I went from April 28th until May 6th this year so everything is “fresh” in my mind.

Lodging

I stayed at the Four Seasons, which is on the 5th Circle and it was great. If I were to do it
again, I would either stay there or at Le Royal hotel. The rumor among locals is that Le
Royal was built by some relative of Sadaam Hussein and that high profile Iraqis (if there
are any still around) always stay there. You can imagine what the hotel looks like.
Another option would be the Intercontinental, which is nearby Le Royal. All of the
aforementioned hotels are in nice, safe areas. In fact, I didn’t feel unsafe anywhere and I
did quite a bit of walking around neighborhoods, however, I tended to “blend-in” more
with my surroundings than many other tourists.

Things to do

Amman is a great city but most of the things to do are outside of Amman on day trips. I
don’t know how many days you will be going but some of the things that I did and
enjoyed were:

Amman – It is built on and around seven hills (Jebel in Arabic) so that makes it not very
pedestrian-friendly. Sometimes, when you’re walking on a street and you want to get to
one that looks “parallel” to it on the map, it involves walking down or up through alleys
that also serve as accesses to apartments so it gets sketchy in some places. If you’re into
history, you will enjoy the Citadel which are ancient Roman/Ottoman ruins located on
top of Citadel Hill (Jebel al-Qala’at in Arabic). Since it’s on top of the highest hill, you
have breathtaking views of all of Amman. Inside, there is a small museum where parts of
the Dead Sea Scrolls where showcased but they are not there anymore. You can hire a
government guide after you pay your ticket (2JD) and go through the gates, in fact, they
will approach you and offer their services. I hired (I think 15JD) a guide and it was great,
it turns out that he had lived in Mexico many years and had a Mexican wife, so we did
the tour in Spanish (I was born in the US but grew up in Mexico, that’s why) but he
speaks good English. The tour normally lasts one hour but since we got along so well, it
lasted three and he explained many more things about Amman as we were coming up
with the views (and even made reservations at a restaurant for me via his cellphone!). He
was so nice that when a little sandstorm hit us, he gave me his keffiyeh (the white and red
scarf that they use on the head) and let me keep it! At the end of this message, I will give
you the names, e-mails and numbers of the guides/drivers that I used in case you need
them.
You can also visit the Roman theater after the Citadel, since it is very close (deceivingly
close if you walk, but it’s alright) and in downtown. If you’d like to buy good quality
souvenirs, don’t do it in downtown, because most of what they sell there is low quality.
You’ll be tempted since there is a street with shops left and right but hey, feel free if you
want to buy souvenirs for people you don’t care much about but feel obligated to give
them something (I’m getting too personal here, I’ll back-ff LOL).
If you like art, then go to the Jordan National Gallery (two buildings, one across each
other divided by a public park). It has paintings and sculptures from contemporary and
modern Middle Eastern artists, it is great and EMPTY; nobody was there when I visited.
It is very close to King Abdullah’s mosque so you can visit those two on the same trip
(more on the mosque below). With respect to art, Darat al-Funan (little village with a
coffee shop and some art galleries) is a short but steep walk from downtown.

If you’d like to visit a mosque, King Abdulla’s is the only one you will be allowed into if
you are not a Muslim but if you are, you will have plenty to choose from. There is also a
small museum on the grounds of the mosque and it is included with the entrance fee (I
think around 2JD). It is ok but nothing extremely remarkable.

Petra – It will take you around 3 hours each way to get there (from Amman, by private
car/taxi) and you can spend all day or even two or three, depending on how much you
want to explore. I only did a full day and for me, that was enough. The entrance fee is
50JD for one day. There are many buildings and ruins to visit and you can go hiking to
different places but if you’re not very adventurous, it can be hard, the sun will wear you
out. I did the basic which is the Siq (the long entrance to the ruins that ends in the famous
Treasury), the Treasury, the central city ruins and the Monastery. Now, the Monastery,
which is as impressive or more than the Treasury, is located about 1000 steps up in a
mountain. It will take you about an hour to go on foot but I did it on a donkey, which
took 20 minutes and some initial stress. You can hire a donkey and a guide at the base of
the steps and it will take you all the way up, however, you will be sharing the 8 feet wide
steps with people going up, people coming down, donkeys going up and donkeys going
down. As you can imagine there will be traffic jams and the higher you are, the scarier it
will get because there are no safety rails or anything, just you riding a donkey by yourself
and the guide, on another donkey by himself. People have to move to the side because the
donkey doesn’t stop, it will run over people and keep going. If you decide to go with the
donkey, do it uphill only because downhill is a lot easier and you do it in 20 minutes.
Once up by the Monastery, you can hike a little bit more and have amazing views that, on
a clear day, span all the way to Syria and Israel. I would recommend the following:

