my list of places to visit in Jordan with the capital Amman. Amman has the air of a capital city. It reminded us of Ankara especially with its slopes. Built on 7 hills, Amman’s earth coloured houses attract your attention. Like Bodrum’s white houses, Amman’s earth coloured houses are also famous.

Most of the places you will visit in Amman are historical places. I hope you won’t get bored, but there are some nice places among them. The place that impressed us the most in Amman was Jerash Ancient City and Royal Automobile Museum. I will give my detailed article about Amman below, but first I will say a few things about the list of places to visit in Amman.

Amman Attractions

1. Amman Fort ***
2. Amman Roman Theatre ***
3. Roman Nymphaeum (Fountain)
4. Rainbow Street ***
5. Jordan Museum
6. King Abdullah I Mosque
7. Royal Automobile Museum ***
8. King Hussein Mosque
9. Royal Tank Museum
10. Ancient City of Jerash ***
11. Ajloun Castle
12. Baptism Site (El-Magtas)
13. Mount Nebo (Madaba borders)

This is the list of places to visit in Amman in general. While 1 to 9 on my list are the places to visit in the centre of Amman, 10 to 13 are the places to visit around Amman. You should see the places with a star next to them. The starred places were our favourite places. While Jerash and Ajloun are located in the north of Amman, Baptism Site El Maghtas and Mount Nebo are located in the south of Amman. If you ask which of these should be seen, Jerash should definitely be on your list. I don’t know how necessary Baptism Site is, but the entrance fee is unnecessarily expensive.

I mentioned Amman in general. If you have very little time in Jordan, do not waste time in Amman. Normally you can spend 1 day in Amman and 2 days if you have a lot of time. For much more detailed information about Amman Amman Places to Visit: 13 Places You Must See You can take a look at my article titled.

Jerash Ancient City

I think the most important place on the list of places to visit in Amman is Jerash Ancient City. I can even generalise this situation as Jordan, but of course, Jerash is in the shadow of Petra while Petra is the reality. This beautiful ancient city is a fascinating ancient Roman city located 52 km from Amman. In Roman times it was known as Gerasa. The surviving structures are quite well preserved. So if they say how a Roman city would be, Jerash would be a very good example.

Jerash (Old Gerasa) is an ancient Hellenistic city. The city reached its heyday when the Romans took control of it in 64 BC and Jerash became part of the Roman Decapolis. The city was highly developed due to its location on trade routes. Most of the buildings in the city date from the 1st and 2nd centuries. The prosperity of Jerash continued until the Byzantine period. The city was severely damaged by a great earthquake in the 8th century.

In Jerash you will see the following buildings. Most of these buildings are in very good condition. If I write the details of all of them, the article will be very long, but I will keep it short.

Buildings in the Ancient City of Jerash

• Hadrian’s Arch (similar in Antalya)
• Jerash Racecourse (capacity 500 people)
• Temple of Zeus
• Oval Plaza (the original has 160 columns)
• Southern Theatre
• Cardo Maximus
• Cathedral Complex
• Three Church Ruins
• Nymphaeum (Fountain)
• Temple of Artemis
• North Tetrapylon
• Northern Theatre

These buildings in Jerash have been well preserved until today. You need 2-3 hours to visit this place. When it comes to us, this time increases to 4 hours, of course.😂 This is the best historical place in Amman. Definitely be on your list.

• The entrance fee of Jerash Ancient City is 10 JOD per person. Jordan Pass is valid here. You buy a ticket at the entrance and there is a ticket control place after the hippodrome inside.
• Location here. There is a free car park.

Madaba

Madaba is only 30 km away from Amman. I was going to write this place under the places to visit around Amman, but since Madaba is a separate province, I wanted to write it separately. If you have time for Amman, you can add this place to your list.

Most of the Christians in Jordan live in this province. Therefore, there are many churches in this province. Apart from that, this province has an important feature. The mosaic map, the oldest known map of Palestine, is located in this province. The map was found in the 1980s on the floor of St George Church, one of the oldest churches in Madaba.

