3 days in Amman

Day by day

1. Day 1: Amman Citadel and Roman Theatre and Odeon

   Amman Citadel, Roman Theatre and Odeon and Jordan Museum, then Downtown street-food trail in the evening.

   1. Morning

      Amman Citadel

      The Citadel hill has been occupied for thousands of years and holds the columns of the Roman Temple of Hercules, a Byzantine church and the Umayyad Palace with its restored domed audience hall and cistern.

   2. Late morning

      Roman Theatre and Odeon

      Climb to the top row of seats for a view over the plaza and up to the Citadel.

   3. Lunch

      Lunch: Mansaf

      Traditional Jordanian restaurants in downtown and Jabal Amman, often served at lunchtime and on Fridays.

   4. Afternoon

      Jordan Museum

      The national museum traces Jordan's history from the Stone Age to the modern era, with the plaster Ain Ghazal statues, about 9,000 years old, fragments of the Dead Sea Scrolls and well-presented sections on the Nabataeans of Petra.

   5. Evening

      Downtown street-food trail

      Eat hummus and falafel at a busy counter, then queue for knafeh in the lane off King Hussein Street.

2. Day 2: Downtown souqs and Grand Husseini Mosque and Nymphaeum

   Downtown souqs and Grand Husseini Mosque, Nymphaeum and King Abdullah I Mosque, then Rainbow Street in the evening.

   1. Morning

      Downtown souqs and Grand Husseini Mosque

      Follow the smell of roasting coffee and cardamom to the spice shops behind the mosque, and buy a bag of freshly ground Arabic coffee.

   2. Late morning

      Nymphaeum

      The remains of a 2nd-century Roman public fountain stand near Quraysh Street in downtown, a reminder that the Roman city of Philadelphia lay under today's market streets.

   3. Lunch

      Lunch: Falafel

      Long-running counters in downtown's lanes and stands around the city.

   4. Afternoon

      King Abdullah I Mosque

      Robes and headscarves are provided for women at the entrance; avoid Friday midday prayers.

   5. Evening

      Rainbow Street

      Come at dusk for the views from a rooftop café, and wander the side streets towards the Wild Jordan Center.

3. Day 3: Jabal al-Weibdeh and Darat al Funun

   Jabal al-Weibdeh, Darat al Funun and Jordan National Gallery of Fine Arts, then Citadel-view sunset from Jabal Amman in the evening.

   1. Morning

      Jabal al-Weibdeh

      One of the city's first residential hills, Weibdeh keeps 1920s and 1930s stone houses with arched windows, churches and small mosques along quiet tree-lined streets.

   2. Late morning

      Darat al Funun

      Sit in the garden by the church ruins, which look across the valley to the Citadel.

   3. Lunch

      Lunch: Hummus and ful breakfast

      Downtown counters and neighbourhood breakfast cafés across the city.

   4. Afternoon

      Jordan National Gallery of Fine Arts

      Two buildings facing a small park hold a large collection of modern and contemporary art from Jordan, the wider Arab world and other developing countries, including painting, sculpture and ceramics.

   5. Evening

      Citadel-view sunset from Jabal Amman

      Walk the stairs down from Jabal Amman to downtown at dusk, stopping at the terraces along the way.

Before you go

If it rains

• Swap in Royal Automobile Museum (King Hussein Park): Combine it with the Children's Museum Jordan in the same park.
• Swap in Children's Museum Jordan (King Hussein Park): Weekday mornings can be busy with school groups; afternoons are calmer.

Where to stay for this itinerary

With 3 nights, Jabal Amman and Rainbow Street keeps most of this route within easy reach. For a calmer or cheaper base, Downtown (Al-Balad) ($) suits budget, solo travellers, culture and food lovers. Compare every area.

Pace and daylight

The sights in this plan add up to roughly 14–17 hours of visiting over 3 days, before meals and getting between them. Daylight runs from about 10.1 hours in December to 14.2 hours in June, so in winter start early and keep museums for the afternoon.

More or fewer days

• One day in Amman
• 2 days in Amman

Questions travellers ask