Things to do · Amman · Jordan
16 best things to do in Amman
16 sights and experiences ranked for a first visit, with honest notes on time, cost and crowds.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: Bernard Gagnon, CC BY-SA 4.0
Quick answer
The essential sights in Amman are Amman Citadel, Roman Theatre and Odeon and Downtown street-food trail. Of the 16 picks below, 7 are free, 5 work on a rainy day and 5 suit children. Allow about 3 days to see the highlights without rushing.
Key facts
- Top sight
- Amman Citadel
- Free sights
- 7
- Good on a rainy day
- Jordan Museum
- Time to see the highlights
- 3 days
At a glance
| Sight | Area | Time needed | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amman Citadel | Jabal al-Qal'a | 1.5–2 hours | Low cost |
| Roman Theatre and Odeon | Downtown (Al-Balad) | 1 hour | Low cost |
| Downtown street-food trail | Downtown (Al-Balad) | 1–2 hours | Low cost |
| Jordan Museum | Ras al-Ain | 2 hours | Low cost |
| Downtown souqs and Grand Husseini Mosque | Downtown (Al-Balad) | 1–2 hours | Free |
| King Abdullah I Mosque | Abdali | 45 minutes | Low cost |
| Rainbow Street | Jabal Amman and Rainbow Street | 1–2 hours | Free |
| Jabal al-Weibdeh | Jabal al-Weibdeh | 2 hours | Free |
| Darat al Funun | Jabal al-Weibdeh | 1 hour | Free |
| Jordan National Gallery of Fine Arts | Jabal al-Weibdeh | 1 hour | Low cost |
| Royal Automobile Museum | King Hussein Park | 1 hour | Low cost |
| Children's Museum Jordan | King Hussein Park | 2–3 hours | Low cost |
| Abu Darwish Mosque | Jabal al-Ashrafieh | 30 minutes | Free |
| Nymphaeum | Downtown (Al-Balad) | 15 minutes | Free |
| Wild Jordan Center | Jabal Amman and Rainbow Street | 1 hour | Low cost |
| Citadel-view sunset from Jabal Amman | Jabal Amman and Rainbow Street | 1 hour | Free |
The 16 best things to do
Historic site · Jabal al-Qal'a
1.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. The small Jordan Archaeological Museum on site and the views down to the Roman Theatre make it the best first stop in the city.
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)
2.Roman Theatre and Odeon
Built in the 2nd century AD and cut into the hillside, the Roman Theatre seats about 6,000 and still hosts occasional concerts. Small folklore and traditional-costume museums occupy rooms in its wings, and the smaller Odeon stands beside the Hashemite Plaza in front.
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
Experience · Downtown (Al-Balad)
3.Downtown street-food trail
Downtown's long-established counters serve falafel, hummus and ful in steel bowls with mint, onions and bread, and its sweet shops cut warm knafeh from huge trays. An hour's walk takes in breakfast, a sandwich, juice and dessert for very little money.
Eat hummus and falafel at a busy counter, then queue for knafeh in the lane off King Hussein Street.
- Time needed
- 1–2 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- Food
- Iconic
- After dark
Museum · Ras al-Ain
4.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. It is air-conditioned and a good introduction before travelling around the country.
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)
5.Downtown souqs and Grand Husseini Mosque
The streets around the Grand Husseini Mosque, built in its current form in 1924 on an older site, are the city's traditional market: the gold souq, spice and coffee shops, the covered vegetable market and stalls selling everything from shoes to cardamom. It is busiest on Saturdays and in the late afternoon.
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
6.King Abdullah I Mosque
Completed in 1989, this mosque has a blue mosaic dome over an octagonal prayer hall and is one of the few in Amman open to non-Muslim visitors outside prayer times. A small Islamic museum is attached.
Robes and headscarves are provided for women at the entrance; avoid Friday midday prayers.
- Time needed
- 45 minutes
- Cost
- Low cost
- Architecture
- Rainy day
Street · Jabal Amman and Rainbow Street
7.Rainbow Street
Rainbow Street runs along Jabal Amman from the First Circle, lined with cafés, rooftop terraces, shawarma stands, craft shops and restaurants in old stone houses. It fills with families and young Ammanis in the evenings and on weekends, and side streets have views down over downtown.
Come at dusk for the views from a rooftop café, and wander the side streets towards the Wild Jordan Center.
- Time needed
- 1–2 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Food
- After dark
- Couples
- Shopping
Neighbourhood · Jabal al-Weibdeh
8.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. Paris Circle has cafés and a small park, and the neighbourhood is home to two of Amman's main art spaces.
