CityBuddy
English
Jordan
When to visit
When are you going to Jordan?
Pick your dates and travel style to get:
- Personalized day-by-day itinerary
- Budget calculator for your trip
- Pre-trip checklist (visa, eSIM, tickets...)
Are any of these especially important to you?
Select all that apply
Must-include attractions sorted by popularity
Latest trip plans for Jordan
Browse itineraries created by other travelers
Most popular attractions in Jordan
1. Petra - The Treasury
Wadi Musa
Quick facts: Sunlight makes the rose-red sandstone shimmer, and the monument's ornate façade rises about 40 meters above the canyon floor. Visitors approach through a shadowed 1.2-kilometer slot canyon, a narrow passage that turns the first glimpse into a dramatic reveal.
Highlights: Swiss explorer Johann Ludwig Burckhardt quietly noted the ruins during an 1812 journey, a daring trick where he posed as a Muslim pilgrim to gain access. Local families often brew cardamom-spiced coffee for passing visitors, the fragrant steam and bitter-sweet taste mingling with the warm, powdered scent of sandstone.
2. Wadi Rum Protected Area
Wadi Rum Village
Quick facts: Red sandstone and granite towers rise like wind-sculpted sculptures, offering climbing routes that reach faces up to 600 meters high. Nomadic Bedouin culture still threads the valleys, with families guiding camel treks and serving pit-roasted meals called zarb beneath open skies.
Highlights: Beneath a black sky that can reveal over 2,000 stars, camps go quiet as the Milky Way arcs overhead and lanterns pick out warm pools of shadow. Families prepare a zarb where lamb is buried with hot stones and cooks for about six hours, releasing perfume of cardamom and smoke into the canyon air, a ritual visitors often taste after nightfall.
3. Dead Sea - Sweimeh (Dead Sea Resort Area)
Sweimeh
Quick facts: Floating feels effortless because the water is extremely dense, with salinity close to 34% so you practically sit on the surface. You can stand on the planet's lowest exposed land, roughly 430 meters below sea level, and the air often seems heavier and clearer than at sea level.
Highlights: Scoop up the rich black mud and slather a thick layer on your skin, locals typically let it dry for 10–15 minutes before rinsing to reveal a surprisingly smooth, satin feel. Golden-hour light turns the nearby cliffs to molten copper and the mirror-like water doubles every color, so a simple selfie can look like a painted landscape.
4. Jerash Ancient City
Jerash
Quick facts: Walking down a dramatic colonnaded street, you’ll hear your footsteps echo between rows of weathered pillars and centuries-old mosaics beneath your shoes. A wide oval forum with concentric stone benches frames sunlight in the afternoon, turning the whole space into a golden amphitheater that still hosts performances.
Highlights: Step under a triumphal arch linked to Emperor Hadrian, and study the tiny carved rosettes and inscriptions that catch midday light and reveal unexpected details. Local musicians sometimes gather in the ancient theatre to play oud and hand drums, the acoustics so pure that a single whisper on stage travels all the way to the highest seats.
5. Amman Citadel
Amman
Quick facts: Rough limestone terraces crown a high hill, where stacked ruins put Roman columns next to Byzantine mosaics and Bronze Age stones, and you can walk through layers of history. Archaeologists keep pulling up everyday pottery, carved capitals, and big stone fragments, so you get a vivid sense of how many different people lived and worked here.
Highlights: A massive marble hand, roughly 3 meters long, lies among the stones, hinting the original statue might have stood around 12 meters tall and making the scale feel uncanny. Climb to the highest terrace at golden hour, and warm stone underfoot, the hollow echo from ancient cisterns, and panoramic views across ochre rooftops make the past feel astonishingly close.
6. Roman Theatre
Amman
Quick facts: Massive stone tiers rise steeply, giving a cinematic sweep over the surrounding hills and acoustics so sharp a whisper on stage can reach the top rows. Around 6,000 people once fit the semicircular arena, and the limestone seats hold warmth from daytime sun, making morning visits pleasantly tactile.
Highlights: Climb to the highest tier at golden hour and watch the pale stone turn pink, the air filling with the faint scent of sun-warmed rock and distant city spices. Old-time guides love to demonstrate how an unamplified voice projects to every one of the roughly 6,000 seats, a surprising acoustic trick of curved masonry and precise angles.
7. Madaba Mosaic Map
Madaba
Quick facts: A sprawling pavement of colored stones depicts a lived-in landscape, complete with tiny ships bobbing on blue seas, palm groves, and Greek labels marking towns. More than one million tesserae create the scene, and visitors often crouch close to pick out minute details like fish scales and chariot wheels.
