Petra gets the headlines, but Jordan is packed with sites that would be the star attraction anywhere else. With a few extra days you can travel from the Roman Empire to the Bible to the desert in one trip.
Jerash, north of Amman, is one of the best preserved Roman provincial cities in the world. Walk under Hadrian's Arch, through the oval plaza and down the colonnaded street where chariot ruts are still cut into the paving stones. In Amman itself, the Citadel hill gives you the Temple of Hercules, an Umayyad palace and a view over the whole city.
South of Amman, Madaba is the "city of mosaics". In the Greek Orthodox Church of St. George lies the Madaba Map, a sixth-century mosaic of the Holy Land showing Jerusalem with its gates and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre - the oldest surviving map of the region. Ten minutes away is Mount Nebo, where according to tradition Moses looked over the Promised Land. On a clear day you can see the Dead Sea, Jericho and even the towers of Jerusalem.
Down in the Jordan Valley, Bethany Beyond the Jordan (Al-Maghtas) is the site identified by Jordan and many churches as the place of Jesus's baptism, recognised by UNESCO in 2015. Finish on the Jordanian shore of the Dead Sea, or head south to Aqaba for the Red Sea.
A classic loop: Amman and Jerash, Madaba and Nebo, Petra, then a night under the stars in Wadi Rum.
Keep reading
- JordanJordan: Petra, Wadi Rum and the Desert Next DoorPetra, a Bedouin night in Wadi Rum, and how the crossings actually work.
- JordanPetra: How to See the Rose City ProperlyThe Siq, the Treasury, the Monastery climb and the timing tricks that let you beat the crowds.
- JerusalemHoly JerusalemThe four quarters of the Old City, the holy sites, and the modern city that surrounds them.