Amman: practical tips
1 h route3 stopsBest: Read before buying flights: the pass affects when you buyUpdated July 2026
The Jordan Pass is the first thing to look at when planning Jordan, and not for the savings on entry tickets but because **it includes the cost of the tourist entry visa**. That makes it a decision taken before flying rather than on arrival. The specific conditions are on its official site and are worth reading.
The rest is an easy country to travel: safe, with a good road network, with English fairly widespread in tourism, and with a hospitality that genuinely surprises visitors.
The route, stop by stop
3 STOPS- 01
The climate and the thousand metres
Amman sits at around a thousand metres, so it isn’t the hot desert many people imagine: summers are dry and hot but nights cool down, and in winter it gets genuinely cold, with lows near zero and occasional snowfalls that paralyse the city because it isn’t equipped for them. And mind the contrast: the Dead Sea is four hundred and thirty metres below sea level, an hour’s drive away, and can be fifteen degrees warmer. Doing both on the same day means packing for two different climates.
- 02
Water, which is not abundant here
Jordan ranks among the countries with the least water available per person on the planet, and it shows in daily life: in many homes and hotels water is stored in rooftop tanks and mains supply arrives in rotation, one day a week per district.
As a visitor, the reasonable thing is to treat it as the scarce resource it is: short showers, taps off.
You don’t drink it from the tap, bottled or filtered, and many places offer bottle refills to avoid piling up plastic, which is an added problem here.
- 03
Customs, Fridays and connectivity
The weekend falls on Friday and Saturday, and on Friday morning the city barely stirs until after midday prayers. On clothing, modesty is expected, shoulders and knees covered, though Amman is notably relaxed. A headscarf is only needed to enter a mosque.
On hospitality: being invited for tea is constant and genuine, and accepting is the polite move. In a traditional setting you decline twice out of courtesy before accepting, and handing back the coffee cup without shaking it means you want more.
Mobile coverage is good in the city and on main roads. An eSIM has you connected on arrival, useful for ordering a taxi, showing your Jordan Pass and navigating an address system that runs on roundabouts rather than streets. In Wadi Rum and parts of the desert there are gaps.
Frequently asked
Do you need a visa for Jordan?
It depends on your passport and it’s worth checking the official source before booking. There’s a useful particularity: the Jordan Pass includes the cost of the tourist entry visa, with conditions to read on its site, so for many travellers the decision is taken before flying.
Is Jordan safe to travel in?
Jordan is a stable country with very little crime against visitors, and tourism operates normally. As it sits in a region with active conflicts in neighbouring countries, check your own country’s official travel advice before going, which is updated.