The one-day itinerary
| Time | Stop | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| 8:30 am | Citadel: Temple of Hercules, Umayyad Palace | 1.5 to 2 h |
| 10:30 am | Walk down to the Roman Theatre and the Odeon | 45 min |
| 11:30 am | Al-Balad souks and lunch (hummus, falafel, knafeh) | 1.5 to 2 h |
| 2:00 pm | Jordan Museum: Ain Ghazal statues | 2 h |
| 4:30 pm | Rainbow Street, café with a view | 1.5 h |
| 6:00 pm | Sunset over the city, dinner in Jabal Amman | free |
If you prefer the sunset from the citadel, reverse the programme: museum and souks in the morning, citadel in the late afternoon, then Rainbow Street for dinner.
What to know before you go
- The terrain: Amman is built on hills. The citadel and Jabal Amman are uphill; a taxi of a few dinars saves the climbs.
- Friday: many Al-Balad shops are closed in the morning and the museum has shorter hours; if you can, avoid it for the souks and museum.
- Tickets: citadel 3 JD, Roman Theatre about 2 JD, Jordan Museum 5 JD for non-Jordanians. The Jordan Pass makes the citadel and the theatre free; the museum is still paid separately.
- Transport: taxi or ride-hailing app, a few dinars a ride (ask for the meter). From the airport, see from Queen Alia Airport to central Amman.
With a guide rather than alone
A walking or car tour saves time if you arrive late or want explanations: see which city tour to choose. Day trips from Amman (Jerash, Dead Sea, Petra) work better with one more night.
If you have more than one day
- Half a day more: Jerash and Ajloun.
- A day more: Madaba, Mount Nebo and the Dead Sea, or Petra from Amman (a long day, 6 hours on the road in all).
- For the whole city: the Amman page.
Going further
The Jordan Pass gives a free visa if you stay at least two consecutive nights in Jordan (official rule on jordanpass.jo) and covers most of the sites in this itinerary.
The Jordan Authority editorial team
