Amman 7-Day Itinerary: Petra, Wadi Rum and the Dead Sea

How should you spend 7 days from Amman?

Spend day 1 in Amman and day 2 at Jerash and Ajloun, then drive the King’s Highway via Madaba, Mount Nebo and Karak to Petra on day 3. Give Petra day 4 and the morning of day 5, sleep in a Wadi Rum camp, drive north to the Dead Sea on day 6 and float on day 7.

A week turns an Amman city break into a loop of Jordan’s headline sites. The Amman 3-day itinerary stays in and around the capital, with Petra only as a rushed extra; this plan spends just one full day in the city, keeps Jerash, and adds two Petra days, a desert night and the Dead Sea, sleeping in four different places.

Fees and hours come from Jordan Pass, Visit Jordan’s fee table and the Jerash visitor centre, checked on 16 October 2026; fees are for foreign visitors in Jordanian dinars (JOD). Driving times are Visit Jordan’s. We have not driven this loop for the page.

The route works best with a hired car and driver or a self-drive car from day 3, because we could not confirm scheduled public transport along the King’s Highway or to Wadi Rum and the Dead Sea from official timetables. If you would rather not drive, the transport section below shows how to stitch it together with JETT and transfers.

What does a week from Amman look like day by day?

Two days in and around Amman come first, then a long scenic drive south, a day and a half in Petra, a night in Wadi Rum and a final night by the Dead Sea. You change beds three times. The table lists the sites, hours, fees and overnight stop for each day.

Petra’s ticket is priced by consecutive days, so days 4 and 5 are planned as a two-day visit. Petra by Night runs only from Sunday to Thursday (Visit Jordan), so if it matters to you, make sure night 3 or night 4 falls on one of those evenings.

Hours are as listed by Jordan Pass and Visit Jordan; Jerash changes its hours by season (Jerash visitor centre). The longest drives are days 3 and 6, so start both early and avoid driving after dark.

How does this differ from the 3-day plan, and is the Jordan Pass worth it?

The 3-day plan covers the Citadel, the Jordan Museum and Lweibdeh, and Jerash, with Petra as an optional long day trip. This week drops the second city day and adds Petra, Wadi Rum and the Dead Sea. With two Petra days, the 75-JOD Jordan Explorer pass costs far less than the 123 JOD of visa and fees it replaces.

Jordan Pass sells the Wanderer (70 JOD, one Petra day), the Explorer (75 JOD, two consecutive Petra days) and the Expert (80 JOD, three). It waives the tourist visa fee only if you buy it before arriving and stay at least two nights (three days) (Jordan Pass; FAQ). Without it, the FCDO lists a 40-JOD single-entry visa.

The pass’s attraction list includes the Citadel, the Roman Theatre, Jerash, Ajloun, Madaba Archaeological Park, Karak, Petra and Wadi Rum (Jordan Pass). We could not confirm Mount Nebo or the Baptism Site on it, and Petra by Night is a separate 30-JOD ticket (Visit Jordan), so budget for those on top.

If you want a third Petra day, the Expert pass adds it for 5 JOD more. Visit Jordan prices Petra at 50 JOD for one day, 55 for two and 60 for three, and 90 JOD for one-day visitors to Jordan (Visit Jordan).

Days 1–2: how do you use Amman and Jerash?

On day 1, see the Citadel and the Roman Theatre, walk downtown and end on Rainbow Street. On day 2, leave by 08:00 for Jerash, about 40 minutes north, and add Ajloun Castle in the afternoon. Both nights are in Amman, so a central base in Jabal Amman or Lweibdeh keeps evenings easy.

The Citadel and the Roman Theatre both open 08:00–17:00 (Jordan Pass); tickets are 3 and 2 JOD (Visit Jordan). Visit Jordan describes the Umayyad Palace, the Temple of Hercules and the Byzantine Church on the Citadel hill, and the 2nd-century theatre below, which seats about 6,000. If you land late, start day 1 at the theatre and save the hill for the evening light.

The Jerash visitor centre puts the drive north at about 40 minutes and lists seasonal hours: 08:00–16:00 from November, 08:00–17:30 in April and May and 08:00–18:30 in summer. Entry is 10 JOD, including the museum (Visit Jordan). Ajloun Castle, also on the Jordan Pass list, opens 08:00–17:00 and costs 3 JOD.

If you prefer museums to a castle, swap Ajloun for an afternoon at the Jordan Museum or in Jabal al-Lweibdeh, both covered in the 3-day plan. Where to stay in Amman compares bases by hills and transport.

Day 3: how do you drive the King’s Highway to Petra?

Leave Amman early and drive south on the King’s Highway, stopping at Madaba’s archaeological park, Mount Nebo and Karak Castle, then continue to Wadi Musa, the town at Petra’s gate. Visit Jordan puts the route at four to four and a half hours of driving, against about three on the Desert Highway, so it fills the day.

Visit Jordan describes the King’s Highway through Madaba, Karak and Dana as the scenic route to Petra, taking about four to four and a half hours, and the Desert Highway as the fast one at around three. Madaba Archaeological Park opens 08:00–16:00 and costs 3 JOD; Mount Nebo costs 3 JOD; Karak Castle opens 08:00–17:00 and costs 2 JOD (Jordan Pass; Visit Jordan).

Arrive in Wadi Musa before dark. The FCDO advises driving with care at night and avoiding unlit roads, noting that stray animals, broken-down vehicles and unmarked roadworks are common, and that heavy snow in winter can trap vehicles and block mountain roads around Petra.

If tonight is a Sunday to Thursday, Petra by Night leads visitors by candlelight to the Treasury from about 20:30 to 22:30, for 30 JOD (Visit Jordan). It is a good use of an arrival evening because the daytime visit starts tomorrow.

