Middle East

What does TalkTravel include in the Middle East, and how is this page organized?

Six countries together form the Arabian Peninsula: Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. They share the Gulf Cooperation Council founded in 1981 and fixed exchange rates to the US dollar; details on visas, alcohol and routes between the six countries are on the dedicated comparison page.

Jordan and Turkey belong to the Middle East geographically and culturally but are neither Gulf Cooperation Council members nor connected to the Gulf states via a hub — both countries stand independently alongside the Gulf region on this page. Turkey lies partly geographically in Europe with the European part of Istanbul; TalkTravel classifies the country under the Middle East because of the much larger Anatolian part.

Eight further pages cover regions within these countries: Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Ras al Khaimah in the UAE, AlUla and the Saudi Red Sea Coast in Saudi Arabia, Musandam and Salalah in Oman, and Cappadocia in Turkey.

Sources: Gulf Cooperation Council (gcc-sg.org) · Federal Department of Foreign Affairs FDFA, Switzerland

How do the Gulf states, Jordan and Turkey differ?

In price terms, Turkey marks the cheap end of the world region with its lira, shaped by high inflation, while Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, with currencies pegged to the US dollar, rank among the most expensive destinations. Jordan, with its dollar-pegged dinar, sits in between, though admissions such as Petra at 50 JOD per day for foreigners add up noticeably.

Culturally, Islam shapes all 16 destinations, but its interpretation ranges from a strict alcohol ban in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait to a secular Turkey with widespread alcohol service. Safety situations also differ significantly: while the Gulf states and Turkey are largely considered safe to visit, Jordan's border areas with Syria and Iraq are structurally a risk area; the current situation is available from the FDFA, the Federal Foreign Office and the BMEIA.

Sources: The Middle East Insider · Jordan Pass · Federal Foreign Office, Germany · Federal Department of Foreign Affairs FDFA, Switzerland

When is the best time to visit the Gulf states, Jordan and Turkey?

Gulf states: cool winter months, extreme summer heat

From November to March, daytime values on the Gulf are usually between 20 and 30°C; from June to September they regularly climb above 45°C in Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and the Gulf metropolises. Details, including the exception of Salalah with its summer khareef monsoon, are on the Arabian Peninsula page.

Jordan: spring and autumn, mild winter on the Red Sea

In Amman and the highlands, the most pleasant time is between March and May and September and November, with daytime values around 20-25°C; summer gets very hot in Petra and Wadi Rum with values above 35°C. Aqaba on the Red Sea stays mild even in winter thanks to its coastal location and is suitable for diving year-round according to the Jordan Tourism Board.

Turkey: two climate zones, three main seasons

Istanbul and Cappadocia are mildest in April/May and September/October, with daytime values around 18-24°C and more stable conditions for balloon flights over the fairy chimneys. The Turkish Riviera around Antalya has a swimming season from May to October, with July temperatures often above 33°C; winter regularly brings snow and frost to Cappadocia and the Anatolian highlands.

Amman, Istanbul, Antalya and Cappadocia (Göreme)

Average daily highs and lows, and monthly rainfall. Temperaturen: Mittel der täglichen Höchst- und Tiefstwerte 2010–2024 der Station MARKA INTL (7 km, 779 m). Niederschlag: NASA POWER, Monatsmittel 2001–2020. Temperaturen: Mittel der täglichen Höchst- und Tiefstwerte 2010–2024 der Station ATATURK (14 km, 50 m). Niederschlag: NASA POWER, Monatsmittel 2001–2020. Temperaturen: Mittel der täglichen Höchst- und Tiefstwerte 2010–2024 der Station ANTALYA-BOLGE (4 km, 47 m). Niederschlag: NASA POWER, Monatsmittel 2001–2020. Temperaturen: Mittel der täglichen Höchst- und Tiefstwerte 2010–2024 der Station NEVSEHIR (12 km, 1260 m), auf 1110 m umgerechnet. Niederschlag: NASA POWER, Monatsmittel 2001–2020.

