--- title: "Aqaba – what is there, and how you get there | Mixroutes" description: "Aqaba, Jordan: Aqābaʾ is the only coastal city in Jordan and the largest and most populous city on the Gulf of Aqaba. Nearby: Aqaba Archaeological Museum…" url: "https://www.mixroutes.com/notes/aqaba" markdown: "https://www.mixroutes.com/notes/aqaba.md" image: "https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/7c/Pseudochama_corbierei_01.jpg/1920px-Pseudochama_corbierei_01.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail" --- City in Aqaba Governorate, Jordan # Aqaba Aqābaʾ is the only coastal city in Jordan and the largest and most populous city on the Gulf of Aqaba. ![Aqaba](https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/7c/Pseudochama_corbierei_01.jpg/1920px-Pseudochama_corbierei_01.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail) Aqaba · H. Zell The place Aqābaʾ is the only coastal city in Jordan and the largest and most populous city on the Gulf of Aqaba. Situated in southernmost Jordan, Aqaba is the administrative center of the Aqaba Governorate. The city had a population of 148,398 in 2015 and a land area of 375 square kilometres (144.8 sq mi). Adapted from [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aqaba), CC BY-SA 4.0. What is there ## 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. Aqaba Archaeological Museum Aqaba Archaeological Museum is the official archaeological museum of the city of Aqaba in Jordan. 1.2 km · national museum · [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aqaba_Archaeological_Museum) 2. 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](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aqaba_Fortress) 3. 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](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coral_World_Underwater_Observatory) 4. 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](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aqaba_Church) 5. 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](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kings_City) 6. 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](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tall_Hujayrat_Al-Ghuzlan) 7. 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](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eilat_Light) 8. 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](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tell_el-Kheleifeh) 9. 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](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eilat_Sports_Center) 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](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eilat_City_Museum) 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. See ## 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](https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Aqaba), CC BY-SA 4.0. Not yet checked by us. Do ## 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. 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. 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](https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Aqaba), CC BY-SA 4.0. Not yet checked by us. Eat ## 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](https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Aqaba), CC BY-SA 4.0. Not yet checked by us. Go there ## Getting to Aqaba **Airports:** King Hussein (AQJ), 9 km · Ramon (ETM), 22 km · Neom Bay (NUM), 181 km\ **Stations:** Port of Eilat, 6.3 km · King Hussein International Airport, 8.9 km · Port of Aqaba, 2.9 km · Eilat Naval Base, 5.8 km\ - Amman → Aqaba Train, bus, flight, ferry and road, side by side [Guide](https://www.mixroutes.com/routes/amman-to-aqaba) [Today](https://www.mixroutes.com/results?from=Amman&to=Aqaba) - Sharma → Aqaba Train, bus, flight, ferry and road, side by side [Guide](https://www.mixroutes.com/routes/sharma-to-aqaba) [Today](https://www.mixroutes.com/results?from=Sharma&to=Aqaba) - Sharm El Sheikh → Aqaba Train, bus, flight, ferry and road, side by side [Guide](https://www.mixroutes.com/routes/sharm-el-sheikh-to-aqaba) [Today](https://www.mixroutes.com/results?from=Sharm+El+Sheikh&to=Aqaba) - From anywhere The planner compares every way there from wherever you are. [Plan a trip](https://www.mixroutes.com/?to=Aqaba) Not yet researched ## 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. What Wikivoyage says about moving around - Get in Minibus rental with driver from Petra costs 45 JD and it takes about 2 hr to get from Petra to Aqaba. - Get in Also you could hitchhike from the Jordan Valley Highway to Aqaba. - Get in Ferries run regularly from Aqaba across to Nuweiba on Egypt's Sinai peninsula, bypassing Israel and the sometimes complicated border arrangements. - Get in Also ferries from Taba and Sharm el-Sheikh are available. - Get in There is more information about the boat crossing in the itinerary Ferries in The Red Sea. From [Wikivoyage: Aqaba](https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Aqaba), CC BY-SA. Not yet checked by us; that article was last edited 2026-09. The nearest places where the work is done 1. [Wadi Rum](https://www.mixroutes.com/notes/wadi-rum) JO 8 ways of moving, 23 sources 40 km 2. [Petra and Wadi Musa](https://www.mixroutes.com/notes/petra) JO 12 ways of moving, 17 sources 99 km 3. [Dahab](https://www.mixroutes.com/notes/dahab) EG 8 ways of moving, 29 sources 125 km 4. [Kastellorizo](https://www.mixroutes.com/notes/kastellorizo) GR 8 ways of moving, 27 sources 893 km 5. [Naxos](https://www.mixroutes.com/notes/naxos) GR 12 ways of moving, 17 sources 1,218 km If you know how people move in Aqaba – the stand, the rule, the fare – [tell us](https://www.mixroutes.com/report?key=blog%7Caqaba&title=Aqaba&sub=Field+notes&back=%2Fnotes%2Faqaba), and the note gets an entry. Around it ## Next door to Aqaba - [Eilat](https://www.mixroutes.com/notes/eilat) city in Israel 5.7 km [The place page for Aqaba](https://www.mixroutes.com/places/aqaba) [All the notes](https://www.mixroutes.com/notes) [Every note on Jordan](https://www.mixroutes.com/notes#c-JO) --- This is the markdown version of https://www.mixroutes.com/notes/aqaba, for search crawlers and AI assistants. The HTML page is the canonical copy. Mixroutes is made by Lascade LLC, Sharjah Media City, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates. Index of every page: https://www.mixroutes.com/llms.txt