A Weekend in Aqaba
Arriving in Aqaba
Aqaba is located on the very southernmost strip of Jordan. The city borders the Gulf of Aqaba, which is an inlet of the Red Sea. The city is home to Jordan's only port.
There are three ways to arrive to Aqaba: plane, boat, and motor vehicle. If you fly, you'll fly into King Hussein International Airport. Two non-budget airlines fly to the airport: Turkish Airlines from Istanbul and domestic shuttle service on Royal Jordanian from Amman. In addition to these airlines, budget airlines such as Wizz Air and EasyJet provide service to other cities such as Abu Dhabi, Milan, London, and Paris.
Via boat, there are ferries that connect Aqaba to Taba, the northernmost city the Southern Sinai in Egypt. If you are planning a trip around the greater Middle East that includes Egypt, this is a great way to enter Jordan or continue a trip on to Egypt. Ferries leave from the center of the city and take around one hour.
The final way to enter Aqaba is via motor vehicle. The first option is to drive into Aqaba. Like most of Jordan (except for maybe Amman), the city is surprisingly drivable if you are used to Western cities. Jordan happens to be a wonderful country to road trip via the desert road of the Dead Sea or the famed Kings Highway through Petra, Kerak, and Madaba. If you are worried about driving yourself, taxis can drive you from Amman down to the city, but expect to pay a hefty amount as the drive is four hours. If public transit is your jam, JETT bus service provides numerous buses from various points in Amman to Aqaba. The journey takes about 4 hours and costs 10 JD one way for a comfy coach bus. As someone who has taken the service from the Abdali location in Amman to Aqaba, the JETT bus is a great, safe way to traverse the country.