1. Don’t hire a carriage that takes you from the entrance, through the Siq to the
Treasury, it’s a fun walk and besides, you just got there and shouldn’t be tired.
2. Don’t hire a camel to take you from the Treasury to the central ruins.
3. Do hire a donkey from the base of the steps on the central ruins to the Monastery.
4. Do hire a camel to take you from the central ruins to the Treasury. It’s a long
uphill walk on sand, under the sun, after probably more than 6 hours of exploring.
5. It’s up to you, depending on how tired you are, to hire a carriage to take you from
the Treasury, through the Siq (a little uphill), back to the entrance. It’s a bumpy
ride if you do.

If you go to Petra with Hantash, don’t worry when he randomly stops on the side of the
highway to buy gasoline. No, he won’t stop at a gas station; he will stop with a Bedouin
on a pick-up truck that carries gallons and gallons of SAUDI gasoline. Apparently,
Jordanian gasoline is of very poor quality and whenever he gets a chance to go down
south, he puts “quality” gas. You can freak out and think something is going on if you
don’t know what he’s doing.

Wadi Musa and Wadi Rum are valleys with mountains and trails so you can hike and
climb. You can even stay overnight if you want. I didn’t do them but they say it is a neat
thing to do. Even more south than Wadi Rum there is Aqaba, a Red Sea port city with
duty-free shopping, great seafood and snorkeling/diving. I didn’t get all the way down
there because I did not have enough time. You could probably combine it with Petra
because it is an hour south from Petra and stay there overnight. There are also some
desert castles in the south, on King’s Highway that I didn’t get to. There is also Karak
which has an old castle, but I didn’t go.

Dead Sea – Now, this is a MUST. It is around an hour and a half each way from Amman
and it is a very neat experience. There are three resorts with beaches, the Marriott, the
Movenpick and the Amman Hotel. If you don’t want to stay there overnight, for
approximately 65JD (35 of which go toward food/drinks) they will let you into the resort,
provide access to the beach and pools, towels and showers. I didn’t stay overnight but
once there, it was very tempting. I went to the Marriott, floated like crazy in the sea,
covered myself with mud, laid by the pool, ordered some drinks and food and later on,
took a shower and went back to Amman. There used to be a check-point en route to the
Dead Sea where you have to show your passport but it’s not operational anymore so,
DON’T TAKE IT WITH YOU (unless that has changed since I was there). I heard the
Movenpick was a little cheaper at 45JD.

Mount Nebo – This is the place where the Bible says that Moses died. It has incredible
mosaics that were discovered on site, probably from ancient churches and are on display
there. Also, since it’s on top of a mountain, you have awesome views of Jericho and even
Jerusalem on a clear day. Not much to see except for the mosaics and views, maybe a
couple of monuments so an hour there will do.

Madaba – The best thing of Madaba is the mosaic that was discovered on the floor of a
church. It is a detailed map of the region and thanks to it, archeologists were able to know
much information about locations and places in the region. A few shops are around the
town but nothing too great. Definitely worth a visit.

Jerash – A town north of Amman, has incredibly well preserved Roman ruins and you
can visit it in about three hours. It has a mini souq and museum but most of it is ruins.
This is a must if you like ruins, I think they are the best preserved Roman ruins outside of
Italy. There is also a reenactment of chariot races in whatever’s left of the hippodrome
but they charge you extra to see it and it only runs a couple of times a day.

Irbid – This is an unusual city for tourists but crazy me decided to stop there. It is a
college town and the reason I stopped there is because I read that Yarmouk University
had the best natural history museum in Jordan. It is really neat and very thorough.
Besides, you will get to go iside the campus and see the “college life” in Jordan: groups
of girls, groups of boys and none talk to each other. The university has a mosque and old
buildings so if you want, you can walk around campus and it’s not too big.

