The best Jordan road trip itinerary : an amazing country to visit

Jordan road trip itinerary

Hello, travel friends! We just came back from an unforgettable trip to Jordan. Today we will share our perfect Jordan road trip itinerary to help you plan your next trip there! It was a real and authentic experience. We had the immense chance to visit one of the seven wonders of the modern world: Petra. We felt so small in front of this architectural feat. I couldn’t stop staring at it. Also, we went to the Dead sea, and it was an amazing experience to float in this saltwater. Then, we visited the capital of the country: the beautiful Amman. We ended this trip by visiting the desert of Wadi Rum.

It was the perfect way to end a trip: the landscapes are to die for and the locals Beduins are so warm and welcoming! You are dreaming to get there? I promise you will be even more after reading this post! 😉

Our Jordan trip in video

When is the best time to visit Jordan?

The best time of the year to visit Jordan is between May and September. We decided to go there in December but it is not the best part of the year. It was a little bit cold and certain activities were closed (Wadi Mujib for example). But, I have to admit that the trip was amazing and it was less touristy!

How to get around in Jordan?

Rent a car at the airport

Honestly, for us, the best way to visit Jordan is to rent a car. The main reason is that it is easier if you want to visit several places that are far from each other: Amman, Petra, Wadi Rum or the Dead Sea. All these places are 2 or 3 hours driving from each other. The rental car is not expensive, if you rent a car at the airport you will pay around 30$ per day. For the whole week, we paid around 200$.

It is really easy to park in Jordan, most of the hotels have parking. If you are coming to the Wadi Rum desert, you will have to park at the beginning of the desert and your host will pick you up there.

Travel tips: buy a local SIM card at the airport. It costs only 10$ and it saves you during your road trip because you will have Google maps! You will have 20GO which is huge, it is enough for all the week.

The animal condition in Jordan

I have to say I was very disappointed and chocked by how the animals are treated in Jordan. Unfortunately horses, donkeys and camels are used as a way of transport and not as living beings. We could see they pain in their eyes it was so sad. I really encourage you to walk or to book a tour in a car and not ride animals. You can also read our complete post here about why you should never ride animals during your travels.

Our Jordan road trip itinerary

This is for us, due to our personal experience the perfect Jordan road trip itinerary.:
Amman: 1 or 2 nights
Dead Sea: 2 or 3 nights
Petra: 2 or 3 nights
Wadi Rum desert: 1 or 2 nights
Amman: for the day

Amman

When you will arrive at the Queen Alia international airport, you will have several options to rent a car: Hertz, Sixt, Budget. Personally, we rent with Budget and it was perfect. The car rental is really easy and fast: you just need a driving license and a passport. You will pay the rent for around 200$ for a week.

Where to stay in Amman?

The Four Seasons

We stayed at the Four Seasons for 1 night and it was an amazing experience. There is one of the best restaurants in the city “la Capitale”. We had dinner there and it was delicious. Also, the room was really spacious and chic, with big windows and an amazing view of the city. Also, there is a spa, with two beautiful pools, an inside, and an outside. The staff is adorable.

The compass hotel

If you can not afford to stay at a luxury hotel, you can stay at the Compass hotel. The quality-price ratio is really nice. It is around 70$ per night. The room was really clean and the hotel is well located.

What are the best places to visit in Amman?

The Amman Citadel

It is a historical site located at the center of downtown Amman. The Citadel is considered an important site because it has had a long history of occupation by many great civilizations.^[Most of the buildings still visible at the site are from the Roman, Byzantine, and Umayyad periods. The major buildings at the site are the Temple of Hercules, a Byzantine church, and the Umayyad Palace.

Where are the best restaurants in Amman?

We tried 3 different restaurants and we loved them. The first one is La capital, the restaurant of the Four Seasons. The ambiance is really festive and chic. The second one is Karam Beirut. This one has Lebanese influences and offers delicious food in a beautiful and chic restaurant at a surprisingly low price! We highly recommend this one. The last one is a local and very typical one, Hashem. What we loved the more is the hummus with the hot pita bread and the tabouleh.

The Dead Sea

To go to the Dead Sea from Amman, you will have to drive around 1 hour. The roads are really nice in Jordan but there are many speed bumps. The hotel’s area is located at the beginning of the Dead Sea. There are several nice hotels. We stayed at Marriott and we loved our stay.

Where to find the best spots?

