With its ancient ruins, crusader castles and vast desert landscapes, Jordan is easily the most exotic destination you can reach within less than four hours from major European cities. But which are the places in Jordan that you need to visit?
In 2023, we took it upon ourselves to find the best places to visit in Jordan when backpacking through the country for a full month. Between our favourite stops from our last trip and places we wish we can see the next time around, these are 8 places in Jordan that you cannot miss.
For this list, we made a point not to include just the most popular places you can already find in other articles, but also some lesser-known ‘hidden gems’ where you can still beat the crowds. This is where to visit Jordan in 2026.
Key Takeaways
- Jordan is home to Petra, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the New Seven Wonders, plus Amman’s vibrant culture and the Dead Sea, the lowest point on Earth.
- Visit Mount Nebo, where Moses viewed the Promised Land, and ancient Desert Castles along the King’s Highway, plus Azraq Wetland Reserve, a hotspot for over 150 bird species.
- As a change from the inland exploring, head to Aqaba City, Jordan’s only coastal city, to discover its underrated coral reefs and marine life.
- Our favourite place in Jordan is the Wadi Rum Desert with its stunning rock formations, ancient history and unique Bedouin culture.
Table of Contents
Where to Stay in Jordan
From Amman in the North to Wadi Rum in the South, these are some of the best hotels in Jordan, you should consider spending a night at:
Amman | New Merryland Hotel | starting from $111 per night | |
Dead Sea | Mövenpick Resort & Spa Dead Sea | starting from $170 per night | |
Petra | Mövenpick Resort Petra | starting from $164 per night | |
Red Sea | The Bratus Hotel | starting from $113 per night | |
Wadi Rum | Memories Aicha Luxury Camp | starting from $211 per night |
5 Jordan Travel Tips for a Smooth Trip
Are you finally getting ready to cross that Jordan trip off your bucket list? These are 5 essential travel tips for idependent travellers to make your Jordan adventure the best experience possible:
- Pick Your Flights Wisely: For a lengthly Jordan trip, book your tickets to Amman’s Queen Alia International Airport. For a short desert adventure, save your flights to Aqaba’s King Hussein International Airport. Note: Recently, low-cost flights to Jordan resumed. Get your tickets before they sell out (as of July 30, 2026).
- Book the Jordan Pass: We have said it before and we will say it again. If you are planning a Jordan tour, you simply have to book the Jordan Pass. The Jordan Pass includes your entry visa fee and entrance fees to over 30 attraction, among them the UNESCO World Heritage Sites of Petra and Wadi Rum. Even if you only come to Jordan for 3 days, the Jordan Pass will be worth it!
- Pack these Things: Do not make the mistake of only packing for the heat in Jordan. Yes, Jordan has beaches and deserts. But, especially if you are travelling in spring or autumn, nights in Jordan can get quite cold – even in the Wadi Rum desert. So, make sure that you have clothes from the heat and the cold alike.
- How to Get Around Jordan: If you are planning a lad’s trip to Jordan, get a rental car. Car rentals are Jordan’s airports are super affordable and driving in Jordan is much more relaxed than you would expect from the Middle East. If you are travelling solo, get familiar with the routes of JETT bus to plan your itinerary along them, with individual rides priced between 10 JODs and 20 JODs.
- Book a Tour for Wadi Rum: Travelling independently is amazing, but one has to know when to ask for help. Wadi Rum is one of those cases. Exploring the Wadi Rum desert on a private or group tour is not only much more enjoyable, but also turns out to be cheaper with overnight stays in a Bedouin tent and all meals included in the price.
For more travel tips and cultural insights, make sure to check out our full-length guide for first-time travelers to Jordan.
The 8 Best Places to Visit in Jordan in 2026
Recently, tourism in Jordan has died down considerably. First, the covid pandemic struck Jordan hard, then, just as it had recovered from the first blow, the Israeli war on Gaza and the Israel-Iran war, killed its momentum again.
While tourism has dwindled by up to 90% in some places, Jordan is still 100% safe to visit for foreign visitors. This means that, if you take your chance now, you will get to see Jordan’s best attraction with almost no crowd at all.