Gadara – It is very north, near the border with Syria and also Israel (you can see the
Golan Heights and Sea of Galilee from there). It has Roman ruins but they are in worse
shape than in Jerash. It also has a tiny museum with sculptures. The road to Gadara is
really pretty, the views are great and it is a neat experience. Also, Gadara is cited on the
Bible as the place where Jesus expelled a demon and cast it into the swine that were
around. The main reason I went there was because of the Syrian/Israeli views.

Bethany Beyond the Jordan – Jesus’ baptismal site: This is the place where the latest
archeological and historical evidence places Jesus’ baptism. It is very close to the Israeli
border, in fact, when you get to the actual Jordan river, there is an Israeli visitor center
across from you are and you will see a rope in the river preventing you from crossing.
There are a few thing to see (churches, excavations and ancient pilgrimage sites) and it is
south of Amman. Once you get to the site, you will have to board a government bus that
will take you to the site (it’s about a 1-2km ride). Only government buses are allowed
because it is so close to the Israeli border. Security is tight.

Getting around

Street taxis are very cheap and safe but the drivers hardly speak or understand English so
it can be a challenge to explain where you want to go. Don’t bother showing them a map
or giving them a street name, it doesn’t help as they know the city by landmarks and not
by street names. In my experience, even if you happen to mumble some Arabic like I did,
they won’t understand unless your pronunciation is almost perfect. I used them a couple
of times and had trouble telling them where I wanted to go but I succeeded every time.
They were MUCH MUCH cheaper than using the hotel taxi, though.

I mostly used a taxi guy who works for the Four Seasons. He took me around Amman for
two hours (stopping in places to see and take pictures) the afternoon I arrived to get
acquainted with the city for 20JD. His name is Hantash Abu-Jahar and he’s a sweet,
knowledgeable old man, very helpful. I used him for all my transportation needs
thereafter. Another good thing about him is that his car is new and comfortable; it’s an E-
class. I will give you his contact information but if you end up using him, just call him
directly or if you stay at the Four Seasons, ask the valet guys for Abu-Jahar and they’ll
call him for you. Once you see him, you can negotiate prices for wherever you want to
go. The reason I point this out is because if you ask the concierge, he will quote you a
high price to travel on a “standard” car (Mitsubishi) but if you want a “luxury” car
(Mercedes or Jaguar) it is quite a bit more. The same applies for the day trips, negotiate
directly with Hantash and he will give you prices that are about40-50% cheaper than
what the concierge will quote you. Hantash can take you anywhere and wait for you as
long as you want.
Shopping

You have plenty of options to shop whether you’re looking for souvenirs or serious stuff.
I think two of the best Western-type malls are City Mall and Al-Baraka; nothing too
impressive or luxurious but a nice place to walk around if you feel like browsing different
stores. If you go to Al-Baraka, get some dessert at Maya Chocolaterie, they have
decadent chocolate-everything!

If you want some serious crafts that don’t have AMMAN or JORDAN written all over
and of outstanding quality, go to Al-Alaydi. Three stories worth of stuff, high quality and
small place, kind of difficult to find. It looks more like a house and not a store. I had a lot
of trouble finding it because nobody seemed to know where it is, the maps all give you a
different spot and the GPS doesn’t pinpoint it either. That’s why, I’ve included a little
map with two marks, the blue one is Al-Alaydi and the black one is a music store called
Sandy Music (don’t know if you’re into that but I bought a Syrian oud there,
recommended to me by Hantash).

For good quality souvenirs, go to a store that is in between Mount Nebo and Madaba,
sorry I don’t remember the name. It’s part of Queen Noor’s Foundation and you have
disabled people making ridiculously amazing mosaics in all sizes, shapes and forms. I’d
recommend going to any souvenir shops managed by the Queen’s Foundation, they have
good quality, are sponsored by the government and the proceeds go to help people in
need. There is also a huge souvenir store in between Amman and Petra with good and
bad stuff, but great prices. If you’re looking to buy souvenirs for many people, this is the
place to go.

