We arrived on a late night flight to Amman via Muscat on Oman Air. Immigration was fairly easy as we had already purchased the Jordan pass. If you are going to be visiting Petra during your Jordan visit (and staying at least 3 nights in Jordan total), Jordan Pass is basically a no-brainer. Since we were staying more than 3 nights in Jordan and also visiting Petra, we had already purchased the Jordan Pass online (must be purchased online before arriving in the country). Jordan Pass waives the visa-on-arrival fees to Jordan ($40 JOD).
After picking up our rental car from Queen Alia International Airport we drove to our hotel in downtown Amman (Amman Marriott Hotel). We went to bed soon after having dinner at the hotel.
Day 1:
After breakfast at the hotel we set out for Jerash, considered to be the best preserved Roman ruins in the world outside of Italy. Drive to Jerash is about 45 km from downtown Amman. Although a little more challenging than driving in the US, a saving grace was that cars drive same side of the road as the US.
After showing our Jordan Pass printouts we entered the Roman ruins of Jerash. First up was Hadrian’s Arch, built in 129 AD to honor Roman Emperor Hadrian.
Next we explored the Hippodrome, the venue for Roman chariot races in the ancient times which could seat as many as 15,000 spectators.
We then walked to the Oval Plaza which looked magnificent with rows of tall columns.
We then walked the Cardo Colonnaded streets where the original stones are still paved. On either side used to be shops while an underwater sewage system ran the full length of the Cardo.
It was quite amazing to see the ancient ruins and imagine how life was like during the Roman era. We spent about 3 hours here but you can easily spend a whole day exploring this ancient city. We then headed towards Dead Sea (on a different post).
Day 2:
Our first stop was the Amman Citadel, a historic place that has been occupied by many different civilizations, from Roman to Byzantine to Umayyad period. It sits on the top of the hill and you get a great view of Amman from here. Entrance fee is 2 JOD/ person (Free with Jordan Pass).
After spending about 2 hours at the Citadel we drove down the hill to Roman Theater, a 2nd century structure built to accommodate 6000 spectators.
The steps are kind of steep and it felt scary walking up only half-way!!
After spending just under an hour at the Roman theater we dropped by Amman Pasha hotel to have lunch at Pizza Roma Cafe.
After lunch we headed back to hotel and then to the airport for our next flight to Dubai.