These are 8 places to consider visiting in Jordan in 2026:
Amman: Jordan’s Cultural Hub
Jordan’s capital city, Amman, often serves as a starting point for Jordan trips, but is rarely seen as a destination of its own. But, let us be frank: We’d hate to see you spend just one night in Amman.
Amman is not just Jordan’s administrative capital, but also the country’s cultural and culinary capital. Whatever national foods you may have in mind, you’ll find the best renditions of in Amman. Some of the best food spots to pop by in Amman are:
- Hashem Restaurant for a typical lunch of Falafel, Hummus, Moutabal and many more
- Habibah Sweets for a typical Nabulsi Kunafa (a layered dessert with cheese from Palestine)
- Jubran Restaurant for Mansaf (a traditional Jordanian lamb and rice dish)
Some say that Mansaf is so heavy on the stomach that one may take a nap straight after. To avoid sleeping away your time in Amman, we recommend you head over to Rainbow Street for a cup of coffee.
Our favourite place on Rainbow Street is The Good Bookshop. At The Good Bookshop, you can sip your coffee surrounded by Arabic and English books that teach you about the region and the deep cultural ties between Jordan and Palestine.
Northern Jordan: Visit the Azraq Wetland Reserve
For the longest time, Northern Jordan was pretty much off limits for international tourists. Considering the travel warnings along the Jordan-Syria border, tourists readily skipped any attractions north of Amman and happily headed down to the Dead Sea or Petra. Well, luckily for you, things have changed and Northern Jordan is completely safe to visit, again.
The Azraq Wetland Reserve, located just 1.5 hours from Amman, is an underrated tourist site in Northern Jordan that offers excellent opportunities for bird watching. This oasis in Jordan’s Eastern Desert is a hotspot for migratory birds and a must for very animal lover. The best times to visit are spring and autumn.
If you want to stray off the beaten path, Northern Jordan with places such as the Azraq Wetland Reserve is just the place to go. At this time, you will most likely be one of the only tourists there and encounter an even quieter atmosphere than at the more popular Dana Biosphere Reserve
Mount Nebo & Bethany Beyond the Jordan: Religious Sites to Visit
As you might already know, the modern-day country of Jordan makes up much of what would have been the Holy Land in the past, with many remnants of religious importance still standing today. Two religious sites you can’t miss in Jordan are Mount Nebo and Bethany Beyond the Jordan.
Mount Nebo, a mountain in Western Jordan, is said to be the place where Moses viewed the promised land before his death. With just 817 meters, the mountain is not especially hight, but under good conditions, you can see as far as Bethlehem, Ramallah and Nablus from the top. Even the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem is visible from the top of Mount Nebo.
Meanwhile, Bethany Beyond the Jordan, or Al-Maghtas, as it its called locally, is said to be the site where John the Baptist baptised no other than Jesus Christ. Today, the site features church ruins and the remains of the baptismal pools.
Our pro tip: You can book a discounted entry ticket to the site for just 8 JODs when buying the Jordan Pass online.
The Dead Sea: The Lowest Point on Earth
The Dead Sea is anything but a newcomer to Jordan itineraries, but still very much a set piece for any bucket list. It’s best known for its extremely high salt content of up to 33% making you float on top of it. Additionally, it is located at a stunning 420 metres below sea level, making it not only the lowest point of the Jordan Valley, but the lowest point of the whole world. Pretty impressive, right?
Most people opt for one of the rest hotels on the Dead Sea to experience the highly saline waters there and get one of the famous Dead Sea mud treatments. The lake’s mud is very mineral-rich and is supposed to have beneficial effects on your skin.
Visiting the Dead Sea doesn’t mean you have to splurge on a night in a resort. Many Dead Sea hotels offer day passes that give you access to all installations and sometimes even restaurant vouchers without you having to pay for a room. Alternatively, you can even visit one of the free public beaches, but watch out as they don’t have any showers to rinser off the salt after your swim.