Aqaba on the Red Sea, and the Gulf metropolises of Doha, Riyadh and Dubai

Average daily highs and lows, and monthly rainfall. Temperaturen: Mittel der täglichen Höchst- und Tiefstwerte 2010–2024 der Station EILAT (6 km, 13 m). Niederschlag: NASA POWER, Monatsmittel 2001–2020. Temperaturen: Mittel der täglichen Höchst- und Tiefstwerte 2010–2024 der Station DOHA INTL (4 km, 11 m). Niederschlag: NASA POWER, Monatsmittel 2001–2020. Temperaturen: Mittel der täglichen Höchst- und Tiefstwerte 2010–2024 der Station KING KHALED INTL (27 km, 625 m). Niederschlag: NASA POWER, Monatsmittel 2001–2020. Temperaturen: Mittel der täglichen Höchst- und Tiefstwerte 2010–2024 der Station DUBAI INTL (11 km, 10 m). Niederschlag: NASA POWER, Monatsmittel 2001–2020.

The fasting month of Ramadan shifts forward by around eleven days each year and so runs through all the seasons; in all 16 destinations, many restaurants close during the day, and in Turkey and Jordan alcohol service remains subdued in many places during the month, even where it is otherwise freely available.

Sources: timeanddate.de · Federal Foreign Office, Germany · Federal Department of Foreign Affairs FDFA, Switzerland · Gulf News

Which 16 destinations make up the Middle East, and what do they offer?

The six Gulf states

Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates range from Dubai's skyscrapers through Doha's museum architecture to Oman's mountains and fjords. Character, visas, alcohol rules and routes between the six countries are compared in detail on the Arabian Peninsula page.

Jordan: Petra, Wadi Rum and the Dead Sea

Jordan packs the rock city of Petra — UNESCO World Heritage since 1985 and one of the New 7 Wonders since 2007 — the Wadi Rum desert and, at around 430 m below sea level, the lowest point on Earth at the Dead Sea, all into a small area. As the capital, Amman combines a citadel and a Roman theater; the border areas with Syria and Iraq are considered a risk area, while the tourist route itself is considered safe to visit.

Turkey: Istanbul, Cappadocia and the Riviera

Turkey links the millions-strong metropolis of Istanbul on both sides of the Bosphorus with the fairy chimneys of Cappadocia, the Riviera around Antalya and ancient sites such as Ephesus. With 22 UNESCO World Heritage sites, it has more than any other destination on this page; for Swiss, German and Austrian nationals, entry remains visa-free for up to 90 days.

Three UAE emirates

Abu Dhabi is the largest and oil-richest emirate with the Sheikh Zayed Mosque and the Al Ain oasis, Dubai the most populous with the 828 m-tall Burj Khalifa, and Ras al Khaimah the northernmost with the 1,934 m-tall Jebel Jais and the world's longest zipline.

Two Saudi Arabian regions

AlUla in the northwest is home to Hegra, the kingdom's first UNESCO World Heritage site, while the Saudi Red Sea Coast around Yanbu and Umluj has been opening up to divers as an alternative to Egypt's Red Sea for only a few years.

Two Omani regions

Musandam is a fjord landscape in an Omani exclave near the Strait of Hormuz, while Salalah in the south transforms from June to September through the khareef monsoon into a green exception on the otherwise dry peninsula.

Cappadocia: balloon flights over central Anatolia

Cappadocia lies around 700 km east of Istanbul and is known for balloon flights over eroded volcanic rock formations and underground cities such as Derinkuyu, down to 85 m deep; the Göreme National Park has been a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1985.

Sources: Federal Foreign Office, Germany · UNESCO World Heritage Centre · Federal Department of Foreign Affairs FDFA, Switzerland · UNESCO World Heritage Centre · Federal Foreign Office, Germany · Visit Saudi (Saudi Tourism Authority) · Federal Foreign Office, Germany

Which types of trips suit which Middle East destination?

Gulf city trip: Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Doha

The three Gulf metropolises are only around 1 hour apart by nonstop flight and can be combined in 7 to 10 days: skyscrapers and artificial islands in Dubai, the Sheikh Zayed Mosque and Saadiyat museum island in Abu Dhabi, the Museum of Islamic Art and Souq Waqif in Qatar. According to the Federal Foreign Office, all three cities are considered safe year-round, and air-conditioned malls make the summer months manageable too.

Desert camping and glamping

Overnight stays under the open sky are a fixed part of the itinerary in several countries: the Wahiba Sands in Oman, the Rub' al Khali in Saudi Arabia, the dunes around Liwa in the UAE, and Wadi Rum in Jordan, where Bedouin camps range from simple tents to luxury domes. The cooler months from November to March are the preferred time everywhere for this.

