Petra, the rose city carved into stone, the Wadi Rum desert and the Dead Sea: Jordan is history and landscapes out of a film.
Jordan is one of the most impressive and at the same time safest destinations in the Middle East, and the most accessible door into the region. Its jewel is Petra, the Nabataean city carved into rose-coloured rock more than 2,000 years ago, one of the seven wonders of the modern world. But Jordan is much more: the Martian desert of Wadi Rum, the Dead Sea where you float without effort, the Roman ruins of Jerash and a genuine Arab hospitality that sends many people home in love with the country.
It is a small, compact country that can be covered well in a week. The capital, Amman, in the north, works as a base; from there you head south down the historic King's Highway, past crusader castles like Kerak, the Dana reserve, Petra and Wadi Rum, until you reach Aqaba, the country's only port on the Red Sea. To the west lie the Dead Sea and the Jordan valley, and to the north the Greco-Roman ruins of Jerash and Umm Qais.
The best of Jordan is that it combines adventure, ancient history and a sense of safety uncommon in the area, over short distances. What surprises is how expensive it can be for what you expect of the region: Petra's entry fee is among the dearest in the world, which is why it pays to plan around the Jordan Pass.
The local currency is the Jordanian dinar (JOD), one of the strongest in the region, divided into 1,000 fils. Carry some cash for taxis, tips and small towns, though in hotels, restaurants and city shops you can pay by card without trouble. There are ATMs in Amman, Petra, Aqaba and the main destinations. As always, tell your bank before travelling and check the day's rate.
Full converter for JOD →The great gateway is Amman, with Queen Alia international airport (AMM), some 35 km south of the city; Aqaba (AQJ), on the Red Sea, works as a second entrance for the south of the country. There are direct flights from several European hubs, and from North America you generally connect through Europe or a Gulf hub such as Doha, Dubai or Abu Dhabi. One key recommendation is to buy the Jordan Pass before you travel: it is bought online, it waives the visa fee provided you buy it before arriving and stay at least 2 nights, and it includes entry to Petra and more than 40 sites such as Jerash, Wadi Rum and the Amman citadel, so it usually works out cheaper than paying for everything separately. From the airport to the centre you go by taxi or on the Airport Express buses. To travel between cities, the JETT company runs comfortable buses on the main routes (Amman-Petra, Amman-Aqaba, Amman-airport); there are also cheaper local minibuses that are less predictable, and hiring a car is a good option for taking the King's Highway and the desert at your own pace.
The best times to travel to Jordan are spring (March to May) and autumn (September to November), when the temperatures are pleasant for walking around Petra and the desert without suffering the heat. Spring adds the appeal of a slightly greener, flowering landscape, especially in the northern reserves.
Summer (June to August) is very hot, with Wadi Rum, Petra, the Dead Sea and Aqaba easily passing 35-40 °C; if you go in those months, make your visits early in the morning or at dusk and carry plenty of water. Winter (December to February) is cold in Amman and Petra, which are at altitude and can have rain, wind and even occasional snow, while Aqaba and the Dead Sea stay mild and are the season's sun refuge. Do not travel unprepared during Ramadan, when shop and restaurant hours change.
Jordanian food is tasty, generous and cheap. The national dish is mansaf: lamb cooked in a fermented yoghurt sauce (jameed) served over rice and bread, traditionally eaten with the right hand on special occasions. Also unmissable are the mezze — that table of starters with hummus, baba ganoush, tabbouleh and falafel — maqluba, an 'upside-down pot' of rice, chicken and vegetables, and for dessert knafeh: crisp pastry with cheese and syrup, an absolute best-seller in Amman.
As a reference, verified July 2026: a street falafel or shawarma costs USD 1 to 3, a plate of hummus or a mezze to share about USD 5 to 8, and a sit-down meal at an informal restaurant runs USD 8 to 15 per person. Sweet tea and Arabic coffee with cardamom are part of the social ritual; you will be offered them constantly. The usual tip is around 10%. Eating at the places in downtown Amman or at street stalls is the tastiest and cheapest way.
