3-Day Jordan Itinerary

Aug 14

Amman | Travel Aimz | www.travelaimz.com

Day 1: Things to do in Jordan

The first day of your Jordan trip is a really great chance to explore what Amman has to offer before a couple of long day trips away from the city.

After checking into your hotel, head over to King Abdullah Mosque, built in the 1980s this mosque has a modern feel and is covered by a stunning blue mosaic dome, that can hold over 10,000 visitors for prayer. There is also a small museum attached to King Abdullah Mosque that is worth visiting.
Next head over to Hashem Restaurant Downtown for a spot of lunch. Hashem Restaurant has been serving food to the city for almost 70 years. It is a world famous, authentic Jordanian restaurant that is entirely vegetarian, and has been visited by celebrities, royal families, and possibly every tourist that travels to Amman.
After lunch walk off your food and pop to the Amman Citadel. Amman’s citadel sits on the highest hill in the city, 850m above sea-level, and a nearby viewing area offers panoramic views of the city that are stunning at sunset. There’s a lot to see at the Citadel but the most prominent ruins are The Temple of Hercules and Umayyad Palace, you can either carry out a guided tour or walk the sites yourself. The site is also home to the Jordan Archaeological Museum, that displays artefacts from archaeological sites in Jordan, dating from prehistoric times to the 15th century.
After sunset make your way down to the Roman theatre, which truly comes to life at night. Locals fill the grounds; playing games, rollerblading and relaxing with friends. Traveling Jordan is super safe and you are fine to walk around at night, so relax and take in the sites. Once you’ve seen the Amphitheatre up close, head to the Amman Pasha Hotel. Here there is a rooftop bar offering unbelievable views of the Roman theatre where you can relax with some dinner, before getting an early night in preparation for a very early wake up call.

King Abdullah Mosque: Times: Sat-Thurs, 8:00-11:00 & 12:30-14:00 | Price: 2JD (£2.50)

Hashem Restaurant: Times: Mon-Sun, 24hrs | Price: 4JD (£5) | Website: Hashem Restaurant

Amman Citadel: Times: Mon-Sun , 8:00-17:00 | Price: 2JD (£2.50)

Amphitheatre: Times: Mon-Sun , 8:00-22:00 | Price: Free | Website: Roman Theatre, Jordan

Day 2: Things to do in Jordan

At 5:30am it’s time to wake up and start your journey to Petra. Petra, Jordan often referred to as the ‘Rose City’, is an ancient city made up of tombs and temples carved into pink sandstone cliffs. Both a seven wonder of the world and a filming location for Indian Jones, it really can’t be missed from your Jordan itinerary, and is probably considered the best thing to do in Jordan.

Petra is a 3hr drive from Amman and you can either get a private taxi or a coach from the city centre. The coaches from Amman are modern and much cheaper, but you will need to make sure you book Petra in advance. They depart during the early hours of the morning and allow you 6-8hrs to explore Petra before returning early evening.

Ensure you look at the different hiking trails before arriving in Petra to plan your time accordingly. Remember if you purchased the Jordan Pass your Petra entrance fee is included. Alternatively, if you have longer to travel Jordan we’d strongly advise doing a few days exploring Petra. There is lots of accommodation near Petra to choose from.

Tip: Though it isn’t overly strict it is also important to be respectful of Jordan’s culture and cover your shoulders and knees when out in public.

Petra, Jordan: Times: Mon-Sun: Summer- 6:00-18:00 & Winter - 6:00-16:00 | Price: 50JD (£55) – Free with Jordan Pass | Website: Petra

Day 3: Things to do in Jordan

The last day on your Jordan Itinerary is going to involve a unique rest and relaxation experience.

Have a lie in (if you can) and then head over to the Dead Sea, either in your hire car or you can get a taxi for about 40JD (£45) return. The drive takes about 1.5hrs.

The Dead Sea is a Salt Lake that is bordered by Jordan and Israel. Sitting at 430.5m below sea-level, it is the earths lowest elevation on land. The lake is famous for its mineral-rich mud and high salt concentration that are considered to have healing effects, particularly of certain skin conditions. Not only this but the salt concentration makes the water extremely buoyant. So, it’s time to lay back, relax and enjoy an afternoon of mud wraps and floating in the sea.

Important: The Dead Sea is only accessible through a hotel and therefore you need to get a hotel pass before you go. These start from around 25JD (£30), depending on the package you fancy. Most packages will include use of all their facilities, and some come with lunch included. Be sure to take advantage of the pools and have lunch on the waterfront admiring the incredible views, before heading back to the Amman City.

The Best Amman Hotels: Pasha Amman Hostel | Intercontinental hotel

Top 10 Tips for Travelling Jordan

Jordan Pass – The Jordan Pass is totally worth it for anyone planning to travel Jordan. It saves money, time and effort. It covers the cost of your entrance to Petra, The Amman Citadel, Jordan Archaeological Museum and your visa, along with so many other attractions. The cost of the Jordan Pass is cheaper than just your visa and Petra day pass purchase alone.
Visa – Pre-order your visa before arrival. Your visa is included in the Jordan Pass if you opt for that instead.
Dead Sea Hotel Pass – Be sure to pre-book your hotel pass before travelling to the Dead Sea. You can compare hotel options here.
Pre-book Petra travel: If you are choosing to travel by public transport, make sure you book in advance. There are only a few companies that run from the city and there is one trip per day. JETT BUS is a great provider as is really cheap. Price: Adult – 11JD, Child – 8JD
Car Hire – Consider hiring a car to travel Jordan, it gives you much more freedom, and it’s super safe. Parking in the city is also easy, with street parking virtually everywhere. If there are a couple of you it will also work out cheaper than paying for several buses and is a great alternative if you have children.
Travel Insurance – Jordan a very safe country, but like all tourist destinations, pick-pocketing is common. Be sure to get travel insurance that covers health but also gadgets, just in case.
Buy Earplugs: The call to prayer plays from the Mosques 6 times a day, and 2 of these occur between 4:00am – 6:30am every morning. It really is incredible to experience and sounds beautiful listening to the sound travel through the city. However, if you don’t fancy the wake-up call be sure to buy some earplugs before your trip.
Cover your head - Its respectful to cover your shoulders and knees in Jordan though they aren’t overly strict. It is also polite to cover your head, so if you want to go the extra mile and buy a Jordanian Head Scarf, you’ll really fit in.
Haggle: Amman has lots of market style stores, that stay open late into the evening. Be sure to haggle on price, most items are marked up by as much as 3x the amount a store owner is happy taking for them.
Flights: Easy Jet now offer direct flights from the UK to Jordan since the end of 2019, making flights much more cost effective. As a side note, the air in Jordan during the summer is extremely humid and dense, this causes quite a bumpy ride when coming into land. I just wanted to be sure the nervous flyers out there got a heads up.