Jordan: the classic Petra round trip

The standard route runs from Amman via the Roman ruins of Jerash to Petra, on to Wadi Rum, and via Aqaba on the Red Sea to the Dead Sea and back to Amman, usually in 8 to 10 days. The Jordan Pass bundles the visa fee and the main admissions, provided at least three nights are spent in the country.

Turkey: combining Cappadocia and Istanbul

The most-booked combination links Istanbul on both sides of the Bosphorus with a flight to Cappadocia for balloon flights over the fairy chimneys and cave hotels in Göreme, often rounded off with the Riviera near Antalya for a beach finish. The total duration is usually between 7 and 12 days.

Diving in the Red Sea and wellness at the Dead Sea

Coral reefs off Aqaba in Jordan and off the Saudi Red Sea Coast near Yanbu and Umluj offer a touristically younger alternative to Egypt's Red Sea, with depths usually between 5 and 25 m. At the Dead Sea, an extremely high salt content of around 34% produces the well-known buoyancy, which Jordanian resorts combine with mud treatments.

Culture and museum trips

For architecturally minded travelers, several major museums cluster within a few flight hours of each other: the Museum of Islamic Art and the even newer National Museum of Qatar in Doha, the Louvre Abu Dhabi on Saadiyat cultural island, and Hegra and the old town of AlUla in Saudi Arabia. In Turkey, the Hagia Sophia, Topkapi Palace and the Istanbul Archaeology Museum round out the program, and in Jordan the Jordan Museum in Amman with the Dead Sea Scrolls.

Sources: Federal Foreign Office, Germany · Visit Saudi (Saudi Tourism Authority) · Jordan Pass · Federal Department of Foreign Affairs FDFA, Switzerland · Federal Foreign Office, Germany

Can the Gulf states, Jordan and Turkey be combined on one trip?

Within the Gulf region itself, distances and in some cases even land routes are short — the King Fahd Causeway between Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, or the drive from the UAE into the Omani exclave of Musandam; details and a dedicated route table are on the Arabian Peninsula page.

A classic within Jordan: the King's Highway

The route from Amman via Madaba, Kerak and Petra to Aqaba largely follows the historic King's Highway and can be traveled in 7 to 10 days by rental car or with a driver; a detour to the Dead Sea adds 1 to 2 days to the trip.

A classic within Turkey: the east-west axis

From Istanbul, the most-traveled route continues via a domestic flight or around a 10-hour bus ride to Cappadocia, then south to the Mediterranean coast near Antalya or via Konya and Pamukkale back westward; tour operators budget 10 to 14 days for the entire east-west axis.

Combining two sub-regions: what's realistic

Anyone with more than a week usually combines only two of the three sub-regions rather than all 16 destinations at once. Common combinations are Jordan plus a Gulf state as a stopover — roughly 4 to 5 days in Petra and Wadi Rum, followed by 3 to 4 days in Dubai or Doha before the return flight — and Turkey as a standalone two- to three-week round trip without a connection to the Gulf region. Combining all three sub-regions in a single trip is time-consuming because of the 2- to 4-hour flight times between the hubs and is rarely offered by tour operators.

As a stopover hub, Istanbul is also worthwhile for onward travel to Central Asia and the Caucasus, while Dubai, Doha and Abu Dhabi are classic stopovers on the way to South and Southeast Asia, East Africa and Oceania — several airlines in the region offer free or discounted stopover programs of one to four nights for this.

Sources: Federal Foreign Office, Germany · Jordan News · Federal Foreign Office, Germany

Which airports do you travel through to reach the Middle East?

From Europe, the major hubs reach Istanbul and Amman several times daily nonstop; from North America there are direct flights including from New York to Istanbul. Travelers arriving from overseas often combine Jordan with a connection in Istanbul, Dubai or Doha, since Amman itself has fewer intercontinental connections than the three big Gulf hubs.

Turkey ended daylight saving time changes in 2016 and has since stayed on UTC+3 year-round, exactly matching Jordan's time zone and that of most Gulf states; only Oman and the UAE lie one hour further east on UTC+4. For travelers combining several countries in the world region, the clock therefore shifts by at most one hour.

Sources: Simple Flying · Jordan News · Gulf News · Federal Department of Foreign Affairs FDFA, Switzerland

What applies for entry, safety and health in the Middle East?

