Aqaba

Worth seeing in and around Aqaba

10 places within 25 km that the world writes about, in the order of how widely: the ones a visitor has heard of first, then the ones only a local would name.

1. 01
   Aqaba Archaeological Museum

   Aqaba Archaeological Museum is the official archaeological museum of the city of Aqaba in Jordan.

   1.2 km · national museum · Wikipedia
2. 02
   Aqaba Fortress

   The Aqaba Castle or Aqaba Fort, also known as the Mamluk Castle of Aqaba, Jordan, is a Mamluk and Ottoman fortified caravanserai on the pilgrimage route to Mecca and Medina which, in its current form, dates back mainly to the 16th century. In the century preceding the First World War, it was used to a larger degree as a military stronghold.

   1.2 km · mamluk-Ottoman caravanserai and fort in Aqaba, Jordan · Wikipedia
3. 03
   Coral World Underwater Observatory

   Eilat's Coral World Underwater Observatory is a public aquarium, park and conservation center located in Eilat, Israel. It is the biggest public aquarium in Israel, and it hosts over 800 species.

   9 km · Aquarium, park and conservation centre in Israel · Wikipedia
4. 04
   Aqaba Church

   Aqaba Church is a historic 3rd-century church located in Aqaba, Jordan. It was unearthed in 1998 by a group of archaeologists and is considered to be the world's oldest-known purpose-built Christian church.

   700 m · church building in Aqaba, Jordan · Wikipedia
5. 05
   Kings City

   Kings City was a biblical theme park in Eilat, Israel, which opened in June 2005. It was owned by Africa Israel, Elran d.d.

   4.3 km · park in Eilat, Israel · Wikipedia
6. 06
   Tal Hujayrat Al-Ghuzlan

   Tall Hujayrat Al-Ghuzlan is an archaeological site during the Chalcolithic period that lies 4 km north of modern-day Aqaba city in Jordan. Tall Hujayrat Al-Ghuzlan and the neighboring Tall Al-Magass site in Aqaba both have extensive evidence of significant copper production and trade in the region.

   4.7 km · archaeological site in Jordan · Wikipedia
7. 07
   Eilat Light

   Eilat Light is a lighthouse in Eilat, Israel. It is located on a bluff on the west side of the Gulf of Aqaba, about 1.2 kilometres northeast of the Egyptian border and 7 kilometres southwest of the port of Eilat.

   9.4 km · lighthouse in Israel · Wikipedia
8. 08
   Tell el-Kheleifeh

   Tell el-Kheleifeh is an archaeological site in Jordan at the head of the Gulf of Aqaba immediately northwest of the city of Aqaba. Its older identification with the 10th-century port from the biblical King Solomon narrative does not stand up to newer archaeological assessments, while its identification with biblical Ezion-geber and/or Elath of a later date remains a matter of speculative interpretation.

   3 km · archaeological site in Jordan · Wikipedia
9. 09
   Eilat Sports Center

   Eilat Tze'elim Sports Centre is located in the Tze'elim neighbourhood north-west of Eilat, Israel. The building offers approximately 2,000 square meters on two levels.

   7.6 km · sports arena in Eilat · Wikipedia
10. 10
    Eilat Museum

    The Eilat City Museum is a history museum in Eilat, Israel. The museum is dedicated to the history of the development of the city of Eilat.

    5.5 km · history Museum in Eilat, Israel · Wikipedia

Ranked by the number of language editions of Wikipedia with an article on each, from Wikidata; the sentences are the openings of those articles, CC BY-SA 4.0.

What Wikivoyage says to see

As of December 2018, the staff at the information center near the castle claims that there is no place to use Jordan Pass in Aqaba, even though two museums are listed on the official website of Jordan Pass.

From Wikivoyage: Aqaba, CC BY-SA 4.0. Not yet checked by us.

Things to do

Except the sea and diving, Aqaba doesn't have a lot of things to offer. The following can be of interest but are easily done in one day. Aqaba Castle. Aqaba museum. Fourth century Roman church. There is a public beach between the city and the fort, although it can be very dirty. There are several public beaches south of Aqaba, which also can be dirty.

1. 01
   Mount Um al Nusaylah

   Hike this mountain for a great view of the Aqaba area, Eilat on the other side of the Red Sea and the valley behind the mount.

2. 02
   Ahlan Aqaba Scuba Diving Center

   Al Nahda St., Hotel area in the heart of the city (The road behind the Mövenpick Hotel), fax:, info@diveinaqaba.com.

From Wikivoyage: Aqaba, CC BY-SA 4.0. Not yet checked by us.

Where to eat

In the centre of the city you can find very good hummus, falafel and shawarma (lamb meat in pita bread) places in many local restaurants. Prices start from 0.20 JD for stuffed pies (fatayer), 0.50 JD for a falafel sandwich, 1 JD for ful, baba ganous or hummus and pita, 1.50 JD for pizza-like snacks and 1.50 JD for a shawarma dish. Walk around to find the hole-in-the-wall eateries.

From Wikivoyage: Aqaba, CC BY-SA 4.0. Not yet checked by us.

Getting to Aqaba

Airports

King Hussein (AQJ), 9 km · Ramon (ETM), 22 km · Neom Bay (NUM), 181 km

Stations

King Hussein International Airport, 8.9 km · Port of Eilat, 6.3 km · Port of Aqaba, 2.9 km · Eilat Naval Base, 5.8 km

• Amman → Aqaba

  Train, bus, flight, ferry and road, side by side
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• Sharma → Aqaba

  Train, bus, flight, ferry and road, side by side
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• Sharm El Sheikh → Aqaba

  Train, bus, flight, ferry and road, side by side
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• From anywhere

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No local-transport research exists yet for Aqaba

Our researched notes are written from a sourced entry: every shared taxi, boat and village bus with its operator, its rule, its fare and the year we saw it, and what could not be confirmed. Nobody has done that work for Aqaba. What is above is what we hold from open sources; nothing here pretends to be more.

If you know how people move in Aqaba – the stand, the rule, the fare – tell us, and the note gets an entry.