Jordan is one of the safest and most stable countries in the Middle East and receives tourism normally; ordinary crime is low and travellers are treated warmly. The caution concerns the border areas: avoid approaching the Syrian and Iraqi borders in the northeast and stay alert to the regional situation, checking your own government's current advisories before and during the trip, especially given tensions in neighbouring countries. Scams are minor and touristic — taxis without meters, inflated prices: agree the price before getting into a taxi or use Uber or Careem in Amman.
On health, no vaccinations are required, though it is worth having your schedule up to date and asking about hepatitis A and typhoid. Tap water is not recommended for drinking: stick to bottled. Medical care in Amman is good quality but expensive without cover, so travel insurance is essential. The single emergency number is 911. Take sunscreen, a hat and plenty of water for Petra and the desert, where the sun is fierce.
Jordan is more expensive than its Middle Eastern reputation suggests, above all because of the site entries. As a reference, verified July 2026: a backpacker manages on about USD 50 to 70 a day, a mid-range trip runs USD 100 to 150 a day, and a comfortable one passes USD 200. A hostel dorm bed costs USD 10 to 18 a night and a simple double room starts around USD 40 to 70.
The big cost is Petra: the one-day ticket is around USD 70 (50 JOD) and the two-day only a little more, which is why the Jordan Pass pays off — for USD 99 to 113 (70 to 80 JOD) it includes the visa fee waiver, provided you buy it before arriving and stay 2 nights or more, plus Petra and another 40 sites. Other figures: a JETT bus from Amman to Petra about USD 15, street food USD 2 to 4, a 4x4 tour of Wadi Rum with a night at a camp from USD 50 to 80. These are references and vary with the season and the dinar.
The language is Arabic, but English is fairly widespread in tourism, in hotels and among younger people in the cities, so you will manage. Jordan is a moderate and hospitable Muslim country: you do not need to cover up as in stricter countries, but dressing respectfully is advisable — shoulders and knees covered, especially for women and when visiting mosques or villages — and public displays of affection are handled discreetly. The hospitality is real: it is normal to be offered tea or coffee, and refusing outright can come across as rude.
Practically: the sockets are varied — types C, D, F, G and J — at 230 V, so bring a universal adapter. Connectivity is good and the most convenient option is a local SIM (Zain, Orange, Umniah) bought at the airport or in the city, or an eSIM, with cheap data. Two pieces of advice from having been there: buy the Jordan Pass BEFORE you travel, since besides saving money it waives the visa fee on arrival; and to move between cities book the JETT buses in advance or consider hiring a car, because the local minibuses are cheap but unpredictable on timings.
Few countries hold as much history in so little territory as Jordan. On this strip of desert and mountains between the Jordan Valley and Arabia, almost every people that shaped the history of the Middle East passed through, one after another. Here the Ammonites, Moabites and Edomites of the Bible built their kingdoms; here the Nabataeans carved Petra out of rose-coloured rock and grew rich on the incense caravans; here the Romans planted the Decapolis and the Byzantines covered their churches in mosaics; here the Umayyads built their palaces in the middle of the desert. Then came the Crusaders, the Mamluks, four centuries of Ottomans and, at last, in the middle of the 20th century, a new state born out of the First World War.
The history of modern Jordan is, to a large extent, the story of an improvisation that worked out. Transjordan was born almost by accident in 1921, as a mandate territory that Britain handed to a Hashemite prince from Mecca, and today it is one of the few stable states in a turbulent region. That balance came at a high price: wars with Israel, the loss of the West Bank and East Jerusalem, successive waves of Palestinian, Iraqi and Syrian refugees, and the trauma of the internal conflict of 1970. This is that long history, of the ancient kingdoms and of the present-day kingdom, told with names, dates and figures.
Read the full history of Jordan →Pick a region and open each destination to see what to do, prices and how to get there.
These are the sources we cite most across this country's guides, with how many times each appears. Hard data —tickets, opening hours, requirements, transport— comes from the official source and carries the date we checked it. Restaurant and hotel picks come from guides and reviews, and we say so on each page.