Safety situation: highly variable by region

The Gulf states and Turkey's tourist regions are largely considered safe to visit. For Jordan, a more nuanced assessment applies: the established tourist route Amman-Petra-Wadi Rum-Aqaba is considered safe to visit, but the border areas with Syria and Iraq are a structural risk area. The current situation is available from the FDFA, the Federal Foreign Office and the BMEIA.

Health: heat and standard vaccinations

Malaria is not a relevant risk for tourists in any of the 16 destinations, and no vaccinations are mandatory from Europe; updated standard vaccinations and hepatitis A are generally recommended. The biggest shared health concern is summer heat, which regularly exceeds 40°C in Jordan's desert areas and throughout the Gulf lowlands; in Turkey this mainly affects the steppes of central Anatolia in high summer.

Sources: Federal Foreign Office, Germany · Federal Department of Foreign Affairs FDFA, Switzerland · Federal Foreign Office, Germany · Federal Department of Foreign Affairs FDFA, Switzerland · Federal Ministry for European and International Affairs (BMEIA), Austria

What does a trip through the Middle East cost?

In Turkey, the lira's high inflation means that accommodation, food and local transport usually stay cheap for travelers with foreign currency, even though prices in lira change quickly. Jordan is more predictable to budget for thanks to its fixed dollar peg but is more expensive than Turkey; the Gulf states, with Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Doha, mark the upper end of the world region, detailed on the Arabian Peninsula page.

In Jordan, a day in Petra costs foreign guests staying overnight in the country 50 JOD, while day visitors without an overnight stay pay 90 JOD. The Jordan Pass bundles the visa fee and more than 40 sights, including one Petra day, from 70 JOD, provided at least three nights are spent in the country — with two or three Petra days, the price rises to 75 or 80 JOD respectively.

As a rough daily budget guide: in Turkey, mid-range accommodation, three meals and local transport can usually be covered for a lower amount than the same standard in Jordan, while the same category in Dubai, Abu Dhabi or Doha can cost several times as much. Admissions for national parks and archaeological sites in Jordan and Turkey are often tiered between residents and foreigners, whereas Gulf attractions usually charge a single price for all visitors.

Sources: Jordan Pass · Federal Department of Foreign Affairs FDFA, Switzerland · Federal Foreign Office, Germany

What cultures and languages shape the Middle East?

Languages and religion

Arabic is the official language in Jordan and all six Gulf states, and English works practically everywhere in tourism and business as a lingua franca. Turkey is an exception with Turkish as its official language and a constitutionally secular republic; Islam nevertheless remains formative for the large majority of the population, with a visibly more liberal everyday culture than in the strictest Gulf states.

UNESCO World Heritage: 50 sites across 16 destinations

Cuisine and hospitality

Mezze plates with hummus, falafel and baba ghanoush connect the Arab cuisine of the Gulf states and Jordan, while Turkey maintains its own tradition with kebab varieties, Turkish-style mezze and strong, unfiltered coffee. Arabic coffee with cardamom, usually served from a dallah pot, is a symbol of hospitality in the Gulf states and Jordan and is traditionally received with the right hand.

Festivals

Alongside Ramadan and the two Eid festivals, which shape the calendar in all 16 destinations, Jordan and Turkey have their own cultural highlights: the Jerash Festival for culture and arts in Jordan in summer, and the Istanbul Music Festival plus the tulip season in April during Istanbul's spring. National holidays of the Gulf states range from 23 September in Saudi Arabia to 2 December in the UAE, as listed in detail on the Arabian Peninsula page.

Dress: from casual to conservative

Turkey is the most liberal in terms of dress: in Istanbul and on the Riviera, Western everyday clothing is fine, and only when visiting mosques such as the Hagia Sophia do shoulders and knees need to be covered and women should bring a headscarf. In Jordan, outside hotel pools and the Dead Sea, a similarly moderate expectation applies as in the more liberal Gulf states — covered shoulders and knees in cities and at religious sites, without a general headscarf requirement for tourists. The strictest expectations remain in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, as described in detail on the Arabian Peninsula page.

Sources: UNESCO World Heritage Centre · UNESCO World Heritage Centre · UNESCO World Heritage Centre · Federal Department of Foreign Affairs FDFA, Switzerland · Federal Foreign Office, Germany