The mosaic map is one of the most detailed maps of Palestine from that period. Created in 560 AD, it contains 157 titles depicting all the major biblical regions of the Middle East, from Egypt to Palestine. It was originally 15 to 25 metres long and 6 metres wide and contained more than two million pieces. Unfortunately, most of the mosaics have now been lost.

If you come to Madaba, the most important place you should see is this historical map. Apart from this, if you have time, you can also visit other places below.

Madaba Attractions

• St George Church and Madaba Map
• Mount Nebo
• Madaba Archaeological Park
• St. John The Baptist Roman Catholic Kilisesi
• Memorial Church Of Moses.

Mount Nebo

On our 2nd day in Amman, we visited Jerash Ancient City and Mount Nebo around Amman. Then we travelled to the Dead Sea.

Mount Nebo, located in Madaba, Jordan, was the mountain where Moses was forbidden to enter the “Promised Land“. The mountain became very popular with the Pope’s visit. It is in the holy books that Moses died here and was buried on this mountain.

In the 4th century AD, Mount Nebo became a centre of pilgrimage due to its religious history, and a church and a sanctuary for worship was built on the mountain to honour Moses. By the 6th century AD, monks built a Byzantine monastery in the area, which survived for about six hundred years. Although the building is no longer there, the mosaics from that period can still be seen.

The view from Mount Nebo is very beautiful. From the summit of the mountain, parts of Jerusalem and the Dead Sea can be seen. Visitors to this mountain can also see beautiful mosaics and historical artefacts. The mosaics depict images of hunters and animals as well as the wine making process.

At the vantage point is the Serpent Cross statue, a symbolic combination of the bronze serpent thought to have been created by Moses and the pilgrimage of Jesus. At the entrance to the site you can also visit the museum, which contains information about the religious history of Mount Nebo and the surrounding area.

• The entrance fee for Mount Nebo is 3 JOD per person. Jordan Pass is not valid here.
• Konum burada.

Dead Sea

At 423 metres below sea level, the Dead Sea is officially the lowest place on earth. Although it is called a sea, it is actually a lake. The Dead Sea, which has a very high salt content, is located between Israel and Jordan. With a salinity of 342 g/kg, it is one of the saltiest bodies of water in the world and 9.6 times saltier than the ocean. The eastern shore of the lake faces Jordan and the southern half of the western shore faces Israel.

The other name of the Dead Sea is Lut Lake. The tribe of Lot lived here and this tribe is mentioned many times in the holy books. The people of Lot, who were warned by Hz. Lut to forbid homosexuality, ignored these warnings and were destroyed by God by being buried under clay and stones.

We were able to reach the Dead Sea after Mount Nebo. A part of the Dead Sea can be seen from Mount Nebo. There are many hotels on the north side of the Dead Sea. In fact, this place is called hotel district. If you are going to stay in the Dead Sea, you can choose one of these hotels. If you come for the day, you can reach beautiful scenic spots after passing the hotels area. The scenic spots are located in this location. After arriving at this location, you should descend the hills to the shore. Be careful while descending.

We didn’t go into the water at the Dead Sea because we arrived here a bit late. We could have experienced it anyway, but there was an incredible humidity. Everything was sticky. We touched the water and it was like olive oil. You can’t get it out of your hand. If you go in, there is no place to take a shower, so we didn’t. Also, the water was not blue but yellowish, which also affected us. Maybe it’s a penniless consolation, but we didn’t go in, we did well. If you are not staying in a hotel, it does not make much sense to enter the water here.

If you have a lot of time in the Dead Sea, I have one more suggestion for you. That is Dead Sea Museum. You can visit this museum to catch a beautiful view of the Dead Sea. Because this place is on a hill overlooking the Dead Sea. Opened in 2006, the museum is Jordan’s first historical nature museum. Rock and mineral formations are exhibited in the museum. In addition, facts such as the formation of the Dead Sea, its ecosystem and its benefits to humans are also explained in the museum. Entrance fee 2 JOD. Location here.

Beware of these in the Dead Sea!

