Find places in Jordan

Must-Haves

• Amman Citadel (Jabal al-Qal'a)
  The Temple of Hercules and Umayyad Palace sit high above downtown with the best views over the old city.
• Roman Theatre (Downtown)
  A six thousand seat theatre carved into the hillside, with two small folklore museums tucked into its wings.
• The Jordan Museum (Ras al-Ain)
  The clearest introduction to the country, home to some of the Dead Sea Scrolls and the ancient Ain Ghazal statues.
• Darat al Funun (Jabal al-Weibdeh)
  Contemporary Arab art in restored historic houses with a garden and ancient church ruins.

Fun for Everyone

• Jordan National Gallery of Fine Arts (Jabal al-Weibdeh)
  A broad collection of modern art from Jordan, the Arab world and beyond.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Hashem Restaurant (Downtown)
  A legendary open air spot for falafel, hummus and foul, eaten at shared tables in a downtown alley.
• Habibah Sweets (Downtown)
  The downtown kiosk where queues form all day for warm, cheesy kunafa.

Must-Haves

• Sufra (Rainbow Street)
  Traditional Jordanian dishes, including mansaf and maqluba, in an old villa on Rainbow Street.
• Reem Al Bawadi (Tla'a al-Ali)
  A big, lively family restaurant serving grills and mezze in a Bedouin tent style setting.

Great for Date Night

• Fakhr El-Din (Jabal Amman)
  Refined Levantine dining in a 1950s house with a garden terrace, a classic for special evenings.

Must-Haves

• Wild Jordan Center (Jabal Amman)
  The nature reserve organisation's café and shop, with sweeping views and healthy food.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Jafra Café (Downtown)
  A busy old style café with shisha, music and Arabic coffee in a downtown building.

Fun for Everyone

• Books@Café (Jabal Amman)
  A long running bookshop café with a rooftop, popular with students and creatives.

Must-Haves

• Rainbow Street (Jabal Amman)
  Amman's best known walking street of cafés, shops and old houses, busiest on a Friday evening.

Off the Beaten Path

• Walk Jabal al-Weibdeh (Jabal al-Weibdeh)
  Quiet stone streets, galleries and small cafés in one of the oldest residential hills.
• Beit Sitti (Jabal al-Weibdeh)
  A home cooking school where you learn to make classic dishes with local women.

Fun for Everyone

• King Abdullah I Mosque (Abdali)
  The blue domed mosque welcomes visitors outside prayer times and has a small museum.
• The Royal Automobile Museum (Al Hussein Park)
  A collection of royal cars and motorbikes that tells the country's modern story.

Must-Haves

• Souk Jara (Jabal Amman)
  A summer Friday market of crafts, food and music around Fawzi al-Malouf Street.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Downtown Souq (Downtown)
  The gold, spice and vegetable markets around the Grand Husseini Mosque are Amman's busiest bargain streets.

Off the Beaten Path

• Jordan River Foundation Showroom (Jabal Amman)
  Handmade embroidery, rugs and homewares made by women's projects across the country.

Fun for Everyone

• Abdali Boulevard (Abdali)
  A modern pedestrian street of shops and restaurants next to the new city centre.

Off the Beaten Path

• Ajloun Forest Reserve (Ajloun)
  Oak and pistachio woodland with marked trails and cabins, an easy escape north of the city.

Must-Haves

• Jerash Festival of Culture and Arts (Jerash)
  The summer festival brings concerts and folklore to the ancient theatres of Jerash.

Great for Date Night

• Amman Rotana (Abdali)
  A modern high rise hotel with skyline views beside Abdali Boulevard.

Must-Haves

• Petra Archaeological Park (Wadi Musa)
  The rose red Nabataean city of tombs and temples, one of the great sights of the world.

Fun for Everyone

• Petra Museum (Visitor Centre)
  A modern museum at the entrance that explains the Nabataeans before you walk in.

Must-Haves

• The Treasury (Al Khazneh) (Petra)
  The carved facade at the end of the Siq is the moment every visitor remembers.
• The Monastery (Ad Deir) (Petra)
  A climb of about eight hundred steps leads to the largest monument in Petra and wide mountain views.

Off the Beaten Path

• High Place of Sacrifice trail (Petra)
  A quieter climb to an ancient altar with views over the whole ancient city.
• Al Khubtha Trail (Petra)
  The trail that rewards walkers with a view down onto the Treasury from above.

Great for Date Night

• Petra by Night (Petra)
  The Siq and Treasury lit by hundreds of candles on set evenings of the week.

Must-Haves

• Petra Kitchen (Wadi Musa)
  An evening cooking class where you make and then eat a full Jordanian meal.

Fun for Everyone

• Red Cave Restaurant (Wadi Musa)
  A simple, friendly place for mansaf and maqluba near the main road.

Fun for Everyone

• Cave Bar (Petra Guest House)
  A bar set inside a two thousand year old Nabataean tomb next to the park gate.

Off the Beaten Path

• Dana Biosphere Reserve trail to Feynan (Dana)
  A beautiful walk down a wild valley from Dana village to the lantern lit Feynan Ecolodge.

Must-Haves

• Mövenpick Resort Petra (Wadi Musa)
  The closest big hotel to the park gate, with a rooftop terrace.

Fun for Everyone

• Petra Guest House Hotel (Wadi Musa)
  Unbeatable location at the entrance, with the famous Cave Bar.

Off the Beaten Path

• Seven Wonders Bedouin Camp (Little Petra)
  Simple tents by the rocks near Little Petra, good for stargazing.

Great for Date Night

• Feynan Ecolodge (Wadi Feynan)
  A candle lit desert lodge run with the local community, reached on foot or by local transfer.

