Israel - Jordan travel itinerary suggestions

The problem with your plans is that you are trying to do too much. With only 2 weeks, you should do either Turkey or Israel/Jordan.

Hello,

Have you bought a flying carpet? I hope so because it’s unrealistic.
An example? The journey between Jerusalem to Petra via Wadi Rum. A joke.
As mentioned, Two weeks for Turkey or two weeks for a mix of Israel and Jordan but not your initial plan (except if you have purchase a flying carpet)

Michel

so I want to see as much as I can, which is why I'm trying to hit three countries

A very common mistake, seen frequently on the Western Europe branch of Thorn Tree. You won't see much at all, rushing from one place to another, and the whole trip will be a blur. Three countries in two weeks is, how shall I put it?, an insane idea.

I don't know why you would take a taxi from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, when there are buses going every 15 minutes. Or does your "security clearance" department tell you the buses aren't safe? (!!)

If we're quiet done needlessly abusing the OP......

I have't been to Israel (but have been to Jordan and Turkey), and speaking from general experience:
- 1 day for Jerualem seems like a very short amount of time
- I suspect that you'll be completely wiped by jetlag on your first day if you're coming from the states
- I can't imagine that crossing from Israel to Jordan will be painless so you might not want to plan on doing anything else later that day.
- Amman is a nice city to wander round but its strictly C-list in terms of tourist sights
- Buses are awesome for getting from city to city, but you'll probably have to rely on car rental or taxis in Jordan which can rack up the costs

This might be doable:

May 25: Arrive at TLV at 11:25 pm. Stay night in Tel Aviv.
May 26: Bum around TAv getting over jetlag, bus to Jerusalem and spend the night
May 27: Visit Jerusalem and stay the night
May 28: A bit more Jerusalem in the morning then travel to Petra
May 29: Visit Petra. Stay the night
May 30: Visit Petra. Afternoon taxi to Wadi Rum to overnight in desert
May 31: Wadi Rum Tour then taxi to Mabada (closer to the airport than Amman)
June 1: Depart AMM at 7:50 am.

You could switch things a bit to go to Rum 28th and 29th, have one day (30th) only at Petra (you can comfortably do all the major sights other than the High Place of Sacrifice in a day), and fit a trip to the Dead Sea in on the 31st

Out of interest, what are your plans for Turkey?

Agree with all of the above. Really, you should consider skipping Turkey altogether, as it allows much more time to see and appreciate both Israel and Jordan. Even 2 weeks with travelling in these countries is a bare minimum to see the most popular sites without killing yourself.

The above revised schedule is much more realistic if you plan for one week, but Jerusalem to Petra is a long, long way, and like the above say, the border crossing both ways in unlikely to be straightforward. Cheap buses can be used to get to Petra, but will take hours longer than rental car / taxi. The only thing I would disagree with the above is about the Dead Sea...it could be worth a visit, but still on the 1-week time frame, I'd still go for 2 night at Petra. Then early morning of the next day, go to Wadi Rum early, tour around there during the day and sleep in a camp overnight, 1 day/night that is enough really to see it.

If you want to consider dropping Turkey, than say so, and we could recommend a revised itinerary. Your remaining 5-7 days in Turkey would only be enough to see Istanbul and one other town nearby, certainly not one of the more interesting ones anyway.

May 25: Arrive at TLV at 11:25 pm. Stay night in Tel Aviv.
May 26: Bum around TAv getting over jetlag, bus to Jerusalem and spend the night

It's actually easier to get from the airport to Jerusalem than to Tel Aviv late at night. Of course, if you want to go to Tel Aviv first there is no reason not to, but you shouldn't think it is necessary. The airport is between Tel Aviv and Jerusalem.

From the airport to Jerusalem you can take the Nesher shuttle (search this forum). It's 10-seater minibuses, goes when it's full, fills up quickly and will take you to any destination in Jerusalem. It runs 24/7.

From the airport to Tel Aviv the only options are train - and the trains run hourly through the night - but you then have to get yourself from the railway station to your accommodation, or else taxi all the way.

The domestic flight network in Turkey means you could see Istanbul and another location of your choice (Cappadocia is a good one with that time) in one week, but I have to agree that you'd be better off doing one area (Israel & Jordan or Turkey alone) justice. I love Turkey, but its a big country and you might be better planning it as next year's 2 week holiday.

I don't think there's anything wrong with spending the last couple of days in Istanbul though if the flight home suits. You can see the main sights in that time, get a taster for a future visit and still have a good amount of time in Israel and Jordan.

After talking with my potential travel companion, it looks like we're going to spend the two weeks in Turkey. Now that we would have two weeks, we're looking at a few days in Istanbul, couple days in Cappadocia, seeing Pamukkale, staying in Selcuk a day or two to see Ephesus, I was looking into one of those Gulet trips for a few days on the coast (I have a feeling there won't be time for that), maybe stay in Rhodes for a night, but I need to see how long it would take to get there and what else is around. Urfa sounds cool, but I need to figure out the travel for that. Seems I would have to fly from wherever I am in Turkey back through Istanbul to get there without spending a long time on a bus or driving. I still need to work everything out for Turkey, I feel like I just listed a lot of stuff. I haven't spent much time on it yet. Everything did seem rushed before though, but I wasn't really sure how much time I would need to be in each place, but at least this way it will be much more relaxed.

I might try to shoot for Israel / Jordan next year.

Thanks for your help everybody! Thanks for your detailed response Bedknobs!

That does seem a bit more sensible. Istanbul, Cappadocia, Selcuk area and Pamukkale will leave you with a few days spare to either spend on the coast or visit the Urfa area. I think that there are flights between Izmir and Gaziantep, which woulod get you to that region without long bus trips or having to backtrack. Alternatively, you could take a 3 day Nemrut Tour from Cappadocia, which is an organised minibus tour taking in Mt Nemrut, Urfa and various sights in between.