Often the first stop of many travellers, Amman is the proud capital of Jordan. Funnily enough, during my first visit, it took me a couple of hours to find the perfect description for Amman. Just imagine if you were to cross the bustling Marrakech with the modern and a little westernised Istanbul, only then you’d have it. Not too messy yet traditional enough to make you want to stay. An ever-changing mix of archeological sites, hipsters locals and market vibes that blends into a wildly optimistic metropolis of 4 millions people.
Busy streets in Amman
Whether you like the remains of a past long gone, spend some quality time strolling around Rainbow Street or tasting some Baklava sweets in the Souq, in Amman you’ll find a little of everything. If there was to be a ranking for the world’s capitals, it did feel like Amman performed much better than I could have ever expected.
Things to do (archaeology sites)
If you take into account the size of the city, you can easily guess that there are plenty of things to do. Here’s a shortlist of those I liked the best and thought were worth to be mentioned.
THE CITADEL
This beautiful archaeological site sits on top of a hill (one of the seven in the city) right in the heart of Amman’s downtown. Dating back to the Neolithic Age, this place is among one of the few in the world that has been occupied uninterruptedly for over 3000 years. Nowadays, the Citadel is not just a valuable piece of history but also an amazing location from which to enjoy the best sunsets in Amman.
Timings: 8am-5pm (summer), 8am-4pm (winter)
Price: 2JD (included in Jordan Pass)
ROMAN THEATRE
Just next door to the Citadel, you’ll find the Roman Theatre of Amman – another gorgeous must-visit for all the history lovers. The architecture of the place is quite impressing, especially if you haven’t seen many roman theatres before, but it won’t take you more than half-an-hour to take it all in. Just next to the theatre (entrance which is include in the ticket) there are also two small not-too-exciting museums about Jordanian culture and folklore. If you can, try visit the theatre during the Al-Balad Music Festival or any other musical events to have have a once in a lifetime experience.
Timings: 8am-7pm (summer), 9am-4pm (winter)
Price: 2JD (included in Jordan Pass)
Things to do (other sites)
JABAL AMMAN (Mango & Rainbow Street)
Also known as the bohemian/artsy neighbourhood of Amman, this is questionably the most westernised area of the whole capital. Fancy shops, European bakeries and high-end restaurants are just a few of the things you can see around here. Mango Street and especially Rainbow Street are the hotspots for all those travellers planning to go out for drinks, an expensive bite and meet other travellers or locals alike.
Not-so fascinating Rainbow Street
THE SOUQ
The equivalent of the local market in Marrakech’s Medina, here in Amman locals calla it the Souq. Just a few doors down from the Roman Theatre, toward the city’s downtown, this fascinating local market is the perfect spot to catch a glimpse of the locals lifestyle. Away from the touristy souvenir shops on the main road, you’ll end up wandering the market alleys among thousands of local street sellers.
One of the beautiful graffiti around the Souq
Where to stay
In term of location, most hostels tend to be around the area of Rainbow Street a.k.a. the most touristy hotspot of the city. Often travellers tend to stay at the expensive Sinbad Hostel, Cabin Hostel or Nomads Hotel & Hostel, nevertheless what if I told you there’s a much much better option?
The recently inaugurated Layaali Amman Hotel & Hostel is, in simple terms, your best choice. Apart from being an absolute bargain (5JD/bed), the quality of the dorms is top-class and you’ll become friends with Baba (the owner) in no time. Even though there’s isn’t really a shared lounge (I’ve been told they’re planning to build it), I couldn’t recommend more staying at the Layaali Amman Hotel & Hostel. Last but not least, the place is in a real local neighbourhood always bustling with life and things to do!
Golden Hour over Amman
How to move around
Taxi – A hit or miss option to travel around the city center or to other destinations. Often they’re pretty expensive and bargaining for a “good” local fare will be hard. (3-10JD)
Public Taxi (Service Taxi) – Mostly to move around the metropolitan area, they’re the cheaper version of normal taxis. Usually, locals use these a lot but there aren’t “official” stations where to wait at nor official routes. (1-2JD)
Public Bus – Inside or outside the metropolitan area, these are a good way to move around for cheap. Note that to get the ones for other destinations you need to head to the North or South Terminal. (1-2JD)
Uber or Kareem – Amman is the only place in the country where Uber operates (and Kareem, the arabic version of Uber) offering pretty fair, safe and relatively cheap rides. This is a good option if you’ve got to be somewhere and can’t wait other “local” options. (1-4JD)
How long to stay
Often people visiting Jordan spend anywhere from a couple of days to a couple of weeks wandering the country. For that reason, trying to estimate how much time to spend in the country’s capital can be a bit tricky. Those who fly here prefer to head to the “more interesting” sites such as Petra, Wadi Rum or Dead Sea. On the other hand, those who fly to Aqaba might leave it out due to the distance.
In my opinion spending 2-4 days in the city of Amman is the right amount of time. You’ll have time to see the city center and also take day trips to other destinations without changing accomodation.
That said, no matter how long you spend in Amman, you’ll surely find the place fascinating and worth visiting!
If you like it, pin it!
PLANNING A TRIP TO JORDAN? CHECK MORE POSTS BELOW!
[pt_view id=”63283c74cy”]