Fun and entertainment Jordan

Locals, expatriates and tourists meet in this trendy and design café with its sixties decoration to nibble on sandwiches, salads and burgers. In the alcove armchairs or on the comfortable sofas, you feel at home to chill out without taking your head off. From the terrace, you can enjoy the view of Amman and hear the call to prayer from the nearby Hussein Mosque. Books, including travel guides, are sold on site. An ideal place to have a brunch or a break in the afternoon. Very friendly staff and draft beer.

This cafe on the edge of Tourism Street, on the way down to the Visitors' Centre, is one of the few in Wadi Musa to offer a relaxed atmosphere and to serve alcohol. However, the clientele is almost exclusively male and gangs of girlfriends or single women will quickly feel stared at. The café is frequented as much by locals as by tourists, who chat over a hookah flavoured with honey or apple. The friendly and unpretentious welcome and the Jordanian dishes make it a good address.

Only a few steps from Paris Square nestles this very nice traditional café, with an oriental and wooded Art Deco decor. The heterogeneous decoration, the old mosaics, the bistro chairs, the mottled objects give to the place the air of a Spanish inn with Levantine sauce. A clientele of regulars rush there to share a shisha, to devour some local specialities at low prices (try the manakish, a Levantine speciality, or the classic kofta), to quench their thirst with a mint tea between friends or family. A recommended stopover.

Despite the passing years, the Blue Fig has maintained its status as a trendy bar, very popular with the trendy youth of Amman. It must be said that the place is very nice, all glass, steel and wood, and that the volumes are impressive. Moreover, the Blue Fig has a large terrace sheltered by parasols. During the day, families with young children come here for a burger or French toast and in the evening, a certain youth takes over to devour bread and chill out to lounge music.

Bars are not common in Wadi Musa, except in luxury hotels. This one belongs to the Petra Guest House and is set in a very original location as it occupies a 2,000 year old Nabatean tomb. The niches dug in the rock shelter benches equipped with large colored cushions and form a serene and comfortable setting where one would stay for hours. It is possible as the list of cocktails is long and you can smoke hookah. Claustrophobic people will prefer to enjoy the beautiful terrace.

Three times a week, the Treasury of Petra is illuminated with 1,500 candles, casting a soft halo over the façade. You cross the Siq itself lit by candlelight, in a surreal atmosphere. The atmosphere is generally one of contemplation, quite different from the daytime tourist circus. This romantic show is accompanied by a glass of tea and a flute tune. Please note that the number of tickets is limited and it is not possible to book in advance. If you plan to visit Petra the next day, you can purchase your ticket from 7:30 pm.

The Goethe-Institut is a German cultural center located in Amman. It offers a variety of shows and cultural events for art and culture lovers. The Goethe-Institut website offers detailed information on upcoming shows, exhibitions and language events. It also offers German courses and exams for those wishing to learn the language.

This very British looking pub pays homage to the hit series "Coronation Street". The setting is a copy-paste of the one in Amman. The managers are the same. You will find the horseshoe-shaped bar, lined with countless bottles of alcohol; the Irish beers Kilkenny or Guinness on draught; the high bar stools; the furniture in patinated wood. The place is very popular with the expatriate clientele and the tourists who feel a bit like at home. It is particularly crowded on the evenings of matches, broadcasted on the screens.

The Cave Bar is ideally located within the walls of the old Nabatean city. Occupying a cave dating back to the first century, its outdoor terrace in the summer allows you to enjoy the coolness of the evening. In winter, this spacious decorated and heated cave will offer you its drinks as well as its menu of snacks (count 8 € on average) inside. Let yourself be carried away by the oriental melodies and the unique side of the place, known to stay open some summer evenings until 4am. The service is very attentive and the experience is memorable.

This tiny café has three tables on its doorstep. It is located opposite the mosque esplanade, a few meters from the entrance to the castle. It's a meeting place for drivers waiting for their visiting customers. It has to be said that the prices charged here are the most honest there is: you won't be bludgeoned. You can enjoy an orange squeezed before your very eyes, or a mint tea. Small catering options available. Kerak's best deal!