Days 4–5: how do you spend a day and a half in Petra?

Enter at 06:00 on day 4, walk the Siq to the Treasury while it is cool, continue along the main trail and climb the ancient steps to the Monastery (Ad-Deir) later in the day. On day 5, return for a slower morning, then leave by early afternoon for Wadi Rum. Never stay inside after closing.

Jordan Pass lists Petra’s hours as 06:00–17:00 (Jordan Pass), and the Main Trail tickets and guides are sold at the Petra Visitors’ Center (Visit Jordan). The Petra Museum, a three-minute walk from the main gate, opens 08:30–19:30 every day and holds 280 artefacts across five halls, a good stop on the evening of day 4.

The FCDO says the Petra Archaeological Park has strict opening and closing hours, that being inside outside them risks arrest and prosecution, and that tourists have been locked in overnight. Plan your exit with time to spare, especially from the Monastery, which Visit Jordan describes as reached by a climb up ancient steps.

Two days are what the Explorer pass covers, and they let you split the hardest climb from the rest. Our is Petra’s Treasury worth it guide explains how to pace the site, and Visit Jordan names Petra one of the new Seven Wonders of the World (Visit Jordan).

Days 5–6: how do you fit in Wadi Rum?

Drive from Petra to Wadi Rum on the afternoon of day 5, about 1.5 to 2 hours and roughly 107 km, and sleep in a Bedouin-style camp. Take a jeep tour on the morning of day 6, booked through your camp or the visitor centre, then head north. Entry to the protected area costs 5 JOD.

Visit Jordan gives the Petra to Wadi Rum drive as 1.5 to 2 hours over about 107 km and says camps can arrange private transfers. Its Wadi Rum page describes the “Valley of the Moon” as a UNESCO World Heritage site home to Bedouin tribes, with 4x4 tours bookable through camps or the visitor centre, camping and stargazing. Entry is 5 JOD (Visit Jordan).

The desert is the most weather-exposed part of the week. The FCDO advises bringing clothing, food and water suitable for extreme temperatures, researching tour operators’ safety measures and insurance, and avoiding wadis for at least a day after heavy rain in the November to March flood season.

Day 6 ends with the longest drive of the week. Wadi Rum to Petra alone takes 1.5 to 2 hours, and Petra to Amman about three hours on the Desert Highway (Visit Jordan); the FCDO notes fatal accidents on that road. Leave by late morning so you reach the Dead Sea in daylight.

Day 7: how do you finish at the Dead Sea?

Float in the morning, when it is cooler, then visit the Baptism Site, nine kilometres north of the Dead Sea, or the Museum at the Lowest Place on Earth before heading to the airport. The Dead Sea is 427 metres below sea level and about ten times saltier than sea water, so floating is effortless.

Visit Jordan recommends Amman Tourist Beach for day visitors, describes a 3.5-km Dead Sea Promenade, and says the water is some ten times saltier than sea water. The Baptism Site (Al-Maghtas), on UNESCO’s World Heritage List, charges other nationalities 12 JOD including a shuttle bus and local guide, and the Museum at the Lowest Place on Earth opens 08:00–17:15 (Jordan Pass).

Allow a generous margin for the drive up to Queen Alia International Airport, which Visit Jordan calls the country’s main airport (Visit Jordan). If your flight is the next morning, spend night 7 in Amman instead; the Sariyah Airport Express runs from Seventh Circle and North Station.

If a flight is delayed or cancelled, our Jordan flight delay compensation guide explains what Jordan’s rules cover.

How do you get around, and which season suits this loop?

A driver or hire car is simplest from day 3. Without one, take the JETT bus from Amman to Petra, which Visit Jordan says leaves Abdali at 06:30, and use camp and hotel transfers for Wadi Rum and the Dead Sea. Spring and autumn suit the loop best; summer is hot, and winter brings floods and snow risks.

Visit Jordan lists the JETT departure from Abdali at 06:30, a second pick-up at 7th Circle at 07:00, arrival in Petra around 10:00–10:30 and a 17:00 return, advises booking a day or two ahead in the March to May and September to November high season, and notes that times change at weekends, on public holidays and during Ramadan; check with JETT. In Amman, the FCDO recommends Uber or Careem over yellow taxis, and Visit Jordan notes that taxi meters are not always used after 11pm.

The Jordan Meteorological Department’s Amman averages run from a 12.3°C January high to 32.4°C in August, with almost all rain between November and March. April, May and October, at 22.6°C to 27.8°C, are the most comfortable months for long outdoor days; the best time to visit Amman has the full table.

Check the FCDO’s Jordan page before you go. Updated on 10 September 2026 and still current on 16 October, it reports Iranian strikes in the region, including Jordan, since 8 July, renewed attacks and interceptions in and around Aqaba in early September, and possible airspace closures; its only area warning is within 3 km of the Syrian border (FCDO).

What should you book first, and who should change this plan?

Book in this order: the Jordan Pass before you fly, the Wadi Musa and Wadi Rum nights, your car, driver or JETT seats, then the Dead Sea hotel. Travellers who dislike long drives should drop the King’s Highway for the Desert Highway, and summer visitors should start every outdoor day at opening.

Compare tours and transfers by what they include: pick-up point and time, whether your Jordan Pass covers the entry fees, the guide’s language, and the cancellation window. A guided Petra day is worth considering for context; a Wadi Rum jeep tour is usually arranged through the camp. Our GetYourGuide vs Viator vs Klook comparison explains how the platforms differ.

Women travelling alone may find solo female travel in Jordan useful, and things to do in Amman suggests swaps if you add a second city day. For more on the capital itself, see the Amman destination guide.