If you are looking to visit the Dead Sea in Jordan, make sure to check out our full guide to visiting the Dead Sea to find to best transport options, hotels and pro tips.
Desert Castles: Explore Forgotten Ruins along the King’s Highway
‘Driving’ and ‘the Middle East’ seem like two words that shouldn’t appear together in a sentence, at least not in one uttered by a tourist. And yet, we are recommending to do exactly that. Rent a car in Jordan and explore forgotten ruins along the historic King’s Highway.
Rental cars in Jordan are comparatively cheap with smaller models starting from just 19€ (or $23) per day including insurance. And as for the driving, outside of larger cities it’s pretty chill. Jordanians drive on the right side of the road, traffic is low in rural areas, highways are in reality good conditions and most signage is also in English. Just don’t forget to stop at police checkpoints along the way.
Along the King’s Highway, that runs from Jordan’s northern border crossings with Syria all the way to its southern port city of Aqaba, passes by some of the country’s most significant crusader castles such as Ajloun Castle, Karak Castle and Shobak Castle. While these are fairly popular among tourists, you will find even more ruins of castle and even ancient temples along the King’s Highway that are practically forgotten.
Petra: Beat the Crowd at this World Wonder
The Rose City of Petra is one of the Seven Wonders of the World, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and undoubtedly the most famous tourist site in all of Jordan. There simply is no way that you have either not heard of Petra before or not added it to your Jordan itinerary yet. And with good reason.
Petra was quite literally carved into the soft pink sandstone rock of the Petra Valley around 2,300 years ago. And we are not talking a few caves, but a full-blown city with streets, a water management systems, a treasury, temples and churches, a Roman theatre and several tombs. Even a high monastery existed in Petra.
Petra played a big role in Middle Eastern trade for hundreds of years, first under the Nabataeans and later under the Romans. Then, it was abandoned and later ‘rediscovered’ by the Austrian explorer Johann Burckhardt. To achieve his feat, the valiant explorer asked some local Bedouins to guide him to the site.
Today, Petra is easily the biggest attraction Jordan has to offer and is well-visited even in times of lower visitor numbers in Jordan. But luckily for you, we already visited Petra and know just how to beat the crowds there.
This is how to beat the crowds at the one place in Jordan that EVERYBODY comes to visit:
- Buy the Jordan Pass which includes your Petra entrance tickets. It’s cheaper and faster this way.
- Come as early as possible. The complex opens at 6 a.m. (6.30 a.m. in winter).
- Also check out Little Petra. Considered a suburb of Petra it is barely visited but equally beautiful.
The Red Sea: A Rising Diving Destination
Admittedly, travelling Jordan is quite the dusty affair. Most of the country’s historic sites are close to or in the middle of the desert and require either a lot of walking or outright scrambling. Luckily for you, though, Jordan’s natural beauty doesn’t stop in its deserts, but extends all the way to the sea.
Around the city of Aqaba, Jordan actually has access to the Red Sea and with handful of beautiful sand beaches and coral reefs. Jordan’s coral reefs such as the Japanese Garden are absolutely teeming with marine life and easily rival more popular Red Sea dive sites in Egypt. Adding to it, there are some very accessible wreck dives just off the Aqaba coast, such as the Cedar Pride Wreck.
Book a night in one of Aqaba’s boutique hotels to rest between some heavy exploring in Petra and Wadi Rum and dip your toes in the Red Sea to cool off for a day or two. We recommend staying at the Bratus Hotel, a beautifully-designed boutique hotel in a quiet location serving some of the best hotel breakfast we have had in our lives. Seriously.
Wadi Rum: Experience Bedouin Heritage First-Hand
The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan may be young – it was officially founded in 1946 – but its cultural heritage stretches back millennia. The Bedouin, a nomadic desert culture that first appeared in the Syrian Steppe around 6,000 BCE, are considered the Kingdom’s cultural backbone.
Today, the Jordanian Bedouin see themselves confronted with several challenges such as restricted freedom of movement and a lack of economic opportunities. Still though, they manage to retain their unique culture in places such as Wadi Rum, a sandy desert lined with pink sandstone mountains, where they invite tourist to experience it first-hand.
