Things to do in Jerash
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit Jerash
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
Spring is the best season, with mild air, wildflowers in the ruins and green hills at Ajloun and Dibbeen.
Summer is hot with midday temperatures in the mid 30s, so enter at opening and pause for a long lunch.
The Jerash Festival runs in late July into early August, with concerts in the ancient theatres.
Autumn brings warm stone, harvest season food and thinning crowds, with October and November among the best months.
Winter is cold, can be wet and has short site hours, but the ruins are at their emptiest and the forests greenest.
What's on
- Jerash Festival of Culture and Arts Usually late July to early August
Jordan's biggest open air cultural festival, with headline concerts in the South Theatre and events across the ancient city.
Best things to do in Jerash
Jerash Archaeological Park
A complete Roman city you can read on foot, from the south gate to the northern churches in one long walk.
Hadrian's Arch
The triple arched gateway built for the emperor's visit, and the grand first sight on the approach to Gerasa.
Hippodrome
A vast chariot racing stadium just inside the entrance that sets the scale of the whole ancient city.
Oval Plaza
A rare oval Roman forum ringed by Ionic columns, near empty at opening time and Jerash's signature space.
Cardo Maximus
The original colonnaded main street, with chariot ruts in the paving and the whole city grid along its length.
South Theatre
Test the famous acoustics from the orchestra floor, then climb to the top rows for the best view in Jerash.
Temple of Zeus
A hilltop temple terrace above the Oval Plaza with the composed postcard view over the southern city.
Temple of Artemis
The city's patron temple, with most of its great Corinthian columns still standing and a calmer, higher setting.
Where to stay in Jerash
South Gate and Hadrian's Arch edge
ruins first, walking to the entrance
The only Jerash base recommended without qualification, at the gate for opening time and the late light.
Hills west of town on the Jerash Ajloun road
quiet, views and drivers touring the north
Lovely olive grove setting a short drive from the ruins, but it strands anyone without a car.
Ajloun Forest Reserve
hikers and families who want the forest
Cabins in oak woodland with trails at the door, Ajloun Castle nearby and Jerash about 40 minutes away.
Souf village
slow, community based stays
Homestay scale rooms near Beit Khairat Souf, arranged in advance for cooking, village walks and forest days.
Amman
luxury, choice and short Jordan trips
About an hour south, with Jordan's full hotel range and best restaurants, at the cost of an early start.
Think twice about
- Amman highway strip outside Jerash
Isolated roadside properties without a car leave you arranging every ride, including to breakfast. It is a logistics trap, not a safety one.
Best restaurants in Jerash
Lebanese House
Jerash's occasion restaurant, famous locally for the full mezze procession followed by mixed grills and mansaf.
Green Valley Restaurant
A big, leafy family restaurant for mezze and mixed grills, with fast, warm service after a morning in the ruins.
Beit Khairat Souf
Traditional home cooking by a women's cooperative in an 1881 heritage house, the most worthwhile lunch in Jerash.
YaHala Jalsat Restaurant
A well reviewed local Lebanese Jordanian room full of Jerash families rather than tour groups.
Nowwara Restaurant
Jerash's newer cafe restaurant with the latest hours in town, good for coffee, dessert and a late evening graze.
Lo'Lo't Alrawda Restaurant
A no frills local grill house for kebabs, chicken and breads at local prices, with a high score on a small base.
Khayl & Layl Restaurant
A serviceable local Lebanese room for mezze and grills, worth knowing in a town with very few restaurants.
Mountain Mills Restaurant & Cafe
A Mediterranean restaurant and cafe with a near perfect score on a tiny review base, so verify locally first.
Outdoor things to do in Jerash
Ajloun Castle
A compact Saladin era fortress above the Jordan Valley, and the classic castle pairing to a Jerash morning.
Ajloun Forest Reserve
Protected oak woodland with trails to a high viewpoint and a village soap house, plus cabins and a zipline.
Dibbeen Forest Reserve
Jordan's densest pine forest just outside Jerash, best on a weekday morning with a picnic bought in town.
Umm Qais
A black basalt Decapolis city on a ridge with views over the Sea of Galilee, the Golan and the Jordan Valley.
Ayla Golf Club
Jordan's championship Norman design in Aqaba, listed to be clear that there is no golf near Jerash at all.
Best hotels in Jerash
Hadrian's Gate Hotel
A tiny family guesthouse steps from the ruins entrance, with a rooftop view of the arch and a praised breakfast.
The Olive Branch Hotel
A hillside hotel among olive groves with a pool and terrace, best as a summer base for drivers touring the north.
Ajloun Cabins
Simple eco cabins in the oak woods at the reserve centre, with the trails at your door and Jerash a drive away.
Four Seasons Hotel Amman
The luxury base for a Jerash day is in Amman, an hour away, with a dawn private driver to the ruins.
Is Jerash expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | JOD 28 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | JOD 60 a person |
| Splurge | JOD 150 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- Jerash Festival of Culture and Arts: weeks ahead
- Ajloun Forest Reserve: a few days ahead
- Ayla Golf Club: a few days ahead
- Hadrian's Gate Hotel: a few days ahead
- Ajloun Cabins: weeks ahead
- Four Seasons Hotel Amman: weeks ahead
- Lebanese House: a few days ahead
- Beit Khairat Souf: a few days ahead
- Book festival week tickets and rooms weeks ahead, as Jerash has only a handful of good rooms.
- Phone Beit Khairat Souf ahead to arrange lunch and any cooking activity.
- Reserve Ajloun guided trails, zipline and cabins in advance through the RSCN system.
- Book the Lebanese House for Friday lunch and festival week, when Jordanian families fill it.
Is Jerash safe?
- Carry at least a litre of water per person into the site, as there is no reliable supply deep inside it.
- Wear a hat and sunscreen from May to September, when the pale stone site has almost no shade.
- Dress modestly with shoulders and knees covered, which is respectful in this conservative town and practical on site.
- Check your government's current Jordan advisory before travel, and keep valuables out of sight in site car parks.
Jerash travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- Never sit down in a driver chosen restaurant where no priced menu is produced, and ask for prices first everywhere.
- Use licensed guides at the park entrance and agree the fee first, rather than unoffered guides who bill at the end.
- A tour giving Jerash under two and a half hours on the ground is a trap, as the northern half goes unseen.
- Artemis Restaurant by the site is not a pick, with a low score and repeated reports of unclear pricing.
Getting around Jerash: public transport and more
- Jerash is 48 km north of Amman, about an hour by car and up to ninety minutes at busy times.
- Agree the full price, waiting time and any Ajloun add on with a day driver before leaving Amman.
- Public buses from Amman's northern station area are very cheap but run when full and drop in the modern town.
- The Ajloun and Umm Qais loop needs a car or driver, as there is no useful public transport chain for it.
Who Jerash suits
| Solo travellers | Good |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Great |
| Couples | Good |
| Bachelor parties | Not ideal |
| Families | Good |
| Bachelorette parties | Not ideal |
Make Jerash your trip
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