Where to stay in Amman
2 h route3 stopsBest: Stable year-roundUpdated July 2026
Amman addresses run on roundabouts: Zahran Street crosses the city linking eight, numbered from the First, beside the historic centre, to the Eighth, out west. Everyone locates themselves this way, and for choosing accommodation it’s the most useful system there is here.
The rule is simple: the lower the circle, the closer to the historic centre, the more street life and the steeper the hills. The higher the circle, the more modern, more residential and more car-dependent.
The route, stop by stop
3 STOPS- 01
Jabal Amman (First to Third Circle)
The historic residential hill holds stone houses from the twenties and thirties, Rainbow Street, the cafés and several small hotels in restored old houses. From here you walk down to downtown by the public staircases. It’s the area I’d recommend to almost anyone: it has character, you can walk, and you’re steps from the Citadel and the theatre. The one drawback is the gradient, which matters a good deal with a suitcase or reduced mobility.
- 02
El-Balad, the historic centre
Sleeping down in the souk works out cheapest and most immersive: you step out of the door into the stalls, with the Roman theatre round the corner. This is where the long-standing guesthouses and budget hotels are. In exchange it’s noisy from early on, there’s little quality on offer, and at night social life empties out and moves up the hill. A good option on a tight budget for a short stay.
- 03
Abdoun and the west (Fifth to Eighth)
West of here the new, well-off city begins, with the international hotels, the embassies, the malls and the fashionable restaurants. It’s comfortable, quiet and well serviced.
It has nothing of the historic city and the distances are car distances: getting down to the centre is twenty or thirty minutes in traffic.
It pays off for business travel, if you need a large hotel, or if you’re touring the country by hire car.
Frequently asked
Is Amman walkable?
Within a single hill, yes. Between hills, with effort, because the gradient is serious and there are staircases. For longer distances people use taxis or ride-hailing, which are cheap. The city isn’t designed for pedestrians outside downtown and Jabal Amman.