Is Jordan Pass Worth it for Digital Nomads?

Is the Jordan Pass still worth it for digital nomads? Read on to find out!

You might also want to check out a Digital Nomad’s Guide to Amman, Jordan.

How does Jordan Pass work?

The Jordan Pass is marketed as ‘the ultimate sightseeing package’ with entry to the top 40 tourist attractions in Jordan. The best part is that it also includes the tourist visa fee, so be sure to purchase the pass before you enter Jordan.

There are three types of passes available, depending on how many days you wish to spend at Petra:

Jordan Wanderer (1 day at Petra) for 70JD

Jordan Explorer (2 days at Petra) for 75JD

Jordan Expert (3 days at Petra) for 80JD

I personally thought one day at Petra was enough, but if you really want to dive deep and explore the whole city, each additional day is only 5JD extra. The only catch is that the days must be consecutive, and once you buy your Jordan Pass, you cant change your mind.

After purchase, the hassle-free mobile ticket gets sent to your inbox almost immediately. Then all you have to do is scan it at each attraction saving time, money, and effort.

Jordan Pass Attractions by Region

Jordan Pass includes access to nearly 40 of the top tourist attractions in Jordan. Here is the complete list of attractions listed on Jordan Pass’s official website, broken down by region:

Northern Jordan

Amman

• Amman Citadel: an ancient hilltop fortress located in the heart of Amman. It offers stunning panoramic views of the city and houses a number of historic structures and artifacts.
• Roman Theatre: a well-preserved ancient amphitheatre built during the Roman period, with a capacity of up to 6,000 spectators. It is a popular tourist attraction and venue for cultural events.
• Museum of Popular Traditions: a museum within the Roman Theatre, showcasing Jordanian heritage and culture through traditional costumes, handicrafts, and musical instruments.
• Jordan Archaeological Museum: a vast collection of artifacts and sculptures from archaeological sites in Jordan, dating back to prehistoric times through the Islamic period.
• Qasr Al-Mushatta: an Umayyad palace notable for its well-preserved decorative art and architecture from the 8th century.
• Qasr Hammam Al-Sarh: an ancient bathhouse and castle located in the desert east of Amman, known for its well-preserved mosaics and frescoes.
• As-Salt Historical Museum: a small museum located in the town of As-Salt just west of Amman that features exhibits on the history and culture of the area, including traditional costumes, tools, and household items.
• Iraq Al-Amir: a historical village located west of Amman and known for its ancient caves, prehistoric ruins, and traditional handicrafts.

Jerash

• Jerash: a well-preserved ancient city in northern Jordan with impressive Greco-Roman architecture, including a colonnaded street, amphitheater, and temples. It’s one of the best examples of Roman provincial architecture outside of Italy and one of Jordan’s most popular attractions.

Ajloun

• Ajloun Castle: a 12th-century fortress located in the Ajloun highlands, built to protect against Crusader attacks and offering panoramic views of the surrounding landscape.

Umm Qais

• Umm Qais: an ancient Greco-Roman city, also known as Gadara, known for its well-preserved ruins, impressive views of the Sea of Galilee and Golan Heights. It is the supposed site where Jesus exorcised demons from two men, sending them into a herd of pigs.
• Umm Qais Museum: showcases a collection of artifacts from the ancient Greco-Roman city of Gadara.

Azraq

• Qasr Al-Azraq: a desert castle built in the early 13th century as a fortress to protect trade routes and oases. It is most famously known for being used as a military headquarters by Lawrence of Arabia during the Arab Revolt.
• Qasr Al-Kharranah: a historical castle located in the middle of the desert characterized by its impressive architecture and design.

Pella

• Pella: a historic archaeological site, also known as Tabaqat Fahl, with ruins dating back to the Bronze Age and ancient Roman times. Visitors can explore the remains of various structures, including a palace, a theater, and a church.

Irbid

• Dar Al-Saraya Museum: a historical museum that displays the culture and lifestyle of Jordan’s past and includes exhibitions of traditional crafts, musical instruments, and costumes.

Al-Mafraq

• Rihab & Al-Mafraq: Al-Mafraq is a city in northern Jordan known for its strategic location as a transportation hub between Syria, Iraq, and Jordan, while Rihab is a small town just west of it. Jordan Pass doesn’t give much detail about what exactly you can see here. Google maps shows a few historical landmark pins in the area, but besides that, your guess is as good as mine.

AlHallabat

• AlHallabat Castle: situated on a hilltop overlooking the town and the surrounding valley, the castle dates back to the 13th century and is one of the best-preserved examples of Islamic military architecture in the country.

Umm al-Jimmal

• Umm al-Jimmal: an archaeological site known for its well-preserved ancient ruins, including an early Islamic village and Roman fortress.

Quseir Amra

• Quseir Amra: a UNESCO World Heritage Site located in eastern Jordan that features the ruins of a desert castle, famous for its stunning frescoes and architecture from the early Islamic period.

Central Jordan

Jordan Valley

• St. Elijah’s Hill (Tell Mar Elias): an archaeological site where it is believed that the prophet Elijah ascended to heaven in a whirlwind.
• Bethany Beyond the Jordan: the believed location of Jesus Christ’s baptism by John the Baptist in the Jordan River with archaeological remains, ancient churches, and peaceful surroundings. The entry fee is not included in the Jordan Pass, but can be added to your ticket at checkout for a discounted price.

