One day in Amman, albeit brief, was still one to remember because of the hospitality of the locals, the amazing food,  the beauty in the street art, and the overall vibe the city had to offer.
 
We managed to squeeze in all of the below in one day and hope it helps you with your travels. Happy planning!
 

‘Rome’ around the Roman theatre

 
cost             2 JOD
 
The Roman theatre was only a few steps across the road from our hotel, so this was our first place to visit. You can pay an additional 2 JOD for entry into the actual theatre as well as the museum. If you’re staying at the Amman Pasha Hotel, they have a rooftop you can access– this was excellent for taking photographs of the theatre and skyline at sunrise or sunset from a different viewpoint.
 

Spot the street art

 
Downtown Amman is like one giant open air art gallery – breaking up the beige on different building walls, there was plenty of street art to admire.

Art galleries on side streets

Sip the local bevie

 
If you’re a coffee connoisseur, you should try the local Arabic coffee – there are a number of vendors scattered around town so you won’t have any caffeine withdrawals. Just don’t be a rookie like me and drink the stuff at the bottom!

Chat to the friendly locals

 
Chat to the friendly locals- even if you don’t quite understand each other!
On our way to the markets we were invited into a butchery by the owner and his friends to share their meal with them. Being tourists, we were quite honoured to be welcomed with such hospitality, and we eagerly scooped up the mince and zucchini dish with the flat bread they gave us. They tried to teach us some basic Arabic as we tried to communicate with them in English but when we didn’t understand each other, they filled in the gaps by filling our hands with more bread to eat more. We weren’t complaining, the food was delicious and home cooking at its best. After sharing their delicious meal, we bid farewell to them, and down the street, we were stopped again by a local who excitedly welcomed us to Jordan!
 

Our first taste – literally – of generous Jordanian hospitality!

Take a stroll around the bazaar

 
The bazaar downtown has two areas – there was a section where there were food vendors selling a colourful array of fresh fruit, vegetables, nuts and spices which scented the air like an exotic perfume. Further down, vendors were selling antique silvers, shiny neon plastic toys made in china, and rich aromatic oils bottled in intricately decorated bottles which made for really pretty gifts and souvenirs.

Candelabras, camels and elaborate goblets all for sale in downtown

Look for the tabun oven downtown & eat some good cheap nosh

 
Unfortunately we didn’t get the name of the place we ate at hence the title above– however it is very close to the Nymphaeum, and distinguished by the oven outside. The vendor was kneading the dough then placing it in what looked like a tandoor oven – I later learned after my trip it was called a tabun.
 
There were a few locals seated inside, so we thought it was a good place to try for lunch, and the smell of falafel was just too enticing. We ordered some of the freshly cooked flat bread, falafel balls and hummus to share. I would turn herbivore for this stuff! The flat bread was fluffy, the falafel balls crispy and full of flavour, and the hummus, drowning in olive oil – oh my, it was the best hummus I ever had! For only 2 JOD, we had a filling, affordable and very delicious meal.

Where we stayed

 
cost                    40 JOD
breakfast            included
 
The taxi from the airport to downtown Amman, cost us approximately 25-30 JOD from memory.
The Amman Pasha Hotel facilities were very old, however everything worked as it should, the staff were very helpful, and for the price we paid we were very happy.
 
The breakfast buffet the hotel provides also deserves a mention as it was ridiculously good! We indulged in a variety of middle eastern dishes such as falafel, hummus, creamy labneh, zaatar and olives, along with the brekkie classics of eggs, toast and tomatoes.
 

 

We liked:

The price! For people on a budget and simply want a bed to sleep in, Amman Pasha Hotel was perfect
The rooftop overlooking the city
Free brekkie
Their tour desk

tips