Highlights: Peering down, you can pick out a red-roofed city portrayed with 12 towers, the only place on the pavement where the artists used bright red tesserae to emphasize a sacred center. A surprising little detail is a tiny ship barely 4 centimeters long, its oars and painted fish rendered in minute strokes, a playful signature left by a craftsman for careful viewers.
8. Mount Nebo (Mount Nebo / Madaba Governorate)
Mount Nebo
Quick facts: A rocky plateau rises roughly 817 meters above sea level, where winds bring a sharp, thyme-scented breeze that makes you notice the altitude right away. Visitors can still walk among weathered mosaic floors and the faint outlines of a memorial chapel, spotting colorful tesserae underfoot and shepherds guiding goats past the ruins.
Highlights: Legend says a prophet stood on a particular flat stone to gaze across the valley, and local guides will point out that exact ledge as if sharing a secret viewpoint. Pilgrims and visitors commonly leave small stacks of smooth stones by the ledge, often five or more stones arranged by families while a cool breeze carries mineral dust from the plains below.
9. Dana Biosphere Reserve
Dana
Quick facts: Trails move from rocky plateaus down into verdant canyons, with terraces and cliffs that shift from ochre to deep red as the sun changes. Over 700 plant species and about 200 bird species have been documented, so patient hikers often find surprising wildlife on short walks.
Highlights: Herds of Nubian ibex navigate sheer ledges, sometimes numbering more than fifty, their white flanks flashing against the cliffs. A Bedouin guide might hand you a steaming cup of sage-scented tea while pointing to a 300-meter sandstone amphitheater where whispers roll like distant thunder.
10. Aqaba Marine Park / Coral Reefs
Aqaba
Quick facts: Warm, clear water hosts vibrant coral gardens that shelter more than 500 species of marine life, so snorkeling often feels like swimming through a living aquarium. Local dive guides report visibility regularly exceeds 30 meters on calm days, and night dives reveal bioluminescent plankton that sparkle under torchlight.
Highlights: Glowing coral columns rise from turquoise shallows, tiny shrimps click like rice underfoot and schools of neon wrasse flash when you drift above them. Volunteer teams reattach more than 2,000 coral fragments each year, a hands-on effort you can watch up close while your guide explains the scent of sun-warmed seaweed and the grit of sand between your fingers.
11. Jordan Museum
Quick facts: Glass cases glow around plaster figures that date back roughly 9,000 years, offering a startling look at Neolithic portraiture. Visitors can spot original Dead Sea Scroll fragments under low blue lighting, where faint Hebrew script appears to float across ancient parchment.
Highlights: A dim, hushed gallery displays original Dead Sea Scroll fragments behind multilayer glass, the ink still readable after more than 2,000 years. Two life-size 'Ain Ghazal plaster figures stand at eye level, their rough, pitted surfaces and hollow eyes creating the odd feeling that you’ve stepped into a 6,500 BCE portrait studio.
12. Rainbow Street
Quick facts: Cobblestone lanes hum with life as sidewalk cafes, vintage boutiques, and rooftop terraces pack the narrow street. Cardamom-scented coffee and the pulse of Arabic music spill into the night, drawing locals and visitors into lively conversations.
Highlights: One cafe owner named Hani pins every guest’s Polaroid to a corkboard, building a collage of more than 2,500 faces that glows under strings of 80 amber bulbs. Night air tastes of grilled meat and sweet pastries while live oud players and rooftop lanterns make the whole street feel like a scene from a film.
13. Dana Visitor Center
Quick facts: Guides often point out that trail maps include volunteer-logged wildlife notes, with frequent rock hyrax and griffon vulture sightings. Hikers notice sharp contrasts from sun-warmed sandstone ledges to cool, green wadi pockets, and staff provide detailed topographic panels plus live weather updates.
Highlights: Take the west terrace at golden hour and the canyon fills with burnished orange light, while guides hand out binoculars so you can watch griffon vultures circling like slow kites. A local custom invites visitors to sample sage tea brewed by Bedouin volunteers for about 1 JD, the cup smelling strongly of cardamom and thyme as rangers tell a short story about the valley.
14. Dana Guesthouse
Quick facts: Guests often wake to birdsong and the faint scent of rooftop coffee, as thick stone walls and shaded courtyards keep rooms pleasantly cool during the day. A small collection of handcrafted textiles and hand-painted ceramics fills the public rooms, many pieces made by local families and available to purchase.
