Hello to everyone.
We are travelling to Jordan in april, We would like to visit Jerusalem from Amman and I have a couple o f questions.

* Is there any bus service to take us to jerusalem or Tel Aviv? I read in an old Rough guide of Jordan that in the north from Irbid it was possible and takes 4 hours. Is it possible from there or amman?
* Is it difficult to go from Amman by taxi to the border-bus-taxi to jerusalem? Anyone knows prices of taxis and taxes(departure/entrance).

Thom from Baires.

hey Thom

There are buses daily (except Saturday) from Amman to Tel Aviv, run by Trust International - they depart from the company's offices near 7th Circle, opposite the Royal Jordanian building. They go first to the company's offices in Irbid, then cross at the Jordan River Crossing, then go via Nazareth to Tel Aviv. Expect it to take most of a day! Fare is around JD21.

It's also possible to go from Amman by service-taxi to the King Hussein Bridge (3JD), then cross over, then take a service-taxi from the other side to East Jerusalem (6JD)... but that is a difficult border, with lots of bureaucracy: you should start out as early as possible (6 or 7am) and it may still take several hours.

Either way, I'd advise you to cross back into Jordan in the south, at Aqaba. This is a much easier border to use - it's close to Aqaba town centre, and it's also easy to get to the border from Eilat bus station, which is linked to Jerusalem (and Tel Aviv) by regular nonstop buses (smooth ride, takes about 4hrs - see www.egged.co.il). Aqaba is also the easiest border to re-enter Jordan at - it's quiet, quick and the visa is free.

You always have to pay Israeli exit taxes - around US$15 or so (it varies) - but at the Allenby/King Hussein Bridge, the exit taxes are doubled!

So, if you can, work out a loop itinerary - something like Amman-Jerash-Irbid-bus to Tel Aviv-Jerusalem-Eilat-Aqaba-Petra/Rum/Dana/Karak/Madaba-Amman.

All the details are in the Rough Guide.

This is also a good site to have a look at:
http://www.jordanjubilee.com/travelme/toisrael.htm

Enjoy the trip!
Matthew Teller
(Author, Rough Guide to Jordan)

Hi
Mazada Tours has buses from Amman to Tel Aviv.

In case you might be interested in tours of Jordan and Israel, here are some operators:

For adventurous style trips including hiking and jeep and even diving tours try Desert Eco Tours:

Desert Eco Tours

For a variety of tours including short excursions try Gem Tours:

Gems in Israel

Another recommended company is Isram with a selection of comprehensive tours in Israel, Egypt and Jordan.

Isram Tours