Queen Alia Airport is 35 km south of Amman. Jordan is not a budget destination for transport, and the dinar is a strong currency — it is pegged to the US dollar, so it holds steady against the dollar while moving against the euro and the pound. Convert at the rate on the day.
One fare here is published in advance. The rest are quoted to you.
How each option is priced
| Transport | How the fare is set | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Airport Express bus | 3.4 JOD flat (operator's published fare) | Cheapest option, roughly every 30 min |
| Official airport taxi | Fixed price per destination zone, from the Ministry of Transport's approved list | Not metered. Quoted at the booth before you pay |
| Pre-booked transfer (sedan) | Fixed at booking | Meet-and-greet |
| Pre-booked transfer (minivan) | Fixed at booking | Groups and heavy luggage |
Fixed-price private transfer
AMM Amman City Center
From€40for 2 passengers
Other destinations
Distances that drive the price
| Destination | Distance from AMM |
|---|---|
| Downtown Amman | 35 km |
| Abdali / Boulevard | 32 km |
| Dead Sea resorts | 60 km |
| Madaba | 30 km |
| Petra (Wadi Musa) | 235 km |
The airport taxi is not metered
This is the thing worth knowing before you land. Advice to "insist on the meter" does not apply at Queen Alia: the official airport taxi service works from a fixed, zoned price list approved by the Ministry of Transport, so there is no meter and nothing to negotiate. You buy the ride at a booth — indoors in the arrivals hall, or outdoors at Exit 1 — and they take cash in any currency, or Visa/Mastercard. The zone prices are not published online, so the booth is where you find out.
Because the taxi price is fixed rather than distance-metered, a pre-booked transfer and an airport taxi land closer together than at most airports. Get both numbers for your destination and pick.
The Airport Express bus
At 3.4 JOD — the fare published by the operator, Sariyah — the Airport Express is by far the cheapest way into Amman. It runs to North Station (Tabarbour) and the 7th Circle, roughly every 30 minutes from about 06:15 until 03:00, hourly on Fridays. Buy at the airport office or from the driver, in cash or by Visa. From the 7th Circle you will still need a city taxi to your hotel, which adds to the total — but bus plus city taxi remains well below a direct airport taxi. Fares are revised from time to time, so check the operator before you travel.
Tips for fair pricing
- Use the taxi booth, not the person who approaches you. The booth is the official channel and the fixed zone price is what you pay.
- Do not go looking for a meter in an airport taxi — there is not one, and a driver offering to "put the meter on" is not the official service.
- No tipping is expected in taxis, though rounding up is appreciated.
- You do not strictly need dinars for the official taxi (it takes other currencies and cards), but ATMs inside the terminal are the cheapest way to get them for everything else.