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Match Egypt or Jordan? Cairo and Amman on the tape

Egypt Jordan

The pyramids and the Nile against Petra and Wadi Rum. Both are visa-on-arrival for an EU passport; the differences are scale and pace.

toltips editorial · facts verified 15 September 2026

Tale of the tape

Six facts a Portuguese or EU passport holder needs before choosing. Every cell names the page it was read from and the date.

EgyptThe pyramids, the Nile, the Red Sea JordanPetra and a desert you can sleep in
Visa on arrival (USD 25) or e-Visa portaldascomunidades.mne.gov.pt, read 2026-09-15 Entry on a Portuguese or EU passport Visa on arrival at Amman airport, or online portaldascomunidades.mne.gov.pt, read 2026-09-15
5 h 15 min to Cairo (CAI), 3,807 km davidmegginson.github.io, read 2026-09-15 Flight from Lisbon (estimate) 5 h 45 min to Amman (AMM), 4,130 km davidmegginson.github.io, read 2026-09-15
Egyptian Pound (EGP) www.six-group.com, read 2026-09-15 Currency Jordanian Dinar (JOD) www.six-group.com, read 2026-09-15
Oct to May worldweather.wmo.int, read 2026-09-15 Best months (climate normals) Apr to Nov worldweather.wmo.int, read 2026-09-15
24, well below Portugal api.worldbank.org, read 2026-09-15 Price level, Portugal = 100 69, below Portugal api.worldbank.org, read 2026-09-15
the pyramids of Giza and Luxor www.experienceegypt.eg, read 2026-09-15 Named sights (tourism board) Petra and Wadi Rum international.visitjordan.com, read 2026-09-15
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Month by month
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The rounds

Four rounds scored by a stated rule on the numbers above; one round, the sights, by our judgement. Ties on the card go to the sights round.

Round 1: Getting in

Draw

Egypt: a permit or visa issued on arrival. A visa is mandatory; it can be bought on arrival for USD 25 or obtained beforehand at visa2egypt.gov.eg at least seven days ahead. Passport valid six months or more. Jordan: a permit or visa issued on arrival. An entry visa is required; tourist visas are issued on arrival at Amman airport or applied for online through the Ministry of Interior. Both issue a visa on arrival, Egypt for USD 25 and Jordan at Amman airport; both also sell it online beforehand. A draw on paperwork.

Rule: Fewer hoops wins: ID card, then visa-free, then on-arrival permit, then e-visa, then consular visa.

Paperwork, fewer is better
Egypt: 2 Jordan: 2

Round 2: Getting there

Egypt

From Lisbon, Cairo is 3,807 km on the great circle, about 5 h 15 min nonstop; Amman is 4,130 km, about 5 h 45 min. Cairo is the closer airport by half an hour and has nonstops from Lisbon in season; Amman almost always means a connection.

Rule: Shorter estimated flight from Lisbon wins.

Hours in the air (estimate)
Egypt: 5.25 h Jordan: 5.75 h

Round 3: When to go

Draw

Cairo's normals give 8 months in the comfortable band (Oct to May); Amman's give 8 (Apr to Nov). Eight comfortable months each, in opposite halves of the year: Cairo's run October to May, Amman's April to November thanks to its altitude. A draw on the count; the calendar decides which one fits your dates.

Rule: More months with a mean of 14 to 27 C and under 80 mm of rain wins.

Comfortable months
Egypt: 8 Jordan: 8

Round 4: What it costs

Egypt

On the World Bank's consumption price level, with Portugal at 100, Egypt sits at 24 (well below Portugal) and Jordan at 69 (below Portugal). Egypt's price level after the pound's devaluations is the lowest of any destination on this site. Jordan is the most expensive country in the Levant for tourists.

Rule: Lower price level relative to Portugal wins.

Price level, Portugal = 100
Egypt: 24 Jordan: 69

Round 5: What you came for

Egypt

Egypt's board leads with the pyramids of Giza and Luxor; Jordan's with Petra and Wadi Rum. Giza and Luxor against Petra and Wadi Rum: two of the great sights of the world on each side. Egypt has more of them, over a longer river; Jordan's fit into a week without a domestic flight. Egypt on volume.

Rule: Editorial. The one round we score by judgement, and we say why.

3:0

Egypt on points, Jordan on ease

Egypt wins the flight, the price and the sheer quantity of what there is to see; entry and season are draws. What no round measures is ease: a week in Jordan is a rental car and four stops, a week in Egypt is a logistics exercise with a lot of people in it. Petra alone justifies Jordan. The Nile justifies Egypt twice.

Ringside questions

How much is the Egypt visa on arrival?

USD 25 or the euro equivalent, paid at the border, per the Portuguese foreign ministry's page; the e-visa at visa2egypt.gov.eg must be applied for at least seven days ahead.

Is the Jordan Pass worth it?

For any stay of three nights or more that includes Petra, usually yes: it bundles the visa fee with entry to Petra and other sites. Buy it before arrival.

Can I do Egypt and Jordan together?

Yes, via the Nuweiba to Aqaba ferry or a short flight from Cairo or Sharm el-Sheikh to Amman or Aqaba. Two weeks is enough for Cairo, Luxor, Petra and Wadi Rum.

The two corners, in numbers

Egypt

Hub
Cairo, Cairo International Airport (CAI)
From Lisbon
3,807 km, about 5 h 15 min nonstop
Entry
A visa is mandatory; it can be bought on arrival for USD 25 or obtained beforehand at visa2egypt.gov.eg at least seven days ahead. Passport valid six months or more.
Money
Egyptian Pound (EGP); price level 24 against Portugal's 100 (2025 data)
Climate
Cairo station, 1981-2010: July mean 28.8 C, January mean 14.3 C; 8 comfortable months (Oct to May)
Board names
the pyramids of Giza; Luxor (Egyptian Tourism Authority)

The pyramids, the Nile, the Red Sea

Jordan

Hub
Amman, Queen Alia International Airport (AMM)
From Lisbon
4,130 km, about 5 h 45 min nonstop
Entry
An entry visa is required; tourist visas are issued on arrival at Amman airport or applied for online through the Ministry of Interior.
Money
Jordanian Dinar (JOD); price level 69 against Portugal's 100 (2025 data)
Climate
Amman station, period as published: July mean 25.3 C, January mean 8.0 C; 8 comfortable months (Apr to Nov)
Board names
Petra; Wadi Rum (Jordan Tourism Board)

Petra and a desert you can sleep in

How this card was scored

The tape holds six facts per side, each read from an official page on 15 September 2026: the Portuguese foreign ministry's travel advice for entry rules, the WMO's climate normals as supplied by each national weather service, the World Bank's consumption price level, the ISO currency list, the OurAirports coordinates for the flight estimate, and the national tourism board for the named sights. Rounds one to four are decided by the rules printed under each round. Round five is the one call we make ourselves, and the paragraph says why it went to Egypt.

Flight times are an estimate of a nonstop from Lisbon at 800 km/h plus half an hour; many of these routes connect, and the connection is where the real difference lies. Price levels are national averages; a capital's hotel district can sit well above them. Visa rules move: the source page and its read date sit in every cell so you can check the rule before you fly.

Sources and last verified