Here is a brief guide of how to travel from Tel Aviv, Israel, to Amman, Jordan via the Alenby or King Hussein Bridge over the Jordan River. My round trip in June 2016 cost
$345, including the visa, transport, and border taxes for an American passport holder.
- Apply for a visa at the Embassy of Jordan on the 10th floor of the building at 14 Abba Hillel Street in Ramat Gan, Tel Aviv. Bring your passport, a passport photo, and 360 shekels for a single entry visa. Return the same or next day to pick up the passport at the given appointment time. (I could pick my passport up the next day. A friend patiently waited and received hers on the same day.)
- After picking up the passport with the visa, cross 14 Abba Hillel Street. Take bus 42 for 5.90 shekels to the Tel Aviv 2000 Terminal. Take bus 480 to Jerusalem Central Bus Station for 16 shekels with the Rav Card.
- From the Jerusalem Central Bus Station, take the tram to Damascus Gate. Find the yellow, white, and green service van with the sign Taxi Al-Nijmeh-Jerusalem-Alenby Bridge. (The driver told me that the last van left at 1 pm). Get at least 50 Jordanian Dinars (JD) at the exchange office at Damascus Gate.
- Alternatively, take a taxi to Alenby Bridge. (I negotiated to pay 220 shekels for the taxi ride.)
- Pay 180 shekels for the Israeli exit tax and bus ride.
- Keep this barcode for the ride.
- Receive the exit permit. Board the bus and cross the border.
- You are almost in Jordan! Board a JET bus, give your passport to the bus driver, and pay 7 JD for the ride. Exit Jordanian customs. (I joined a Jordanian couple for a shared ride to Amman. The ride cost 40 JD in total.)
- Did you have a nice trip in Amman? Time to say goodbye: take a taxi to the King Hussein Bridge. A registered hotel taxi costs 40 JD.
- At the King Hussein Bridge, pay 10 JD for Jordan's exit tax.
- Board the JET bus and pay 7 JD for the ride. (We waited an hour on the bus for permission to enter Israel. Remember to bring water and snacks to prepare for such waits in the hot desert on a bus without air conditioning.)
- Wait in a long line with Palestinian families traveling to the West Bank. The border guards may allow the international tour groups to bypass the line. (I waited an hour as a solo traveler with the daughter, mother, and grandmother of a family each taking turns to jostle my backpack.) Finally, reach the window, answer a few security questions, and put your bag on the conveyor belt. Go to a second window for passport verification. Enter the building, line up again, and answer the security questions at a third window. Congratulations, you are back in Israel! (My entry was free.)
- Find your bag on the floor. Go outside to the taxi stand. Pay 42 shekels for the ride and 5 shekels for each bag for the shared ride van to Jerusalem. Wait in the shade until passengers fill the van. Ride to the last stop at Damascus Gate.
- At Damascus Gate, take the tram to Jerusalem Central for 5.90 shekels.
- At the Jerusalem Central Bus Station, take bus 405 to Tel Aviv's Central Bus Station for 16 shekels. Congratulations, you have returned safely to sunny Tel Aviv!
