Jordan Transportation

How to Travel to Jordan

Airplane

Queen Alia International Airport is the main airport with flights from various countries such as US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Germany, UK & Ireland, Egypt and Thailand. The airport provides services such as hotels, currency exchange, foods, books and souvenirs. A departure tax of JOD 8 is levied on all travelers.

Tourists can take a taxi to the city center of Amman with the price of about JOD 15 in 30 to 45 minutes. There are also shuttle buses between the airport and Amman Tabarbour Station with the cost of about JOD 3. From 6am to 4pm, the shuttle bus departs every half an hour; from 5pm to 3am, it runs every other hour. Tourists can transfer to a taxi to your destination after getting off the bus.

Train

The only passenger railway connecting Jordan and other countries is the Hedjaz Jordan Railway. The train operates on Monday and Thursday.

Land

Tourist buses between Jordan and its neighboring countries like Syria, Israel, Iraq, and Saudi Arabia are available. It takes about 4 hours from Damascus (excluding the time required customs clearance) to Jordan, about 14 hours from Baghdad, and about 24 hours from Riyadh, Jeddah and Dammam. There are also buses to and from Jerusalem.

·From Syria

Tourists can enter the country through Joubar or Ramtha. The majority of tourists cross the border via Joubar, which is 80 km (50 miles) from Amman for Ramtha is mostly used for freight transport. Both open 24 hours all the year round.

·From Israel

Three crossing borders are available:

1. The Allenby/King Hussein Bridge: about 57 km (35 miles) from Amman. The opening hours for entry and departure are 8am-8pm and 8am-2pm respectively. The time may change on weekends and holidays.
Note: Tourists are expected to get the visa ahead of their arrival. Private cars or tourist buses are not allowed to cross this land port, so they need to transfer to another bus to enter the country.

2. Sheikh Hussein/North Border: close to Sea of Galilee and about 90 km (56 miles) from Amman. It opens from 8am to 10pm from Sunday to Thursday and from 9am to 8pm on Friday and Saturday.

3. Wadi Araba Crossing/South Border: 324 km (201 miles) from Amman. The border connects two holiday resorts in the Red Sea, i.e. Eilat and Aqaba. It opens from 6:30am to 8pm from Sunday to Thursday and from 8am to 8pm on Friday and Saturday.

Note: Most tourists can obtain the visa at the second and third borders. Wadi Araba Crossing is not accessible on Islamic New Year’s Day and Yom Kippur.

·From Iraq

Tourists are allowed to enter Jordan via Al Karamah Border Crossing, which is 331 km (206 miles) from Amman. The land port is available 24 hours throughout the year.

·From Saudi Arabia

Three crossing borders connects Saudi Arabia and Jordan, i.e. Umari Border Crossing, Mudawara Border Crossing and Durra Border Crossing. All open 24 hours all the year round.

Ship and Ferry

There are ferries between Amman and Cairo, and fast ships between Aqaba and Nuweiba.

Domestic Transportation in Jordan

Airplane

Marca Airport in Amman mainly operates domestic flights and international flights to nearby countries. It opens round the clock. King Hussein International Airport, as the gateway to the Red Sea areas, offers both domestic and international flights.

Tourist Bus

Tourist buses set off once full of tourists. Both coaches and minibuses are available, while minibuses are much faster and cheaper. Besides, public buses JETT commute between cities and attractions like Amman, Aqaba, King Hussein Bridge, Petra and Hammamat Ma’in regularly. Tourists can check the timetable and price on JETT’s website. Private buses are available between Amman and Irbid as well as Amman and Aqaba.

Taxi

Taxis are the most convenient transportation tool in this country. White taxis run on certain routes with a capacity of several passengers. Tourists should ensure that the taxi can get to your destination in advance and if possible, ask local people to write your destination in Arabic so as to show it to the driver. Tourists can also take the yellow private taxis with no certain routes. Taxis are usually metered, while drivers don’t use taximeters at night, so it is sensible to agree upon the price before taking it.

Women may as well sit on the back seat following the local tradition. Tipping is not obligatory, but in common cases, tourists are expected to tip JOD 0.2 or round up to an integer to pay the fare.

Rental Car

With a relatively complete highway network, self-driving travel is favorable. Two highways are recommended. The first one is the modern desert highway, the other one is the King’s Highway with a history of more than 5,000 years. It is also a significant traveling route with a lot of historical sites such as Madaba, Al Karak, Shobak and Petra and magnificent scenery. Either highway is clear and comfortable. However, once driving off the main road, road condition becomes unfavorable and tourists can only ride camels and horses in desert.

Many rental companies are in business and hotels also provide tourists with the rental services. Tourists are required to take driving licenses valid for more than a year to rent cars. They should drive on the right and special brown guideposts are set to give directions to tourists. Besides, it’s reasonable to fill up the tank with gas before a long-distance trip, and refueling is available along the road as many gas stations set on most highways except those in the Dead Sea area and Aqaba.

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