Al Balad – Downtown Amman
Al Balad – Downtown Amman
4.5
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
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4.5
507 reviews
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241
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9
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zuv
Bucharest, Romania36,871 contributions
Mar 2023 • Solo
The old part of the city. Mixed feelings. Seen from a distance, it seems somewhat beautiful, if you ignore the uniform, monotonous, sad color of the buildings. The streets are like a roller coaster route, in a permanent ascent and descent, interconnected by pedestrian paths made up of dozens, hundreds of steps. Up close, you encounter a lot of garbage on the streets, buildings with unmaintained facades, infernal congestion (both cars and pedestrians).
The area also looks like a huge bazaar, there are hundreds of small shops, with goods displayed on the sidewalks or hanging on the facades of the buildings. In the souks, agro-food markets, all kinds of products, vegetables, fruits, spices, meat, are sold in poor hygiene conditions.
However, the area has a certain charm, fully worth visiting.
The area also looks like a huge bazaar, there are hundreds of small shops, with goods displayed on the sidewalks or hanging on the facades of the buildings. In the souks, agro-food markets, all kinds of products, vegetables, fruits, spices, meat, are sold in poor hygiene conditions.
However, the area has a certain charm, fully worth visiting.
Written April 6, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
PepyMasso
Sofia, Bulgaria373 contributions
Feb 2022 • Couples
Soak up the Orient 😀
Vivid, colourful, exotic, smells of spices, roasted nuts, chestnuts, corn and dozens of stalls selling sweets, confectioners, ice cream, toys on one side and shops on the other, selling souvenirs, clothes, fresh juices, parfumes, shining gold shops., cafés, restaurants, old buildings... Al Balad is a busy place, full of people and cars. Strangely enough, all this hustle and bustle is a kind of relaxing. Do not miss The Duke's Diwan - the oldest building in the heart of Amman, Roman theatre, Hashem restaurant, king Faisal avenue with beautiful tall palm trees. Enjoy during the day, also at night 😀
Vivid, colourful, exotic, smells of spices, roasted nuts, chestnuts, corn and dozens of stalls selling sweets, confectioners, ice cream, toys on one side and shops on the other, selling souvenirs, clothes, fresh juices, parfumes, shining gold shops., cafés, restaurants, old buildings... Al Balad is a busy place, full of people and cars. Strangely enough, all this hustle and bustle is a kind of relaxing. Do not miss The Duke's Diwan - the oldest building in the heart of Amman, Roman theatre, Hashem restaurant, king Faisal avenue with beautiful tall palm trees. Enjoy during the day, also at night 😀
Written February 24, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Adrian
Bucharest, Romania15 contributions
Mar 2024 • Friends
Crowdy area with a lot of local shops where you can find almost anything, from souvenirs, hardware, grocerie market to living animals. Intense experience. Safe if you're careful when you cross the streets. It's like a street bazar.
Written March 16, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
LolaGo1
Washington DC, DC6,632 contributions
Oct 2023 • Solo
I am glad that I stayed here for 3 days. Accross from my hotel is the Roman Theater that I can see it from my bedroom window for 24 hours.
There are shops, restaurants, stores, etc. on both sides of the main street. Went shopping here for some items that I badly needed. Vendors are kind and helpful here, found help in buying a lock for my suitcase. Note that only cash is accepted and haggling is practised here.
Along the way, also noted a big mosque that is opened only to Muslims, not opened for tourists.
There are shops, restaurants, stores, etc. on both sides of the main street. Went shopping here for some items that I badly needed. Vendors are kind and helpful here, found help in buying a lock for my suitcase. Note that only cash is accepted and haggling is practised here.
Along the way, also noted a big mosque that is opened only to Muslims, not opened for tourists.
Written October 30, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
R. Marshall
Fayetteville, NC329 contributions
May 2020
I cannot easily summarize the site, sounds and tastes of this area in Amman in this review. I would recommend that you add Amman to your bucket list if you enjoy travelling. This is a VERY historic area (as is most of Amman and the country for that matter). To truly appreciate the history and current culture this would be a very good place to start. The Roman Coliseum, King Hussein (or Husseini) Mosque, Nymphaeum and The Original Arab Bank building are the popular historic sites. There are multiple places to shop for gold, clothing, fabrics, custom jewelry and fabrics. You also have plenty of little shops for local food items to try. I recommend you try the original Habibah shop AND Abu Ali’s which is close by. If you have a good sweet tooth, you'll understand why. You won't soon forget the experience of the visit and you will most likely return for seconds!
Written May 20, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Rochalovesruby
York, UK657 contributions
Feb 2020 • Couples
We loved having a mooch round here the other day. Felt completely comfortable, enjoyed chatting to the locals & always asked before taking a photo.
The bread stall was my favourite with a local gentleman sharing his delicious just baked bread with us.
The colours, the smells & the ambience is great.
You’ll need a good few hours here!
The bread stall was my favourite with a local gentleman sharing his delicious just baked bread with us.
The colours, the smells & the ambience is great.
You’ll need a good few hours here!
