Are you arriving at Queen Alia International Airport for a brief layover of one day in Amman or using the Jordanian capital city as your base before heading to Wadi Rum or the Dead Sea? We have got you covered.
This complete Amman itinerary will help you maximize every moment in Jordan’s capital. From historical sites, traditional Jordanian food in Downtown Amman to afternoon coffee and souvenirs on trendy Rainbow Street, this guide is the perfect balance of exploring and enjoying you need for one day in Amman.
Let’s find out what not to miss when spending one day in Amman.
Key Takeaways
- Start Early to Beat the Heat: Begin your day around 8:00 AM to enjoy cooler temperatures and make the most of your time exploring Amman’s historical sites.
- Use Ride-Hailing Apps for Convenience: While many attractions are within walking distance, taxis via Uber or Careem help you navigate the city’s hilly terrain comfortably and save energy.
- Purchase the Jordan Pass: This pass offers great value by covering your entry visa and admission to key sites like the Amman Citadel and Jordan Museum, streamlining your visit.
- Don’t Miss the Culinary Highlights: From traditional Jordanian dishes at Hashem Restaurant to sweet treats at Habibah Sweets, Amman’s food scene is an essential part of the experience.
- Explore Both Ancient and Modern Amman: Balance your itinerary with visits to ancient ruins like the Citadel and Roman Amphitheatre alongside vibrant areas like Rainbow Street to get a full sense of the city’s culture and history.
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- Key Takeaways
- Secure a travel Package to Wadi Rum.
- Planning Your Perfect Day in Amman
- Morning in Amman: Start with Ancient Ruins and Panoramic Views
- Late Morning in Amman: Explore Roman Heritage in Downtown
- Lunch in Amman: Try Jordanian Food in the Heart of Downtown
- Afternoon in Amman: Rainbow Street and Sunset Views
- Dinner: Traditional Mansaf Experience
- Essential Travel Information
- Where to Stay for Your Amman Adventure
- How to Get Around Amman
- Hidden Gem: The Friday Market (only on Fridays)
- The Bottom Line
Planning Your Perfect Day in Amman
When visiting Amman, Jordan, for the first time in 2023, we learned a few lessons the hard way. Luckily, you will have the edge because you are reading our guide, where we are sharing the quintessential advice to visiting Amman.
- Visiting Amman starts with smart planning: The city is huge and has so much history and culture to offer. Begin your day in Amman at 8:00 AM to take advantage of cooler morning temperatures and avoid the intense midday heat throughout summer in the Middle East.
- Use ride-hailing apps: The city’s main sites are concentrated within walking distance of each other in the downtown area. However, the steep inclines between attractions can be taxing, so budget 3-5 Jordanian Dinars for short taxi rides between major sites. Apps like Uber and Careem operate throughout the city, are fairly cheap with nice air-conditioned units and totally worth it.
- Build flexibility into your schedule: Modern Amman pulses with unexpected pop-up markets, street musicians, and community festivals, particularly in pedestrianized areas like the main street sections of downtown.
- Buy the Jordan Pass: Also, consider purchasing a Jordan pass online before your visit, if you are staying in Jordan for more than three days. At 70-80 JOD, this pass covers your entry visa and admission to over 40 historical sites, including the Amman citadel and Jordan museum. Outside of Amman, the Jordan Pass also covers your entrance fee to Petra and Wadi Rum.
For anyone planning to explore Amman and other parts of visiting Jordan, the Jordan pass offers excellent value.
Wanna learn more about the Jordan Pass? We wrote a whole article on it. Check it out to find out if the Jordan Pass is worth it for you.
Morning in Amman: Start with Ancient Ruins and Panoramic Views
Start your authentic Jordanian cuisine experience with a traditional breakfast featuring manakeesh (flatbread with za’atar), creamy hummus, ful (slow-cooked fava beans), and fresh mint tea. Local bakeries throughout Al-Balad serve these traditional Jordanian dishes from early morning, giving you authentic fuel for exploration.
The Amman Citadel represents your first major destination and one of the city’s highlights worth visiting early. Perched atop citadel hill at 850 meters above sea level, this archaeological site offers panoramic city views and houses remnants from great civilizations spanning the bronze age through Islamic periods.
