Road To Jordan: 24 hours in Amman – The (almost) complete city guide
Amman is often a pit stop on the way to Petra and it's most likely the first glimpse of the country you'll get if you land at Queen Alia International Airport. As far as first impression goes, you can do a lot worse than Amman if this is your first time in Jordan.
Landing in Amman makes a lot of sense: it's a reasonable distance from many popular sights such as Petra, the Dead Sea, Jerash & Mount Nebo. The city itself is definitely worth spending a couple of days exploring too. Amman manages to mix ancient history with a contemporary feel in a way no other Arab city can match.
In this post I will cover your travel essentials: what to do, where to go, what to eat and where to stay, along with a few pointers on how to tackle the rest of your journey if you are planning on staying longer in Jordan.
So without further ado, here's my guide to Amman. Hope you enjoy it!
FIRST THINGS FIRST: GETTING THERE!
From Queen Alia International, a taxi into the city costs about 20 Jordanian dinars (20JD/£17.50). If you're on a budget, take the Airport Express bus (hourly 7am-11pm,then 1am and 3am) to Tabarbour bus station in the northern suburbs for a measly 3JD (£2.50). From there you can hail a cab that'll take you down to your final destination. Metered fares will never rise higher than 5JD. If your driver offers a fixed rate, make sure you are both crystal clear on the amount BEFORE you get in the cab. Unscrupulous drivers may try to barter for a higher fare mid-journey, feign a misunderstanding on the agreed amount, change the destination, or simply stop on the side of the road and hand you over to another taxi (it happened to yours truly... 3 times!)
WHAT SHOULD I EXPECT UPON ARRIVAL IN AMMAN?
Amman's population stands at around 4 million inhabitants making it a sizeable city. The original settlement was built over 7 hills eons ago. It now spans 19 hills, divided into 27 districts. Expect new, large avenues intersected by older, narrower streets and numerous stairways, winding up and down the hills. Downtown Amman is fairly busy, with lots of shops and restaurants. In my humble opinion, it's the best place to stay in for its authentic "feel".
Ancient monuments dot the landscape, and minarets puncture the skyline. The ancient citadel sits atop one of the highest hills in Downtown Amman and is a sight to behold. The climate is warm and gentle in winter with temperatures averaging between high teens and low twenties. It can get really hot between May and October, ranging from high twenties to mid thirties degrees Celsius.
WHAT'S THE CITY LIFE LIKE?
Amman is a busy place and is considered to be among the most liberal and westernized Arab cities. If you need to buy basics upon arrival, like toiletry, food or water, there are plenty of shops and food outlets lining the streets day and night, especially around the Roman Theatre. Expect a bustling and relaxed atmosphere. Bear in mind that Jordan is a muslim country though, so make sure that this reflects in your choice of outfit and your behaviour. Respect is paramount everyhwere!
Jordanians are laid back, extremely hospitable and generous but my experience is that they don't particularly like having a camera shoved in their faces (come to think of it, who does eh?). If you're a shutterbug, feel free to capture all the amazing sights this city has to offer, but remember that it's considered extremely impolite to photograph women and to a certain extent children. Always ask for permission first.
As far as alcohol goes, most restaurants do not serve any. It's possible to find a few who do, though. Simply look for a 10 feet high neon sign that says "WE SERVE BEER!" (I shit you not. They really have those.)
IS IT EASY TO GET AROUND THE CITY USING PUBLIC TRANSPORTS?
Amman is well served by a network of buses and there's taxis aplenty. I didn't use the buses when I was there, mainly because all the displays tend to be in Arabic and taxis are so cheap! The only hurdle might be finding a driver that speaks English (which is the language I rely on to get by when I'm abroad, along with Spanish and French).
Luckily, there's an easy way to get around the language barrier: when you arrive at your hotel, grab a blank sheet of paper, draw a line in the middle. Write down a list of famous landmarks and destinations in the left column. Then ask nicely to your receptionist or host to translate them in arabic for you in the right column. All you have to do after is present that sheet to your taxi driver and point to your destination. Here's the ones I wrote down as an example: "Bus stop to Petra", "Bus stop to Dead Sea", "Roman Theatre", "King Hussain Mosque", "Kind Abdullah I Mosque", "Queen Aliyah Airport" and "How much is the fare?". These should be enough to make sure you never arrive too far from your destination.
A word of caution: Whatever you do, pay attention when crossing the roads unless you fancy spending a spell as a novelty front bumper ornament. Driving etiquette is more "Welcome to the Wild Wild East" and less "Return to Mayberry", so watch your step.
WHERE SHOULD I STAY?
Ok, so maybe I am a bit biased here, but I definitely recommend you stay in Downtown Amman. That's the heart of the city. And its proximity with the Roman Theatre, the Ancient Citadel, the shopping district and Rainbow Street makes it ideal for exploration!
If you haven't booked your hotel yet, I cannot recommend enough the Pasha Hotel on Al Shabsough Street. I first visited their excellent ground floor restaurant for a quick meal and liked the vibe and service so much that I took a room there the same evening! Among the many, many reasons you'd want to stay at the Pasha: topnotch and friendly staff, nice cheap rooms starting at 25JD per night, great food (and local beer!), same day laundry service available at the reception, and kickass owner who can hook you up with local guides and tours (if that's your thing).
However, this hotel's unique selling point is its roof terrace, offering breathtaking views of the city at night, a funky, travel savvy clientele always up for a chat... and rainbow chickens. Yeah, you read it right. The local chicken farm dye newborn chicks who are deemed to frail to make it into adulthood with a harmless food colorant. Don't ask me why, I have no idea! But the hotel's owner buys them at a discounted rate and let them roam in several little pens on the roof terrace of the hotel.
