The majority of you will fly in and out from Amman’s international airport, meaning a key question for planning your Jordan adventure is whether you should visit the city itself.

Depending on your travel style and how long you've got in Jordan, Amman is either going to be a central part of your trip, a place in which you'll only spend a night or two, or somewhere you may consider skipping entirely.

Is Amman worth a visit? Yes, but you can sacrifice it if travelling on a shorter itinerary in Jordan or you’d prefer nearby Madaba as a base from which to explore northern Jordan independently.

If you like art, culture, and the buzz of new cities in old foreign lands, then it’s unmissable.

To help your decision, and make your experience the best possible, we've shared our personal and practical 'travel better' tips for the capital city. From how to get around and how long you really need to tips on taxis, where to stay, and how to prepare for the ritual that’s guaranteed to wake you up one morning, these are 16 Things To Know Before You Visit Amman.

For more inspiration and ideas make sure to read our destination guide - 11 Wonderful Things To Do In Amman - start planning your route with our 7-day Jordan Itinerary (published soon).

Visit in Spring Or Autumn

Not as claustrophobically hot as you may expect, Amman's elevated situation (700 metres above sea level) gives it a more varied climate throughout the year and it's generally cooler than the places you'll visit further south on your trip. This is important to factor in when planning your itinerary as, though typical temperatures in Amman during summer may not seem too bad, the mercury will spike to an unpleasant level in places like Petra and Wadi Rum.

This means the best time to visit Amman is spring (March to May) and early autumn (September to mid-November). Even with the more temperate conditions of those seasons, it's best to get out and do some of your walking and exploring in the mornings or late afternoon, giving you the chance to relax in a gallery or cafe with a view during the hottest hours.

We visited Amman in May, and it was pretty ideal. The nights can become quite cool though, so it's a good idea to always bring a light layer with you in the evenings. Note that visiting during Ramadan will make a huge change to your overall travel experience in Amman and Jordan, and is something to be aware of prior to booking flights (dates for the Islamic holy month shift each year).

Plan | 13 Wonderful Things To Do in Jordan

You Need A Taxi or Bus From The Airport

Queen Alia International Airport (QAIA) is situated about a 55-minute drive / 35km from the city, and is the main entry point for travellers flying in to Jordan.

More commonly referred to as Amman Airport, there's no public transport between the two. That means you've got to take arrange to book a private transfer (this one is highly-rated), take an official taxi, or hop on the Express bus.

We've shared more detail on the various options + prices in this post: How To Get From Amman Airport To Amman.

Before rushing off for the bus or taxi though, note that Amman Airport is the most convenient and cheapest place to pick up a Jordan mobile-SIM card. You'll find three shops in arrivals - including Orange and Zain - with each offering traveller-specific data packages.

If you’re arriving on one of the post-midnight flights from London, we’ve got specific advice in the above post on your options.

It’s More Liberal, But Dress Modestly

With a notable community of students, artists and foreign residents, it shouldn't come as a surprise that parts of Amman feel more liberal than elsewhere in Jordan. In a couple of cafes that appeared to be date-spots, the girls would leave far more covered up than when they were sharing shisha, and there's generally a more relaxed, non-religious sense of dress amongst a greater number of women.

Modesty still prevails though, and for a more comfortable experience, female visitors should wear clothing which covers their shoulders, chest, and legs.

Headscarves are not expected or required of non-Muslim women in Jordan.

We've got a specific article on what women need to consider when packing for Jordan (published soon), including personal perspectives on how the attitudes of men need to change.

Generally speaking though, one of the most important reasons to visit Amman is the different perspective it can give you on the country's culture, demographics, and history in comparison to exclusively focussing on attractions like Wadi Rum, Petra, and the Dead Sea.

A Two-Day Stay Is Perfect...

How long do you need in Amman? We reckon two full days is ideal to get a sense of the city, ease yourself into Jordan, and visit most of our favourite things to do in Amman.

For our two-week trip in Jordan, we stayed three nights in the city (but one of those was after touching down after midnight in the airport, so doesn't really count), before picking up the rental car and heading south.

