Amman Citadel, the Roman Theatre and Downtown

From the car park by the entrance of the Amman Citadel on Citadel Hill (تل القلعة), go in through the gate and follow the footways across the hilltop to the remains of the Byzantine church, then the Temple of Hercules, whose tall columns stand over the city, and north to the Umayyad Palace complex. Leave by the gate, take the road and two flights of steps down the east side of the hill to the Hashemite Plaza and the Roman Theatre (المدرج الروماني), then walk on through Downtown, past the vegetable market (Souq El-Khodra), to the Husseini Mosque (المسجد الحسيني). Climb back to the Citadel by the streets and the upper flight of steps.

It is 3.8 km round with 84 m of ascent; allow about 1¼ hours of walking, and a good deal longer if you go into the Citadel's ruins and the museum. The grade is Easy: footways, paved lanes and two flights of steps, with a steady climb at the end.

The hilltop is open ground with no shade, so go early in the warm months. Downtown's streets are busy and narrow: keep to the pavements and cross with care. The Husseini Mosque is a place of worship: cover shoulders and knees and ask before going in.

Visit Jordan's fee list gives 3 JD for foreign visitors at the Citadel and 2 JD at the Roman Theatre; the stairs, the Hashemite Plaza and the streets are free. The Jordan Archaeological Museum on the hill is open from 08:00 to 19:00 in summer and 08:00 to 16:00 in winter. The car park is 70 m from the Citadel gate.

Route drawn by Global Adventurer along OpenStreetMap paths (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL), with figures worked out from it. Check the forecast and the ground on the day: paths change.