Petra

However long you're in Jordan, Unesco-listed Petra is somewhere you shouldn't miss. The “Rose Red City,” so named for the pink stone and sand found here, is massive at 264 sq km (102 sq miles); you could spend hours, a full day or several days trekking the area and marveling at the handiwork and history of the ancient Nabatean culture.

Choose your own adventure depending on your interests, time and ability. If you’re short on time, take the road most traveled and hike through the Siq to reach the Treasury facade. (Yes, Jordan’s most famous site is the carved-stone setting you may have seen in the 1989 movie Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.)

If you’ve got a full day, map out your can’t-misses in advance. If you have multiple days set aside and want to go beyond the most common sites, book a guided tour that might include storytelling, hiking, Arabic coffee and meals.

Local Tip: Want to see Petra from another angle? Take a tip from Mohammed Ziad Abdullatif and hike to Petra (either from Little Petra or, if you’re up for a more challenging trek, via the multi-day Dana-to-Petra leg of the Jordan Trail) before exploring the ancient city. “The Petra Back Trail from Little Petra to Petra is my all-time favorite hike for its location, scenery, history and that first glimpse of the Monastery when it starts to appear,” Abdullatif says.