7 days Jordan: Amman, Jerash, Dead Sea, Petra, Wadi Rum

Trip map

Click each numbered marker to see the corresponding day.

Day by day

1. 1

   Day 1

   Arrival Amman

   Direct Paris-Amman flight (4h30, Royal Jordanian or Air France daily, €350-600 return). Present your Jordan Pass printed or on smartphone on arrival: visa free if staying ≥ 3 nights (otherwise visa on arrival 40 JOD = €52). Collect bags, pre-booked private taxi (€20-30 for 35 km to centre) or Airport bus Sariyah Express (3.50 JOD = €4.50, every 30 min). Settle hotel in Jabal Amman (trendy café district, walking distance from Rainbow Street) or 1st Circle (close to embassies, quieter). Evening on Rainbow Street: terrace cafés (Wild Jordan Café with Citadel view, Books@cafe), first shawarma at €3-5, young international vibe.

   Tips

   • · Buy Jordan Pass before departure at jordanpass.jo (70-80 JOD = €91-104 depending on Petra days)
   • · Avoid unofficial airport taxis: use Careem (Jordanian Uber equivalent, free app) or yellow metered taxi
   • · Exchange some EUR to JOD on arrival (ATM in arrivals hall, withdraw ~100 JOD)
   • · Arabic and English coexist everywhere — no need to learn Arabic for this trip
   • · Recommended Jabal Amman hotels: Toledo (3*, €60-80/night), Art Hotel Downtown (boutique €90-120), W Amman (5*, €200-300)
   Amman →
2. 2

   Day 2

   Amman + Jerash

   Morning Amman Citadel (Jabal al-Qal'a, 3 JOD or included in Jordan Pass): Roman Hercules Temple (162 AD), Umayyad palace (8th c.), archaeological museum (Ain Ghazal statues, 9,000 years old). Panoramic view over capital's 7 hills. Walk down to Roman theatre (2nd c., 6,000 seats, still in use). Coffee at Hashem (falafel institution since 1956, €2-3). Afternoon drive Jerash (1h, 50 km north): Roman ruins among world's best-preserved, Hadrian's Arch (129 AD), reconstructed hippodrome (chariot race reenactment 11am and 2pm, €12), 800m-long cardo maximus, north and south theatres, temples of Artemis and Zeus. Allow 2-3h visit. Back to Amman late afternoon, dinner mansaf (national lamb-yogurt dish) at Sufra or Beit Sitti.

   Tips

   • · Jerash hippodrome: chariot race reenactment at 11am and 2pm (except Friday), 45 min show, separate €12 ticket (NOT included in Jordan Pass)
   • · For Jerash: bring water, hat, closed shoes (uneven ground, intense sun) — site almost without shade
   • · Traditional Amman restaurant for authentic mansaf: Sufra (Rainbow Street, €25-35/person) or Beit Sitti (cooking class and dinner €50/person)
   • · JETT bus Amman-Jerash available (3 JOD one-way, 1h, 6 departures/day) if you don't have a driver
   • · Amman Citadel at sunset = magical golden light over the 7 hills
   Amman →Jerash →
3. 3

   Day 3

   Amman → Madaba → Mount Nebo → Dead Sea

   Early morning departure Amman south. First stop Madaba (45 min, 30 km): Saint George's Basilica (4 JOD, free with Jordan Pass) houses the Holy Land map mosaic (6th c., 16 million tesserae, world's oldest map of Jerusalem). Tour old town and its mosaic craftsmanship (workshops). 10 km further, Mount Nebo (2 JOD): per tradition Moses saw the Promised Land here before dying, exceptional panorama over Dead Sea, Jordan River and (clear weather) Jerusalem. Modern Franciscan memorial and Byzantine fragments. Drive to Dead Sea (1h, dizzying descent to -430 m, world's lowest point). Settle 5* resort (Mövenpick Resort & Spa Dead Sea, Kempinski Ishtar) with private beach access. First swim: unique buoyancy due to 33% salinity, indescribable sensation. Therapeutic mud baths (included at resorts). Sunset over West Bank hills.

