Country: Israel

A supercharged week seeing the highlights of Israel and Jordan

I say this trip is supercharged because it doesn’t leave much time for chilling out.  But, if you’re like most of us and only have a limited amount of vacation, then this is a fantastic weekend to weekend trip that takes in the world famous sites of Jerusalem, Petra and Wadi rum; while providing time for some fun experiences like floating in the Dead Sea, scuba diving in the Red Sea, driving through sparse deserts and a party in Tel Aviv

You’ll need energy for these 7 days, but you’ll be rewarded as, in my opinion, its one of the world’s best week long trips in the world

I was hesitating in going in winter as I’d seen low temperatures.  Don’t.  The winter helped with reduced crowds, not needing to book far ahead and not getting exhausted by the heat.  Perfect trip for a week-long winter break

Crossing from Israel / Jerusalem to Jordan when needing a visa on arrival

  • There are three land border crossings between Israel and Jordan – one in the north (the Sheik Hussain Bridge crossing near Best Sha’an), one nearby Jerusalem (the King Hussain Bridge crossing) and one in the south (Wadi Araba crossing between Eilat and Aqaba)
  • Entering into Israel from any of these borders is super simple, although give yourself the extra time for the high levels of security
  • However, the problem is that Jordan do not grant visas on arrival at either the land crossing near Jerusalem (King Hussain Bridge) or the one in the south (Wadi Araba).  The only one you can get a visa on arrival at is the Sheik Hussain bridge, which means you have to do a bit of a detour if you’re trying to get from Jerusalem to Amman / Jordan King’s Highway / Petra / Wadi Rum etc
  • Fortunately, for many this detour isn’t too frustrating as you may be going that direction anyway to see the Roman Ruins of Jerash
  • Obviously if you have already arranged a Jordanian visa, then you can arrive via any of the land crossings
  • To get to the Sheik Hussein Bridge crossing from Jerusalem:
    • Get the 966 or 967 local bus from the Jerusalem Central Bus Station to Beit Sha’an.  They leave fairly regularly (like every 15mins or so), but have a look on google maps for all potential buses and timings – it was surprisingly accurate with timings.  Costs around 35 shekels and takes around 1.5 hours.  You can get the bus from some of the stops further north from the Central Bus Station (which we did), but you run the risk of not getting a seat – ours was full of Israeli military transiting so didn’t get a seat
    • From Beit Sha’an, there should be a taxi at the main stop (not a bus station, more just a stop).  40 shekels and around 10mins to the border with Jordan
    • If don’t fancy the bus, you can get a taxi from Jerusalem to the Sheik Hussain Bridge for around USD160.  Takes about an hour and a half
    • Give yourself around an hour to pass the border.  It should be straightforward but you need to get a bus to cross the 200m bridge and the Jordanian immigration is snail pace
    • As always in Israel, be aware of the sabbath (from Friday sunset to Saturday sunset) as no buses will be running then
  • There is very little on the Jordan side.  There is a foreign exchange counter but didn’t seem to be many local buses.  We arranged with one of the guys offerings tours in Jerusalem for a driver for USD180 for the day to take us from the border to Amman, via a day checking out Jerash, picking up food, stopping for photos etc.  Locals tell us can get it for USD150.  Well worth it considering the route to Jerash from the border will be quite indirect
  • Going to and fro between Jordan and Israel is fine re passport stamps etc.  The Israelis don’t stamp your passport, instead they give you a paper card which you must keep with you on your stay in Israel, which avoids any entry issues with places like Lebanon.  Jordan do stamp your passport, but Israel have no issues with this

Jerusalem for a day on the Sabbath

One of the most famous cities in the world and the spiritual centre for three of the world’s major religions, Jerusalem is steeped in history and has sites that attract hordes of tourists and worshippers alike

We went on the sabbath, which in Israel means many things are closed, and in winter, which means it’ll be around 10-12 Celsius / 50-54 Fahrenheit in the day, so it was probably a bit quieter than normal and I think that was a positive on the overall experience

I’ve read in books like the Lonely Planet that you need four days to experience Jerusalem.  I think that may be true if you are deeply religious or have a passion for the history of the area, but for those who just broadly want to check it out, and have the right level of energy, you can have a great experience with only one day

So, if only have one day, I have 2 suggestions.  Firstly, focus on the key sites of the old city, in particular the Western Wall, Church of the Holy Sepulchre and the Temple on the Mount.  Secondly, don’t try to do more than that and, instead, get lost wandering through Jerusalem’s narrow streets and off the tourist trail.  You’ll notice subtle differences moving between quarters and stumble upon some of the lesser known sites.  Far more enjoyable that following a guided tour, and less tiring