If you have less time, you can squeeze some of the highlights into a single day with an early start.

Plan your time with our destination guide: 11 Wonderful Things To Do In Amman.

...Or Use It As A Base For Day Trips + Tours

However, the reality is that for some travellers, Amman may actually be the cornerstone of your Jordan experience.

If you have less than a week in the country or no inclination to rent a car and drive in Jordan, Amman is the most convenient base for day trips in the north of the country, the start-point for most multi-day tours down to Petra and Wadi Rum, and also has the best bus connections for independent travellers.

Public transport isn’t that well set-up for travellers in the country though, so it's common to rely on a mix of taxi drivers and tours to get around if you don't have your own wheels; the exception to this is the daily JETT buses from Amman to the Dead Sea and Petra (24JD).

In terms of day trips, the principal places to go are Madaba, Jerash, and the Dead Sea. We've got dedicated posts on each of the destinations, but you can get a quicker overview of day trip planning details in this post: The Best Day Trips from Amman.

There are also lots of two or three-day tours starting and ending in Amman - like this super popular, highly-rated option - which will bring you to Petra and Wadi Rum.

Therefore, if you have a shorter amount of time to explore Jordan, the best option for you may be to use Amman as a base from which to go out with tours, private transport, or on your own. This obviously won’t be suited to everyone's travel style and budget, but it's certainly worth knowing if you're not planning on renting a car for a Jordan road trip, have less time in the country, or prefer not to move accommodation a lot on trips.

If that's the case though, you may have a more enjoyable experience and find better value in joining a small-group tour rather than planning each component with a variety of standalone tours. G Adventures has a number of excellent multi-day options to suit all budgets, travel styles and desired length of trip - see all their Jordan tours here.

Stay Downtown

Staying in and around the downtown area of Amman is the most common option if just visiting for a night or two. Its proximity to most of the city’s biggest attractions, most of which are situated in the eastern section, meant it was an ideal location for us, and it likely will be for you too.

The general level of accommodation in downtown Amman isn't great however, and this isn't the area for large hotel brands. We did however find a real gem in the recently-opened 4* Khan Khediwe Hotel, and a few other decent options are:

Rainbow House | This hostel is in a great location, has comfortable rooms, good reviews and an awesome rooftop terrace. Find out more here.

Nu Fifty Two | By far the most contemporary of downtown Amman’s hostel offerings, Nu Fifty Two is an excellent B&B with rooms broken into suites and apartments. Highly recommend. Find out more here.

Airbnbs | There are a surprisingly large number of Airbnbs in Amman, with a couple of hundred in the downtown area alone. These three look particularly great, with really excellent reviews (and views!) - No.7 Rainbow Street, Khirfan 3C, and Magical View.

An alternative area for digital nomads or those seeking cooler, quieter surrounds is the Jabal al-Weibdeh neighbourhood. Hotels are more limited here (and only fairly average) but there are some great little Airbnbs including Weibdeh Heights Apt. and Jabal al Weibdeh Peaceful & Bright Apartment.

If you want a more luxurious, modern, or corprate hotel brand experience - such as the 5* Intercontinental, the Grand Hyatt Amman and the Landmark Amman Hotel - you'll find these clustered in the 3rd Circle (west Amman).

For more recommendations on the best places for your budget or travel style, make sure to read Where To Stay in Amman (published soon) before you book anywhere.

The Call To Prayer

When looking for accommodation we were amazed by how many travellers gave a negative review because they were woken up by the call to prayer. That's the five-times-a-day signal broadcast from each mosque before the start of prayers, usually very loudly over a speaker system with varying degrees of crackle.

It can be very beautifully recited sometimes, other times it's far less melodic.

However, the entire point of it in the morning (the first call to prayer is at dawn) is to be loud and get people out, and no accommodation can be criticised for it leaking through their windows. If it's your first time in an Islamic-majority country, it can be quite a culture shock, but it's an integral part of the soundscape of this city.

Though it wasn’t as hectic as we’d anticipated, there is generally quite a lot of noise in Amman at all hours. If you’re a light sleeper, packing ear plugs may not be a bad idea.

