Jordan with kids: 7-day family itinerary

Why Jordan works brilliantly for families

Jordan surprises families who expect it to be difficult. The country is compact, the main sites are accessible, and Jordanians visibly adore children — yours will attract warm attention and extra hospitality everywhere. The Wadi Rum jeep tours are thrilling at any age. The Dead Sea’s natural buoyancy is something no child forgets. Aqaba’s coral reefs are accessible to complete beginners.

The honest challenge is Petra. The site is large (minimum 6km walking on uneven stone), gets genuinely hot from late morning, and the donkeys and camels available inside can be uncomfortable for small children if negotiated poorly. This family itinerary manages Petra carefully: an early start, a shorter core route, a donkey or camel ride to the Monastery for older children, and a second half-day on the second morning rather than pushing through a full day.

This itinerary concentrates on the southern highlights (Petra, Wadi Rum, Dead Sea, Aqaba) and skips the northern Roman sites (Jerash, Ajloun). Those are better suited to older children who engage with archaeology. For the full family-with-teenagers version, see the standard 7-day itinerary — it’s entirely appropriate for families with older children.

Age recommendation: This itinerary is designed for families with children aged 4–14. Toddlers and infants can manage the Dead Sea, Aqaba, and Wadi Rum without difficulty. Petra is challenging for under-5s (long walks, heat, crowds) — carry small children in a carrier backpack.

Day-by-day plan

Day 1: Amman arrival + Wild Jordan Center workshop

Morning — Airport and transfer

Queen Alia International Airport to Amman: 35–45 minutes. Book your private transfer or rental car in advance. Children appreciate the smooth Jordan expressway after a long flight.

From Amman: private driver and car service for 1–8 days

Afternoon — Wild Jordan Center (Shmeisani, Amman)

Wild Jordan Center, run by the RSCN (Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature), has a kids’ nature discovery room, a craft shop supporting reserve communities, and a rooftop café with views over downtown. The center runs weekend workshops for children on Jordanian wildlife and ecosystems — worth checking for timing. It’s the best introduction to Jordan’s natural world that exists in the city.

Late afternoon — Amman Citadel (short visit)

If children have energy, the Amman Citadel is brief and photogenic. The Temple of Hercules (two standing columns of an enormous Roman temple) impresses children who respond to big things. The view over the city is the parent reward. 30–45 minutes max.

Evening — Downtown dinner

Hashem Restaurant (hummus, foul, falafel — the best fast-food meal in Jordan, 2–5 JOD per person) near the King Hussein Mosque. Or Al-Quds Restaurant downtown for the full mezze spread. Both are good for children.

• Stay: Grand Hyatt Amman or Landmark Hotel (rooms with connecting suites recommended for families)

Day 2: Amman → Petra (drive 3h via Desert Highway)

Morning — Departure

Leave Amman by 09:00 on the Desert Highway. It’s a 3h drive that’s arrow-straight and very easy. Pack snacks and download something for the back seat. The landscape changes dramatically as you descend toward Petra — the plateau drops into rust-red canyons around Ras an-Naqab, which signals you’re close.

Midday — Arrival and hotel check-in

Check in to your Petra hotel. Family-friendly options:

• Mövenpick Resort Petra: directly at the gate, large pool, family rooms; from 130 JOD/night. The pool location is perfect — children can swim between Petra visits.
• Petra Marriott Hotel: 10 minutes from the gate, excellent pool and garden; from 110 JOD/night.
• Petra Moon Hotel: good value, 5-minute walk from the gate, smaller pool; from 60 JOD/night.

Afternoon — Short first Petra visit (2h)

Buy your tickets (Jordan Pass covers entry). Enter the Siq for your first walk to the Treasury — this experience never gets old regardless of age. Children respond to the scale of the carved facades. The Treasury at the end of the Siq: for most children this is the “Indiana Jones moment” (Last Crusade was filmed here).

Keep the afternoon visit short: Siq to Treasury and back, plus the Street of Facades. Two hours, then return to the hotel before the midday heat.

Evening — Hotel pool + early dinner

Pool time is essential for the adults’ sanity on a family trip. Mövenpick Petra has a good pool with a children’s section. Dinner at the hotel or at one of the restaurants on the main road in Wadi Musa.

• Stay: Mövenpick Resort Petra

Day 3: Petra main day (early start + kid-paced route)

06:00 — Early Siq entry

This is the key day. Enter the gate at 06:00, before the sun is high and before the school group tours arrive. Children adapt to the early alarm with the promise of adventure.