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
Gallery · Jabal al-Weibdeh
1.Darat al Funun
A contemporary Arab art centre spread across restored 1920s houses on a hillside garden, with the ruins of a 6th-century Byzantine church among the terraces. It hosts changing exhibitions, talks and film screenings, and entry is free.
Sit in the garden by the church ruins, which look across the valley to the Citadel.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Free
- Art
- Free
- Off the beaten path
- Views
Gallery · Jabal al-Weibdeh
2.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.
Pair it with Darat al Funun, a 10-minute walk away, for an afternoon of art.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Low cost
- Art
- Rainy day
Museum · King Hussein Park
3.Royal Automobile Museum
The late King Hussein's collection of cars and motorcycles, from early 20th-century vehicles to royal limousines and rally cars, is displayed with photographs that tell Jordan's modern history. Children and car enthusiasts tend to enjoy it most.
Combine it with the Children's Museum Jordan in the same park.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Low cost
- Kids
- Rainy day
- History
Museum · King Hussein Park
4.Children's Museum Jordan
A hands-on science and discovery museum with interactive exhibits on the body, nature, technology and Jordanian heritage, plus outdoor play areas in King Hussein Park. It is aimed mainly at children up to about 12.
Weekday mornings can be busy with school groups; afternoons are calmer.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- Kids
- Rainy day
Religious site · Jabal al-Ashrafieh
5.Abu Darwish Mosque
Built in the 1960s by a Circassian family, this mosque is covered in a distinctive black-and-white chequered pattern and sits on Jabal al-Ashrafieh, one of the highest points in the city, with views across Amman.
Take a taxi up and view it from outside; the surrounding streets give a glimpse of everyday east Amman.
- Time needed
- 30 minutes
- Cost
- Free
- Architecture
- Free
- Off the beaten path
- Views
Historic site · Downtown (Al-Balad)
6.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.
Look at it on your way between the Roman Theatre and the downtown souqs.
- Time needed
- 15 minutes
- Cost
- Free
- History
- Free
Viewpoint · Jabal Amman and Rainbow Street
7.Wild Jordan Center
Run by the Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature, the centre has a café-restaurant with a terrace overlooking downtown and the Citadel, plus a shop selling crafts made by communities around Jordan's nature reserves. It is also a place to ask about visiting reserves such as Dana and Ajloun.
Come for sunset drinks on the terrace, when the Citadel lights come on across the valley.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Low cost
- Views
- Couples
- Shopping
- Food
Viewpoint · Jabal Amman and Rainbow Street
8.Citadel-view sunset from Jabal Amman
Several stairways and small terraces off Rainbow Street and around the First Circle look across downtown to the floodlit Citadel and the giant flagpole at Raghadan, one of the city's best free views at dusk.
Walk the stairs down from Jabal Amman to downtown at dusk, stopping at the terraces along the way.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Views
- Couples
- After dark
- Photo spot
Pick by interest
| Interest | Best picks |
|---|---|
| Art and museums | Jordan Museum, Jabal al-Weibdeh, Darat al Funun and Jordan National Gallery of Fine Arts |
| History | Amman Citadel, Roman Theatre and Odeon, Jordan Museum and Downtown souqs and Grand Husseini Mosque |
| Views | Amman Citadel, Darat al Funun, Abu Darwish Mosque and Wild Jordan Center |
| Food and markets | Downtown street-food trail, Downtown souqs and Grand Husseini Mosque, Rainbow Street and Wild Jordan Center |
| After dark | Rainbow Street, Downtown street-food trail and Citadel-view sunset from Jabal Amman |
| With children | Amman Citadel, Roman Theatre and Odeon, Jordan Museum and Royal Automobile Museum |
| On a rainy day | Jordan Museum, King Abdullah I Mosque, Jordan National Gallery of Fine Arts and Royal Automobile Museum |
Plan the rest of your trip
Questions travellers ask
+What is the number one thing to do in Amman?
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.
+What can you do for free in Amman?
Downtown souqs and Grand Husseini Mosque, Rainbow Street, Jabal al-Weibdeh, Darat al Funun and Abu Darwish Mosque. More free things to do.
+What is there to do in Amman when it rains?
Head indoors to Jordan Museum, King Abdullah I Mosque, Jordan National Gallery of Fine Arts and Royal Automobile Museum.
+What is there to do in Amman at night?
Rainbow Street, Downtown street-food trail and Citadel-view sunset from Jabal Amman are best after dark.