Finally, all posts on Jordan and Israel are online, so, it’s time for the itinerary post. We travelled 2 countries, so an open jaw flight from Frankfurt to Amman and back from Tel Aviv to Frankfurt was most convenient. This way we only had to cross a border once.
By the way, crossing the border in Eilat/Aqaba (Arava Border or Wadi Araba Border) was quite easy. It was fast and convenient, the people were nice and not very strict with us. The buildings had air condition and we even could change our Jordanian money into Shekels. The Jordan Pass covered the exit fee from Jordan and there was no entrance fee to Israel for us.
On the road in Jordan and Israel
Beforehand we, too, had some questions and doubts and hesitated to travel the Middle East. This post might help you, to sum it up: Do it! You’ll find our hotels on the list further down.
The first question was how to get around. Normally we always prefer a rental car. This would have been a problem neither in Jordan nor in Israel. But the border crossing isn’t possible and in Jordan, the one-way rental was way too expensive.
So we asked our hotel in Amman to organize a taxi to Petra (80 JD). From Petra to Wadi Rum there’s a daily tourist bus early in the morning (your hotel will help you) for 8 JD p.p. And from Wadi Rum to the border we took a taxi again for 25 JD.
In Israel, finally, we could change into a rental car. We rented one for the trip from Eilat to Jerusalem via the Dead Sea and one for Northern Israel starting from Tel Aviv.
From Jerusalem to Tel Aviv, plenty of buses leave from the bus station for 18 Shekel p.p.
This may sound complicated but everything was super easy and convenient. In general, transportation in the area is quite cheap compared to accommodation and restaurants.
Accommodation and our itinerary in Jordan and Israel
Below you’ll find our detailed itinerary and our accommodation, all of which we can recommend. We used booking.com for all of them and like always it was hassle-free and easy.
Data by OpenStreetMap.
1.Amman
In Amman, we spent two nights in the lovely Gallery Guest House. Great location, friendly staff, beautiful rooms and a good breakfast is served either on your room or on the roof terrace. They help you organize your airport transfer (25 JD) and the taxi to Petra, too.
2. Petra
We stayed one night in Esperanza Petra. The location is great, it’s a 5-minute walk to the Petra entrance. Staff is nice and the breakfast was delicious. Rooms were a bit old-fashioned, though, but for one night it’s perfectly fine. Next morning, we started at 6 am to Wadi Rum.
3. Wadi Rum
We booked a one day tour including a night in the desert with Mehedi Saleh and his Bedouin Directions. We liked everything and enjoyed the time in the desert, find details here. The next morning we took the taxi to the Israelian border.
4. Eilat
After one night in the desert and the border crossing on foot we arrived in the amazing Soleil Boutique Hotel in Eilat and felt like we were in heaven. Cool, clean, everybody was nice and everything comfortable and even with some luxury. The pool was perfect to relax, the Red Sea was just a short walk away and the breakfast in the morning was extraordinary. Definitely one of the best hotels ever. The next morning, we took our rental car and visited the Red Canyon in the Negev Desert before heading to the Dead Sea.
5. Ein Bokek – The Dead Sea
There, the next very good hotel was waiting for us: Crowne Plaza Ein Bokek. It may be ugly from the outside, but its location directly at the beach and the great rooms made it up. Maybe we liked it so much because of an upgrade to a room on the 12th floor. By the way, we had dinner at McDonald’s there, because the hotel options were very expensive and didn’t appeal to us.
6. Jerusalem
Again after one night, we were heading to Jerusalem. There we spent 4 nights in St. George’s Cathedral Guesthouse. Perfect location close to the Old Town, beautiful courtyard and a very good breakfast. From Jerusalem, we visited Bethlehem in the West Bank, too. We returned our rental car in Jerusalem just when we arrived because it’s no use in the city. By the end, we took a bus to Tel Aviv.
7. Tel Aviv
There we stayed 3 nights in the Florentine Backpacker’s Hostel. Perfect location again, cool people and in the double rooms, you’ll have enough privacy, too. But at the same time, you can mingle with fellow travellers on the roof terrace, and enjoy the view and the sun. Breakfast and dinner are included. For Tel Aviv, it’s really, really cheap.
8. Tiberias – Lake Tiberias/Sea of Galilei
From Tel Aviv we rented a car again and started a roadtrip to Northern Israel. We visited Haifa, Acco, Nazareth and the Sea of Galilei, where we spent one night in the Sweet Dreams Aparments. Close to the lake, a nice landlord, parking is included and a comfortable room. You don’t need more than this for one night, though.
Linda K.
Thank you so much for posting your itinerary. I was searching for a map of Israel and Jordan online in preparation for a trip my husband and I plan to make next Spring. We decided we’d like to do everything on our own rather than a (usually hurried) guided tour. We want the free time that independent travel provides. But, it was hard to figure out how to visit both countries. Your map caught my attention and then your accompanying text and references were just “the ticket”. I am a fan of booking.com and had even found Esperanza on my own using b.c. Glad to know you enjoyed it. We now plan to follow the same route as you, fly into Amman and out of Tel Aviv. All that we’ll do differently is to stay a week at a time in 3-4 places in Israel rather than a number of shorter stays. Changing accommodations gets to be tiresome at our age (73). Happy travels with the family in the years to come!
Jan
Hi Linda,
so great to hear! Enjoy the trip, you will love it!