One final shop that I visited is Lama Horani. She’s a Jordanian jewelry maker and her
boutique is blocks from the Four Seasons. She has amazing, very unique pieces from
different materials (gold, copper, silver, etc), shapes, forms and prices. I highly
recommend visiting the store if you like jewelry. Her designs are inspired in the
Jordanian landscape. You can visit her website to have a better idea but please note that
the boutique has way more pieces than the website shows. www.lamahourani.com

Restaurants and Bars

Ok, this is one of my favorite parts, I’m a total foodie! I will start by saying that I didn’t
eat a thing that I didn’t like in Jordan. If you want to eat authentic falafel in a very low
key environment but so good that even the King has stopped and eaten there with his
family, go to Hashem’s. The menu is very very limited but anything you order is great.

Reem Cafeteria (has two locations I believe) serves very good shawarma. It is very
famous and it’s almost like a street stand, so there will be line sometimes and there’s no
place to eat there so you will have to take it with you.

More formal places include Tannoureen, it is a traditional Lebanese restaurant with

amazing food selection. It’s a bit formal but the later it gets the wilder the crowd gets.

Fakhr El-Din – Another great Lebanese restaurant, formal but with great food. The menu
is extensive and everything I had was delicious.

Zad El-Khair – AMAZING Iraqi food, specialty is grilled fish and tastes amazing. Check
out the decoration.

Kebab Express in City Mall – Surprisingly good kebab and shawarma inside the food
court at City Mall.

For great seafood, go to Ocean (it has several locations). It is really fresh and has
amazing dishes!

Books@Cafe – It looks like a tiny bookstore but one you get past that, you will go
upstairs to a cafe/bar that is really good. The atmosphere is casual during the day and a
little trendier during the night. Good place to have drinks.

Grappa – Bar across the street from Fakhr El-Din, trendy atmosphere, great ambience and
nice terrace to have drinks.
Rainbow Street – This is where a lot of the action happens and there are many places on
this street that you can try, whether to eat or to drink/smoke shisha. A word of caution: If
you’re going with a group of girls, you COULD FEEL VERY UNCOMFORTABLE
walking on Rainbow Street at night but it is not unsafe. There is a lot happening on this
street but 95% of the people cruising in cars with loud music, sitting in bars and smoking
shisha are MEN. Yes, men and only men so you can imagine the attention that a group of
beautiful western ladies will draw. You won’t be harassed but you could end up feeling
uncomfortable. One night, I was the only guy with a group of girls and they felt that way
a little bit. I guess that comes with the culture.

Suggested Itineraries

I will give you some suggested itineraries based on geographic location. I did all of these:

Amman-Gadara-Irbid-Jerash-Amman: It took me about 8 hours to do all this, with

Hantash driving me. You can add Ajloun if you want.

Amman – Petra – Amman: It’s an all-day deal, you’ll leave really early, around 8-9am,
and you will be back around 7 or later.

Amman – Baptismal Site – Dead Sea – Mount Nebo – Madaba – Amman: It’s
another all-day deal but if I had to do it all over again, I would go to the Baptismal Site,
the Dead Sea, stay there a night, and do the second part of the trip the next day. The only
reason for this is that I liked the Marriott hotel very much and it seemed like a nice place
to spend a night.

Contacts and more info

Here is the contact information of the people that I mentioned above:

Abed Alrazaq Haddad – He is a Palestinian Citadel guide that was really helpful to me
and he also does tours of other places. You can negotiate rates with him and he has his
own transportation (although he will have to rent a car to go outside of the city). I didn’t
use him other than for the Citadel. He is an official government guide so he is very
knowledgeable. Business card attached.

Mobile1: 00962 77 6095940

Mobile2: 00962 788046234
Topa_jo@yahoo.com
Hantash Abu-Jahar (not sure about the spelling of Abu-Jahar) – He’s a taxi driver and
works for the Four Seasons. He can take you anywhere and wait for you or go back and
pick you up. Very reliable and safe. Business card attached.

Mob. 00962 79 560 891 4

If you contact any of these guys, let them know Ricardo from Mexico gave you their
contact information, they may remember me.

Finally, if you want to buy a travel guide that has a lot of historical information as well as
useful maps and spot-on tips, buy “Jordan Handbook” by Jessica Lee on Footprint Travel
Guides. It is amazing and despite the hard cover, it is surprisingly light!