How to get to Jordan

Jordan is served by daily nonstop flights from London and easy one-stop connections from around the UK, as well as nonstop routings from major European, North American and Southeast Asian hubs.

Queen Alia International Airport in Amman (AMM; wqaiairport.com) handles almost all incoming flights to Jordan. A few flights arrive at King Hussein International Airport in Aqaba (AQJ; wkhiaops.com/aac), which is also linked to Amman by daily short-hop shuttles on the national carrier Royal Jordanian.

When to travel

The best times to visit Jordan, weather-wise, are spring (March–May) and autumn (September-October), although this is also when airfares and package deals are at their most expensive. In summer, you face the disadvantages of heat – though it’s rarely extreme – and the peak season for tourism from the Gulf countries. Winter, when fares are lower, can be chilly for sightseeing.

Airfares also peak in the periods surrounding major Islamic holidays such as Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha , when thousands – or, in the case of the hajj pilgrimage to Mecca, millions – of people are on the move. For weeks before the hajj (which takes place in June or May until 2028), whole planes get block-booked for pilgrims on many routes into the Middle East – not just flights into Saudi Arabia, but also connections via Jordan and neighbouring countries. For two weeks after the pilgrimage, few planes out of the region have spare capacity. It pays to check when Islamic holidays are due to fall; book well ahead if you want to fly at or near those times.

One thing to watch when planning an itinerary is your scheduled arrival time: many flights from London, for instance, are afternoon departures, landing in Amman in the late evening – which means your head may not actually hit the pillow until midnight or later. In addition, many return flights to London take off from Amman at breakfast time, necessitating a predawn wake-up call.

Flights from the UK and Ireland

There are nonstop flights daily from London Heathrow to Amman (5hr) with Royal Jordanian (wrj.com) and British Airways (wba.com). Wizz Air (wwizzair.com) flies three times a week from London Luton to Amman (5hr).

If you’re starting from elsewhere in the UK or Ireland, there are plenty of connecting flight options. Consider Lufthansa (wlufthansa.com) via Frankfurt, Austrian (waustrian.com) via Vienna or Ryanair (wryanair.com) via any number of European destinations, including Budapest, Madrid and Rome. Turkish Airlines (wturkishairlines.com) operates flights from Heathrow, Gatwick, Birmingham, Manchester and Dublin to Istanbul, where you can pick up an onward connection to either Amman or Aqaba.

Flights from the US and Canada

From North America, Royal Jordanian flies nonstop to Amman from New York, Chicago, Detroit, Montreal and Toronto. RJ’s code-sharing deals offer good connections from a range of other cities. United (wunited.com) offers good connections with European airlines such as Lufthansa and Austrian, while British Airways (wba.com), Air Canada (waircanada.com) and others also fly (or code-share) from major cities with a change of plane. Turkish Airlines (wturkishairlines.com) has nonstop flights from Chicago, New York, Washington and Los Angeles into Istanbul, for a shuttle onward to Amman or Aqaba. EgyptAir (wegyptair.com) does the same from New York via Cairo. Flight time is eleven hours from the east coast or fifteen hours from the west coast, not including stops on the ground.

Flights from Australia, New Zealand and South Africa

There are no direct flights to Jordan from Australasia – though, thanks to code-sharing, it’s relatively easy to put together a one-stop routing: Qantas or Thai to Bangkok, for instance, then direct to Amman with Royal Jordanian. Alternatives include Emirates via Dubai or Etihad via Abu Dhabi. From South Africa, you’re looking at one-stop routings on Emirates, Etihad, Qatar, EgyptAir or Turkish.

Organized tours

Many organized tours follow a fairly set pattern – a week or so in Jordan, comprising stays in Amman, Petra, Aqaba and/or the Dead Sea, with sightseeing on the way and excursions to sites like Jerash and Wadi Rum. The advantage of these packages is that they get you a good-value flight-plus-accommodation deal; by booking a tour in advance you can end up staying in posh hotels for bargain prices. The disadvantage, of course, becomes clear if you fancy an extra day or two on your own to explore Petra once you get there.

