Jordan itineraries: 5, 7 and 10 days, planned day by day

Updated 3 August 2026 · 10 min read · Written by the Meet Jordan team

Jordan is small on the map and big in the memory. In the space of a few hours you can go from a Roman city to the lowest point on Earth, from a rose-red rock city to a red desert that looks like Mars, and finish with your feet in the Red Sea. The trick is fitting it together without spending your holiday in the car. This planner gives you three tested routes — a tight five days, an ideal week, and a relaxed ten — each laid out day by day, with links to our deeper guides for every stop so you can build the trip that suits you.

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How long do you need in Jordan?

Jordan's headline sights sit along a single north–south corridor, which is what makes it so plannable. The honest answer to "how long?" depends on how much you like to slow down.

• Five days is the realistic minimum for the greatest hits without feeling like a forced march: Amman and Jerash, the Dead Sea, Petra and Wadi Rum. You'll see the icons; you just won't linger.
• Seven days is the sweet spot, and the one we'd book if someone asked. A week adds the holy sites around Madaba, a canyon or hiking day, and a night in Aqaba on the Red Sea — all at a pace that lets you actually enjoy dinner.
• Ten days is the relaxed trip: two days at Petra instead of one, the green hills of the north, diving or snorkelling in Aqaba, and time for a proper hike. Nothing is rushed, and you leave feeling you met the country rather than ticked it off.

If you're weighing up when to come as well as for how long, our best time to visit guide breaks down the seasons — spring and autumn are ideal, high summer is hot in the desert, and winter can be cold in Amman and Petra.

The classic 5-day route

This is the tried-and-tested loop that covers Jordan's four essential experiences. It works whether you self-drive or hire a driver, and it's the backbone every longer trip is built on.

• Day 1 — Amman and Jerash. Land, settle in, and spend the afternoon in the capital: the Citadel, the Roman Theatre and downtown — our Amman city guide maps a perfect day. If you arrive early, drive 50 minutes north to Jerash, one of the best-preserved Roman cities anywhere, and see it in the gentle late-afternoon light.
• Day 2 — the Dead Sea. Head down to the lowest point on Earth for a morning float in water so salty you can't sink, then a mud coat and a long lunch. Our Dead Sea day trip guide covers the beaches and resorts. Overnight at the shore or drive on south.
• Day 3 — Petra. Give the rose-red city a full day. Walk the Siq at opening time, reach the Treasury before the crowds, then climb to the Monastery. Our Petra one-day itinerary shows exactly how to pace it. Sleep in Wadi Musa, the town at the gate.
• Day 4 — Wadi Rum. An hour south, trade stone for sand. Take a 4x4 tour across the red desert, watch the sunset from a dune, and sleep in a Bedouin camp under a sky thick with stars. Our Wadi Rum camping guide explains the camp options.
• Day 5 — back north (or fly out of Aqaba). Return to Amman on the fast Desert Highway in about four hours, or, if your flights allow, drive an hour to Aqaba and fly home from the Red Sea, saving the long backtrack.

The ideal 7-day route

Two extra days change the whole feel of the trip. You keep the classic loop but breathe — adding the spiritual heart of the country, a day in the water or a canyon, and a proper finish by the Red Sea. This is the itinerary we'd recommend to most first-time visitors.

• Day 1 — Amman. Ease in with the capital: the Citadel, downtown, and a rooftop dinner on Rainbow Street.
• Day 2 — Jerash and the north (or the desert castles). A full morning at Jerash, then either the Umayyad desert castles east of Amman or a slow afternoon back in the city.
• Day 3 — the holy sites and the Dead Sea. Drive the King's Highway to Madaba for its Byzantine mosaic map, up to Mount Nebo where Moses looked over the Promised Land, and down to Bethany-beyond-the-Jordan, the Baptism Site. Our Jordan holy sites guide ties them together. Finish with a float at the Dead Sea.
• Day 4 — a canyon day at Wadi Mujib. Wade, swim and scramble up the water of the Mujib Siq Trail, Jordan's most exhilarating canyon — see our Wadi Mujib canyons guide. Prefer dry land? Swap in a Dana Biosphere Reserve hike instead.
• Day 5 — Petra. A full day in the rose-red city, following our Petra one-day itinerary. Two nights in Wadi Musa so you don't have to rush off.
• Day 6 — Wadi Rum. Desert 4x4 tour and a night in a camp, per our Wadi Rum camping guide.
• Day 7 — Aqaba. An hour to the Red Sea for a final day of snorkelling, seafood and sunshine, covered in our Aqaba guide. Fly out of Aqaba, or drive back to Amman on the Desert Highway.