Route (kid-paced, approximately 6km total, 3–4h walking)

Siq → Treasury (allow 20 minutes to look, photograph, and not be rushed) → Street of Facades → Theatre → Royal Tombs (the Urn Tomb has a large courtyard where children can run while adults look at the carved facade) → Colonnaded Street → Great Temple.

At the Great Temple area, the Nabataean museum inside is small but accessible, with artifacts at child height in some cases.

Donkey or camel rides (for children 5+)

Camels and donkeys operate inside Petra from the Treasury area toward the Monastery trail. Be firm about price before mounting — agree a round figure upfront (camel ride to near the Monastery: 20–30 JOD, prices negotiable). Small children should go with a parent on a donkey rather than alone. Teenagers might prefer to climb on foot.

Midday — Return to hotel (11:30)

Be back at the hotel by 11:30 before the worst heat. Lunch, pool, rest period. Jordan’s midday (12:00–15:00) in summer is genuinely dangerous for small children without shade.

Afternoon (optional) — Wadi Musa town

The main street of Wadi Musa has souvenir shopping. Children respond to the Nabataean pottery (small replicas, 3–8 JOD), coloured sand in bottles (the Petra sand layering is a traditional craft), and the dried herb stalls. This is also a good moment to change JOD at an ATM if needed.

• Stay: Mövenpick Resort Petra (Day 3)

Day 4: Wadi Rum drive + afternoon jeep + overnight camp

Morning — Petra to Wadi Rum (1h45)

Leave by 10:00. The drive through Ras an-Naqab and down toward Wadi Rum is scenic — point out the Hisma Desert sand dunes visible on the right as you descend.

Afternoon — Wadi Rum jeep tour (2–3h)

The 2-hour jeep tour is the best format for families with younger children — longer enough to see the main formations, short enough not to exhaust anyone. The jeep tour covers: Lawrence’s Spring (a natural spring where T.E. Lawrence drank), Khazali Canyon (ancient Nabataean and Thamudic inscriptions carved in the rock walls — children love searching for the faces and animals carved in stone), the sand dunes.

Wadi Rum: 2-hour jeep tour with Bedouin tea

At the sand dunes, most children do one of two things: roll down them, or try to run up them (both equally futile and entertaining). Sandboarding — thin planks of wood for sliding down the dune face — is available at most camp operators for 5 JOD.

Sunset — From the top of a dune

Every camp organizes a sunset viewing. Children remember the silence and the scale of the desert more than any museum.

Evening — Bedouin camp

Dinner at camp is usually zarb (slow-cooked meat and vegetables underground) or a barbecue. The fire after dinner, Bedouin tea, and the stars above are the peak of most children’s Jordan memories. Explain to them what they’re seeing: no streetlights for 50 km in any direction, the Milky Way visible on most nights.

• Stay: Wadi Rum camp overnight (ask for a family-size tent or a private dome)

Day 5: Wadi Rum morning → Aqaba (1h)

Morning — Wadi Rum at dawn

Sunrise at camp. Breakfast. If time allows, a short camel ride from camp before departure — some camps include a 30-minute camel circuit in their overnight packages.

Midday — Aqaba arrival and hotel check-in

Aqaba is Jordan’s beach resort city on the Red Sea. It’s relaxed, warm year-round (water 22–27°C), and has a distinct atmosphere from the rest of Jordan. Family-friendly hotels:

• Mövenpick Resort Aqaba: large pool, kids’ pool, private beach access; from 120 JOD/night
• Hyatt Regency Aqaba: excellent kids’ club and pool; from 130 JOD/night
• Kempinski Hotel Aqaba: most upscale, beach pavilion; from 170 JOD/night

Afternoon — Aqaba beach and Red Sea

Aqaba’s South Beach has protected shallow-water areas where small children can snorkel safely from shore. Fins and mask rental is available from the adjacent dive shops (5–8 JOD). The coral starts within 10 meters of the shore and is accessible to anyone who can swim.

For non-swimmers, glass-bottom boats run from the public beach area — children can see the reef without getting wet.

• Stay: Mövenpick Resort Aqaba or Hyatt Regency Aqaba

Day 6: Aqaba – snorkeling, beach, and Red Sea

Morning — Snorkeling boat trip

A 3-hour snorkeling boat trip covers several reef sites along the Aqaba Marine Park, including the famous Japanese Garden site (excellent coral, calm water, accessible to children 5+). Life jackets are standard. Most children over 4 manage well with a mask and fins; snorkeling vests are available for those who can’t swim confidently.

