Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
»
»Travelling in the other direction, buses from Jerusalem to Eilat will stop at the turn-off
for the border (five minutes), a short walk away.
»
»Israeli exit tax is 96NIS at this border.
SAUDI ARABIA
Getting a visa, even a transit visa, to Saudi Arabia is very difficult -
Click here
for details.
If you are eligible for a visa, the main land route for public transport is at Al-Umari, south
of Azraq. The other two crossing points are Ad-Durra, south of Aqaba, and further east at
Al-Mudawwara. Several companies run services to and from Jeddah and Riyadh from
Amman's Abdali bus station.
The air-conditioned
Jordan Express Tourist Transport
(JETT; 06-5854679;
www.jett.com.jo
;
Al-Malek al-Hussein St, Shmeisani)
bus travels to Jeddah, Riyadh and
Dammam.
SYRIA
If you're heading to Syria from Jordan, make sure you get a Syrian visa before arriving in
Jordan (
Click here
)
, either in your home country or in Istanbul, Ankara or Cairo.
Travel to Syria is not recommended at the time of this topic going to print. If conditions
in Syria improve, it's quicker and cheaper to take a direct bus or service taxi between Am-
man and Damascus rather than negotiate local transport and border crossing formalities on
your own. For visa information, see
Click here
.
The air-conditioned
Jordan Express Tourist Transport
(JETT; 06-5854679;
www.jett.com.jo
;
Al-Malek al-Hussein St, Shmeisani)
bus travels between Amman and
Damascus (JD8, seven hours, twice daily). JETT's international terminal is close to the
Abdali bus station in Amman. The bus schedule changes frequently so check times of de-
parture and book (and preferably collect tickets) in advance from the bus station.
From Amman, service taxis for Damascus (JD10, three hours) leave regularly
throughout the day from the lower end of Abdali bus station; from Damascus, they leave
from Baramke Garage. They take less time to cross the border than the buses because
there are fewer passengers to process, and the drivers are experienced in helping passen-
gers with immigration and customs formalities. Service taxis also travel between Damas-
cus and Irbid's South bus station (JD5, 2½ hours).
The Palace Hotel in Amman (
Click here
)
may resume offering a minibus tour to
Damascus, with stops in Jerash, Bosra and Shaba. Ask for details if the situation in Syria
improves.
To go it alone to the border, read the following information.