Written March 4, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Belfasttravelguy
Belfast, UK2,108 contributions
Nov 2021 • Friends
It’s worth taking a visit to the downtown area to experience the more authentic part of Amman. There are plenty of shops, souks, restaurants etc and it’s more bustling. There were quite a lot of pet shops too! We also found a rooftop bar which had pet rabbits and a guinea pig running around.
Written November 2, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
samar_ham
Amman, Jordan11 contributions
Jun 2019 • Friends
Going down town for tourists is an exciting experience where the oldest shops and buildings , streets and people , a mixture of old and new products, and a variety of shops you will not see anywhere. It is not for shopping for high end products but everything can be found there. I love going from time to time to enjoy the atmosphere.
Written March 1, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Bobztraveler
Beirut, Lebanon1,286 contributions
Mar 2019 • Business
If you go there on foot and enjoy street food it will be an amazing place to be.
A souvenir from here and a sandwich from there, though small, bu you can spend an easy 1/2 day there.
A souvenir from here and a sandwich from there, though small, bu you can spend an easy 1/2 day there.
Written March 14, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Mohit
Noida, India338 contributions
Apr 2019 • Friends
Overall, we spent around 14 hours in downtown Amman over our 4 days stay in Amman, exploring and shopping. It's a huge place with so many shops catering to every need.
There is mosque in between the bazaar and a small shawarma shop in front of the mosque. That's the best chicken shawarma I had in Jordan, or probably anywhere in the world.
There are many shops related to antiques there. And this is the perfect place for souvenir shopping. They also have some shops where you can buy perfumes in traditional embroidered flasks. They mix the branded perfumes with their own flavor. Although looked more like a scam, it felt like a very good gift so we bought one flask. You need to bargain hard here. You should easily cut down the asking price in half and then work your way up from there. The antique shops were the best. Bought a lot of old banknotes from here for my collection. Very rare middle eastern banknotes available at cheap prices.
There are also many money changers here and they offer the best rate than anywhere else in Jordan. No commission and exact exchange rate as shown on XE or google. So if you need to change your USD/Euro to JD, this is the place.
It's a bit crowded but then it won't be a grand bazaar if it wasn't crowded. The streets are always flooding with taxis and cars so you will never have any problem finding a taxi here, let it be 7 in the morning or 11 in the night.
We also tried some other street food which was not as good as the shawarma. Also had a sugarcane juice which was good. Overall, you can spend multiple hours here depending on your interests. But I am sure you will find at least something to keep you entertained.
There is mosque in between the bazaar and a small shawarma shop in front of the mosque. That's the best chicken shawarma I had in Jordan, or probably anywhere in the world.
There are many shops related to antiques there. And this is the perfect place for souvenir shopping. They also have some shops where you can buy perfumes in traditional embroidered flasks. They mix the branded perfumes with their own flavor. Although looked more like a scam, it felt like a very good gift so we bought one flask. You need to bargain hard here. You should easily cut down the asking price in half and then work your way up from there. The antique shops were the best. Bought a lot of old banknotes from here for my collection. Very rare middle eastern banknotes available at cheap prices.
There are also many money changers here and they offer the best rate than anywhere else in Jordan. No commission and exact exchange rate as shown on XE or google. So if you need to change your USD/Euro to JD, this is the place.
It's a bit crowded but then it won't be a grand bazaar if it wasn't crowded. The streets are always flooding with taxis and cars so you will never have any problem finding a taxi here, let it be 7 in the morning or 11 in the night.
We also tried some other street food which was not as good as the shawarma. Also had a sugarcane juice which was good. Overall, you can spend multiple hours here depending on your interests. But I am sure you will find at least something to keep you entertained.
Written May 20, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
I am having trouble locating where downtown Amman is. I like the description of walking the busy streets full of shops and markets. I like to find a 3 or 4 star-hotel nearby to take advantage of it. Can anyone recommend a hotel?
Written October 22, 2019
There aareso many hotels surrounding downtown or in it. Though I don't normally recommend the ones downtown. . You can book a room at affordable prices in nearby areas like jabal luibdeh, jabal Amman or Hussein. Just google these areas for hotels
Written December 1, 2019
C1168BCsilviac
3 contributions
si e° sempre aperto, in pratica il centro storico, chiudono i negozi tardi
Written May 1, 2019
We want.to book a holiday to Jordon to see Petra and all the other sights. Is it safe in downtown Amman as the UK Foreign office advise to keep away from there but looking at the reviews I'm not so sure this is the case. Can anyone answer my question? thanks.
Written February 19, 2018
I can highly recommend it beased on my own experience this winter.
Written February 20, 2018
Il venerdì si può visitare ugualmente?
Written November 24, 2017
Many shops cafés restaurants from early morning till like 10 or 11 pm
Written February 1, 2017
hey just arrived here and want know how the styreet market and if there is a night life here ... got 1day off a week and don t know what to do yet ...
Written January 19, 2016
There are some interesting shops in Al Balad if you are a collector of coins, antiques, etc. Night life is vibrant and there are some awesome restaurants that dot the Rainbow Street, complete with music and great food.
Written January 22, 2016
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