Good to know | Friday in Jordan is the main day of prayers and the weekend, and it’s also the day when more businesses in the city will be closed.

Buy The Jordan Pass BEFORE YOU ARRIVE

The Jordan Pass is a government combined tourism ticket which can save travellers quite a bit of money. As well as waiving your visa fees, it gives entry to a number of the best things to do in Amman, Petra, and other attractions across the country.

Using it in Amman will save you about 9JD in entry fees, so it's a sensible purchase for most visitors.

Find out more on the benefits, the scams, the money-saving potential, and whether you really need one in our Jordan Pass review.

How To Get Around Amman, jordan

You can happily wander around Amman on your own two feet and with a few affordable taxi rides. There's no need to take a bus, and there's no metro/underground.

The heat and the hills will be the main limiting factor to your explorations. With the curious up-down topography of the city involving many neighbourhoods up remarkably steep slopes, the walk from A to B can involve unexpectedly difficult stairs t or curving upward roads. Google Maps doesn't pick this up in its estimates, won't alert you that there's a climb, and also doesn't highlight some of the shortcut staircases you can find. So a walk that looks like a straightforward 10-minutes ends up being a bit more of an uphill slog in the heat than anticipated.

In short, your thighs will not thank you.

Despite the lack of flat, we still think wandering around on foot is still however the best way to uncover the city (or at least the part you’ll likely spend most time in). To make things easier, we recommend starting earlier, not exploring too much during the peak heat, wearing comfortable shoes (Birkenstocks are always good), being conservative when plotting your route from A to B, and having enough change for an inevitable taxi or two each day.

If you do have mobility issues, then taking advantage of the taxis may be the best idea go cover any distance that goes from hill to hill, or on an upward trajectory from the valley.

When it comes to safety in Amman, we can of course only base this on our subjective experience. Travelling as a couple is different to travelling solo, and solo women will have a different experience to men in Amman. We had no issues in the city and didn't feel too perturbed at any point for our safety in downtown or the other area we visited. Everyone was generally welcoming and helpful too and, for a capital city, it feels very safe for travellers (you do however have to keep an eye out for a few little scams or overpriced services with a smile ploys).

How Taxis Work

As mentioned, you'll likely need to take a cab during your time exploring Amman. If you're based in accommodation outside of downtown, then it may be necessary to start / end your explorations each day.

Uber works in the city (there’s also a popular local alternative called Careem), but we just hailed one of the regular taxis on the street when needed. There's lots driving around, and you'll often get a beep or a slow down offering you a lift when you don't need one. Note that some taxis in Amman, usually white, are driving to specific destinations and won’t stop for you.

The meter starts at at a rate of about 0.35 qirsh or piastre, with the most common journeys you’ll make within the city costing 1-2 JD max. It's a good idea to have change or small notes with you for this. Keep an eye on the meter when you set off, and if it doesn’t look to be working, you should query this with the driver to prevent a dispute over price at the end of the journey.

If a taxi driver quotes you a price at the start, there is the potential to haggle it down reasonably or go with it, rather than use the meter. This is more necessary when it comes to a taxi driver offering to drive you to the Dead Sea or Jerash ruins, rather than short trips across the city.

Either way, don’t start you taxi journey without knowing if you’re on the meter or there’s been a fixed price agreed beforehand.

If you don't speak any Arabic, it's a good idea to have you accommodation's business card or details available for the drive, or know a big landmark nearby for directions. We always have an offline Google map downloaded (here's how to do it) as it allows us to track our GPS and directions without a connection.

Although we recommend walking up to the Citadel, for some of you it will be best to accept the offer of one of the many taxi drivers offering to drive you up there for 1 or 2 JD, and then simply enjoy the walk back down to the city.

The 8 Circles Aren't Too Important For You

You may read or hear a lot of references to the 'circles' of Amman, usually accompanied with a number i.e. first circle, second circle, fifth circle. We literally went in circles trying to get to the bottom of this before we visited, and came to the conclusion after our time in Amman that you really do not need to concern yourselves too much with it.