Where fixing up an organized tour really comes into its own is if you have a particular kind of holiday in mind. If you want to know all about Jordan’s archeological sites or learn how to scuba dive, or if you have your heart set on seeing a Sinai rosefinch (Jordan’s national bird), specialist tour operators can sell you ready-made packages or tailor-make a tour to suit your requirements. Adventure companies can often throw in activities such as camel trekking, desert camping or snorkelling, and many operators specialize in pilgrimage tours to sites of biblical interest. You can also arrange tours directly with specialist tour companies in Jordan .

Though Jordan remains safe, the sometimes uncertain political and security situation across the wider Middle East can mean you may find more – or, sadly, fewer – possibilities than we cover here when you come to research your holiday.

Tour operators in the UK

Cultural/historical tours

• Abercrombie & Kent wabercrombiekent.co.uk. Upmarket tailor-made trips.
• Ancient World Tours wancient.co.uk. Archeological and historical itineraries.
• Andante Travels wandantetravels.co.uk. Small-scale, personalized, expert-led archeological/historical tours.
• Audley Travel waudleytravel.com. High-quality tailor-made trips both on and off the beaten track.
• Corinthian Travel wcorinthiantravel.co.uk. Upscale cultural journeys.
• Cox & Kings wcoxandkings.co.uk. Highly respected and long-established company offering gilt-edged cultural and historical tours.
• Intrepid wintrepidtravel.com. Breezy itineraries for independent-minded travellers.
• Kirker Holidays wkirkerholidays.com. Luxury tailor-mades.
• Kuoni wkuoni.co.uk. Large holiday operator with a choice of introductory trips.
• Martin Randall Travel wmartinrandall.com. Small-group cultural tours, led by experts on art and archeology.
• On The Go Tours wonthegotours.com. Lively group tours, as well as tailor-made trips and unusual insider angles on exploring Petra.
• Original Travel woriginaltravel.co.uk. Upmarket short breaks and family holidays to Jordan.
• Responsible Travel wresponsibletravel.com. Tour operator promoting sustainable tourism, offering a range of tours around Jordan.
• Scott Dunn wscottdunn.com. Luxury tailor-made tours, staying in some out-of-the-way corners.
• Steppes Travel wsteppestravel.com. Expertly prepared tailor-made trips.
• Titan wtitantravel.co.uk. Classic escorted tours of major historical sites.
• Voyages Jules Verne wvjv.com. Major Jordan operator with years of experience, offering a range of well-thought-out holiday options.

Adventure tours

• Bering Travel wberingtravel.com. Operator specializing in active adventure holidays, offering a 7-day diving itinerary in Aqaba.
• Exodus wexodus.co.uk. Small-group adventure tour operators, featuring walking, trekking, scrambling and cycling for individuals and families.
• Explore wexplore.co.uk. A wide range of small-group tours, treks and expeditions.
• Families Worldwide wfamiliesworldwide.co.uk. Specialists in adventure holidays for families.
• G Adventures wgadventures.co.uk. Pacy small-group tours for a youthful clientele.
• In The Saddle winthesaddle.com. High-quality tours on horseback.
• KE Adventure wkeadventure.com. Great range of treks and adventure tours from a Jordan specialist.
• Naturetrek wnaturetrek.co.uk. Small-group birdwatching and botanical tours of Jordan with expert guidance.
• Nomadic Thoughts wnomadicthoughts.com. Tailor-made trips to Jordan.
• NOMADS wnomadstravel.co.uk. Small operation run by Tony Howard and Di Taylor, the British climbing duo who opened up Rum to international tourism in the 1980s. They provide detailed, knowledgeable advice on all aspects of independent exploration of Jordan’s wilder corners.
• Planet Dive wplanetdiveholidays.com. Good range of dive options at Aqaba, plus side-trips to Rum and Petra.
• Ramble Worldwide wrambleworldwide.co.uk. Great walking holidays.
• Ride World Wide wrideworldwide.co.uk. High-quality horseriding holidays.
• Unicorn Trails wunicorntrails.com. Horseriding holidays.
• Walks Worldwide wwalksworldwide.com. Leading walking and outdoors operator to Jordan, with a broad range of tours, including family trips.
• Wild Frontiers wwildfrontiers.co.uk. Adventure trips, including on horseback in Wadi Rum.
• World Expeditions wworldexpeditions.com. A good range of trekking and adventure expeditions.

