The ultimate Jordan 7 days itinerary to steal!

Last Updated on November 18, 2023 by

Jordan is more than a unique country to visit. It has wild and different landscapes, thousands of years of history, an intriguing culinary tradition and an interesting cultural heritage. Visiting Jordan together with Egypt, was one of my childhood dreams that I never imagined I could realise. The week I spent in Jordan it was adventurous and full of surprises. With this blog you can plan a Jordan 7 days itinerary and check all the best sites this country has to offer!

Things to know before visiting Jordan

Jordan is a country like no others in the Middle East. In this paragraph I summarised the things you should know before visiting.

• Jordan is surrounded by 4 different countries (Syria, Iraq, Saudi Arabia and Israel). However, despite some of its “problematic” neighbours, Jordan is considered one of the safest countries to visit in the Middle East.
• Road conditions changes depending where you go. There are some new-paved roads (particularly near Aqaba and Amman) and not really pleasant old and dusty desert roads (in Petra and Wadi Rum). About this see the specific paragraph Driving in Jordan.
• Travel to Jordan is affected by the seasons’ weather as in winter there is a high risk of flooding and in summer the heat is almost unbearable.
• The local currency is the Jordanian Dinar (JOD orm JD). This is a strong currency and you will see the change with Euro or GBP is not the best. The U.S. dollar is exchanged at a fixed rate of 0.70 since 1995.
• Jordan is one of the few Middle Eastern countries where people of different beliefs live together in a pacific way. It is in general more liberal than other Muslim countries but this doesn’t mean you shouldn’t cover up if visiting a mosque or show respect when approaching different types of religious institutions.
• Women travellers are generally safe in Jordan and I felt that men were a little more respectful of the genre compared to Egypt or India. However, you should always use your common sense (especially if travelling alone)
• Most countries can apply for a VISA on arrival and pay the cost at the passports checks. However, if you buy the Jordan Pass, the cost of your visa will be waived. See more about it in the paragraph Jordan Pass.
• Get a local SIM card. It is very likely that your operator won’t work in Jordan and if you decide to drive, you’ll need some data. One of the most reliable company is Orange. We used this also in Egypt and it worked perfectly. Here, we got an all inclusive tourist plan with unlimited data and paid 15 JD.

What is the best time for visiting Jordan

Jordan is a country affected by seasonality. This means that in certain periods of the year, travel is not recommended. The best times for visiting Jordan are Spring (March to May) or Autumn (September to November). During this period, temperatures are mild with warm days perfect to explore different sites without sweating and cool nights. December to February is considered low season. Generally, it is not recommended to travel during this period because of the heavy rains causing flash flooding and making places like Petra dangerous to visit.

Visiting Jordan during summer. Is it doable?

June to August is considered hot season. Temperatures soar up to 45°, making the outdoor activities more than challenging. On the other hand, sites like the Wadi Mujib reserve don’t operate in the colder months making them difficult or impossible to visit in a different season. We visited Jordan between the mid-end of June. Temperatures were around 38° in most of the country. Mornings, particularly in Wadi Musa, were fresher than expected. Midday and early afternoons were particularly warm and made our hiking in Petra quite sweaty. Evening and nights changed with the locations. The Dead Sea was humid and warm, same Aqaba while Wadi Rum and Petra were cool and a bit windy.

I think that June is still a borderline period to visit Jordan. Growing up in Sicily, where temperatures were quite the same in summer (and spring and autumn), I didn’t have a particularly hard time but people who are not used to this kind of weather might found navigating the country in boiling temperatures more challenging than others. Ergo, if you know you can’t bear the warm weather, plan your trip during another season.

How long should I stay in Jordan?

Jordan is a relatively small country. Its area extends for about 89,342 square km that makes it slightly smaller than Portugal. For this reason, Jordan’s main points of interest are quite easy to check-off in a very short period of time. To experience everything Jordan has to offer, the ideal stay would be of around 2 weeks. Nevertheless, 7 days in Jordan are enough to have a good understanding of the country’s culture and diverse landscapes as well as visiting its main cultural attractions.