The ‘circles of Amman’ term refers to eight roundabouts, starting from downtown and running west along Zahran street. Locals use them as shorthand to refer to neighbourhoods and directions i.e. 'your hotel is in the fifth circle'. This is why the airport bus refers to its stops as 'circles' rather than streets, the JETT bus says it picks up in the 'seventh circle', and a taxi driver may sometimes ask for it.

If you lived in the city it would be a key to navigating it and better understanding its layout, but it won't make much of a difference for a few days stay.

Instead, a rule of thumb is to think that you’ll spend most time in and around downtown and eastern Amman, with some sojourns to the western parts on foot or by taxi to visit certain attractions or stay in a fancier hotel. And the sooner you see Amman from above, the sooner you’ll get your head around it all a bit better. Helpfully, you can also just type '6th circle' or '4th circle' etc into Google Maps and it brings up the relevant roundabout.

Additionally, if you also get confused by loads of neighbourhoods or addresses having Jabal in them, it’s because it means hill (or mountain) in Arabic, and so is quite relevant for lots of neighbourhoods in Amman!

Don't Rush To Rainbow Street

Subjective opinion obviously, but we just wanted to pass this on.

Rainbow Street is much-talked about in guidebooks and blogs, but we didn't really get what the fuss was about. Or rather, we got what the fuss was about for locals and those semi-permanently based here, but we're not sure travellers should make a beeline to a particular section of the long, popular street.

We explain this more in 11 Wonderful Things To Do In Amman.

Look Up For Restaurants & Cafes

Always look up in Amman, especially downtown!

The majority of restaurants and cafes and shisha bars in that part of town are situated on a terrace above the shops, and you won’t really know they’re there until you’re standing on the opposite side of the street and looking up! In fact, it can sometimes feel like there are NO restaurants at all until you realise this...

You also won’t know what they’re like until you step foot inside after climbing a couple of flights of stairs.

You Can Drink Tap Water in Amman, jordan

Whenever you visit Amman, it’s important to stay hydrated in the heat.

The tap water in Amman is safe to drink, but we know a lot of travellers are hesitant to do this in an unfamiliar country. The taste can be a bit off and it’s legitimate to be concerned about an upset stomach ruining a short trip.

Restaurants and cafes will usually place a little plastic bottle of water on your table when you sit down (it’s not free), and you’ll find bottles for sale all over. However, it’s important we all cut down our single-use plastic consumption rather than relying on bottled water when on the road, and we highly recommend buying a travel filter water bottle for Jordan and other adventures. We’ve used this one by Water-to-Go on all our adventures for the last six years, and it’s a little miracle worker. Also, fill up a refillable or already-used plastic bottle whenever your accommodation has a filter.

Find out more about how they work and their money-saving potential in this post: The Best Travel Filter Water Bottles for Travellers.

You Should Avoid Driving In or Through It

We go into more detail about this in our guide to ‘Driving in Jordan’, but the most congested, stressful roads you'll experience in the country go through or skirt Amman.

Although it may be necessary to drive those on the outskirts when going south or north, we recommend against having a rental car whilst you're in Amman.

Amman airport is the cheapest place to grab a rental car, so you can do what we did and spend some time in the capital before heading back to the airport to start your road trip. For car hire in Jordan, we recommend looking + booking via Rentalcars.com or AutoEurope.

Read more in our guide to car rental and driving in Jordan.

Money & ATMs

We explain this a little more in 23 Things To Know Before You Visit Jordan (published soon), but it's really difficult to find an ATM which doesn't charge for foreign card withdrawals. One half of Along Dusty Roads makes it a personal challenge to never pay ATM fees when we travel, but even he had to admit defeat in Jordan.

You can pay by card at most restaurants and cafes, but cash is king for taxis, the market, and when just buying a single coffee or low-value items.

If you're looking for cash when you arrive, a good option is Bank Al-Etihad on the main downtown street (find it here on Google Maps). Due to the usual withdrawal fee of 4-6 JD, it’s economic to take out a decent wedge each time, and then sequester what you don’t need back at your accommodation.