Key attractions within the citadel complex include:
- Temple of Hercules: Roman ruins dating from 162-166 AD during Marcus Aurelius’s reign, featuring iconic surviving columns and fragments of a massive Hercules statue
- Umayyad Palace: An 8th-century Islamic-era fortress showcasing distinctive vaulting and mosaic floor remnants
- Jordan Archaeological Museum: Houses the remarkable Ain Ghazal statues, some of humanity’s oldest known human sculptures from 7500 BC
The Amman Citadel is a great destination for one-day visitors as it combines several sites of the ancient city in one place. Doing it first in the day also allows you to get an idea of the city from the viewpoint before heading down into the hustle and bustle of Downtown Amman.
Late Morning in Amman: Explore Roman Heritage in Downtown
Descend from the citadel by Uber or Careem to conserve energy for exploring the Roman Amphitheatre, one of Jordan’s best-preserved ancient structures. This impressive Roman theater now located in Downtown Amman was carved into the hillside between 138-161 AD during Emperor Antoninus Pius’s rule and accommodated up to 6,000 spectators.
The amphitheatre complex houses two small museums:
- Jordan Folklore Museum (west side): Exhibits showcasing Bedouin life, traditional costumes, and cultural practices
- Museum of Popular Traditions (east side): Features ancient mosaics, jewelry, and artifacts from across visiting jordan
Exiting the roman theatre leads directly into Al-Balad, amman’s historic downtown core. From here you can head to the heart of Downtown Amman to grab a lunch and dessert at two of our absolute favourite spots in Amman: Hashem Restaurant and Habibah Sweets.
Lunch in Amman: Try Jordanian Food in the Heart of Downtown
No Amman experience is complete without having lunch at Hashem restaurant, a legendary establishment operating since 1952. This iconic spot has no printed menu – simply order the classics: falafel, hummus, foul, and fresh Arabic salad along with Arabic bread with a small paper slip.
Meals typically cost 2-5 JOD per person, making authentic Jordanian cuisine accessible to all budgets. Expect long queues during peak hours, but consider this part of the authentic downtown experience.
Complete your meal with dessert at Habibah Sweets, renowned throughout Amman for its kunafeh – hot, syrup-soaked pastry layered with soft cheese and sprinkled with pistachios. Habibah’s take on kunafeh is especially renowned for originated from Nablus, Palestine.
The preparation is often performed live, adding some spectacle to the sweet experience. After finishing your kunafeh, take a cardamom-flavored Jordanian coffee or fresh mint tea with it to complement the flavors and wash down the sweetness.
Afternoon in Amman: Rainbow Street and Sunset Views
Exploring local culture in Amman is not complete with a visit to Downtown Amman. The vibrant and open culture of the Jordanian youth can be felt most around the hills of Rainbow Street.
So, take a short taxi ride to Rainbow Street in the trendy Jebel Amman district, where Amman offers its most bohemian atmosphere. This pedestrian-friendly area features boutique shops, art galleries, and trendy cafes attracting both locals and visitors.
On Friday evenings (April through October), Souk Jara transforms Rainbow Street into an open-air flea market offering crafts, antiques, vinyl records, vintage clothing, and handmade souvenirs. Even outside market days, the area buzzes with energy and provides excellent people-watching opportunities.
Have a walk around Rainbow Street and shop for handcrafted souvenirs from Amman and the rest of Jordan. While on Rainbow Street, we highly recommend paying a visit to The Good Bookshop. As a mix of café and bookshop, offers a great opportunity to re-energize with a cup of coffee, while reading up on Jordanian history.
Dinner: Traditional Mansaf Experience
Conclude your day in Amman with Jordan’s national dish at a specialist restaurant like Al Quds. Mansaf consists of tender lamb cooked in jameed (fermented dried yogurt sauce), served over rice and flatbread. Originally Bedouin, this traditional dish is customarily eaten communally from a large platter using only the right hand and pieces of bread.
But be warned: Mansaf can be very heavy on the stomach. So, after dinner, you might only want to your hotel and sleep.