Pilgrimage tours

• Guiding Star wguidingstarltd.com. A leading pilgrimage operator with offices in Jerusalem and Amman, founded in 1961. Combining Christian sites with adventure excursions and cultural exploration, they are exceptionally well connected, and can design a unique itinerary on request.
• Maranatha Tours wmaranatha.co.uk. Specialist in biblical pilgrimage tours.
• McCabe Pilgrimages wmccabe-travel.co.uk. Pilgrim tours to Jordan.
• Worldwide Christian Travel wchristian-travel.com. Biblical and pilgrimage tours.

Tour operators in North America

• Abercrombie & Kent wabercrombiekent.com. Fully escorted luxury tours to Jordan and its neighbours.
• Bestway Tours wbestway.com. Cultural specialists, with a great range of tour options.
• Caravan-Serai Tours wcaravan-serai.com. Leading specialists to the Middle East, with a range of excellent, culturally aware tours to Jordan and all across the region. Owned and run by the award-winning Jordanian-born businesswoman Rita Zawaideh.
• Far Horizons wfarhorizons.com. Expert-led archeological and historical tours of Jordan.
• HLO Tours whlotours.com. Specialists in tailor-made trips, with many years of experience in the Middle East.
• Isram wisramisraelusa.com. Long-established tour operator with a diverse selection of Middle Eastern offerings, mostly focused on Israel but with several Jordan options.
• Maranatha Tours wmaranathatours.com. Specialist in biblical pilgrimage tours.
• Martin Randall Travel wmartinrandall.com. British company running small-group cultural tours, led by expert lecturers.
• On The Go Tours wonthegotours.com. Leading worldwide operator to Jordan, with a variety of cultural and adventure itineraries.
• Wilderness Travel wwildernesstravel.com. Cultural exploration around Jordan and beyond.
• Ya’lla Tours wyallatours.com. Middle East specialist, with a wide range of trips and packages covering Jordan.

Tour operators in Australia & NZ

• Abercrombie & Kent wabercrombiekent.com.au. Classy operator with a strong reputation offering upmarket luxury tours.
• Intrepid wintrepidtravel.com. Broad range of Jordan tours that reach some lesser-known highlights.
• Martin Randall Travel wmartinrandall.com. British company running small-group cultural tours, led by expert lecturers.
• On The Go Tours wonthegotours.com. Leading operator to Jordan, with unique cultural and adventure itineraries.
• World Expeditions wworldexpeditions.com.au. Australian-owned adventure company, with a broad programme of trekking and adventure expeditions.

Overland routes

Before the war in Syria, many independent travellers visited Jordan overland, either popping across from one of the neighbours or as part of a longer odyssey between Istanbul and Cairo. For most of the 2010s, it was impossible to enter Jordan from Syria, and though this border is now open to travellers again, travel through Syria is still not advised.

Border-crossings at other points, however, are straightforward. Most nationalities can get a Jordanian visa on arrival – except at the King Hussein/Allenby Bridge between Jerusalem and Amman, and the Wadi Araba/Yitzhak Rabin crossing between Eilat and Aqaba, where Jordanian tourist visas are not issued. Note that, at time of writing, most Western governments advised against all but essential travel in most of Israel, and against all travel in specific areas, including the West Bank and the territory around Gaza.

From Damascus

At the time of writing the situation in Syria remained unstable, and travel in the country was not advised. There’s no knowing when that situation will change. If you are in Syria and travelling to Amman, you can use the JETT (wjett.com.jo) bus route from Damascus (barely 100km north of the Jordanian frontier). Otherwise, the journey will likely be easiest by serveece (shared taxi). Ask around for the latest information.

From Jerusalem

No public transport runs directly between Jerusalem and Amman: the only way to go is with a combination of bus, taxi and serveece. All traffic is funnelled towards the single border-crossing open to the public, located a short way north of Jericho in the West Bank. It is known as the Allenby Bridge (Jissr Allenby in Arabic; Gesher Allenby in Hebrew) or the King Hussein Bridge (Jissr al-Malek Hussein). Note that although the border is open and will allow you to cross, this route will involve passing through the West Bank, to which, at the time of writing, most Western governments advised against all travel. See wgov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/israel for up to date advice.

Bridge opening hours are limited (Sun–Thurs 8am–7.30pm, Fri 8am–3.30pm, closed Sat; T02 548 2600), and you should arrive well before closing to avoid being stranded (at the latest: Sun–Thurs 4.30pm, Fri 11.30am). The Israeli and Jordanian terminals are around 5km apart, separated by no-man’s-land either side of the bridge itself. Walking across, or taking a private car, is forbidden: you must take public transport. This crossing point is also notoriously subject to the ebb and flow of Middle Eastern politics, and can close at short notice.