Must-Haves

• Wadi Rum Protected Area (Rum Village)
  Red sand, towering sandstone and the deep silence of the Valley of the Moon.
• Burdah Rock Bridge (Wadi Rum)
  The highest natural arch in the desert, reached with a guided scramble.

Fun for Everyone

• Um Fruth Rock Bridge (Wadi Rum)
  A small arch that is easy to climb and great for photos.
• Red sand dunes (Wadi Rum)
  Climb barefoot and roll down the soft red dunes.

Must-Haves

• Jeep tour with a local Bedouin guide (Rum Village)
  A day or half day drive to dunes, rock bridges and inscriptions with local guides.

Fun for Everyone

• Camel trek at sunset (Rum Village)
  Slow, quiet and memorable as the rocks glow at the end of the day.

Off the Beaten Path

• Khazali Canyon (Wadi Rum)
  A narrow canyon carved with ancient Thamudic and Nabataean inscriptions.
• Lawrence's Spring (Wadi Rum)
  A small spring linked to T. E. Lawrence, with views over the valley.

Fun for Everyone

• Wadi Rum Visitor Centre (Wadi Rum)
  Where you pay entry, meet guides and see the Seven Pillars of Wisdom rock.

Must-Haves

• Sun City Camp (Wadi Rum)
  Bubble style tents with skylights for stargazing from bed.

Great for Date Night

• Memories Aicha Luxury Camp (Wadi Rum)
  Comfortable domes with views of the rocks and a calm atmosphere.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Zarb dinner at your camp (Wadi Rum)
  Chicken and vegetables slow cooked under the sand, the classic desert supper.

Off the Beaten Path

• Stargazing night (Wadi Rum)
  Clear desert skies show the Milky Way on moonless nights.

Must-Haves

• Amman Beach (Sweimeh)
  The public beach with showers and pools, a simple way to float without a resort.

Off the Beaten Path

• Wadi Mujib Siq Trail (Mujib)
  A wet canyon walk through water and waterfalls, open in the warmer months.
• Hammamat Ma'in (Ma'in)
  Hot springs and waterfalls in a gorge above the sea.

Must-Haves

• Kempinski Hotel Ishtar Dead Sea (Sweimeh)
  A grand resort of pools stepping down to the shore.

Great for Date Night

• Mövenpick Resort and Spa Dead Sea (Sweimeh)
  A village style resort with a large spa and private beach.

Fun for Everyone

• Dead Sea Marriott Resort and Spa (Sweimeh)
  Family friendly pools, a water park and beach access.

Off the Beaten Path

• Hilton Dead Sea Resort and Spa (Sweimeh)
  A newer resort near the shore with calm pools.

Must-Haves

• Bethany Beyond the Jordan (Baptism Site) (Al Maghtas)
  The UNESCO listed site on the Jordan River where Jesus is believed to have been baptised.

Fun for Everyone

• Dead Sea Panorama (Dead Sea Highway)
  A clifftop viewpoint and small museum explaining the lowest place on Earth.

Must-Haves

• Aqaba Marine Park (South Beach)
  Coral reefs a short swim from the shore, ideal for snorkelling.

Fun for Everyone

• Japanese Garden reef (South Beach)
  A colourful reef close to the beach for beginner divers and snorkellers.

Off the Beaten Path

• Cedar Pride wreck (South Beach)
  A sunken cargo ship covered in coral, one of the Red Sea's easiest wreck dives.

Fun for Everyone

• Glass bottom boat trip (Aqaba Marina)
  See the reef without getting wet, good for families.

Off the Beaten Path

• Berenice Beach Club (South Beach)
  A beach club with pools and a house reef.

Off the Beaten Path

• Ayla archaeological site (Corniche)
  The remains of an early Islamic town right on the seafront.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Ali Baba Restaurant (Downtown)
  A long running seafood and grill restaurant in the centre.
• Hani Ali (Downtown)
  A historic sweets and ice cream shop on the main street.

Must-Haves

• Captain's Restaurant (Downtown)
  Grilled fish and seafood platters, a favourite with visitors.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Aqaba Souq (Downtown)
  Spices, dates and souvenirs in the busy lanes of the old centre.

Must-Haves

• Mövenpick Resort and Residences Aqaba (Corniche)
  A seafront resort in the heart of the city.

Fun for Everyone

• InterContinental Aqaba (North Beach)
  Big pools and a private beach near the city.

Great for Date Night

• Kempinski Hotel Aqaba (North Beach)
  A sleek hotel with a lagoon pool by the sea.

Off the Beaten Path

• Tala Bay (South Coast)
  A resort area with calm water and easy reef access.

Must-Haves

• Jerash Archaeological Site (Jerash)
  One of the best preserved Roman cities anywhere, with colonnades, temples and theatres.
• Oval Plaza (Jerash)
  The great colonnaded plaza that greets you at the start of the walk.

Fun for Everyone

• Hadrian's Arch (Jerash)
  The triumphal arch built for the Roman emperor's visit.

Off the Beaten Path

• Ajloun Castle (Ajloun)
  A hilltop fortress built by Saladin's commanders with wide views.
• Umm Qais (Gadara) (Umm Qais)
  Black basalt ruins with views of the Sea of Galilee and the Golan.

Must-Haves

• Lebanese House (Um Khalil) (Jerash)
  A big garden restaurant famous for mezze, a classic after the ruins.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Jerash Rest House (Jerash)
  A convenient lunch spot right by the entrance.

Off the Beaten Path

• Ajloun Forest Reserve trails (Ajloun)
  Woodland hikes and village visits run by the RSCN.

Off the Beaten Path

• Ajloun Forest Lodge (Ajloun)
  Cabins among the oak trees for a night in the quiet north.