• Do not enter the lake with open eyes because of the high salt content.
• Don’t stay on the lake too long.
• Do not forget to take a towel and shorts with you.
• If you can’t swim, it’s okay because you don’t sink.
• Be careful if you have an open wound.
• Beware of sharp rocks and slippery ground.
• Lake water is like oil. It’ll take you a long time to get clean without water.

Ma’in Hot Springs

Located deep in the hills between the Dead Sea and Madaba, Ma’in Hot Spring is, as its name suggests, a natural hot spring and waterfall. The Main hot springs, also known as Hammamat Ma’in in Arabic, is the name of an area consisting of about 63 natural springs and several waterfalls.

The hot springs are located 45 minutes by car from Madaba and 20 minutes by car from the Dead Sea. As in every hot spring water, there is healing here. It is believed that the thermal waters in the spa are good for rheumatism and other skin diseases.

There are two main places to visit in Ma’in Hot Springs. These are the Main Resort and the public hot springs.

Main Resort : This is a great little resort with a private pool filled with water from the hot springs. You can choose to spend the night in Ma’in or if you want more comfort. Just behind the hotel is a large waterfall that can be seen from the pool, restaurant and some rooms.

Public hot springs: There is a large public hot spring close to the resort. It consists of a multi-tiered pool filled with water from a waterfall. The public hot springs can be used free of charge. There are no changing rooms and toilets here.

Ma’in Hot Springs Entrance Fee: Entrance to the public hot springs is free. The main hot springs in the resort have a daily entrance fee of 15 JOD. Location here.

Note: If you are coming to Jordan in winter, I would say to evaluate this place. Hot water would be nice in the cold.😊

Wadi Mujib

Wadi Mujib is a long canyon with an entrance on the road to the Dead Sea. Because of its altitude, it is the lowest nature reserve in the world. The canyon is a fascinating place that rises above the Mujib River and stretches for 70 kilometres. The canyon was declared a Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO in 2011 and is under protection. I should mention from the beginning that if you are going to spend time here, you should spend at least half a day.

The canyon is a place with very challenging tracks. Rugged roads and the Mujib River await you. If you come here, you should come for canyoning. Of course, it is important that you come prepared. Especially since you will be dealing with water, you must be cautious in this regard.

You are not allowed to walk alone in Wadi Mujib. You must walk with a guide. There are a total of 4 walking routes in the canyon. These are respectively; Siq Trail (the most preferred route), Canyon Trail, Malaqi Trail, Ibex Trail. You can choose one of them and dive into the challenging track with a guide. Do not forget to take the following with you.

What you need to bring with you to Wadi Mujib:

• At least two bottles of water,
• Plenty of water (at least 1 litre per person)
• Snack
• Comfortable water shoes
• Swimsuit, hat and sun cream
• Phone or camera for taking photos. Go-pro goes well here
• Dry bag to get it all 

Wadi Mujib entrance fee 21 JOD. It is quite salty. Before coming here, you should investigate the water level and the condition of the Wadi. You can check the WildJordan website for this. You can also make a reservation here. The location of Wadi Mujib is here. Do not confuse it with Wadi Al Mujib.

AlKarak Fortress

Located between Madaba and Petra, AlKarak Castle was one of the important fortresses of the Crusaders in the 12th century. The castle is located at a strategic point. This important base of the Crusaders was conquered by Salahaddin Ayyubi, the founder of the Ayyubid State, in the Battle of Hattin. After the Ayyubids, the castle came under the protection of the Mamluk State and finally came under the Ottoman rule. While the main part of the castle was built during the Crusader period, the Mamluks and Ottomans built additional structures to the castle.

Alkarak Castle has seven floors of passageways, dungeons, kitchens and a chapel. There is also a museum with artefacts and historical information about the castle. In clear weather, the Dead Sea can be seen from the top of the castle.

Entrance to Alkarak Castle costs 3 JOD. Jordan Pass is valid here. Location here.

Petra Ancient City

The purpose of many people coming to Jordan is Petra Ancient City, one of the new 7 wonders of the world. Even when you see this place from videos and photos, you get excited, and when you see it with the eyes of the world, your mind goes out of your head.

