Tours in Amman

What's actually worth your time in Amman

Amman's own sights fit into a morning: the Citadel on Jabal al-Qal'a, with the Temple of Hercules columns, a colossal marble hand and the Umayyad Palace's rebuilt dome, then the second-century Roman Theatre cut into the hillside below it. What the city is really good for is the day trips, with Jerash's colonnaded street an hour north, the Dead Sea an hour west, and Madaba's sixth-century mosaic map south.

Amman's museums, and which one to pick

The Jordan Museum in Ras al-Ain owns two things nowhere else has: the Ain Ghazal plaster figures, made around 7500 BC and among the oldest large human statues anywhere, and the Copper Scroll, the single Dead Sea Scroll inscribed on metal and read as a list of buried treasure. The National Gallery of Fine Arts in Weibdeh spreads across two buildings either side of a park, collecting modern art from across the Islamic world.

What first-timers get wrong in Amman

Yellow taxis carry meters and drivers routinely claim they are broken, so ask for the aaddad or open Careem instead. On Friday mornings the Balad is shuttered until after midday prayers, so save it for the afternoon. Queen Alia airport is thirty-five kilometres south and the Sariyah express coach costs a fraction of a cab. Downtown expects covered shoulders even though Weibdeh does not.

When the weather turns in Amman

Winters here are genuinely cold for the region, and a snowfall shuts the city outright because the hill roads are too steep to grit safely. Between December and March, keep the Jordan Museum and the National Gallery in reserve. Al Pasha Turkish bath runs a full scrub and steam for an afternoon. Books@cafe on Rainbow Street is the reliable long sit with a heater and a view over the Balad.

What things cost in Amman

Jordan is pricier than its neighbours except where it counts. A full spread at Hashem comes to two or three dinars a head and a slab of Habibah kunafa to about one. A metered taxi across Amman is two to four. A beer in a Weibdeh bar, though, is five to eight, because the alcohol tax is punishing. The airport coach costs a few dinars against roughly twenty for a taxi.

When to go to Amman

The month to avoid is January — around 12°C (54°F) with roughly 10 rain days. Prices and crowds track the weather here: May is the sweet spot, January the month most people skip.

Pack for peak season: Summer clothes, plus one light layer for air-con and evenings, High-SPF sunscreen, sunglasses, and a refillable water bottle, Comfortable walking shoes — every guide on this site assumes you'll use them.

Where to base yourself in Amman

• Downtown (Al-Balad) — Old market quarter — souks, juice bars, the Roman theatre, Hashem falafel.
• Jabal Amman — Hilltop boutique quarter — Rainbow Street, cafés, the souk Jara on Fridays.
• Abdoun — Upscale residential west — embassies, mall, expensive restaurants, quieter.