Although you must have a visa to enter Jordan, they are not issued at this bridge – which, thanks to a complex piece of official doublethink, is not viewed by Jordan as an international border. If you try to cross without already holding a Jordanian visa, you’ll be turned back by Israeli security.

Israeli buses from West Jerusalem don’t go to the bridge; they only drop off at a parking area beside Highway 90, by a security barrier. Instead, use the serveeces (shared taxis) which depart frequently from East Jerusalem – the main operator is Taxi Nejmeh (T02 627 7446), a short walk east of Damascus Gate on the main street, in a courtyard beside the Golden Walls hotel. Set out early in the morning, or book your ride in advance: serveeces stop running by about noon (10am on Fri), after which your only certain option of reaching the bridge is a private taxi. Buses also run to the bridge from Jericho.

At the Israeli bridge terminal (foreigners’ hall), your bags are taken away for X-ray while you pay the Israeli departure tax. You can pay the tax in advance online, at wborderpay.metropolinet.co.il. If you intend to use your passport for travel elsewhere in the Middle East, be sure to ask the Israeli officials not to stamp your passport .

Then you reclaim your bags and must wait up to an hour for a bus which makes the short trip across the bridge to the Jordanian arrivals terminal – the fare is payable in cash dinars only, so make sure you’ve got some with you. During the trip the bus driver will collect all passports; on arrival, you go into the foreigners’ arrivals hall to reclaim your passport, which won’t have been stamped by the Jordanian officials. Here you’ll find a snack bar, a bank and an ATM. Taxi drivers gather outside and can take you to Amman or other destinations such as Madaba or the Dead Sea, or serveeces do the one-hour journey to Tabarboor station in Amman.

It’s possible for the journey from Jerusalem to Amman to take as little as two hours, but it’s wise to factor in a whole day: slow security and/or immigration, or just plain bad luck in picking up buses and transport, can cause lengthy delays. If you need speed, depending on the current political situation, you may be able to pay roughly US$250 for VIP service city-to-city from agencies such as wbedutours.com – but this excludes the bridge shuttle bus. A slightly cheaper, but still very quick, option is to take a taxi to the bridge, then at the Israeli departures terminal go to the marked VIP office run by Laufer Aviation (wlauferghi.com): for around US$110 they can whisk you through all the formalities and zip you direct in a private minibus to Jordanian arrivals, from where you can jump in a taxi to Amman.

From Tel Aviv and Nazareth

From Tel Aviv, the easiest way to get to Jordan using public transport is to take a bus or train to Jerusalem, then a tram or taxi to the Damascus Gate of Jerusalem’s Old City, from where you can take a serveece to the border .

A more expensive and long-winded way – which avoids travel through the West Bank – uses the northern crossing point over the River Jordan, a bridge about 6km east of the Israeli town of Beit She’an (Beisan in Arabic), known to the Israelis as the Jordan River crossing (Sun–Thurs 7.30am–8pm, Fri 8.30am–4pm, Sat 8.30am–6.30pm; T04 609 3410), and to the Jordanians as the Sheikh Hussein Bridge or simply the Northern Crossing. Don’t confuse the Sheikh Hussein Bridge, in the north, with the King Hussein Bridge, near the Dead Sea.

To get to the Sheikh Hussein Bridge, take a bus from Tel Aviv to Beit She’an (2hr 30min; more frequent connections via Afula), then a taxi to the border. You pay an Israeli departure tax, plus a little extra for a bus across the bridge. On the Jordanian side, you must get your visa (JD40; free with Jordan Pass, also free if you’ve booked your trip through a Jordanian tour company and will stay at least two nights in Jordan). There is no onward public transport – the only option is a taxi to Irbid or Amman.

Pre-Covid, there was a bus which ran from Nazareth direct to Irbid and Amman several times a week, using the Sheikh Hussein Bridge, operated by Nazarene Tours wnazarene-tours.com. This service had not resumed at time of writing, but it’s worth checking the website in case it becomes active again. As it stands, you’ll need to take a bus to Beit She’an, changing in Afula, and then a taxi to the border.