And let me tell you, nothing quite compare to an evening spent watching the world go by as you sip a coffee, surrounded by pink, green and blue chickens!
ANY MUST-SEE STUFF I SHOULD KNOW ABOUT?
You bet. Start your day early with a walk down Rainbow Street for a coffee and a bit of shopping. The Roman Theatre and the surrounding area is well worth a visit too, especially for budding photographers. Plenty of photo opportunities in there! I also recommend you visit the adjoining museum, the entrance fee is only a couple of Jordanian Dinards and houses a collection of artifacts found in the vicinity of the theatre.
Next, head over to the Citadel, the site of ancient Rabbath-Ammon which sits on the highest hill in Amman, Jebel al-Qala’a. This place is an amateur historian's paradise but even if you're not into ruins and archeological sites, the Temple of Hercules, the Ummayad Palace and the amazing views of the city below makes a visit to the Citadel an absolute must.
On a side note: You should definitely consider buying a JORDAN PASS before your trip. It gives pass holders the ability to make the most out of their trip by bundling the cost of over 40 sites (including Petra and the sites I just mentioned above). The cost of your tourist entry visa is also included in the pass so basically, just get one. It’s a no-brainer.
SWEET. WHAT'S THE FOOD LIKE?
Jordanian cuisine is delicious and the kindness of its people is expressed through what is served at the table. Think Lebanese cooking, with a dash of Iraqi influences thrown in. It is simple, unpretentious and true to its Bedouin origins as befits a country that was a crossing point of trade routes and influenced by cultures from distant places such as India. A typical meal will usually set you back a fiver or less. That's not to say you can't indulge on more elaborate dishes if you feel like splurging on a fancy lunch or dinner. Jordanian cuisine definitely caters for every taste (and purse!)
Don't forget to load up on drinking water every morning. It cost pennies and you will need gallons of the stuff to get you through the day. Luckily, you'll never be far from a convenience store or a street vendor; usually a kid with a little cart who will follow you around until you buy a bottle off them. So actually, don't worry too much if you forget to pack water, because they'll remind you!
WHAT ARE THE BEST DAILY EXCURSIONS FROM AMMAN?
The Dead Sea, Karak and Jerash and even Petra are all popular destinations easily achievable as a day trip starting from Amman.
Here, you have a choice: you can go the easy way and head down to your hotel reception to book a taxi or tour. It won't come cheap but everything will be taken care of for you while you relax on the terrace.
Or, if you're more adventurous, pack your camera, sunscreen and bottled water and find your own way there: it's fun, it's exciting, and you get to see the real Jordan. The few pointers below will save you some time if you decide to "go rogue".
The Dead Sea: Grab a taxi and head down to South Bus Station. Once there, find the bay with the bus that'll take you to one of the three Dead Sea beach resorts. Pay the 2JD fare directly to the driver, pass the time chatting with the other passengers while the bus fill up, then it's a 45 minutes drive to your destination. Make a mental note of where you get off. You will need to get there to catch the bus back to Amman.
Jerash: Ok, so I didn't go wild on that one occasion. It was towards the end of my trip and I had some cash left on my budget so I arranged for a driver to pick me up in the hotel lobby. Still though, 20JD for an hour drive, a 2 hours wait while I strolled through the columned avenues and another hour drive back to the city was a great bargain!
Karak: Take a taxi to Alwehdat bus station. Any taxi driver worth their salt will know where it is. From there you can get a minibus to Karak for 2 JD. The bus won't move until it's full so bring a book or better yet chat with the other passengers while you wait for the seats to fill up.
Petra: You'll have to rise and shine early for this one. Jett Bus operates a daily service from Abdali Station (King Hussein St) to Petra and back. It leaves daily at 6.30am (on the dot so don't be late!) and will cost you 17JD for a return ticket which in my opinion is a bargain. Come early to beat the queue at the ticket booth. It also gives you time to get grab a coffee from the vendor next door. I hear you can also book in advance but it requires you to reconfirm 24hrs in advance. Pack a book and a lunch as it's a 4 hour drive each ways, but the buses are quite comfy. Bonus points: you can get some pretty cool pics when the bus stops on the Desert Highway.
SO DEAD SEA...YAY OR NAY?
Well strangely enough it's Yay for me. Ok, not the day that I had, that was totally nay and i wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy. But I have seen the vlogs, read the articles, and skimmed through the reviews, and there s no way that thousands of people are all wrong. A trip to the dead sea is a lot of fun if planned well, and I hope this post serves as a cautionary tale for other rooky travellers out there. Would I do things differently? Probably not, because that would imply revisiting my entire approach to travel. I know this isn't the last time I screw up massively, but in the grand scale of things, mishaps like these mean little compared to the hundreds of times where I've discovered a place with fresh eyes and mind, unburdened by someone else's take on it. Also, these kind of days make for great stories later on :p I will go back, eventually and this time I will do things properly.
YAY: IT'S TRUE, YOU CAN REALLY FLOAT
I am so proud to be one of the select few who understand this concept now. Before I went to the Dead sea, all the water that I'd ever seen was like... well water. So the idea that it's impossible to swim in the Dead Sea was kind of an alien concept to me. It's not something that can be explained, it has to be experienced. And I'm so glad I can finally cross this one off my list.
NAY: TRASH ON THE BEACH
That was so gross and dissapointing. I still struggle to understand how regualr people can just leave all their rubbish lying around after they've had their picnic. There isn't many things in life that can make me lose my cool, but littering is definitely one of them. Such disrespect. The Dead Sea is a fragile ecosystem. Please be mindful and respect the environment!
HUH: THE AFTERMATH...
One thing they don't tell you in the brochure is how corrosive and hard to wash away the water is! My baseball cap turned to stone when it dried. And my skin would sweat out salt for days after. The consistency is really weird as well, a bit like olive oil.