Getting around Jordan

Getting around Jordan is easier than what you think if you decide to get a car. Unlikely Egypt, which is famously “hard to drive”, road tripping in Jordan feels like a breeze but not without its, often unknown, dangers. Public transport is almost nonexistent as we barely saw small minibuses carrying locals from one place to another. Most of them in big cities like Amman or Aqaba. In the most remote roads, even locals prefer to hitchhike rather than waiting for a minibus. Is it generally not recommended touring Jordan by bus as there are no specific information on reliable companies and planning in advance your trip can be quite tricky.

Concerning organised tour. There are many companies providing them and I always recommend booking your tours with reliable travel companies with trusted reviews. We personally didn’t try any organised tour but we saw large groups of Italians and other tourists on our same itinerary. They were travelling with big air-conditioned private coaches. So, I guess this would be a good option if you don’t want to drive on your own as the tour guide is included as well.

Jordan 7 days itinerary- Driving in Jordan

Some people I know, told me we were crazy driving in Jordan but from one that comes from Sicily, driving in Amman felt no different than driving in Catania. Large and busy streets full of undisciplined drivers. Cities in Jordan are bustling with cars and people crossing at every corner. This requires plenty of quick reflexes and a bit of patience. However, when you get out the urban areas into the Desert highways or the Dead Sea route, the scenery looks wonderful and you’ll barely see any other car.

Taking those beautifully isolated streets, reminded me a bit of our driving in Iceland but with a more desert landscape. Per law, you’ll need an international driving licence to drive in Jordan ( if you leave in the UK, you can simply request this as “1949” permit at the Post Office). In practice, no one will ask you about it (even at the check points). We did one before departure and it was pretty useless.

Driving in Jordan is generally safe but road tripping comes with some unexpected “dangers” that it’s better to know in advance (e.g. potholes, speed-bumps etc). I wrote a complete guide about Driving in Jordan that is very useful especially if you want to rent a car.

Jordan Pass. Is it worthy?

What is the Jordan pass?

The Jordan Pass is a special tourist package that gives the holders access to a large number of attractions around the country and, at the same time, waives the cost of the visa on arrival. People can buy a Jordan Pass when staying more than 3 consecutive nights in the country. The price of the Jordan pass changes according to how many days you want to spend in Petra. 1 day in Petra 70 JD, 2 days in Petra 75 JD, 3 days in Petra 80 JD.

How does the Jordan Pass works?

A couple of days (better 5 to 7 days) before your departure, you can buy a Jordan Pass on the official website. You’ll need to have all your personal info ready, including your passport details and where you are staying. After paying, you will receive an email with a PDF and a QR code. It is recommended to print the PDF as not all the machines in Jordan can read the QR code.

This PDF will give you access to more than 40 attractions around the country (including Petra). When arrive at the airport, there will be a dedicated line for those having the Jordan Pass. Here, your visa cost will be waived. Together with the pass, you should take also your passport as this will be asked when entering in various attractions.

Is the Jordan Pass worthy?

Absolutely yes. The cost of the Jordan visa is around 40 JD and a 2-days entrance to Petra is 55 JD. So you are already saving 20 JD without even counting the other attractions! If you add that you can enter also to Jerash, Wadi Rum, Amman citadel etc. You will save actually a lot of money! We bought the Jordan Explorer package and it was worthy every penny.

What to eat in Jordan

I admit I have a real passion for the Middle Eastern cuisine and Jordan was no exception. Jordanian culinary tradition has influences from Syria, Palestine and Lebanon but at the same time has its own historical roots and ways of surprising you at every dish you try. Jordanians like to cook their foods in a variety of different ways but grilling is probably the most popular one. They practically grill everything from the meat to the vegetables, cheese and sometimes also bread.

