Explore Israel & Jordan — Self-Launched Independent Version

Arrive at Ben Gurion Airport and make your own way into the city — the 485 shared sherut (minibus taxi) costs around £10 and drops you at Zion Square, or the Israel Railways train to Jerusalem Yitzhak Navon plus a tram ride runs about £4. Check into a hostel in the Old City or the German Colony. Spend the evening wandering the lanes of the Old City for dinner — hummus, falafel, and shakshuka are everywhere for under £6.

🚌Shared sherut or airport train, £4–10

🛏Old City or German Colony hostel (dorm £15–22, private £45–60)

• →Arrive and settle in
• →Evening walk in the Old City
• →Dinner in the Muslim or Christian Quarter

Join a self-booked small-group walking tour of the Old City (GetYourGuide, ~£22) or use the free sandemans-style tip-based walking tours. Cover the Temple Mount (Dome of the Rock, Al-Aqsa Mosque — check opening hours, non-Muslims have restricted access), the Western Wall, and the winding lanes of the Jewish Quarter. In the afternoon walk the Via Dolorosa and visit the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. Free time for the Mount of Olives viewpoint at sunset.

🚌On foot; local light rail £1.50 if needed

🛏Old City or German Colony hostel

• →Guided Old City walking tour
• →Temple Mount & Western Wall
• →Via Dolorosa & Church of the Holy Sepulchre
• →Mount of Olives sunset

Morning at the Israel Museum (~£12) to see the Shrine of the Book and the Dead Sea Scrolls, plus the Second Temple model. After lunch, take the 231 bus from Jerusalem (~£2) to Bethlehem, crossing into the West Bank — bring your passport. Visit the Church of the Nativity and Manger Square. Return to Jerusalem by bus in the evening.

🚌City bus 231 to Bethlehem, ~£2 each way

🛏Old City or German Colony hostel

• →Israel Museum & Dead Sea Scrolls
• →Bus to Bethlehem
• →Church of the Nativity
• →Manger Square

Self-organise the classic day trip: bus 486 from Jerusalem to Masada (~£7). Climb the Roman Ramp or take the cable car (~£12) for the sunrise fortress tour of Herod's palace. Continue by bus to Ein Gedi or a Dead Sea beach for a float in the hypersaline water — bring old shoes, the shore is sharp. Buses back to Jerusalem run until early evening.

🚌Public bus 486, ~£7 each way

🛏Old City or German Colony hostel

• →Masada fortress at sunrise
• →Dead Sea float
• →Ein Gedi nature reserve (optional)

Leave Jerusalem and head to Tel Aviv by train (~£4, 45 mins) for beach time and the Carmel Market and Jaffa old town — a good decompression day. Alternatively, position yourself toward the Jordan border. Tel Aviv hostels are plentiful and cheap for the region.

🚌Israel Railways Jerusalem–Tel Aviv, ~£4

🛏Tel Aviv beachfront hostel (dorm £20–28)

• →Tel Aviv beaches
• →Carmel Market
• →Jaffa old town walk

Cross the border at the Allenby/King Hussein Bridge. From Jerusalem take a shared sherut to the border (~£12), pay the Israeli exit fee (~£8), then a Jordanian shared taxi to Amman (~£15). Alternatively, if you went via Beit She'an, cross at the Sheikh Hussein Bridge. On arrival, check into a downtown Amman hostel near Rainbow Street. Evening: falafel and knafeh at Hashem's, an Amman institution.

🚌Shared taxi + border crossing, £30–40 total

🛏Downtown Amman hostel (dorm £12–18, private £35–50)

• →Allenby Bridge border crossing
• →Arrive Amman
• →Rainbow Street evening stroll
• →Knafeh at Hashem's

Explore Amman on foot: the Citadel with its Temple of Hercules and Umayyad Palace (~£3), the Roman Theatre below (~£2), and the Jordan Museum for the Dead Sea Scrolls' Jordanian counterpart. Wander the gold souk and the bustling downtown. Grab a Jordan Pass before arrival — it covers your visa and entry to Petra, Jerash, and Wadi Rum.

🚌On foot; taxis ~£2–3

🛏Downtown Amman hostel

• →Amman Citadel
• →Roman Theatre
• →Jordan Museum
• →Gold souk & downtown

Take a local bus or shared taxi from Amman's Tabarbour bus station to Jerash (~£1–2, 1 hour). Spend the day among the best-preserved Roman ruins outside Italy — Hadrian's Arch, the Oval Plaza, colonnaded cardo, two theatres, and the Temple of Artemis. Take the free guided tour slot at the entrance if available, or use your guidebook. Return to Amman by late afternoon.