   Tips

   • · Dead Sea: NEVER let salt water touch eyes (intense burn, requires thorough rinsing) or open cut
   • · 15 min max per swim (accelerated dehydration, skin tingles) — drink 2L of water during the day
   • · Plastic sandals strongly recommended (crystallised salt cuts edges)
   • · 5* Dead Sea resort €250-450/night in high season — alternative Bedouin camp on Jordan shore €50-100
   • · Mount Nebo: best panorama around 10-11am (light, mist cleared) or 5pm (sunset)
   Madaba →
4. 4

   Day 4

   Dead Sea → Petra (3h)

   Morning Dead Sea swim (sunrise over salt water = unique photo experience) and resort spa (hammam, salt scrub, massage €60-90). Afternoon drive to Petra via King's Highway — 3h, 230 km, one of the Middle East's most scenic roads. First stop Wadi Mujib canyon (view from bridge) or Siq Trail descent if in season (21 JOD, April-October only). Stop at Kerak (1h30 from Dead Sea): 12th c. Crusader fortress (3 JOD or Jordan Pass), keep, underground maze, 360° valley view. Continue to Wadi Musa (Petra's gateway village, 1h30). Settle hotel near site entrance (Mövenpick Resort Petra 50m from entrance 4*, Petra Marriott boutique). Early dinner. Evening Petra by Night (Wed-Thu-Mon 8:30pm, 17 JOD = €22 NOT included in Jordan Pass): 1,500 candles light the Siq up to the Khazneh, Bedouin music and tea — mystical 1h45 experience.

   Tips

   • · Petra by Night only Wed/Thu/Mon — check your visit day and book at visitpetra.jo
   • · King's Highway more scenic than Desert Highway but 1h longer — prefer outbound via King's, return via Desert Highway
   • · Kerak fortress: bring flashlight for underground keep (poorly lit)
   • · Wadi Musa hotels: Petra Guest House literally at the site entrance (3*, €80-130/night, ideal for 6:30am entry next day)
   • · Avoid hotel restaurant — prefer My Mom's Recipe Restaurant (homemade family cuisine, mansaf €12, 15 min walk)
   Petra →
5. 5

   Day 5

   Petra Day 1: Siq + Khazneh + Monastery

   Wake 6am, quick hotel breakfast. Petra entry at 6:30am sharp (Jordan Pass scanned, otherwise 50 JOD/day): you have 30 min before rush. Descend the Siq (1.2 km, narrow canyon of pink-ochre sandstone, 80m high in places) — almost total silence at this time. First glimpse of the Khazneh (Treasury) through the final gap: 30m-high carved rose façade, 1st c. BC, one of the Middle East's most iconic images. Crowd-free photos until 8am. Continue along the colonnaded street, Nabataean theatre (4,000 seats cut into rock), Royal Tombs (Urn Tomb, Silk Tomb with natural blue-red veins). Lunch break Basin Restaurant (buffet €25). Afternoon climb to the Monastery (Ad-Deir): 800 steps carved in rock (2h round trip with photos) — 47m-high façade, more impressive than the Khazneh, crowd divided by 10. Sunset from the viewpoint above the Monastery. Back to Wadi Musa before nightfall.

