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Voykit pocket guide · Jordan

Jerash

جرش

Visit Jerash as a half-day trip from Amman for one of the best-preserved Roman provincial cities in the eastern Mediterranean; there is little reason to stay overnight.

Jerash is a town about an hour north of Amman beside the ruins of the Roman city of Gerasa. The site has a colonnaded main street (the cardo) still on its original paving, two theatres, a hippodrome and Hadrian's Arch, built for the emperor's visit in AD 129. Most visitors come on a day trip and spend two to three hours walking the site.

AmmanWadi Musa (Petra)AqabaJerash100 kmdots: other places in this guide
Sketch, not to navigate by: shapes follow this guide’s areas and places, not official boundaries. North is up.
Country
Jordan
Local name
جرش
Best months
Mar–May, Sep–Nov (mild for a site with almost no cover)
Avoid
Jul–Aug (hot, little shade over most of the ruins)
Stay
0–1 nights

Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.

Essentials

Currency
JOD
Money
Jordanian dinar (JOD) is divided into 1,000 fils (or 100 piastres); one dinar is a high-value note.
SIM and data
Zain, Orange and Umniah sell tourist SIMs at Queen Alia arrivals; passport registration is required.
Emergency
Police, ambulance and fire 911 · Country code +962
Plugs
Types C, D, F, G, J · 230 V · 50 Hz · European two-pin plugs fit most sockets; UK three-pin (G) is common in newer hotels. Bring a universal adapter.
Tipping
Restaurant: Round up or 5–10% if no service charge; many mid-range places add 10%.; Taxi / Careem: Round up to the next half or whole dinar.; Guide, half day: JOD 5–10 per person.; Driver, full day: JOD 10–20.; Wadi Rum camp staff and jeep driver: JOD 5–10 per group, per day.; Hotel porter: JOD 1 per bag.
Water
Treated at source but stored in rooftop tanks; drink bottled or filtered. Water is scarce — short showers help.
Toilets
Western toilets in hotels, malls and restaurants; squat toilets at some bus stations. A hose replaces paper in many places. Petra has toilet blocks along the main trail.

Get around

The ruins are on foot over uneven original paving stones. Buses and shared taxis run from Amman's North Bus Station in about an hour; agree a return fare with a private taxi or check the public bus schedule before you set off.

See and do

Known for

  • Roman city of Gerasa
  • Oval Plaza and colonnaded cardo
  • Hadrian's Arch
  • Hippodrome
  • South Theatre

Sleep

Near the site entrance
A handful of small hotels; most visitors stay in Amman and come as a day trip.

Language

Arabic is the language; the spoken Jordanian dialect is Levantine, close to Palestinian and Syrian speech, with Bedouin dialects in the south. English is common in hotels, tourism and among educated Amman residents, much less in villages and with taxi drivers.

  • Useful words: marhaba (hello), shukran (thank you), la shukran (no thanks), yalla (let's go), addesh? (how much?), inshallah (God willing — often means 'maybe').
  • WhatsApp is the default channel for hotels, drivers and camps.

Etiquette, safety and scams

Etiquette

  • Greeting: Salam alaykum or marhaba; handshake between men; wait for a woman to offer her hand; avoid: Kissing or hugging someone of the other sex in greeting
  • Hospitality: Accept tea or coffee; eat a little when invited; avoid: Refusing all food and drink outright
  • Right hand: Eat, pass things and pay with the right hand; avoid: Using the left hand to offer food
  • Feet: Keep soles on the ground when sitting; avoid: Pointing the soles of your feet at people
  • Mosques: Covered arms and legs, headscarf for women, shoes off; avoid: Entering during prayer times unless invited
  • Dress in town: Long trousers or skirts, shirts with sleeves; avoid: Shorts and swimwear away from resorts
  • Photography: Ask first, especially with women and Bedouin families; avoid: Photographing police, soldiers or checkpoints
  • Politics: Listen; opinions on Palestine run deep; avoid: Joking about the King or the royal family

Scams and watch-outs

  • Little shade inside the ruins; bring water, a hat and sun protection even outside the hottest months.
  • The paving on the cardo and theatre steps is uneven and can be slippery when wet; watch your footing.
  • Check opening times and any festival closures at the site before travelling.
  • Agree taxi fares, including the wait for the return trip, before you set off from Amman.

One and two days

No timed day plan for Jerash yet. Suggested stay: 0–1 nights. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.

  • Roman city of Gerasa
  • Oval Plaza and colonnaded cardo
  • Hadrian's Arch
  • Hippodrome
  • South Theatre

Sources

Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.

Pocket card

Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.

Jerashجرش

My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)

  • Police, ambulance and fire911
  • Country code+962

Voykit · checked 2026-09

Printed from Voykit (/jerash). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.