Rainbow Street
The basics
Home to a wealth of restaurants and cafés, at price points from simple falafel and shawarma joints through to elite fine dining and delicious dessert specialists, most every Amman food tour will swing by Rainbow Street for tea, coffee, and a nibble or two. But you can also visit on a downtown walking tour, a neighborhood walking tour, or a self-guided tour, while most city highlights tours stop by. On Fridays during the summer season, the Souk Jara market adds to Rainbow Street’s souvenir shopping scene.
Things to know before you go
*The Rainbow Street area is a great choice for observational photography. There are lovely shots to be had down stepped side streets and residential streets alike. *Amman is built around seven hills so most parents will want to use back carriers or slings over strollers. *A cobbled, often very crowded roadway and rough sidewalks make Rainbow Street challenging, but not impossible, in a wheelchair.
How to get there
Rainbow Street is in downtown Amman, only a few hundred feet southwest of the Citadel as the crow flies. It runs west from just by the First Circle roundabout to Othman Ben Affan Street. Catch service taxi route 2 from Basman Street or Second Circle to First Circle, or book a tour: Rainbow Street’s choked traffic means driving is best left to the experts.
Trip ideas
When to get there
For the best people-watching, visit Rainbow Street on a Thursday night, the start of the Jordanian weekend. Shopping is at its best on summer Fridays when Souk Jara is in full swing.
- Things to do in Jerusalem
- Things to do in Bethlehem
- Things to do in Tel Aviv
- Things to do in Petra
- Things to do in Beirut
- Things to do in Eilat
- Things to do in Aqaba
- Things to do in Port Said
- Things to do in Suez
- Things to do in Larnaca
- Things to do in Dahab
- Things to do in Sharm el Sheikh
- Things to do in West Bank
- Things to do in Red Sea
- Things to do in Cappadocia