🚌Local bus to Jerash, ~£2 each way

🛏Downtown Amman hostel

• →Jerash Roman ruins
• →Hadrian's Arch & Oval Plaza
• →Temple of Artemis
• →Colonnaded cardo

Bus or shared taxi to Madaba (~£1.50) to see St George's Church and its famous 6th-century mosaic map of the Holy Land (~£2). Continue to Mount Nebo (~£2) for the panoramic view across the Jordan Valley. In the afternoon take the JETT bus or a shared taxi south toward Wadi Musa (Petra), ~3 hours, ~£8. Check into a guesthouse in Wadi Musa.

🚌Local bus + JETT/shared taxi, ~£12 total

🛏Wadi Musa budget guesthouse near Petra gate (dorm £12–18)

• →Madaba mosaics & St George's Church
• →Mount Nebo viewpoint
• →Transfer to Wadi Musa

Enter Petra early (Jordan Pass covers entry, otherwise ~£50 for one day / ~£55 for two). Walk the Siq — the 1km gorge with 80m sandstone walls — to the Treasury (Al-Khazneh). Explore the Street of Facades, the Royal Tombs, and climb to the Monastery (Ad-Deir) if you have energy. Watch Petra by Night on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays (~£15) — candlelit Siq and Treasury.

🚌On foot (Petra gate is 10 mins from most guesthouses)

🛏Wadi Musa budget guesthouse

• →Petra Siq & Treasury
• →Street of Facades
• →Royal Tombs
• →Monastery hike
• →Petra by Night (optional)

Second day in Petra with the Jordan Pass. Climb the High Place of Sacrifice for the best panoramic views, then descend via the Wadi Farasa to the Roman Soldier Tomb. Consider the lesser-visited route from Little Petra to the Monastery if you're fit and have a full day. In the evening, compare notes with other travellers at a Wadi Musa café.

🚌On foot; optional taxi to Little Petra ~£8

🛏Wadi Musa budget guesthouse

• →High Place of Sacrifice
• →Wadi Farasa trail
• →Roman Soldier Tomb
• →Optional Little Petra hike

Shared taxi or minibus from Wadi Musa to Wadi Rum (~£10, 2 hours). Join a self-bookable small-group 4x4 tour (~£35–50) through the desert: red sand dunes, mushroom rock formations, Lawrence's Spring, and ancient rock art and inscriptions. Tonight stay at a Bedouin desert camp (dorm/private tent £20–35, usually including dinner and breakfast). After dark, walk out with your host to see the stars away from any light pollution.

🚌Shared taxi Wadi Musa–Wadi Rum, ~£10

🛏Bedouin desert camp, Wadi Rum (tent £20–35 incl. dinner)

• →4x4 desert tour
• →Rock formations & rock art
• →Bedouin camp overnight
• →Desert night walk & stargazing

Leave the desert and head north to the Jordanian Dead Sea coast (~£15 by shared taxi/minibus via Amman, around 4 hours). Check into a budget guesthouse or a public beach access point at Amman Beach. Float in the famously salty water — you cannot sink — and slather yourself in the mineral mud. Rinse off and watch the sunset over the West Bank hills.

🚌Shared taxi/minibus Wadi Rum–Dead Sea via Amman, ~£15

🛏Dead Sea budget guesthouse or Amman Beach (dorm £18–28)

• →Dead Sea float
• →Mineral mud experience
• →Sunset over the water

Return to Amman by bus or shared taxi (~£5–8). Spend the afternoon at any last sites you missed — the Jordan National Gallery of Fine Arts, the trendy cafés of Jabal Al Weibdeh, or last-minute souvenir shopping for spices, olive oil, and Dead Sea products in the souk. Farewell dinner at a downtown restaurant serving mansaf, Jordan's national dish.

🚌Local bus/shared taxi, ~£6

🛏Downtown Amman hostel

• →Return to Amman
• →Jabal Al Weibdeh cafés
• →Souvenir shopping
• →Mansaf farewell dinner

Make your own way to Queen Alia International Airport by the Airport Express bus from the North Bus Station (~£5) or a taxi (~£18). Depart at any time.

🚌Airport Express bus ~£5 or taxi ~£18

🛏N/A

• →Departure transfer