Solo travel · Amman · Jordan
Solo travel in Amman
How to enjoy Amman at your own pace.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: Dan Palraz, CC BY-SA 4.0
Quick answer
Amman is an easy introduction to the Middle East for solo travellers: people are friendly and helpful, English is widely understood, and downtown hostels are a good place to find others to share day trips. Many solo travellers base themselves in Downtown (Al-Balad).
Key facts
- Base
- Downtown (Al-Balad)
- Getting around
- Walking
- Emergency number
- 911 (police, ambulance and fire)
- Language
- Arabic and English
Solo travel tips
- Downtown and Weibdeh hostels can help you find travellers to share a driver to Jerash or the Dead Sea.
- Dress modestly, especially in downtown, to avoid unwanted attention.
- Use ride-hailing apps at night for a fixed price and a tracked route.
- Join a cooking class or a food walk to meet locals and other travellers.
- Carry small notes and coins; many taxis and street stalls cannot change large notes.
Where to stay
$ · Best for budget, solo travellers, culture and food lovers
Downtown (Al-Balad)
Al-Balad is the old commercial centre in the valley between the jabals, around the Grand Husseini Mosque, the gold souq and the Roman Theatre. It has many of the city's lowest-priced hotels, famous falafel and sweet shops, and the Citadel is a steep 15-minute climb away. It is noisy and busy by day and quiet late at night.
- Good
- Walk to the main ancient sites; Cheap, excellent street food; Strong local atmosphere
- Watch out
- Basic hotels; Traffic noise and fumes; Steep climbs to the hills above
- Nearby
- Roman Theatre, Amman Citadel, Grand Husseini Mosque, Gold souq
Great on your own
Historic site · Jabal al-Qal'a
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.
- Time needed
- 1.5–2 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- Iconic
- History
- Views
- Photo spot
- Kids
Historic site · Downtown (Al-Balad)
Roman Theatre and Odeon
Climb to the top row of seats for a view over the plaza and up to the Citadel.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Low cost
- Iconic
- History
- Kids
- Photo spot
Museum · Ras al-Ain
Jordan Museum
Visit early in your trip; the Nabataean galleries make Petra much easier to understand.
- Time needed
- 2 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- History
- Rainy day
- Kids
- Art
Market · Downtown (Al-Balad)
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.
- Time needed
- 1–2 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Shopping
- Food
- History
Religious site · Abdali
King Abdullah I Mosque
Robes and headscarves are provided for women at the entrance; avoid Friday midday prayers.
- Time needed
- 45 minutes
- Cost
- Low cost
- Architecture
- Rainy day
Neighbourhood · Jabal al-Weibdeh
Jabal al-Weibdeh
Walk down from Paris Circle to downtown via the stairways, stopping at Darat al Funun on the way.
- Time needed
- 2 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Architecture
- Art
- Off the beaten path
Meeting people
- Home cooking class — Several cooking schools and family homes in Jabal al-Weibdeh and Jabal Amman run classes where you cook and eat a full Jordanian meal, often including maqluba or mansaf.
- Downtown breakfast — Start the day with hummus, ful and falafel at a downtown counter, then walk to the Roman Theatre before the heat builds.
- Rainbow Street and Jabal Amman — Rooftop bars, cafés and restaurants with views, busiest on Thursday and Friday nights.
- Jabal al-Weibdeh — Small bars and cafés popular with artists and students around Paris Circle.
Sensible precautions
Amman is generally calm for visitors, but check your own government's travel advice before and during your trip given wider regional tensions. Traffic is the main everyday risk: crossings are few, so take care on busy roads, and agree on the meter or use an app for taxis.
- Emergency number
- 911 (police, ambulance and fire)
- Staying connected
- Local SIM cards and eSIMs are cheap and widely available; hotels and cafés usually have Wi-Fi.
Questions travellers ask
+Is Amman good for solo travellers?
Amman is an easy introduction to the Middle East for solo travellers: people are friendly and helpful, English is widely understood, and downtown hostels are a good place to find others to share day trips.
+Where should solo travellers stay in Amman?
Downtown (Al-Balad): Souqs, Roman ruins and budget hotels in the valley at the city's core.