To visit the Wadi Rum Protected Area, one needs to book a tour with a Bedouin guide from Wadi Rum. With a guide, you will be able to explore the historical, cultural and natural sites of the desert on the back of a jeep.
As part of your tour, you will also get to spend the night in a traditional-style Bedouin camp and try some Bedouin dishes such as the Zarb, a meat and vegetable dish slow-cooked underground and sip some Bedouin tea while listening to traditional Bedouin music under the starry night sky.
Wadi Tribe works with members of the Al-Zalabiah tribe of Wadi Rum, to provide an authentic desert experience in Wadi Rum, including a stay in a tranquil Bedouin camp deep in the Wadi Rum desert.
Bonus: The Roman Ruins of Jerash
Initially, we didn’t even want to include Jerash on this list. Not because it’s not worth visiting, but because, just like Petra, everybody already has it on their Jordan bucket list. However, we did see a couple of videos recently, showing the Roman ruins in Jerash almost completely abandoned.
So, if you are travelling to Jordan in the next few months and haven’t added Jerash to your bucket list yet, this is your sign to do so. Jerash first emerged as a Roman city in the 1st century AD, but settlement in the area has existed as early as 7,500 BC.
Under Roman rule, Jerash developed into a local political and cultural center as part of the Decapolis. It saw the construction of not one, but two Roman theatres, one of them holding up to 3,000 visitors, and other monuments such as several temples, the Oval Forum, the Colonnaded Street and Hadrian’s Arch.
In the course of the crusades, Jerash was almost completely destroyed and abandoned. Still though, Jerash is considered one of the best-preserved Roman cities in the world, even before much more popular places such as Rome itself. Do you need any more convincing.
Considering a trip to Jerash? It’s easier than you think and you don’t even need a car. Check out our guide to visiting Jerash to find out everything you need to know for a day trio to Jerash.
The Bottom Line
Whether you are looking for deep dive into Middle Eastern culture, a relaxed escape on a pristine beach or a thrilling desert adventure, Jordan has just the right experience in store for you.
And while we’re at it, make sure to book your Wadi Rum adventure directly with the providers, Wadi Rum’s Bedouin. This not only helps support local communities, but also gives you access to the most authentic desert experience at the best rates.
Wadi Tribe has partnered with Desert Guide Camp to create a tour package that combines ease of travel with first-hand insights into Bedouin culture. With Wadi Tribe, you will venture deep into the desert to learn about Bedouin culture directly from members of the Al-Zalabiah family. Check it out!
Where is the best place to visit in Jordan?
If you were to ask us what is the best place to visit in Jordan, we would say Wadi Rum. The Wadi Rum Desert in Southern Jordan is a beautiful mix of natural beauty and ancient history and tells the story of Bedouin culture which continues to exist in one of the harshest environments of the world.
Is it safe for US citizens to travel to Jordan now?
Yes, Jordan continues to be completely safe to visit for international tourists, including US-Americans. While the region has experienced political turmoil and even war in recent years, Jordan has remained calm as ever. Around Jordanian tourist sides, you will be just as safe as in the comfort of your home.
Is Jordan good for tourists?
Yes, Jordan is generally good for tourists. The country has a well-developed tourism infrastructure and the Jordanian people are known for being very warm and respectful towards tourist as long as you are equally respectful.
Do female tourists have to cover up in Jordan?
Whether you are male or female, in Jordan it is considered appropriate to dress modestly in public. As a general rule of thumb, this means to cover your shoulders and knees. In mosques and churches in Jordan, women additionally cover their hair with a shawl or a veil.
Hey! We are glad you are curious about travelling the Middle East.
We are Nancy & Elias.
Over four years of backpacking and digital nomading made us fall in love with the Middle East. We have lived on the Red Sea coast in Egypt, lived in a Bedouin Camp in Jordan and travelled 6+ Middle Eastern countries overland.
As we continue to travel, we share our battle-tested travels advice on this blog, from travel reports and transfer guides to accommodation recs and saving hacks.
