10 days in Jordan – Complete Travel Guide

Jordan was my first trip to the Middle East. Scrolling around on Instagram and seeing all the posts about Jordan, I had very high expectations from the country, and the good news is that Jordan exceeded all my already very high expectations. Read this travel guide for the perfect 10 days in Jordan.

Jordan is such a diverse country, it’s a good choice if you are searching for a relaxing destination or an adventurous one. It has a lot of history, special places such as The Treasury, the Dead Sea, or Wadi Rum, but also great beaches for relaxing or scuba diving. I was impressed by the ruins in Petra, amazed by the desert of Wadi Rum, such a different desert from the one I had seen before in Morocco, and not to mention floating in the Dead Sea, such an incredible experience.

Best time to visit Jordan:

The best time to visit Jordan depends on what activities are you going to do. If you want to do all the experiences mentioned above March to May and September to November are the best months to visit Jordan, this period is also the high season. If you are a history lover and want to explore all the historic and archeologic sites, I would suggest winter months to find less crowds and to explore on your own.

How many days do you need:

You can easily spend from 4 days to 2 weeks in Jordan. But as a perfect amount of time, especially for first-time travelers, I would suggest 8-10 days in Jordan. So, 10 days to Jordan is just perfect.

How to get around in your 10 days in Jordan:

The cheapest way to get around in Jordan is by bus. There is a tourist bus that takes you to the most important tourist sites, but not everywhere. For example, there is a bus from Amman to Petra, but you will not visit Little Petra, because there isn’t a bus from Petra to Little Petra. So, the best way, and the way I recommend, is by renting a car. The prices are a bit high but it’s worth it.

Budget to prepare for:

To be honest I don’t expect Jordan to be such an expensive country. The hotels, especially in the Dead Sea and Petra are expensive, about 120-200 €/night. One meal costs around 20€ pp. Renting a car is also expensive, it starts from 50€ per day and not to mention that in Wadi Rum you will need a 4×4, so you must book a tour, so practically you are paying for two rental cars for that day. So, prepare, maybe Jordan will be one of the most expensive destinations you will visit.
Also, note that you can pay almost everywhere by credit card, but in Petra, you will need some cash for food, water, and Bedouins (If you want to take pictures in the viewpoints or you just need a guide to learn more about the history.).

Best way to spend 10 days in Jordan:

Day 1-2 from 10 days in Jordan – AMMAN

To visit Jordan most probably you are landing in Queen Alia Airport. The best way to reach the city center from the airport is by taxi and it costs 35€.

Most likely there will be not 2 full days but 1 day and a half, so make sure not to skip these places:
First day: Visit the Roman Theatre and King King Abdullah II’s mosque for the sunset.
Second day: Take a walking tour in the Amman Old Town, don’t forget to visit Rainbow Street, there are a few Instagrammable places and beautiful viewpoints around. There you can find a lot of bars and restaurants for brunch or lunch too. (My favorite street food was a falafel sandwich.)

In the afternoon visit Amman Citadel (Roman Hercules Temple, a Byzantine church, and Umayyad palace.). I suggest taking a taxi to reach this destination because is a bit uphill. Make sure to catch the sunset from the Citadel, it’s a wonderful experience.

Day 3 from 10 days in Jordan – Jerash

Located 50 min from Amman this is a must destination too in Jordan. I slept in Amman and took a day trip to Jerash. I think this is the best way to visit Jerash seeing that Amman is a lively city at night and you can have a more qualitative nightlife in Amman.
To reach Jerash you can take the bus from Amman bus station or better if you have already rented a car. There is free parking in Jerash where you can leave the car (same parking where the buses stop) and start exploring.
It will take more than 4 hours to explore the ancient city, and if you are a photography lover, add an extra two hours to stop along the way and take pictures. There are a lot of beautiful spots and a lot of history to learn.

Day 4 from 10 days in Jordan – Dead Sea

Will you leave Jordan without visiting the lowest point on earth? I would never do it. Floating in the Dead Sea is such a sensation you must experience yourself, no words can describe it, and taking a mud mask, is a must too when you are in the Dead Sea.
The sunsets are amazing, and do you want me to tell you a secret? On the last day of the trip, I returned to the Dead Sea just to see one more sunset there. So, include the Dead Sea in your 10 days in Jordan.

Day 5-7 from 10 days in Jordan – Wadi Musa/Petra

There is a bus from Amman to Petra, so you can reach it by bus. But the best way is to reach it by car, so you will be early morning and have a better experience in Petra, later during the day it will be very crowded.

Most people book a one-entrance ticket to Petra. Well, this is a common mistake I would say. I encourage you to book a two-entrance ticket in Petra, you will thank me later :).
Petra is so much that only “The Treasury”. Is a gem to explore. Prepare to hike a lot and make sure to have enough time to explore the ancient city, meet the Bedouins, talk with them, have lunch inside the protected area and leave yourself to be emersed in the history you will learn.

On the third day visit the Petra Museum and Little Petra. There is not a bus from Petra to Little Petra so you must book a taxi or Uber, or better if you have a rented car.

Day 8 from 10 days in Jordan – Wadi Rum

Spend a night or two in Wadi Rum. You can easily spend more than one day in the different areas of the desert to see a lot of highlights. Take a jeep tour to explore rock arches, dunes, canyons, petroglyphs, and much more. I suggest a 4-hour private jeep tour, but if you are staying two nights in Wadi Rum you can do a full-day jeep tour.
Eat Zarb, the famous Bedouin barbecue. Meat and vegetables are cooked in a sort of oven under the sand for several hours. It is delicious.

Day 9-10 from 10 days in Jordan – Aqaba

If you are a scuba diver or if you want to spend some days relaxing at the beach, Aqaba is the location you are searching for. Aqaba is known worldwide for its diving classes and if you want to explore more the underwater world, book a diving class in the South Red Sea.
Aqaba is 5-6 hours away from Amman by car, but you can fly out from Aqaba airport to Amman airport.