Dishes are tasty encompassing a mix of flavours you probably never tried before.

Food you should try in Jordan

Among the top dishes you should try in Jordan, Mansaf is probably the king of the Jordanian cuisine. A large platter of tasty lamb meat cooked in fermented yogurt (jameed) and served with a thin layer of flat bread and aromatic rice garnished with almonds and pine nuts. It’s so heavy that Jordanians say that is better to go “straight to bed after eating Mansaf”! Falafel and hummus are probably at the second place served with a pile of freshly prepared bread and tasty tomato and mint.

Typical of the Bedouin cuisine, you can miss the Zaarb. A mix of marinated meat cooked with vegetables and baked for hours in hot coal under the sand of the desert. If you want to try a tasty dessert, Kunafa is the one to have in Jordan! A baked layer of cheese topped with crispy sugar, syrup and pistachio. Of course, every dish you try should always be accompanied by a glass of fresh juice or (my favourite) Lemon and Mint.

What to pack for a week in Jordan

If you are a smart packer, 7 days in Jordan can be easily organised with a small hand luggage. We opted for this option as we didn’t want to loose time waiting for the hold luggage and the price for for one was actually higher than the actual flight ticket. Jordan weather can be variable but is generally fresh in the early mornings and nights and quite warm during the day. Be sure to bring with you plenty of fresh dresses, linen light pants and shirts.

Don’t forget to bring comfortable trainers or hiking shoes as you will walk a lot. One or 2 swimsuits if you plan to hit Aqaba and the Dead Sea and some technical sport clothing if you want to canyoning the Wadi Muji reserve. I also brought a scarf in case I needed to cover up in some Muslim sites. I warmly suggest you to ditch denim as you will feel very very warm (especially in Petra). My husband brought linen pants, linen shirts and some simple t-shirts.

7 days Jordan itinerary

The amount of places you can see in 7 days largely depends on how much time you spend in each place and if you are travelling on a tour or not. Self-driving in Jordan gave us a bit of more freedom as we were able to decide all the variables of our trip. If you are travelling with an organised group it is likely you will have a fixed itinerary with a set timetable and not much space for doing “your things”. As always, I over-packed my itinerary with things to see “just in case we had spare time”. Of course this never happen. So, the one below is the honest itinerary of what we managed to see in 7 days in Jordan.

Day 1 – Fly to Amman and visit Jerash

We purposely chose an early morning flight to avoid loosing a day of our itinerary. So, we fled at 6.30 from Malta and arrived around 10.15 in Amman (Malta was the most convenient location for us as we left our kids with the grandparents in Sicily). I have to say, the passport checks on landing weren’t that smooth and quick as I expected. Indeed, it was a bit busy and the (quite unfriendly) police officer asked us hundreds of questions with a suspicious and quite rude tone. We didn’t feel very “welcome to Jordan” in that moment. However, this lasted very briefly as all the other people we met along the way were very kind. After our checks, we got sequentially some cash (you’ll need them), a local sim card and we collected the car. We managed to get out of the airport around 11:45.

What to see in Jerash

It takes around 1 hour and a half to reach Jerash from the airport. When we arrived in the city, we stopped at Ya Hala Restaurant for a first taste of Jordanian food. This restaurant is located at about 5 minutes by car from the Archaeological Park. So, it was an easy stop before venturing under the sun.

Gerasa (the original name of the city where the Greco-Roman ruins are located) is stunningly preserved since 63 BC and several powerful earthquakes. The city used to be so be big that covered a space of more than 88.000 square metres. Ergo, you can imagine how big is this place to visit. You’ll need at least 3 hours to cover the area but I would say that 4 hours is the right amount of time. Among my favourite places to visit inside the Jerash Archaeological Park there are:

1. The Arch of Adrian
2. The Oval Plaza and Cardo Maximum
3. The South Theatre
4. The Temple of Zeus
5. The Temple of Artemis
6. The North Theatre
7. The Nymphaeum
8. Colonnaded Street
9. The Hippodrome
10. The Northern Terapylon

During summer, I would recommend going on a early morning, because there is literally no shade and the sun is super strong. It was quite challenging to us getting around due to the heat. We stopped every few minutes to drink some water! There is a little souq just after the main entrance if you would like to buy something. The entrance to the Archaeological park is included for those who have the Jordan Pass.

