Getting There By Air:Queen Alia International Airport (AMM)
Tel: (06) 445 3013.
Website:
www.jcaa.gov.jo/Airports/queen_alia.htmThe airport lies 35km (22 miles) south of Amman on the Desert Highway to Aqaba. There are two terminals. Terminal 1 is used almost exclusively by
Royal Jordanian Airlines while all other carriers operate from terminal 2. Airport facilities are basic but include ATMs, a bureau de change, Wi-Fi Internet access, duty-free shopping,
restaurants and car hire. Plans are underway to build a third terminal and when this is complete there should be a vast improvement to the airport including the provision of business facilities.
Airport Express buses operate a round-the-clock service to Amman, from 0600- 2200 around every 30 minutes and every two hours at other times (journey time - 45 minutes). Airport taxis are plentiful. To avoid overcharging arrange a cab through the airport taxi office and get a slip showing the exact amount of the fare.
Getting There By Road:Amman is well connected by modern roads to the rest of Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, the occupied Palestinian National Territories and Syria. The journey from Dasmascus to Amman is a mere four hours by car. South of Amman the Desert Highway is the main artery to the port of Aqaba. Anyone crossing from Israel to Jordan and vice versa should be aware that they will have Israeli exit stamps on their passport and entry stamps to Jordan from an Israeli border point. This effectively bars them from traveling to most other countries in the Arab League.
Emergency breakdown service:
Royal Automobile Club of Jordan (tel: (06) 585 0626).
There are several bus terminals in Amman. Abdali Station on King Hussein Street is the main one. It is a five-minute taxi drive from downtown. From there it is possible to get transport to most towns west and north of the capital. The Jett Depot, about one mile uphill from Abdali Station, is where to get scheduled services to Damascus, Cairo, Baghdad and Riyadh as well as south to Karnack and Aqaba. Wihdat Station near the Middle Circle, 5km (3 miles) south of downtown, covers southern Jordan including Madaba, Petra, Ma’an and Aqaba.
Three bus companies, all using air-conditioned modern coaches, run regular services to and from Amman:
JETT (tel: (06) 566 4146),
Alpha (tel: (06) 585 0626) and
Trust International (tel: (06) 581 3427).
Getting There By Rail:Jordan has very little in the way of a rail network. The
Hejaz Railway runs twice a week between Damascus and Amman but uses seriously ancient rolling stock and the journey takes at least nine hours. It is really only worth doing for the experience.
Getting Around:Public TransportThere is no integrated public transport system in Amman and so a variety of different forms of transport operate in competition along a number of routes throughout the city. There is no timetable and although there are what appear to be bus stops they are mostly ignored with the various forms of transport picking up on demand.
There is a choice of
minibuses,
buses,
yellow city buses and what is known as
serveeces. These are shared taxis, containing between four and six people each paying a flat fare. They are easily recognizable: white cars with the route number they serve and cab number in black Arabic lettering on the front doors. Downtown acts like a hub and most transport routes radiate out from there.
TaxisAll licensed cabs are metered and provide an inexpensive way to get around Amman. Make sure the driver starts the meter as soon as you get in the cab. Some drivers will try to claim that their meter is broken or to negotiate a fixed fee. Have nothing to do with them and hail another cab. Taxis can also be hired by the day or half day for sightseeing. Share taxis are licensed vehicles that operate on one particular route picking up and setting down passengers just like a bus. They can also be booked through travel agents or hotels for longer trips to tourist attractions like Petra. Reliable taxi providers include
Faraneh (tel: (06) 569 0310),
Taxi Al-Barq (tel: (06) 464 1299), and
Intercontinental Hotel Taxis (tel: (06) 464 1361).
Car HireMost of the international big names have offices in Amman but often the best deals can be had from local companies. Good car hire companies include
Avis (tel: (74) 541 4720; website:
www.avis.com.jo),
Hertz (tel: (06) 553 8958; website:
www.hertz.com.jo) and
Rent a Reliable Car (tel: (06) 592 9676; website:
www.reliable.com.jo).
Bicycle HireThis is practically unknown in Amman although it may be possible to arrange through some of the budget hotels and hostels.
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