The relaxed 10-day route

With ten days you stop counting stops and start enjoying them. The extra time goes into the north, a slower Petra, and the water — the parts most people wish they'd given more room.

• Days 1–2 — Amman and the north. A full day in the capital, then a day exploring the green north: Jerash in the morning and Ajloun — its Crusader-era castle and pine-forested hills — in the afternoon, a side of Jordan few short trips ever see.
• Day 3 — the holy sites. Madaba, Mount Nebo and the Baptism Site along the way to the Dead Sea; details in our holy sites guide.
• Day 4 — the Dead Sea and Wadi Mujib. A morning float and a spa, then an afternoon in the Wadi Mujib canyon, or a hike down through the Dana reserve.
• Days 5–6 — Petra, unhurried. Two full days at Petra: the main trail and the Monastery on day one, then the quieter back routes — the High Place of Sacrifice, the walk in from Little Petra — on day two. Our Petra itinerary is the base to build on.
• Day 7 — Wadi Rum. A longer desert day, a camel ride, and a night in a camp; see the Wadi Rum guide.
• Days 8–9 — Aqaba and the Red Sea. Two nights on the coast for diving or snorkelling over the reefs, a boat trip and some rest, all in our Aqaba guide.
• Day 10 — home. Fly out of Aqaba, or take the Desert Highway back to Amman with time to spare.

Getting around: driving, drivers and tours

How you move through Jordan matters as much as where you go. There are three sensible options.

Self-drive. The cheapest and most flexible choice. Jordan's main roads are good and signposted in English, and the north–south route is simple. The catch is city traffic in Amman, which is chaotic, and night driving, which you should avoid — roads are unlit and animals wander. If you're comfortable behind the wheel and want to stop for every viewpoint, this is the way.

Private driver. A driver-guide costs more than a hire car, but takes away every stress: no navigating, no parking, no haggling, and someone who knows the country and the shortcuts. For two or more travellers it's often better value than it looks once you add up car hire, fuel and parking. You sit back and watch the desert roll past.

Organised tours. The most hands-off option. A small-group or private tour handles the logistics, accommodation and entries end to end — ideal if you'd rather not plan a thing.

The two highways. Between Amman and the south you have a choice. The Desert Highway is the fast, functional motorway — Amman to Petra in about three hours, dull but efficient. The King's Highway is the old road: slower, spectacular, winding through Madaba, over the vast gorge of Wadi Mujib, and past Kerak's Crusader castle. Budget a full day for it. The classic plan is to drive the scenic King's Highway going down and the fast Desert Highway coming back.

Budget and the Jordan Pass

Jordan is not a budget destination — Petra alone is one of the pricier single tickets in the region — but the costs are predictable, and one purchase does most of the heavy lifting. Our full how much a Jordan trip costs guide breaks down daily spend for every travel style; here's the one thing everyone should know.

Buy the Jordan Pass before you fly. The Jordan Pass does two things at once. First, it waives the tourist visa fee (worth 40 JOD) as long as you stay at least three nights — which every itinerary here does. Second, it covers entry to Petra (one, two or three days) plus more than 40 other sites, including Jerash and Wadi Rum. For any trip that includes Petra and a couple of other paid sites, the pass pays for itself and spares you buying tickets at each gate.

The rough shape of a budget. Beyond the pass, your big line items are accommodation, a car or driver, food, and the Wadi Rum camp. Mid-range travellers should plan for comfortable hotels, a few standout meals, and the odd splurge — a Petra by Night ticket, a longer desert tour, a dive in Aqaba. The costs guide has the numbers; the point is that Jordan rewards a little planning, and the Jordan Pass is the single best-value decision you'll make before you go.