When we returned to Amman, we checked into Movenpick Amman and completed the day with a fantastic dinner at Sufra.

Day 2 – Explore Amman and float into the Dead Sea

Refreshed from a good night of sleep, our second day started in the hilly streets of Amman, particularly from the iconic Citadel. I have to say the photos of the Citadel you see online don’t make it justice. Indeed, the place it’s really huge and deserves a good part of the morning to be fully appreciated. If you have the Jordan Pass, the entrance ticket will be included in your pass.

The area of the Citadel was inhabited since the Neolithic Period. Since then, it was the main location for the Kingdom of Ammon and different powerful empires which left visible traces of their history. The most famous ruins are the Temple of Hercules and the Umayyad Palace (a favorite of mine!).

We spent way more time than expected at the Citadel (about 3 hours). It was almost lunchtime but before we had to check another place on our bucket list. The Roman Theatre. You can reach this in 2 ways. With a taxi (be aware of the taxi-scammers out of the Citadel gate) or by walking 20 mins down the hill. We opted for the second option and we loved it! The route is very easy and you get see some less known alleys of Amman.

The visit to the Roman Theatre didn’t take more than 30 minutes and we were actually ready to have a fabulous lunch. In this regard, you can’t visit Amman without stopping at Hashem for lunch! Don’t expect anything luxurious as the “restaurant” is literally on the street but it serves some of the best falafel you can have in Jordan! It’s also very cheap, we paid 5 JOD in two for a full lunch! To complete our Amman experience we got a tasty Kunafa at the famous Habibah Sweets.

Floating into the Dead Sea

After lunch and a little tour of the local souq, we headed to the Dead Sea. Here we had our first, and scary, misadventure with the car you can read in my Driving to Jordan guide. We lost a good part of the afternoon of which plan was to visit the Baptismal site of Jesus. Nevertheless, we got safely to the Dead Sea. We were staying at the Mövenpick Dead Sea which is absolutely fabulous and worth every penny you can pay!

They also upgraded us for free which is always very appreciated! One of the nice perks of the hotel is the private beach on the Dead Sea. You won’t see any salt crystals (these are very sharp and removed for the guests’ safety) but, you get to float on the Dead Sea!!!! And, you can cover yourself in mud and this will make your skin super smooth.

We lingered by the beach for about one hour before heading into the adults-only infinity pool to watch the sunset. I have to say it was amazing! (no regrets in leaving the kids with the grandparents eheheh). We ended up the night at Da Luigi’s listening to some traditional music and relaxing after a very long day.

Day 3 – Be adventurous at the Wadi Mujib Biosphere Reserve

6.30 am. A new adventure was planned for this day. I admit that when we woke up at Mövenpick Dead Sea we seriously considered to ditch every plan and staying in the resort until the check-out. I am very glad we didn’t in the end. After a great breakfast, we packed everything and headed to one of the most underrated places in Jordan. The Wadi Mujib Biosphere Reserve. All the people I know who visited Jordan, never heard about it and this place isn’t generally found on basic itineraries. Why??? Because it’s only for the braves. I’ am joking but not much.

Indeed, the Mujib Biosphere reserve is the lowest nature reserve on Earth. Here you can find wet and dry trails, each open on different times of the year and each of them requiring a certain physical strength. During summer, the open trail is the Siq Trail. It’s a wonderful wet-trail going through a canyon similar to the one you will cross in Petra but filled with water (and several waterfalls).