This café-library opened in 2019 allows you to combine business with pleasure after a day of exciting visits. A series of small, beautifully arranged lounges, a coffee and tea counter, homemade cakes, an eco-friendly garden, thousands of books in all languages (including French) create an intimate and gourmet atmosphere, designed to feed the taste buds and neurons. The place was conceived by two friends eager to meet new people and enjoy culture. Themed evenings are regularly organised: poetry, storytelling, acoustic concerts..

This café on the top floor of a shopping mall overlooking University Circle has the look of an English garden. Yes, you will see when you take a seat under the trellis overflowing with cascades of pink and white flowers... in fabric. You will sit in big wicker armchairs painted in white and decorated with big cushions as flowery and pink as the trellis. In the evening, young people from the nearby Yarmouk University come here to smoke hookah, on the terrace, but also inside. The thick smoke quickly perfumes the place.

The Vegas is the trendy club in Amman these days. It is a nightclub bar. The room is not very big and is occupied by rows of high tables and bar stools. You sit there and order a bottle or a drink, listening to live sets of Arabic electro music. You're in Jordan and smokers are welcome here. Despite a purification and air renewal column, the room is very smoky and will remind the less young of the French nightclubs in the 90s.

Prime Cinemas is the equivalent of Pathé or Gaumont in France. The company distributes films and shows them in its multiplexes. In Amman, Prime Cinemas is located in two shopping centres: Al Baraka Mall and Abdali Mall. It has 13 cinemas in each of its complexes, equipped with the latest technology (Full HD, laser broadcasting system, immersive sound...). Prime Cinemas shows mainly the latest American blockbusters, as well as mainstream Arab films. The screenings take place between 11am and 11pm.

The Hussein Cultural Centre is managed by the Greater Amman Municipality. It has a new building, built by the architect Bilal Hammad, which is located not far from the Jordan Museum. It includes a large theatre and smaller rooms for workshops, readings and smaller conferences. Most of the events that take place here are in Arabic. However, music knows no boundaries, so ask at the reception desk.

The Shepherd Hotel's Cube has been livening up Amman's nightlife for several years now, and despite the passage of time, its success continues unabated. Wednesday evenings, dedicated to the 80s, kick off the weekend and are very popular. On other evenings, the club offers a more classic program aimed at the younger crowd, with R&B and hip-hop nights, funk and electro nights, all sprinkled with the Arab standards that get the youngsters moving. You can obtain the evening calendar by contacting the hotel.

Dali is known to all Amman's hip and slightly "out-of-touch" people. This bar attracts lovers of cold draught beer, local wine, cocktails... in short, it serves alcohol, even during Ramadan. In the early evening, it's very difficult to find a free table, both on the terrace and inside. We like the relaxed atmosphere, the slightly loud music, the cheerful hubbub. During the day, many people come to work on a corner table while drinking tea or coffee.

If you're a fan of original cocktails, this is the only address in Amman worth keeping your eye on. Here, the menu includes the great classics of international bars, but also a whole series of original creations. So original, in fact, that some of them are served in a huge iced drop. It's imperative to reserve your table on weekends (Thursday and Friday evenings), especially if you want to enjoy the pleasant but small garden courtyard. You can accompany your cocktail with a snack to share.

The Almond Coffee House uses its large glass roof to create a bright, warm, contemporary and cosy place. It is one of the "hot spots" in Amman, one of those that are always full from morning to night. The long list of coffee proposals (espresso, Turkish coffee, hazelnut and toffee latte, almond latte...) is matched only by that of pastries and cakes. Will you fall for a muffin, a donut covered in chocolate, cookies or an almond croissant? The hot chocolates are also the reputation of the house.

This café, located on the top floor of the Taj mall, will surprise you in more ways than one. Its pleasant setting recreates the atmosphere of the old cafes of Amman, now disappeared, all in woodwork and tiles. Its wide choice of coffees and teas, why not accompanied by a shisha, in the local style, will satisfy you. The quality of its Lebanese-inspired cuisine makes it possible to take more than a break, and to have lunch or dinner between a few purchases. If the address seems uninspiring on paper, Café Hanin has established itself as one of the best in Amman.