If you want to visit the same location as us and see these salt formations, you need to drive to Mujub chalets. These spots are located just 2 kilometers after this place. There are salt formations everywhere you see white! All the spots are beautiful. You can easily park your car in front of these places and then walk to the beach. It is around 10 minutes of walking. These spots are absolutely stunning, especially for sunset. The only problem is that it is really dirty. There are plastic bottles everywhere.

Travel tips: the salt is really hurting, bring good shoes, and keep them if you want to swim!

Where to stay?

Marriott Dead Sea

We stayed 2 nights at the Dead Sea Marriott and we loved our stay. They have private access to the beach. You can have a mud bath. Mud, especially Dead Sea mud, has been said to alleviate the symptoms of skin conditions like psoriasis, eczema, and rosacea. Being buoyed by a warm mud bath can also ease assorted aches and pains in the joints, such as those that stem from arthritis. Some people bathe in mud for cosmetic reasons, too because it makes soft skin. It was a really fun experience!

Also, the hotel has several restaurants, pools, and gardens. We loved having our breakfast on the terrace. The staff is really kind.

Petra

The third stop of the trip is the beautiful old city of Petra, one of the seven wonders of the modern world and a member of the UNESCO heritage. One of the seven wonders of the world is the treasury of Petra “Al Kazneh“.To get there you have to drive 3 hours from the Dead Sea to Petra. To be more precise, Petra is the old city, including the Siq, the treasury or the monastery. The name of the modern city, where all the hotels and restaurants are located, is called Wadi Musa.

To visit Petra, you need to buy a day pass at the visitor center. It will costs you 50$ per person for one day and 55$ for 2 days. It allows you to visit all the monuments in Petra.

Petra by night

If you want to go to the Petra by night show, you need to have a day pass and buy another pass for “Petra by night”. It will costs you 17$ per person. You can go to the show at 7 pm or the one at 8 pm. You will be with a group and you will walk through the Siq to the treasury together (25 minutes). The show was not long but beautiful.

Where to stay?

Heart Petra

We stayed for 2 nights at this small hotel perfectly located 5 minutes from Petra. The ratio quality-price was excellent. We paid around 50$ per night and we had a big and clean room, with a modern decoration. The owner and the staff are adorable.

Where are the best restaurants?

My mom’s recipe and Feu la Beduin are our two favorites restaurants. There are two local and typical restaurants. The food is delicious there: hot Pita bread, tabouleh, hummus, falafels, or Fatoush. They have many veggie/vegan choices. If you find yourself in Wadi Musa, you should definitely try these two restaurants!

Wadi Rum desert

After our stop in Petra, we drove to the beautiful desert of Wadi Rum. This Jordan road trip itinerary wouldn’t be complete without talking about Wadi Rum! It took us around 1h45. When you will arrive in Wadi Rum, you will have to stop at the visitor parking. And then, you can park your car there and your host will pick you up.

Where to stay?

Rum Star camp

We stayed at the Rum star camp for 1 night and we had an amazing stay. We loved staying there because it’s a familial camp. Our hosts Ahmed and Youssef that are brothers were adorable. They took our group for an afternoon tour in the desert and we visited 5 spots including a canyon, bridges, sand dunes and points of view.

Concerning the accommodation, we had a lovely traditional tent with a comfy bed and a window with a beautiful view of the desert. There was the electricity and one light in the tent but no wifi and outlets. This was not a bad thing because instead of being on our phones we had an amazing evening with the group.

Indeed, we went to the restaurant at the camp and we had a delicious and traditional dinner (hummus, pita bread, rice with spicy sauce and baked vegetables). After that, we went together with all the group around the fire and we asked questions to our host about their culture, country or the life in the desert. It was an amazing and authentic moment that I will never forget. Read our full blog about the Wadi Rum desert!

Back to Amman

After this trip to the desert, we came back to Amman. Our hosts bring us back to the visitor center at 8:am. Then, we had 3 hours and a half drive to the capital. Then we spent the afternoon at the Citadel and we went back to the airport. When you are giving back the car, they just quickly check the car and then you will be reimbursed of the fees a few days after.

Are you planning to visit Jordan?

To conclude, Jordan is a wonderful destination with various landscapes. Dead Sea, Petra, the capital Amman, and the desert of Wadi Rum are totally different and unique. This was one of our favorites 2019 destinations. This country is totally worth a visit!

We hope this perfect Jordan road trip itinerary will help you! Let us know in the comments if you are planning to get there in 2020! If you need help to plan your trip and save money, read this post!

Don’t forget to follow our adventures on Instagram! @chiarabarrasso @jelafaille