How easy is to complete the Siq Trail at Wadi Mujib?

Among the trails available at the Mujib Biosphere Reserve, the Siq Trail is the one famous as “easy-moderate difficulty”. This means that almost everyone can do it but, in my opinion, this isn’t the case. I don’t think that canyoning in general is a thing that anyone can do because of each person physical abilities.

The initial part of the trail is indeed very easy as you have just to walk a shallow river, but the further you go, the more challenging it becomes. Technically it’s not super hard but it requires good swimming skills and a very good physical shape. Particularly to climb the last couple of waterfalls. For more than a half of the trail you’ll need to use your arms to keep up your weight up to the rocks and hang on the ropes when the river flow becomes strong. To complete the trail you’ll need around 2/3 hours.

It’s exhausting and the day after your legs and arms will hurt a lot. But is’t worthy? Hell yes. I think this was one of the best highlight of our trip to Jordan and I would regret it a lot if instead I would choose to stay at the hotel!

How to reach the Siq Trail

Most of the trails in the Wadi Mujib Biosphere Reserve depart from the Mujib Adventure Centre, including the Siq Trail. You can’t book your visit in advance because this depends on the weather conditions and number of people on the trail. For example, we arrived at 9 am but the trail was already super busy and we had to wait 2 hours before entering. The centre is easy to reach from the Dead Sea, just a 20 mins drive from the Movenpick resort. Once there, you have to sign on a list and when it’s your turn, you’ll pay the entrance fee of 21 JD (not included in the Jordan Pass).

Driving to Petra for Petra by Night

We spent most of our morning at the Wadi Mujib reserve. Indeed, we were so pumped from our activity that we skipped lunch and drove almost 3 hours straight to Wadi Musa, the place where Petra is located. The drive was pretty long and we crossed beautiful desert sceneries and 0 places where to stop for food or water after the Dead Sea (so take some stuff with you for the trip!). We managed to get at our hotel (the lovely Infinity Lodge) in time for a shower and the 7 pm sunset dinner organised by the owner. Afterwards, we headed straight to Petra to see Petra by Night.

To see the show of Petra by Night, you have to collect the tickets from the visitor centre by 6 pm on the day of the show (these are on Monday, Wednesday and Thursday). We collected them before heading to the hotel at 5.30 pm. Each ticket cost 17 JD. The guy selling them wasn’t in the ticket office so we asked for him the whole visitor centre. It was hilarious.

The ticket reports the waiting point it’s the visitor centre but IT’S NOT. You have to go to the gates where to scan the Petra tickets and wait there. The gates will open at 8.30 pm but people like to queue hours before to get first at the Siq. Indeed, we were there at 8 pm and there was already a massive queue.

Petra by night. It is worthy?

To me it was worthy. Just to think about you will witness one of the most famous heritage sites in the world in a completely different light it’s worth every penny! The show in itself it’s nice, the one disturbing thing for me it were the people. People can’t behave (e.g. turning on the flash lights when it should be completely dark or speaking loud during the show) and this ruined partially the experience. But I would repeat it a hundreds of times! Petra at night is magical and one day I will tell my children I was there and witnessed the magic! Read here all about our experience!

Day 4 – Explore Petra

Waking up in Wadi Musa. What an incredible view we had. As I said before, we were staying in a place called Infinity Lodge that was close to Petra but up on a hill. Our room had a view on the mountains and what a view!! We could see the entire set of canyons surrounding Petra and also the entire city of Wadi Musa. Our initial plan was to be at the Petra gate by 6 am but we had a second misadventure with the car so we spent part of the morning searching for a tyre repair shop. Luckily for us, flat tyres are the most common accidents in Jordan so it wasn’t difficult to find a repair shop.

We finally entered Petra around 9.45 and the walk felt totally different from the one done the night before. Every sight looked like out of a movie and the Siq walk was probably my favourite thing! The colours of the stones are incredible to see and it’s unbelievable how these change shade according to the light!

