One day in Amman

Day by day

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

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

   1. Morning

      Amman Citadel

      Go in the late afternoon for golden light on the columns, and stay to hear the call to prayer echo across the hills at sunset. Allow 1.5–2 hours.

   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. Allow 1 hour.

   3. Lunch

      Lunch: Mansaf

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

   4. Afternoon

      Jordan Museum

      Visit early in your trip; the Nabataean galleries make Petra much easier to understand. Allow 2 hours.

   5. Late afternoon

      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. Allow 1–2 hours.

   6. Evening

      Downtown street-food trail

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

If it rains

• Swap in King Abdullah I Mosque (Abdali): Robes and headscarves are provided for women at the entrance; avoid Friday midday prayers.
• Swap in Jordan National Gallery of Fine Arts (Jabal al-Weibdeh): Pair it with Darat al Funun, a 10-minute walk away, for an afternoon of art.
• Swap in Royal Automobile Museum (King Hussein Park): Combine it with the Children's Museum Jordan in the same park.

Where to stay for this itinerary

Pace and daylight

The sights in this plan add up to roughly 7–9 hours of visiting over one day, 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.

Getting between stops: Walking. Downtown, Jabal Amman and Jabal al-Weibdeh are connected by public stairways; the Citadel to the Roman Theatre is about 15 minutes on foot, downhill.

More or fewer days

• 2 days in Amman
• 3 days in Amman

Questions travellers ask