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🇯🇴Things to Do in Jordan
From the rose-red city of Petra to the dunes of Wadi Rum - the essential sights, and how to keep your own record of them.
Travel guide - last updated September 2026
Jordan is small enough to loop in a week, and the loop happens to connect some of the most striking sights in the Middle East - Petra's rock-carved facades, Wadi Rum's Mars-like desert, and the Dead Sea's mineral-dense water, all a few hours' drive apart from the capital, Amman. Here are 8 places worth building a trip around.
Top attractions
The sights most first-time visitors build an itinerary around.
Petra
A city carved directly into rose-colored sandstone cliffs by the Nabataeans over 2,000 years ago, entered through the narrow Siq canyon before the Treasury facade comes into view. Allow a full day - the site is far larger than the Treasury alone.
📍 Petra
🚉 Wadi Musa, the town at Petra's gate, has no railway - JETT buses run daily from Amman in about four hours, and minibuses connect from Aqaba and Wadi Rum.
Wadi Rum
A vast desert of red sand and towering rock formations, used as a filming location for The Martian and Lawrence of Arabia. Overnight stays in a Bedouin desert camp are the standard way to experience it.
📍 Wadi Rum
🚉 Minibuses run from Aqaba and Wadi Musa to the Wadi Rum visitor centre, where Bedouin 4x4s take over - private vehicles cannot go into the protected area alone.
Dead Sea, Jordan
The lowest point on Earth's land surface, shared with Israel and the West Bank - floating requires no effort given the extreme salt density, and the shoreline mud is collected commercially for skincare products.
📍 Dead Sea, Jordan
🚉 There is no public transport worth relying on: taxis and hotel shuttles run the hour from Amman to the Sweimeh resort strip, and JETT operates a seasonal day-trip coach.
Jerash
One of the best-preserved Roman provincial cities in the world outside Italy, with a still-intact hippodrome, colonnaded streets and an oval forum, roughly 45 minutes from Amman.
📍 Jerash
🚉 Minibuses leave Amman's Tabarbour (North) bus station through the day for the 90-minute run to Jerash, dropping you a short walk from Hadrian's Arch.
Amman Citadel & Roman Theatre
Amman's hilltop citadel holds ruins spanning Roman, Byzantine and Umayyad periods, with a well-preserved Roman theatre still used for performances at the base of the hill.
📍 Amman
🚉 The Citadel sits on Jabal al-Qala'a above downtown - taxis are the usual way up, and the Roman Theatre below is a 15-minute walk from the Raghadan bus terminal.
Aqaba & the Red Sea
Jordan's only coastal city, on the Red Sea, with coral reef diving and snorkeling considerably less crowded than equivalent sites in Egypt just across the gulf.
📍 Aqaba
🚉 Aqaba has an airport and the JETT coach from Amman, four hours down the Desert Highway; the town is compact, and dive centres run shuttles along the south coast road.
Mount Nebo
Believed to be where Moses viewed the Promised Land before his death, with a Byzantine church and, on a clear day, views stretching to the Dead Sea, the Jordan Valley and Jerusalem.
📍 Mount Nebo, near Madaba
🚉 No bus goes to the summit: it is a 30-minute taxi from Madaba, which minibuses reach from Amman in about an hour, and drivers usually wait while you visit.
Ma'in Hot Springs
Natural hot waterfalls and thermal pools near the Dead Sea, fed by mineral springs that flow down from the surrounding mountains at temperatures up to 63°C at the source.
📍 Ma'in, near the Dead Sea
🚉 The springs are 30km from Madaba down a steep desert road with no public service - taxis from Madaba and hotel transfers from the Dead Sea resorts are the practical options.
Mark Jordan, get the stamp
In MyPassportStory, every country you mark - visited, lived in, or still on the list - becomes a stamp like these in your own travel passport. Add the cities you stopped in, draw the route between them, and turn the whole trip into a shareable passport-style image.
Open MyPassportStoryPlanning questions
How many days do you need in Jordan?
A week comfortably covers Petra, Wadi Rum, the Dead Sea and Amman/Jerash in a loop. Ten days lets you add Aqaba's Red Sea coast without rushing.
What's the best time to visit Jordan?
March-May and September-November have the most comfortable temperatures for Petra and Wadi Rum. Summer is very hot, especially in the desert; winter nights in Wadi Rum and at higher elevations get cold.
Is Jordan good for a first-time visit?
Yes - it's considered one of the more stable and tourist-friendly countries in the region, with a well-developed circuit connecting its major sites and English commonly spoken in tourism.
Do I need a visa to visit Jordan?
Many nationalities can get a visa on arrival at the airport or land borders, though it is often included free with a licensed Jordan Pass (which also bundles Petra and other site entries) if staying at least three nights. Check the official visa information for your nationality: moi.gov.jo.
What are some things to do in Jordan on a tight budget?
A Jordan Pass can work out cheaper than paying entry fees individually if visiting Petra and several other paid sites, local falafel and shawarma stands are inexpensive, and Ma'in Hot Springs and public Dead Sea beaches cost less than resort access points.
Can I rent a car in Jordan, and what licence do I need?
Yes, and Jordan is one of the easier countries in the region to drive: the King's Highway and the desert routes are well surfaced and quiet. A foreign licence is accepted alongside an International Driving Permit, which rental companies expect to see. Minimum age is usually 21 to 25 with a credit card for the deposit. Wadi Rum is the exception - private cars stop at the visitor centre, and Bedouin 4x4s take you in. The Jordan Pass, bought before arrival, covers Petra entry and the tourist visa, which is worth sorting before you think about the car. Official information is published by the Ministry of Transport at mot.gov.jo, with visitor guidance from the Jordan Tourism Board at visitjordan.com.