Aqaba: Red Sea snorkeling boat trip with buffet lunch

Afternoon — Aqaba Fort and beach time

Aqaba Fort (also called Mamluk Castle) is small but accessible, with a brief history of the Arab Revolt. The fort is at the public beach — 15 minutes of walking around the ruins, good for curious older children. Free or small entry.

The Aqaba public beach at the north end has shallow, calm water — ideal for small children to play in the sea without waves.

Evening — Corniche seafood dinner

Aqaba’s corniche has numerous seafood restaurants. Captain’s Restaurant is the most visitor-friendly (English menu, reliable quality, grilled fish 12–18 JOD). Fresh juice stalls along the corniche (mango, pomegranate, watermelon) are popular with children.

• Stay: Mövenpick Resort Aqaba (Day 6)

Day 7: Dead Sea + Amman departure (drive 4h30 total)

Option A — Dead Sea day trip (recommended for families)

The drive from Aqaba to the Dead Sea is 3h30 via the Desert Highway and the Dead Sea Highway. If your flight departs Amman in the evening (after 18:00), this works as a day trip.

At the Dead Sea, children aged 3+ can float safely in the extremely salty water under close parental supervision (keep water away from faces, eyes, and cuts). The natural buoyancy is startling and children love the comedy of it. Most resort pools on the Dead Sea are adjacent to the salt water — children tired of floating can use the freshwater pool.

Resort recommendation for families: Mövenpick Dead Sea has the best children’s facilities and a safe, shallow entry to the Dead Sea.

Option B — Drive straight to Amman for early flights

The drive from Aqaba to Amman QAIA is 4h on the Desert Highway. For families with early morning flights, leaving Aqaba the evening before (Day 6 evening) and spending the last night in Amman makes more sense.

Departure

Queen Alia International Airport is well-equipped for families (dedicated family queues, family lounge with play area in some terminals).

Transport for families

A private car with driver is the best transport solution for families with young children. Benefits: car seats can be requested in advance (ask explicitly — they are not always available), flexible stop timing, no navigation stress, no car hire paperwork.

The 1–8-day private driver service from Amman allows you to book a large vehicle (7-seater) with a family-experienced driver:

From Amman: private driver and car service for 1–8 days

Car seats: Jordan does not legally require child seats for tourists (different from Europe), but most private drivers in tourist circuits can organize them if you specify when booking. Always confirm before departure.

Driving yourself: Also works. The Desert Highway is safe, well-signed, and easy. The main Petra car park is large. Wadi Rum requires parking at the village and transferring by jeep inside — no issue with children.

Family hotels at each stop

Amman (1 night)

• Grand Hyatt Amman: large rooms, excellent breakfast for children; from 100 JOD/night
• Marriott Amman: family rooms, good pool; from 90 JOD/night

Petra (2 nights)

• Mövenpick Resort Petra: best pool, directly at gate; from 130 JOD/night
• Petra Marriott: good pool, slightly further from gate; from 110 JOD/night

Wadi Rum (1 night)

• Sun City Camp: popular with families, has a children’s play area; from 90 JOD with meals
• Memories Aicha Bedouin Camp: reliable quality, family tent options; from 80 JOD with meals

Aqaba (2 nights)

• Mövenpick Resort Aqaba: best kids’ pool, beach access; from 120 JOD/night
• Hyatt Regency Aqaba: best kids’ club activities; from 130 JOD/night

Jordan Pass for families

The Jordan Pass covers visa fees for each family member who stays 3+ nights — the savings multiply with family size. A family of 4 (2 adults, 2 children over 12) with individual Jordan Passes saves approximately 280 JOD compared to paying separately for visa + Petra entry.

Children under 15 are generally admitted free to most Jordan sites — confirm at each gate. Petra specifically charges full entry for anyone who appears to be over 12 regardless of actual age — use the Jordan Pass to avoid any dispute.

Estimated budget (family of 4, mid-range, excluding flights)

Item	Cost
Jordan Pass × 4 (assuming 2 adults, 2 kids over 15 — adjust)	320 JOD
Accommodation (6 nights, family rooms, mid-range)	600–900 JOD
Private driver (7 days)	350–500 JOD
Meals (7 days × 4)	400–600 JOD
Activities (Wadi Rum jeep + overnight, Aqaba snorkeling boat, etc.)	200–350 JOD
Dead Sea day pass (×4 at Mövenpick)	140–180 JOD
Tips and miscellaneous	80–120 JOD
Total family of 4	~2,090–2,970 JOD (~2,950–4,180 USD)