Karak

• Karak Castle: a massive fortress built during the crusaders’ era, with an impressive defensive structure and fascinating history.
• Karak Museum: located in Karak Castle, showcasing artifacts and exhibits from different periods of the region’s history, including Roman, Byzantine, and Islamic eras.

Madaba

• Madaba Archaeological Park: an ancient archaeological site featuring well-preserved mosaics from the Byzantine era, as well as remains of a sixth-century church.
• Madaba Archaeological Museum: a collection of artifacts from different historical periods in the region, including Byzantine mosaics, pottery, coins, and other archaeological finds.
• Church of the Apostles: a historic site containing an intricate mosaic map from the 6th century, which depicts the Holy Land and its surroundings.
• Burnt Palace: an archaeological site that features the remains of an Umayyad palace believed to have been destroyed by fire in the 9th century AD. It includes a large courtyard and several rooms with well-preserved mosaics.

Umm ar-Rasas

• Umm ar-Rasas: a well-preserved ancient city known for its impressive Byzantine-era ruins including churches, temples, and ancient structures, some of which are UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

Dead Sea

• Museum of the Lowest Place on Earth: a small museum located at the Dead Sea showcasing the history and geology of the region. It also has displays on the history of human settlement and development in the area.

Southern Jordan

Wadi Rum

• Wadi Rum: a desert valley known for its mars-like landscape of red sand dunes, towering rock formations, and ancient petroglyphs. Wadi Rum is also a popular destination for outdoor activities such as hiking, rock climbing, and desert camping.
• Train Ride Adventure: In 1916, Arabs launched a revolt against the oppression of the Ottoman Empire’s government, demanding freedom and independence. Relive some events of the Great Arab Revolt aboard the authentic Hijaz Railway train. You must book your seat when you purchase the Jordan Pass; the date and time cannot be changed later.

Petra

• Petra: an ancient city carved out of sandstone cliffs known for its impressive architecture, including the famous Treasury and Monastery. It was once a bustling trading center and is now a wonder of the world and UNESCO World Heritage site.

Aqaba

• Aqaba Castle: is a historic, also known as Mamluk Castle, built by the Mamluks in the 16th century with panoramic views of the Red Sea.
• Aqaba Museum: a small museum that exhibits artifacts from the ancient Islamic and pre-Islamic periods of Jordan.

Shobak

• Shobak Castle: a historic fortress built by the Crusaders in the 12th century, also known as Montreal.

Humayma:

• Humayma: (also spelled Al-Humaimah or Humeima) remains of an important center for the production of copper including its fortifications, temples, and houses once inhabited by several civilizations throughout history, including the Nabateans, Romans, and Byzantines.

The attractions included on the Jordan Pass are spread across the entire country in all directions. I found the best way to travel around Jordan is by renting a car. Renting a car not only gives you freedom and flexibility, but it’s not too expensive. During my time in Jordan, I always booked my cars through Expedia.

Jordan Pass: Is it worth it?

Jordan Pass promises free entry to tons of attractions across Jordan. It seems like a good deal right? Well in reality, you probably wont make it to most of the attractions available on the Jordan Pass, and most cost only a few JD to enter anyway.

Jordan Pass isn’t exactly cheap either, costing 70JD (nearly $100 USD). The only way the Jordan Pass is worth the money is if you use it for your visa fee and entry ticket to Petra.

As you can see from the breakdown below, even doing this minimal amount of sightseeing would end up costing 100JD on your own. If you compare that to the Jordan Pass cost of 70JD, you would save 30JD (about $42 USD).

Attraction	Cost (JD)
Visa	40
Petra	50
Wadi Rum	5
Amman Citadel	3
Roman Theatre	2
Total	100

I think the Jordan Pass is still worth it for digital nomads who plan to stay in Jordan for an extended amount of time. As long as you use it for your entry visa fee and Petra, it’s totally worth it and will save you money.

When is Jordan Pass NOT Worth it?

Although for most situations I think it’s totally worth it to buy the pass, there are a few reasons why Jordan Pass would not be worth it.

1. You are already in Jordan and can’t take advantage of the included visa cost.

2. You do not want to visit Petra. This is the most costly ticket, so if you are not planning to go to Petra, you will have to visit a lot of other sites to make it worth the money.

3. You plan to go sightseeing over a drawn out period. This is the trickiest part when considering if the Jordan Pass is worth it for digital nomads. The Jordan Pass only lasts two weeks starting from your first attraction (not from when you enter Jordan); so for example, if you go to Amman Citadel but then can’t go to Petra for another three weeks, your Jordan Pass wont be valid anymore and you’ll have to pay full price. Just for reference, we scanned our Jordan Pass for the first time at Wadi Rum on a Saturday, and were still able to use it at the Citadel two Saturdays later.

Tip: If you don’t have time to go through all the tourist sites in the two weeks after you initially scan it, save the cheap attractions (like the Roman Theatre or Citadel) for that time and knock out the expensive ones while your Jordan Pass is valid (like Petra and Jerash).

The Entrances Fees to all attractions in Jordan can be found here.

Do you need the Jordan Pass?

The Jordan Pass is not required and you can get into every attraction by paying separately, however, it will save you a ton of money as a tourist to get the pass. If you decide to book a tour of Petra or any other attraction, entry tickets are not included in the price as most tour operators assume you will have Jordan Pass.

Buy your Jordan Pass today!