   Tips

   • · 6:30am ENTRY IMPERATIVE: by 8am cruise groups + Wadi Musa buses arrive, Khazneh is packed
   • · Water (2L minimum), hat, SPF 50, closed walking shoes — site as big as Manhattan
   • · Don't pay Bedouins offering donkey ride to Monastery (10-20 JOD) if you walk normally — reserved for reduced-mobility visitors
   • · Iconic Khazneh photo: from a cliff top accessible via Al-Khubtha trail (45 min walk from Royal Tombs, free) — plunging view
   • · Lunch: Basin (buffet €25) or picnic bought in Wadi Musa night before (€5-8)
   Petra →
6. 6

   Day 6

   Petra Day 2: High Place of Sacrifice + Petra → Wadi Rum (2h)

   Morning return to Petra (entry 7am, limited crowds until 9am) for the High Place of Sacrifice: 800 steps carved in cliff (1h climb), 360° panoramic view over the whole Nabataean site — Khazneh, theatre, Royal Tombs — from above. Less frequented trail, many Bedouins selling tea and silver jewellery. Descend via Wadi Farasa (alternative path, Lion fountain, gardens, Roman Soldier tomb). Exit Petra at midday. Drive to Wadi Rum (2h, 100 km via Desert Highway then Disi exit). Arrive at Wadi Rum Visitor Centre (5 JOD entry or Jordan Pass), meet your camp's Bedouin guide. Half-day 4x4 tour (4-5h, included in camp night €60-100/person or separate): Lawrence's Spring, Khazali Canyon (Thamudic petroglyphs 2,000 years old), Big Red Dune (40m climb, 360° view), Um Frouth natural bridge (15m high). Sunset over orange dunes — magical golden light on sandstone, blue shadows. Arrive camp 6pm, Bedouin tea, dinner zarb (sand-cooked 3-4h: lamb or chicken, vegetables, perfumed rice). Night under the stars: zero light pollution, Milky Way visible to naked eye.

   Tips

   • · Recommended Wadi Rum camps: Memories Aicha Luxury Camp (transparent bubbles €150-250/night, star view from bed), Wadi Rum Night Luxury Camp (€200-400), traditional Bedouin camps €30-60/person
   • · Warm clothes MANDATORY even in summer (desert night 10-15 °C in summer, -5 °C in winter) — fleece and hat useful November-March
   • · Book 4x4 tour via your camp (otherwise scam at €80-150 at Visitor Centre by freelance operators) — local Bedouin guide knows all hidden spots
   • · For photos: dunes at sunset 5-6pm (golden orange light) or dawn 5-6am (pink-blue light) — avoid midday (harsh shadows)
   • · No alcohol in Bedouin camps (traditional Muslim area) — bring your wine/beer from Aqaba or Amman if needed
   Wadi Rum →
7. 7

   Day 7

   Wadi Rum sunrise → Amman (4h) → Paris return

   Sunrise 5:45am — mandatory wake-up (yes, very early): dunes turn an unforgettable pink-orange, blue shadows lengthen, total silence. Photographers: this IS the magic moment. Camp breakfast 7am (fresh Bedouin bread, goat cheese, honey, sweet tea). If you have time: short camel ride 1h (€20-40) or walk at the foot of Jebel Khazali. Drive back Wadi Rum → Amman: 320 km via Desert Highway, 4h without stops. Option: lunch at Madaba (halfway, 2h from Wadi Rum) to revisit basilica or last crafts shopping (mosaics €30-150). Arrive Amman 4-5pm, return car if self-driving (otherwise driver drops you at airport). Evening flight Amman-Paris (5h direct, Royal Jordanian or Air France). 3h margin recommended for airport (Queen Alia International, security sometimes slow). End of trip.

   Tips

   • · Amman airport 3h minimum margin (35 km from centre, dense evening traffic, scrupulous security)
   • · Jordan souvenirs: Madaba mosaics (IDDA craftsmen), local olive oil, desert sage tea, zaatar (spice mix), Dead Sea stones — avoid corals and antiquities (illegal)
   • · Sunrise dunes: really 5:45am even if hard — that's the image you'll keep from the trip
   • · Driver tip if you have one: 5-10 JOD/day (€6.50-13) cash at trip end, in addition to agreed rate
   • · If late-night Amman-Paris flight: plan a decent camp breakfast (long drive without proper meal break)
   Wadi Rum →

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