Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
entry into Israel and the Palestinian Territories. There are daily services to Irbid (JD1.900,
every 30 minutes from 6am to 7.30pm, two hours).
A daily JETT bus connects Amman with Petra, largely designed for those wanting to
visit on a day trip. The service leaves at 6.30am (single/return JD8/16, three hours) and
drops passengers off at Petra Visitor Centre in Wadi Musa at 9.30am. The return bus
leaves at 4pm so bear in mind this option leaves very little time for visiting the sites of
Petra.
A weekly Jett bus departs for Amman Beach at the Dead Sea (single JD8) on Fridays at
8am and returns at 4pm. If there are insufficient passengers, however, the service is can-
celled.
Trust International Transport ( 5813427) has daily buses to Aqaba (JD7, four
daily, four hours) between 7.30am and 7pm. All buses leave from the office inconveni-
ently located at 7th Circle, near the Safeway shopping centre. A taxi to/from downtown
costs JD2.500 to JD3. Trust also has a booking office ( 4644627) at Abdali bus station.
Other services, such as to Irbid and to Damascus in Syria, are sometimes on offer. Check
with the office for current timings.
Hijazi Travel & Tours ( 02-724 0721) runs daily buses to Irbid (JD1.900, every 15
to 20 minutes from 6am to 7pm, 1½ hours). The buses leave from the North Bus Station.
TAKING A TAXI IN AMMAN
Only the brave or the foolhardy would sit behind the wheel in Amman, where driving is complicated by extremely
complex roads twisting around the contours of the city's many hills, and is further made miserable by dense, unpre-
dictable traffic. Buses are slow and unreliable and you need to be in the right place at the right time to rely on a ser-
vice taxi. Without doubt, therefore, the best way of getting around is to do what the locals do and hop in a cab.
Most drivers of private taxis use the meter as a matter of course, but some may refuse to do so - or may simply
refuse the ride. This is not necessarily indicative of an intention to overcharge: meter charges are set by the govern-
ment and often don't reflect the realities of petrol price rises and the unprofitable business of waiting in long traffic
queues, especially in congested downtown traffic.
If you're in town for a couple of days, it's well worth identifying a taxi driver who speaks English and who is
used to working with tourists. These gear-stick warriors of the city have Knowledge to rival a London cabby, know-
ing every shortcut and unusual attraction in town and ensuring you don't get stuck for hours in a queue. They'll drop
you off and pick you up at the time of your choice and if they're on another fare when you call, they'll often send a
reliable friend. Many of these drivers are willing and able to take visitors on longer trips around Amman, to Jerash,
the Dead Sea or the desert castles.
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