Holidaying in JORDAN

[Safeway]

Easyjet annoncing a new route to Amman provides an ideal opportunity to tick another country off the list. Question is, is Amman suitable for a week or would two or three nights suffice?

Additionally, is it worth doing a day trip to Jerusalem and Bethlehem? Apparently a few countries get a bit funny if they spot an Israeli stamp in your passport.

 

[fork me]

Easyjet annoncing a new route to Amman provides an ideal opportunity to tick another country off the list. Question is, is Amman suitable for a week or would two or three nights suffice?

Additionally, is it worth doing a day trip to Jerusalem and Bethlehem? Apparently a few countries get a bit funny if they spot an Israeli stamp in your passport.

You can ask the Israeli immigration not to stamp your passport. An Israeli stamp rules out trips to most of the Arab world. Don't know if you can cross from Jordan by land though.

 

[severnside gull]

I believe a brief sojourn in Jordan is a popular passtime with any number of minor celebrities, sportsmen, singers etc.

 

[fork me]

To Israel from Jordan

 

[fork me]

To be honest, Beirut is supposed to be a better bet at the moment. Before the troubles it was the party capital of the Middle East, now it's calm again, they've rebuilt everything. At the moment it's the best of both worlds, a good party city, one of the few places in the Middle East where you can drink with no problem (it's half Christian), but the stag night crowd haven't caught on yet!

 

[Couldn't Be Hyypia]

Lived in Jordan for a while (but quite some time ago). It is an incredible country but doesn't have the PR of some of its neighbours, so often overlooked. Personally I would do a long weekend. If you fall in love with the place go back again.

Not to be missed:

Petra (of course) - ideally you need to stay down there overnight to see everything.

Jerash (Roman city that just appeared when the sand shifted - staggeringly beautiful):

Wadi Rum - Lawrence of Arabia Country - real desert:

Kerak - crusader castle with walls 50' thick:

The Dead Sea - not as flashy as the Israeli saide - but still floaty!

Amman itself id a bit of a dump, but the amphitheatre is impressive:

We lived in the North near Umm Quays (Gaderra). Small Roman city where the swine supposedly jumped into the sea (many mile off):

Defo worth a trip.

 

[Goring Gull]

One of teh Lads at work has been and he though tit was great. He's coming on the stag so you can ask him then.

 

[Southstandfaithful]

I went to Jordan a couple of years ago for 10 days and spent 5 nights in the Amman/ Dead Sea area. The Dead Sea is only about an hours drive from Amman. Petra is also worth a visit but takes about 4 hours by car from Amman. The remainder of our time we spend in Aqaba on the Red Sea ( which is another couple of hours from Petra). Didn't go to Israel so can't help you there.

 

[Aristotle]

I was out there about 3 1/2 years ago (mate and I bought an old landrover and drove from the UK). All the things THRK recommends are definitely worth a visit; the best for me was Wadi Rum as we had our own landrover so we could just hire a guide and raz it around the desert for a day.

We also did a couple of days in Israel, got the bus from Amman to the border (asked not to get a stamp and they obliged) and then another bus on from there. Jerusalem was very impressive, so go if you can.

All in all, well worth a long weekend, but more than enough for longer if you have the time.

 

[Steve Foster]

You can travel between Aqaba (Jordan) and Israel (Eilat) by land freely. Only road crossing between the two countries. No issues or problems.
Top Gear special at Christmas drove from Iran to Bethlehem through Jordan & into Israel (no problem).

 

[LondonSaint]

Jordan is great,BUT......

Syria is better

Recently spent 6 days in Jordan and 6 days in Syria.
Yes the Red Sea,Dead sea and Petra were briliant, we all found Syria much more interesting though.

The people are the friendliest i've ever encounterd anywhere, crac de chevalier is far more impressive than kerak and the roman ruins were more imressive than jerash too.

Best of all was Damascus-stunning city-allepo in the north was interesting too.

have a great trip anyway.