Highlights: A host named Ahmad leads a lantern-lit storytelling circle for about 45 minutes, blending Nabatean legends with personal anecdotes while cardamom tea steams in tiny cups. Visitors can crouch to trace shallow grooves left by a 19th-century olive press in the courtyard stone, feeling warm, sun-polished surfaces under their fingertips as mint tea is poured from a blue enamel pot.
15. Bedouin Lunch in Wadi Rum Camp
Quick facts: Long communal trays often arrive at ground level, where everyone eats with their hands using tear-shaped flatbread to scoop up spiced lamb and rice. Hosts typically brew strong Arabic coffee and sweet mint tea over hot coals, the air filling with cardamom and smoke.
Highlights: An underground pit called zarb slow-roasts whole lambs and vegetables for about three to four hours, so lifting the lid releases a fragrant steam cloud of thyme, smoke, and sweet meat juices. After the first steaming, guests are invited to break crusty flatbread by hand and to sip coffee poured from shoulder-high pitchers by hosts often named Ahmad or Mariam, a surprisingly intimate ritual that feels like being welcomed into someone's family kitchen.
16. Madaba Market
Quick facts: Colorful stalls spill aromatic spices, hand-stitched textiles, and gleaming brassware along narrow lanes, creating an energetic maze to wander. Local vendors switch between Arabic and English, and friendly haggling can shave about 30% off a listed price when you laugh and bargain.
Highlights: Ask for Khaled, the quiet artisan who hand-sets tiny tesserae under an oil lamp, sometimes fitting 3,000 glass pieces into a single miniature scene. Footsteps mix with the rich aroma of cardamom coffee while vendors hand out tiny cups for 1 dinar, often sealing a bargain with a story about a family recipe.
Popular Cities in Jordan
Traditional Sweet Dishes
Kunafeh
Kunafeh is eaten hot so the sweet cheese melts into long, stringy ribbons when served, and in Jordan it is a celebratory dessert often sprinkled with crushed pistachios.
Baklava
Baklava layers flaky filo with syrup and chopped nuts, and in Jordan it is a festival favorite that often uses orange blossom or rose water for a fragrant twist.
Basbousa
Basbousa is a semolina cake soaked in syrup, and its tender, grainy texture makes it a Ramadan and celebration staple across Jordanian homes.
Traditional Savory Dishes
Mansaf
Mansaf is Jordan’s national dish, lamb simmered in jameed, a fermented yogurt, and served communally over rice and flatbread to signal honor and hospitality.
Falafel
Falafel are crunchy chickpea patties that became a beloved street breakfast in Jordan, and they are traditionally eaten tucked into warm bread with pickles and tahini.
Hummus
Hummus is a creamy chickpea dip that doubles as food and social glue in Jordan, it is always served with olive oil and fresh bread for scooping.
Traditional Beverages
Arabic coffee
Arabic coffee in Jordan is lightly roasted and often spiced with cardamom, it is poured in tiny cups as a ritual of welcome and respect.
Tea with mint
Tea with mint is a ubiquitous gesture of hospitality in Jordan, it is usually served sweet and hot to greet guests and to wind down conversations.
Ayran
Ayran is a frothy, salted yogurt drink that refreshes the palate and pairs especially well with rich Jordanian dishes, it is both simple and incredibly cooling.
Get a PDF with the most popular attractions sent to your email
Get a PDF with all attractions, ratings, and tips — perfect for offline use.
Day trips
Comments (10)
Pick up a Zain or Orange SIM at the airport, cheap data and easy top ups, offline maps worked great for wandering.
Budget tip: hostels are cheap, but taxis added up fast. I blew my budget on transfers between sites.
Loved the bread and mansaf, I found best meals at tiny local places, skip the tourist restaurants downtown.
Three nights in Amman, two exploring the south and one for Wadi Rum felt right. August was scorching, pack sunscreen.
Carry small JOD notes and coins, roadside cafes and local markets often only accept cash and change is limited.
Getting there
Airports
Train stations
Historic Hejaz Railway; no regular passenger service
Freight and historical lines; no regular passenger service
Prebook transfers or taxis; Queen Alia is about 30 km from Amman, allow 45-60 minutes.
Click to get eSim for Jordan
The easiest and most affordable way to get mobile internet wherever you travel.
Visa & entry
GCC countries, Turkey, Malaysia, Singapore, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, UAE
Most other nationalities require an e-visa or visa on arrival; check your embassy.
Many nationalities can get a visa on arrival; confirm requirements and e-visa before travel.