This 2200 years old beautiful ancient city was founded by the Nabateans . The Nabataeans carved the rocks and built hundreds of buildings. After the Nabataeans, the Romans captured the city and made additions here. Petra, home to many films such as Indiana Jones, The Mummy Returns, Aladdin , is one of the places you should see before you die.

The most striking part of Petra is The Treasury, or Al-Hazne. You reach this beautiful place through a narrow corridor (As Siq) and your world suddenly brightens up. We travelled all over Petra for 2 days and caught very nice details. We had a great adventure by having tea with Bedouins and staying in pitch darkness on the way back on the 2nd day.

Everything is very beautiful in Petra, except for one thing: the entrance fee. Petra Ancient City’s 1-day entrance fee per person is 50 Jordanian Dinar. Even though it is one of the most expensive entrance fees in the world, Petra is a place worth this fee.

If I write everything I would write about Petra here, I would not be able to get out of the article. Therefore, be sure to take a look at my separate Petra Travel Guide. In my article, you will find Petra sightseeing places, El-Hazne photo points and everything you should pay attention to in Petra. Here is the link (https://bujuyollarda.com/en/petra-ancient-city/)

Wadi Rum

After Petra, the most important place you should see in Jordan is Wadi Rum Desert. We had the opportunity to see this place, to breathe here and we really loved every part of this desert. Wadi Rum is like a dream. The red coloured sands and the mountains surrounding it give the impression of a place apart from this world. As you may immediately think, this place is very similar to Mars. It really is. Wadi Rum is like a copy of Mars on earth.

Wadi Rum aka Moon Valley is a place where nature is like a sculptor. This is a very special place with everything. You will feel this very much when you arrive. This beautiful desert has been the scene of many films such as Lawrance of Arabia, The Martian.

When you come to Jordan, you should definitely come to Wadi Rum, but more than that, you should stay here for 1 day. You should witness both the day and night of the desert. You can stay here either in a balloon hotel or in a Bedouin tent. We stayed in Wadi Rum for 1 day in bedouin tent and had a very nice experience. It was a great experience to watch thousands of stars at night with the Milky Way.

As in Petra, I have a separate article for Wadi Rum. Because these are really special places and deserve a separate article. It is important that you master the details. Be sure to read this article before going to Wadi Rum. In my article, you can find many details such as Wadi Rum places to visit, things to pay attention to in Wadi Rum.

Wadi Rum ➡️ https://bujuyollarda.com/en/wadi-rum-desert/

Note: Hijaz railway also passes through Wadi Rum. After entering Wadi Rum, you will see Wadi Rum Railway Station about 10 minutes later. Stop here and see our glorious flag. Details in my Wadi Rum article.

Aqaba

We came to Aqaba, the southernmost tip of Jordan and the only place where the country meets the sea. Aqaba will be like a medicine for you after the deserts and arid climate in Jordan, unless you come here directly. Aqaba was our last stop in Jordan and from here we returned to Amman and from Amman we flew to Turkey. Let me say right away that if you come to Aqaba for places to visit, you will probably regret it. Because Aqaba sightseeing places will not satisfy you.

So Why should you come to Aqaba? I will answer this question in 2 ways. Firstly, you should definitely come to Aqaba to scuba dive. Aqaba is a place on the coast of the Red Sea. Here you can see beautiful corals and reefs and even sunken aircraft, ships and tank wrecks. Another reason to come to Aqaba is the location of the city.

Aqaba is located very close to Petra Ancient City and Wadi Rum. The distance between Aqaba and Petra Ancient City is 125 km, while the distance between Aqaba and Wadi Rum is 62 km. So this means. Aqaba is much closer to these places than the capital Amman. Since there are direct flights to Aqaba from Turkey, if you have limited time for Jordan, for example 3 days, I think you can take a direct flight to Aqaba and visit the Aqaba-Petra-Wadi Rum trio and return.