What to pack for a family trip

• Child carrier backpack (for under-5s in Petra — essential for the long Siq walk)
• Swimwear × several changes (Dead Sea, Aqaba, hotel pools)
• Water shoes or sandals with straps (Petra rock surfaces, sea entry at Aqaba)
• Old dark clothes for Dead Sea mineral mud (it stains)
• Sun hat for every family member + SPF 50+ sunscreen
• Electrolyte sachets — dehydration is the most common children’s health issue in Jordan’s heat
• Snorkel masks that fit children — resort rental masks often don’t fit small faces
• Familiar snacks — Jordan’s supermarkets are good, but familiar snacks prevent mealtime battles on exhausting days
• Anti-histamine and after-sun — Wadi Rum’s airborne dust can trigger reactions

Variations

With toddlers (under 3): Skip Petra’s walking sections — hire a horse carriage from the gate to the Siq exit (50 JOD return), then walk only to the Treasury. The Dead Sea and Aqaba are perfect for toddlers. Wadi Rum jeep tours with a sleeping toddler are actually very peaceful for parents.

With teenagers: The standard 7-day Jordan itinerary is entirely appropriate for teenagers — they’ll engage more with Jerash’s Roman history, and the Monastery climb is more satisfying as a physical challenge. Teenagers also enjoy Aqaba’s water sports (jet-ski, wake-board) more than younger children.

Multi-generational (grandparents included): The Dead Sea is particularly suitable for older adults with mobility issues — the natural buoyancy reduces strain. Petra is challenging for limited mobility beyond the Treasury area. Ajloun Castle and Madaba are more accessible for grandparents than Petra’s full route.

Frequently asked questions about the family 7-day Jordan itinerary

What age is Petra suitable for children?

Most children from age 5–6 can walk the main Petra route (Siq to Treasury to Royal Tombs — approximately 5–6 km with stops). For younger children, a horse and carriage can be booked from the Visitor Center to the Siq entrance, reducing the flat approach by 1km. Inside Petra, donkey rides are available but should be supervised — prices must be agreed before mounting.

Is Wadi Rum safe for children?

Very safe. The jeep tours are slow and stable on desert terrain. Sand dunes are soft landings for tumbles. The main risk is sun exposure — hat and sunscreen are essential. Camps are family-welcoming; most have family tent options with separate sleeping areas. The desert cold at night (particularly in autumn and spring) requires warm layers.

Can children snorkel in Aqaba?

Yes. The Red Sea at Aqaba is calm, warm (22–27°C), and suitable for beginners of any age. Snorkeling vests are available for non-swimmers. Children aged 4+ can snorkel with a parent in the shallow areas. The Japanese Garden reef site (on boat trips) has coral starting at 1–2 meters depth. The South Beach shore snorkel area has shallow entry and gentle currents.

Is the Dead Sea safe for children?

Yes, with supervision. Keep water away from children’s eyes (it stings severely). Don’t let children splash or dip their faces. The buoyancy is safe but startling for children — support them until they understand the floating sensation. Rinse immediately after with fresh water. Keep visits short in summer heat. Children over 3 generally love the Dead Sea experience.

Are Jordanians welcoming to families with children?

Exceptionally so. Jordanian culture places enormous value on children and families. You will find strangers offering children sweets, drivers stopping to show your children their phone screen, and restaurant staff going far beyond service norms. Children with parents who are respectful of local customs are treated with genuine warmth everywhere in Jordan.

Should I worry about food safety for children in Jordan?

Jordan has generally good food hygiene standards in tourist-facing restaurants and resort hotels. Common sense applies: stick to cooked food in street settings, avoid raw salads from unknown vendors, drink bottled water (tap water is technically drinkable in Amman but often heavily chlorinated). Resort and hotel food is uniformly safe. Stomach upsets are occasional but not common.

Do I need car seats for children in Jordan?

Jordan doesn’t legally enforce car seat requirements for tourists, but responsible parents should request them. If booking a private driver or rental car, specify your children’s ages in advance and ask explicitly for child seats. Many operators have them; some don’t. Airport car rental desks offer child seats (5–10 JOD/day). If your tour involves a minibus, Western-spec child safety restraints are rarely available.

Plan your trip

Jordan is genuinely one of the best family destinations in the Middle East — the combination of camel rides, star deserts, floating seas, and warm Bedouin hospitality is extraordinary for children of any age. The family-friendly Petra guide covers the site’s practical challenges in detail. The Wadi Rum with children guide explains camp options and age-appropriate activities.

For the most complete version of a Jordan family experience, see the Jordan with kids guide which covers visa requirements, health precautions, and packing lists specifically for families.

Amman: Dead Sea day tour with optional entry fees and lunch