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Downtown Amman seen from the Citadel hill: the Roman theatre and its paved plaza in the valley, with pale stone houses covering the hillside behind

Where to stay in Amman

Photo: Mohammad hajeer, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Places to stay in Amman

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About Amman

By road, Downtown Amman is about 33 km from Queen Alia International and Madaba about 22 km. Hotel bills carry a sales tax of 8% plus a service charge, and the city publishes no street parking tariff, so ask the hotel where the car goes.

Jordan. Guide last checked .

Facts and rules

Last checked . Each fact links to its source.

Airport
Queen Alia International (AMM), south of the city; by road about 33 km to Downtown, about 37 km to Rainbow Street in Jabal Amman and about 22 km to Madaba. Source
Sales tax on hotels
8% for hotels and tourist restaurants in every part of the kingdom except the Aqaba Special Economic Zone, under Cabinet Decision No. 9366 of 31 May 2020. Source
Service charge
Cut to 5% from 10% for hotels and tourist restaurants from 1 July 2020 by the same decision. The Jordan Hotels Association reported in May 2025 a Cabinet decision raising it to 7%, unverified as of September 2026. Source
Jordan Pass
JOD 70, 75 or 80 with one, two or three days at Petra. Bought before arrival, it waives the tourist visa fee for a stay of at least two nights. Source
Entry, UK visitors
A single-entry visa on arrival at the airport for JOD 40, valid for 3 months and extendable online up to 6 months. The UK page puts the Jordan Pass minimum at 3 nights. Passports need 6 months of validity. Source
Entry, EU visitors
No EU member state is on the Ministry of Interior's list of restricted nationalities, and non-restricted nationalities get a visa on arrival at Queen Alia, JOD 40 without the Jordan Pass. Source
Entry, US visitors
A visa on arrival, typically for a 30-day stay; a longer stay means registering at a police station before the limit, generally for one extension of 60 days, and overstaying costs JOD 3 a day. Source
Police registration
Foreigners staying more than 14 days must register their biometrics at a police station, but the rule does not apply to tourists. Source
Parking with a rental car
No municipal parking tariff is published; drivers use garages and hotel and mall car parks, and unpaid parking is a JOD 10 fine (via GetCar). Source
Monthly stays
The Jordan Pass site gives the single-entry visa 1 month, then JOD 3 a day at the airport or JOD 40 at a police station for 2 more months. Source
Currency
Jordanian dinar (JOD). Source
Emergency number
911 for ambulance, fire and police Source

Areas of Amman

The stone tiers and stage of the Roman theatre in Downtown Amman seen from the upper seats, with the Odeon and the Hashemite Plaza beyond
Photographed in 2019. Photo: Medullaoblongata Projekt, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Downtown (Al Balad)

The old town in the narrow valley of Wadi Amman, known for its souks and ruins: the 2nd century Roman theatre and the Odeon on the Hashemite Plaza, with the Citadel hill above. It suits a short stay built around the sights on foot; the valley floor has flooded in heavy rain, in 2013 and 2019.

Queen Alia airport (AMM)
about 33 km
Jabal al-Weibdeh
about 4 km
Madaba
about 33 km

Car and parking

The one-way streets climb the hills around Downtown and there is no published street tariff, so leave the car in a hotel or public garage and walk (via GetCar).

Cars parked along both sides of cobbled Rainbow Street in Jabal Amman, between a gallery, a restaurant and stone buildings
Photographed in 2012. Photo: بلال الدويك, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Jabal Amman and Rainbow Street

One of the seven original hills, next to Downtown, an elite district since the 1920s with early 20th century houses and tree-lined streets. Rainbow Street runs from the 1st Circle to Mango Street with rooftop restaurants and bars, and Souk Jara is nearby. It suits a first visit with evenings out.

Queen Alia airport (AMM)
about 37 km
Downtown (Roman theatre)
about 5 km

Car and parking

The 1st Circle sits at the top of Rainbow Street; no street parking tariff is published, so ask the hotel about a space (via GetCar).

Paris Circle in Jabal al-Weibdeh, a fenced garden roundabout with pine trees, street lamps and a green fountain in the middle
Photographed in 2014. Photo: Tarawneh, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Jabal al-Weibdeh

A hill of Downtown settled in the 1920s, centred on Paris Square and its copy of a Wallace fountain, with cafés, restaurants, the Jordan National Gallery of Fine Arts and an art scene. It suits a slower stay in an apartment, within walking distance of Downtown.

Queen Alia airport (AMM)
about 34 km
Downtown (Roman theatre)
about 4 km

Car and parking

The city publishes no street parking tariff, so ask the host for a space before booking (via GetCar).

Abdali and Shmeisani

New Abdali, begun in 2005, holds hotels, apartments, offices and shops and Amman's tallest towers; Shmeisani is the neighbourhood beside it in the same district. It suits a tower hotel or apartment with a garage, for business or a base between the old town and the west.

Queen Alia airport (AMM)
about 36 km
Downtown (Roman theatre)
about 5 km

Car and parking

The Abdali and Boulevard garages are the practical answer; their prices could not be confirmed (via GetCar).

Abdoun and Sweifieh

Abdoun, in the south-west, is described as the city's most affluent residential area, with cafés and malls around Abdoun Circle; Sweifieh, next to it, is known for shopping, malls and the Wakalat Street pedestrian zone. It suits a quieter stay in a residential apartment or hotel, with the car in daily use.

Queen Alia airport (AMM)
about 35 km
Downtown (Roman theatre)
about 8 km
Sweifieh from Abdoun
about 3 km

Car and parking

Malls and hotels have their own car parks; the city publishes no street tariff, and unlicensed valets have been a municipal target since May 2026, so use the valet the hotel names (via GetCar).

The paved Roman street in the Madaba Archaeological Park, with column drums along an old stone wall and cypress trees
Photo: Mohammad hajeer, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Madaba

A town of about 60,000 south-west of Amman, known for its Byzantine and Umayyad mosaics and the mosaic map of the Holy Land. It suits the first or last night of a Jordan drive, closer to the airport than the capital.

Queen Alia airport (AMM)
about 22 km
Downtown Amman
about 33 km

Car and parking

About half an hour from the airport by car, on the King's Highway; Amman Bus line 105 also runs to Madaba (via GetCar).

Guides

Questions

Which area of Amman is best for a first visit?

Jabal Amman around Rainbow Street or Jabal al-Weibdeh around Paris Square: both are old hills next to Downtown, about 4 to 5 km from the Roman theatre by road and much less on foot. Downtown itself puts the souks and the theatre at the door.

What taxes are on a hotel bill in Amman?

A general sales tax of 8% for hotels, set by a Cabinet decision of May 2020 for the whole kingdom except the Aqaba zone, and a service charge, cut to 5% from July 2020. The Jordan Hotels Association reported in May 2025 that the Cabinet raised the service charge to 7%; that decision is unverified as of September 2026.

Does the Jordan Pass cover the visa?

It waives the JOD 40 single-entry visa fee if it is bought before arrival and the stay lasts at least two consecutive nights, according to the pass's own site. The UK government's page says three nights, so check both before booking a short trip.

Is there paid street parking in Amman?

The municipality publishes no meter tariff, so drivers use hotel, mall and public garages, and unpaid parking where signs require payment is a JOD 10 fine under the traffic law (via GetCar).