Our first day in Petra was truly memorable. We managed to see most of the main attractions including the Treasury, the Theatre, the Royal Tombs and the Monastery. The latter hike took almost all my energies as with my legs hurting for the canyoning done the day before and the sun after lunch, it was quite a strenuous hike.

We ended our very long with a dinner at My Mom’s Recipe Restaurant. Very recommended!

Day 5 – Day 2 in Petra + Getting lost in Wadi Rum

Our second day in Petra was much more relaxed. Having checked off all the main sites the day before, we took the occasion to get to the main view points of the Treasury for some cool photos. Most of these view points are under the control of the local bedouins. Therefore, you’ll need to hire one to get you there. Especially because the hike can be pretty dangerous if you don’t know where to put your feet. “Hiring” a bedouin might cost between 10 and 20 JD depending on your negotiation skills. I managed to pay 15 JD for both of us (we also left him a tip after the hike back). You may need a few extra JD as gratuity for the tea/water they will provide you when reaching the top spots.

The only “free” viewpoint you can get is the one at the end of the Al-Khubtha trail (passing via the Royal Tombs). However, as many hikes in Petra, this is also a steep, vertical hike of + 45 mins. So. get ready to sweat!

We arrived early in the morning and completed all our mini – hikes by lunch.

What you will see in Wadi Rum

Driving to Wadi Rum from Petra takes around 2 hours. The road is smooth and when the red landscape of the desert start appearing your eyes will be filled with wonder!

Wadi Rum is not only famous for some Hollywood movies (e.g. The Martian) but it’s the setting of more important historical events. Indeed, the desert was longer inhabited by many populations, including the Nabateans and became the “house” of the British officer T. E. Lawrence, more famous as “Lawrence of Arabia”. During the tour of the desert, that can last from 1 hour to half a day (depending on your preference) you will check some of the most famous spots related to Lawrence of Arabia. We opted for the 4 hours sunset tour and we got to see the Lawrence Spring, the Lawrence house, some inscriptions some rock formations (e.g. the mushroom rock, the ark bridge etc.) and the sunset.

Consider these places are not close to each other so you will spend on the jeep most of the time. One of the things I liked more of the tour was seeing the camels roaming wild in to the desert. I think that 4 hours is the minimum to explore a little bit of the desert but on a next visit I would probably plan one or an half day out.

Our Experiece in Wadi Rum

For our stay in Wadi Rum we booked a room at Wadi Rum Legend Camp. It’s a nice camp for one night but don’t expect anything fancy. Indeed, we preferred to splurge our budget on the resorts instead of paying £300 + for one night in the desert.

This means that our stay had some pro and cons. The room was nice with a great view and a private bathroom. However, the air con was mysteriously turned off at night and despite many requests, they never turned on again. Dinner and breakfast were OK, but I was expecting more in terms of traditional Bedouin dinner. The tour was nice, the landscape of the Wadi Rum desert is simply stunning but I had the impression we skipped some places along the way.

Overall, it was a good stay for the price we paid ( about £110 JD for room + dinner + tour for 2) but if you want something more, or a more fancy place, this camp is certainly not for you. I think that most of my disappointment came from my continuous comparison between our fantastic stay with the Bedouins in the Egyptian White Desert and this stay. I felt this stay lacked a bit of the classic Bedouin hospitality and way they take you into their world (something we experienced in Egypt and was amazing!).

Day 6 – Relax in Aqaba

After 5 days of thrilling adventures, it was the moment to get some relax into the Red Sea. We left our camp soon after breakfast and drove to Aqaba. This was a short 1 hour drive where you have to pass a big frontier check point (because Aqaba is a special economic area). We arrived around 10 am and I immediately convinced my husband to visit the Fortress of Aqaba.

