Jordan in five days: a first-timer's route with the fine print
A five-day Jordan route for first-timers covering Amman, Jerash, the Dead Sea, Petra and Wadi Rum, with current Jordan Pass, Petra fee and opening-hour rules.
Amman, Jerash, the Dead Sea, Petra and Wadi Rum in five days is tight but doable. Here is the order we would sell it in, plus the ticket and visa rules that trip people up.
By Traviology · Published 2026-10-16
"We have five days. Can we see everything?" Agents hear it constantly. The honest answer is that you can see the big five, if you accept a couple of early starts and one long drive. First-time trips rarely sink on the route. They sink on a ticket rule nobody read.
The route
Day 1: Amman. Land, check in, keep the afternoon light. Downtown Amman in the evening is the gentlest welcome to the country you could ask for: street food, the old Roman theatre, people out walking in the cooler air. Don't plan anything ambitious for a client who has just flown overnight.
Day 2: Jerash, then down to the Dead Sea. Go to Jerash early, before the heat and the coaches. Its colonnaded streets and theatres deserve a few unhurried hours. In the afternoon, drive down to the Dead Sea for a float and an overnight stay. Floating sounds like a gimmick until you do it.
Day 3: South to Petra. Leave after breakfast. Get to Wadi Musa with daylight to spare and clients can walk the Siq to the Treasury in afternoon light, unhurried. Petra by Night? This is the evening for it.
Day 4: Petra, properly. A full day. The Monastery climb is the reward for anyone with decent knees. Book a licensed guide for the main trail; the Visitor Center arranges them.
Day 5: Wadi Rum. Head into the desert for a jeep tour and the kind of silence most clients have never heard. Then either fly out of Aqaba, which is in the south, or drive back north. If a sixth night is possible, a camp in Wadi Rum is the single best upgrade you can sell on this trip. Sell it.
Petra tickets: read this before you quote
Official prices on the Petra Development and Tourism Region Authority site, checked this month:
Visitors staying overnight in Jordan: 50 JD for one day, 55 JD for two, 60 JD for three. Two- and three-day tickets must be used on consecutive days.
Day-trippers who do not stay overnight in Jordan: 90 JD.
Children under 12: daytime entry is free.
Petra by Night is not included in any daytime ticket or in the Jordan Pass. It needs a separate ticket, plus a valid daytime ticket.
Opening hours change with the season. Winter hours run from 2 October 2026 to 1 March 2027, with the site and Visitor Center open 06:30 to 17:00. Summer hours from March to the start of October are 06:00 to 18:00. In short winter days, that 17:00 close shapes the whole of day 4.
For clients who struggle with distance, golf carts run from the Visitor Center to the Treasury (4 km) for 15 JD one way and do not need booking in advance. The site takes cash in Jordanian dinars or Visa cards.
The Jordan Pass, and when it pays
The Jordan Pass is run by the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities. It bundles entry to more than 40 sites, including Petra, Jerash and Wadi Rum, and comes in three versions that differ only in Petra days:
Jordan Wanderer: 70 JD, one day at Petra
Jordan Explorer: 75 JD, two consecutive days
Jordan Expert: 80 JD, three consecutive days
For the route above, Explorer fits. The bigger saving is the visa, though. The tourist visa fee is 40 JD, and the pass waives it if it's bought before arrival and the traveller stays at least two whole nights (three days).
Rules that cause problems at the counter:
The pass is not available to holders of Arab nationalities, according to its FAQ.
It only waives the fee. It does not replace a visa, and visa on arrival depends on nationality. Check the restricted list on the pass site before you promise anything.
Bring it printed. The FAQ warns that the QR code may not scan from a phone at the visa office or at sites.
At Petra it can only be scanned at the Visitor Center.
It must be used within three months of purchase, and it expires one month after the first scan.
Bethany Beyond the Jordan, the Baptism Site, is not included but can be added at checkout for 8 JD instead of 12 JD.
Getting around
For a first trip we'd sell a private driver, and on this route we think it's worth the money. Anyone set on public transport has one option the Petra authority lists: a JETT bus from Amman's Abdali station, leaving at 6:30 and returning at 17:00. By car, the same page puts Amman to Petra at about three hours via the Desert Highway or four via the King's Highway. The slower road is the prettier one.
Pre-booked private transfers and day tours are what hold an itinerary like this together. Here's how we handle tours and transfers.
Check the travel advice first
The UK Foreign Office advice for Jordan was updated on 10 September 2026 and now includes information about Iranian missile strikes on Jordan. It says the situation in the Middle East remains unpredictable. The only area it lists as 'against all travel' is the strip within 3 km of the Syrian border, which this route doesn't go near. Your client's own government may say something different, and flight schedules can change at short notice. Read the advice for the client's passport when you quote and again the week before departure.
Sources
Prices, hours and visa rules checked October 2026. They change, so confirm before you quote.
See it on your brand
Flights, hotels, trains, transfers, and tours, sold under your name. One short walkthrough, then you decide.