Royal Jordanian’s (Wrj.com) flights between Tel Aviv to Amman (around 30min) were suspended at time of writing, and aren’t cheap even when they are running – but they do offer the lure of spectacular scenery over desert hills and the Dead Sea.

From Eilat

Another crossing point from Israel is in the south, between the neighbouring Red Sea resort cities of Eilat (Israel) and Aqaba (Jordan), known to the Israelis as the Yitzhak Rabin Crossing or Arava Crossing (Sun–Thurs 6.30am–8pm, Fri & Sat 8am–8pm; T08 630 0555), and to the Jordanians as the Wadi Araba or Southern Crossing. From Eilat bus station, it’s reached most easily by taking a taxi or by simply walking 2km to the border. There’s an Israeli departure tax. Standard Jordanian tourist visas are not issued here: instead you’ll most likely get a free visa, though you may need to pay a fee for it later if you exit via other borders. Such arrangements are subject to change: check online at winternational.visitjordan.com, but remember that there’s often a disconnect between official policy and reality. To be on the safe side, you may want to have a Jordanian visa, or your Jordan Pass, in advance. Once you’re through the formalities, you’ll easily be able to pick up a taxi into central Aqaba (5km).

From Cairo and the Sinai

From Cairo, just jump on a plane: the overland journey is long – almost 24 hours – uncomfortable, difficult and passes through territory in the Sinai peninsula which, at the time of writing, was deemed dangerous by most Western governments. Royal Jordanian and EgyptAir fly from Cairo to Amman (1hr 30min; around US$180–220), and you can also find flights from Alexandria and Sharm el-Sheikh.

At the time of writing, the British Foreign Office (w gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice) advised against all but essential travel to large parts of the Sinai peninsula, which may affect your plans. Check the security situation carefully before you travel.

Jordanian JETT and Egyptian SuperJet buses depart once or twice weekly from the Almaza terminal in Heliopolis (T02 2290 9013). The fare on either is around US$100 including the Nuweiba–Aqaba ferry, payable in dollars only. The East Delta bus company (T02 2405 3482) runs cheaper daily services from the Turgoman/Cairo Gateway terminal.

Ferry service from Egypt to Aqaba in Jordan is chaotic. From Nuweiba there is a fast ferry (catamaran; 1hr) and a slow ferry (daily 1pm; 3hr). The timetable is notoriously unreliable and can change from month to month. Expect lengthy delays. There may be a departure tax to pay. Arrive at the port, 8km south of Nuweiba, at least two hours early to buy tickets (with US dollars only). On boarding, you’ll have to hand over your passport, which will be returned to you at Aqaba passport control, where visas are free . You can then pick up a serveece or taxi into central Aqaba (9km). Check for details of extra departures in peak season (during summer, at the end of Ramadan, and around the hajj and Eid al-Adha).

A smaller tourist ferry operates from Taba, 70km north of Nuweiba, to Aqaba, but it is intended for hotel guests in Egypt who want to visit Jordan for a day or two: you can’t buy a one-way ticket, and if you try to board with bags or suitcases, you may be stopped from travelling.

For details of either route, contact AB Maritime (wabmaritime.com.jo).

A cheaper and often easier alternative is to go overland through the Israeli resort of Eilat . Taba, on the Egyptian–Israeli border, is well served by transport from Nuweiba, Dahab and Cairo. The crossing is open 24 hours daily, but it can be difficult to find transport inside Israel during the Jewish shabbat, so avoid turning up here between 2pm Friday and 7pm Saturday. There may be a small Egyptian departure tax, and most nationalities are routinely issued with a free Israeli visa on arrival. Once in Israel, a combination of city buses and walking will get you through Eilat to the Jordanian border (hagvul ha-yardeni in Hebrew), but it’s easier to take a taxi. Crossing from Eilat into Jordan is straightforward . Total journey time is about two or three hours – though the passport stamps you pick up will disqualify you from subsequently entering Lebanon and many other Middle Eastern countries .

From Baghdad

At time of writing, most Western governments advised against travel to Iraq. Nonetheless, the border between Iraq and Amman at Karama/Turaybil is open to travellers, and there are shared taxis that ply the route from Baghdad. Technically, you can get a visa on arrival at the Jordanian border, but your arrival is likely to be something of a surprise to the officials, and it may be advisable to have obtained a visa in advance if you’re planning to cross here.