This was originally a 12th-century Crusader outpost that was later transformed into a caravanserai for pilgrims heading to Mecca and Medina. For those of you who never heard the term, a caravanserai is a type of roadside inn for travellers traditionally used on trade routes along the Silk Road.

When we completed our visit, we headed to our resort Mövenpick Aqaba. Luckily, our room was ready and we even got upgraded to a suite! We spent the rest of the day relaxing on the beach and enjoying the crystalline waters of the Red Sea.

At night there was a nice show organised by the resort (this included belly dancing, traditional singers and dancers), so we enjoyed a meal while watching the show and relaxed before our last day in Jordan.

Day 7 – Be amazed by Madaba

The drive from Aqaba to Madaba was the longest one we did in Jordan (about 4 hours). Madaba is conveniently located near the airport so we left this city as the last outpost before our flight day. Madaba is famous for its Biblical connections and Byzantine-era mosaics testifying a long and intriguing past. We arrived in Madaba at 2 pm, just in time to check-in at the Saint John Hotel.

This place is quite basic but the terrace with the view on the mosque is worth a stay! To note that Madaba is still quite traditional and you won’t find many luxury hotels. I have to admit that when we arrived by car, I didn’t have a great impression of the city but I was totally wrong! It needs just a short walk around the small streets of Madaba to love it. The small cafes, the friendly people and the very safe environment made it one of my favourite places in Jordan.

What to see in Madaba

Madaba is a relatively small city, so one day should be enough to visit all the most important sights. One of the most famous attractions in Madaba is the Madaba Map. This is the oldest surviving original cartographic depiction of the Holy sites in the Middle East (particularly Jordan, Palestine and Egypt). It was crafted around 560 AD and only a quarter of it survives in the floor of the Church of St. George. To see the Madaba Map in person was to me a real bucket list moment as I studied travels to the Middle East for my PhD. The entrance fee to the church is just 2 JD.

From here we proceeded to the Madaba Archaeological Park. Here you can admire some well-preserved Byzantine & Ottoman mosaics that were once part of an ancient Roman Road (including the oldest mosaic ever found in Jordan). The Jordan Pass covers the entrance fee.

We moved then to the Apostles Church. This is one of the oldest Churches in Madaba, founded in 578 AD. The church has a very large and well-preserved mosaic dedicated to the Twelve Apostles and the famous Thalassa, known as the “personification of the sea”. Our visit to the church was very nice as we were the only tourist and the guardian took us to see also the chapels mosaics and the back of the church that are not generally open to public. If you have time, stop at the lovely cafe in front of the Frankfurter Supermarket (same owners). The coffee is very good and the owners are super nice! They’ll bring you a lot of Jordanian desserts to try for free with your coffee!

An underrated Madaba attraction

Our last stop of the tour was the St. John the Baptist Roman Church. I have to admit we stopped here almost by chance because it was late and I had no idea where this church was. It happened that it was right behind our hotel, so while we were walking back we stumbled on it and we popped a visit. What a revelation! This church was probably the highlight of our Madaba visit!

Indeed, it looks like a normal church until you discover that with your 1 JD entrance ticket you have access also to one of the oldest acropolis in the whole Jordan!!! The acropolis beneath the church is more than 3000-years-old and dates back to the Moabite era. You will literally get lost in a never-ending underground area full of tunnels, rooms and ancient ruins. There is also a shrine dedicated to St. John. In this regard, the church if famous because designed by the Vatican as the likely location for the beheading of St. John the Baptist.

Your 1 JD ticket will give you access also to the bell tower that, guess you what, is the highest tower of Madaba and the view from there is simply mind-blowing!!!

We ended our stay in Madaba (and in Jordan, unfortunately) with an unmissable dinner at Haret Jdoudna.

Our time in Jordan ended in the best way possible making us happy of the incredible memories we made in this country and smiling of our misadventures.

Jordan 7 days itinerary map

In this map below you can find all the places we’ve been in our 7-day Jordan itinerary!

Plan your trip to Jordan

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