I will leave here the list of places to visit in Aqaba. You can visit these places when you go. But as I said, Dive in Aqaba rather than places to visit. Close your eyes to negative comments and experience scuba diving at the appropriate time. In my Aqaba article, I have subtle tips about diving and a company recommendation for scuba diving. Bujuyollarda thinks of everything 😊

Aqaba Blog ➡️ https://bujuyollarda.com/en/places-to-visit-in-aqaba/

Aqaba Attractions List

1. Akabe Kalesi
2. Aqaba Archaeological Museum
3. Arab Flag Pole
4. Sharif Hussein bin Ali Mosque
5. Ayla Islamic City
6. Aqaba Roman Church
7. Akabe Marine Park

As I said above, after Aqaba, we completed our list of Where to visit in Jordan and returned to Amman. More than satisfied with our trip, we were able to return to Amman happily with the car we rented. After spending the night in Amman, we flew back to Ankara at noon. You can check my Instagram and Youtube accounts for our adventures in Jordan. Don’t forget to follow and subscribe while looking.😊

Now let’s come to other details in Jordan. Below you will find our list of must-haves in Jordan and detailed travel tips. Continue reading

Must-Haves and Things to Know in Jordan

Jordan Pass is a must for places to visit in Jordan

Jordan sightseeing plan One of the most important things you should consider when planning a trip to Jordan is the entrance fee of the places to visit. Unfortunately, Jordan imposes a tariff of 5 times or even 10 times for foreigners. Therefore, it is important to make preliminary preparations in this regard.

If you come to Jordan and visit this country in detail, I think you should buy Jordan Pass. So what is this Jordan Pass? You can enter the ruins free of charge with this card. This gives you a serious advantage in terms of cost.

With the Jordan Pass, you can enter more than 40 places for free. Jordan Pass price 70 JOD. This price is the lowest package and the 1-day Petra entrance fee (50 JOD) is included in this price. You can check Jordan Pass tariffs from this link. https://www.jordanpass.jo/Contents/Prices.aspx If you are going to make a 2-day Petra trip, which I think you should, you should choose the Jordan Explorer package.

Where is the Jordan Pass valid? Check out this link (https://www.jordanpass.jo/Contents/Jordan_Attractions.aspx). This list is important. If you are planning to visit the places on this list, you should definitely buy Jordan Pass. The Jordan Pass is valid for use within 12 months from the date of purchase.

You can buy Jordan Pass online from the website. After payment, you will receive the Jordan Pass in pdf format in your e-mail. Also, if you buy Jordan Pass before you arrive in Jordan and stay at least three nights (4 days), you will not pay tourist entry visa fees. Of course, this does not apply to us.

Ürdün İçin Araba Kiralamak Şart mı ?

I think you should definitely rent a car in Jordan. The car provides serious convenience in Jordan. Do not be afraid of traffic and rent a car. A good travel plan cannot be without a car because you need to control the time.

We travelled about 1500 km with our rented car during our trip to Jordan. In the Jordan trip plan, you should draw a route from north to south or from south to north. This is very difficult without a car. Public transport is not very developed in Jordan. Therefore, a car is a must for places to visit. When renting a car, rent an automatic gearbox and you will be quite comfortable. You can find details in my Jordan Travel Guide.

You pay a deposit when renting a car, this is a normal practice. Apart from that, when you take delivery of your car, check the right and left side and the petrol condition. If you are not going to rent a car, you can choose Jett Bus buses for transport in Jordan.

Is Jordan an Expensive Country?

Is Jordan expensive ? Unfortunately, the devaluation of our country’s money has made us poor everywhere. It has become our inevitable end to look at the exchange rates before going somewhere. When it comes to Jordan, this situation becomes even more tragic. The currency of Jordan is the Jordanian Dinar, or JOD sir. 1 Jordanian Dinar is currently 26 TL. So it is more valuable than dollars and euros. So the answer to the question of whether Jordan is expensive is yes, it is an expensive country.

Nevertheless, this situation should not prevent you from going to Jordan. If the aim is to travel and explore, a way will be found. If you set the standards well, you can seriously reduce your costs in Jordan. You cannot do anything only for the entrance fee of the places to be visited. Especially Petra’s 1-day entrance fee will sink the man’s hearth.😂

Jordan Places to Visit in Jordan F.A.Q.

We have come to the end of my article on places to visit in Jordan. If you have any questions, you can leave a comment below. Don’t forget to follow me on social media for my other travels. Goodbye.😊