Alternative, lighter dining includes mezze-style meals at venues like Em Sherif Café, offering Lebanese-Jordanian fusion in stylish settings. These smaller plates allow sampling various flavors: grilled vegetables, kibbeh, multiple dips, and salads.
Some other equally interesting dining spots include a number of Yemeni restaurants showcasing a culture many of you might have not been exposed to yet.
Staying in Amman for more than one day? Check out our more extensive guides on exploring Amman in three days, four days or a full week.
Essential Travel Information
Documentation and Passes: The Jordan pass simplifies entry requirements by combining visa costs with attraction entries. Purchase online before arrival to streamline airport processing and gain access to major historical sites throughout visiting jordan.
Cultural Considerations: Dress modestly when visiting Amman, particularly at religious sites. Cover shoulders and knees, and women should carry scarves for mosque visits. Shoes must be removed before entering prayer spaces, respecting local customs.
Transportation: While main attractions are within walking distance, Amman’s hilly terrain makes taxis practical for longer distances. Use ride-hailing apps to get around cheaply and comfortable.
Currency and Payments: Carry Jordanian Dinars (JOD) as cash remains preferred at markets, taxis, and smaller restaurants. Higher-end venues accept credit cards, but cash ensures smoother transactions throughout your exploration.
Best Visiting Times: March through May and September through November offer ideal weather conditions with comfortable temperatures (20-28°C average highs) and minimal rainfall. These periods provide the most pleasant conditions for extensive walking and outdoor exploration.
Where to Stay for Your Amman Adventure
Accommodation options span all budgets and preferences:
| Category | Hotel | Features |
|---|---|---|
| Budget | The Cabin Amman | Hostel-style accommodation popular with backpackers (We stayed here and loved it.) |
| Mid-range | New Rafi Hotel | Central location with excellent city views |
| Luxury | St. Regis Amman | Full-service amenities including spa, pool, and fine dining |
| Boutique | Zaman ya Zaman | Restored Ottoman house blending history with modern comfort |
Location matters significantly in this large city – especially if you are only staying one day in Amman. Staying near downtown provides easy access to historical sites and authentic experiences, while areas near Rainbow Street offer proximity to modern amenities and late night entertainment.
We recommend staying at The Cabin Amman as it is not only budget-friendly and a great way to connect with other travelers, but also just a stone’s throw away from Hashem Restaurant and Habibah Sweets as well as the central Souq and the Roman Theatre.
How to Get Around Amman
The main downtown attractions form a compact area covering roughly 2 kilometers, making walking tours feasible for those comfortable with hilly terrain. However, the few hours needed to cover all major sites can be exhausting without strategic taxi use.
Professional walking tours led by local experts provide deeper cultural context and navigate the most efficient routes between attractions. These guided experiences often reveal hidden gems and provide historical background that enhances appreciation of Amman’s complex layered history.
To save time and energy, we suggest rid-hailing for longer uphill walks, to Rainbow Street for example. We used Uber throughout our stay in Amman and found it to be super reliable and affordable. What impressed us the most though, was the quality of the vehicles and the omnipresence of air-conditioning.
Hidden Gem: The Friday Market (only on Fridays)
Before we come to the end of the guide, we would like to point out one of our favourite attractions in Amman that we did not include in the main itinerary: the Friday Market.
Amman’s Friday Market happens every Friday (yep) around Al-Talyani Street just off Downtown Amman. The market is the perfect representation of the bustling city, offering everything from vintage clothing and furniture to local cuisine and souvenirs.
We love the Friday market for its huge selection of vintage clothing at great prices. For just 10 JOD, I managed to get a new shirt, a hat and some other small items. If your one day in Amman happens to be a Friday, we suggest skipping the Roman Amphitheatre and heading to the Friday Market instead. It will be worth it!
The Bottom Line
From Amman Citadel in the morning to modern Jordanian culture around Rainbow Street and a whole bunch of delicious Jordanian kitchen in between, there is a bunch of things to do in Amman in one day. We suggest following our itinerary to get the most out of the city without exhausting yourself too much.
If you would like to keep it simple, we suggest skipping the Roman Theatre and take more time exploring the other sites instead. That way you will have the perfect mix of history, food and culture while still making time for relaxing and taking in the vibe of a new city.
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