Public Holidays

Fridays and Saturdays are weekly holidays when most government offices, and many other offices are closed.  Banks are closed on Fridays and Saturdays as well. Some airline offices and travel agents stay open to offer a reduced service and some shops also stay open.  Some businesses take Sunday as a half-day or a complete holiday. 

Fixed Public Holidays

1     January/Christian New Year  
15   January/Tree Day (Arbor Day) 
30   January/ King Abdullah's Birthday  
22   March/Arab League Day  
1     May/Labor Day  
25   May/Independence Day  
10   June/Arab Renaissance Day, commemorates the Arab Revolt, and also Army Day  
11   August/King Hussein's accession to the throne  
14   November/King Hussein's Birthday 
25   December/Christmas Day  

   Holidays That Are Not Fixed

Muslim holidays follow the lunar calendar, moving back each year by 11 days.
The first two holidays in this list last three days, during which Friday services are found.  The remaining holidays in the list are one-day public holidays. 

Ayd Al-Fitr is the feast that marks the end of Ramadan, the month of fasting.  
Ayd AI-Adha: the feast of sacrifice, which falls at the end of the month of the pilgrimage to Mecca (HaJ). It commemorates Abraham's offering of Isaac for sacrifice. Families who can afford to slaughter a lamb share the meat with their poorer co-religionists. The richer the family, the more lambs it slaughters and distributes to the poor. 

lst of Muharram: Muslim New Year Mawoulid An-Nabawi: the Prophet Mohammed's Birthday. 
Ayd Al-Isra wa AI-Miraj: the feast celebrates the nocturnal visit of Prophet Mohammed to heaven. 
Although Ramadan is not a good month to come to Jordan for business, it is a great time to enjoy local customs and the special atmosphere that the shared hardship of fasting creates among Muslims. You should avoid eating, drinking or smoking in public during the hours of fasting because it is illegal and can provoke strong reactions.  

At sundown, everyone breaks the fast with “iftar” and then relaxes until long into the evening. Just before dawn, the last meal is eaten before the next day's fasting resumes. Huge amounts of food and sweets are prepared and devoured after dark.  As a result most people look exhausted at work the next day and government officials may often use this as an excuse to provide a much-reduced service. 

Christian Holidays

Easter:  If you happen to visit Jordan during Easter, bear in mind that the local Protestant and Catholic churches celebrate Easter at approximately the same time as the local Greek Orthodox. Three out of every four years the timing will vary, usually by a week but for one year by a whole month. Eastern (Orthodox) Christians regard Easter as a more significant feast than Christmas.

 If you plan to visit Jordan during Christmas, don't be put off by the fact that this is a predominantly Muslim country.  Thanks to Western commercialism and the local foreign community, Christmas and the New Year are celebrated in some splendor. There are also many opportunities for children to enjoy themselves during these times.  

Customs

Some personal items such as cameras, clothes, and even typewriters are exempt from duty.  Regulations also exempt 1 litre of spirits, 2 litres of wine and 200 grams (7 oz.) of tobacco and up to 200 cigarettes. 

Electrical equipment, from household goods to personal computers, cars, etc., is subject to duty, which can be very high.  However, if you intend to take taxable goods with you when you leave, you may ask the customs officials to enter details of these goods in your passport to avoid paying tax.  Upon exit, you will be asked to show that your goods were tax exempted. 

Health

If you come from a country infected by epidemic diseases such as cholera and yellow fever you will have to show a certificate of inoculation.  It is advisable to be inoculated for hepatitis (Gamma Globulin), polio, tetanus and typhoid.  Jordan is one of the cleanest countries in the region, but it is advisable to take some precautions, at least until your system adjusts. 

Hotels rated 4-Star and up have their own filtering systems and their tap water is safe to drink. Elsewhere you should use bottled water, which is widely available, and outside hotels, cheap.  All purchased fruit and vegetables should be washed thoroughly.  During the warmer months, avoid salads and cold meats that have been sitting for a long time at hotel buffets. 

The Jordanian Currency

The currency is called the Jordanian Dinar (JD) and it is divided into 1,000 fils or 100 kirsh. There are paper notes of 50, 20, 10, 5, 1 and 0.5 JDs, copper coins of 1000, 500, 250 fils, silver coins in 100, 50 and 25 fils and in copper coins of 10 and 5 fils.  

Since the 1988 devaluation of the Jordanian Dinar, Jordan has become a relatively cheap country for Westerners to visit.  
1 US$ = 0.7 JD         1 £ = 1.05 JD         

1 Yen = 0.65 JD       1 €  =0.90 JD     

You can exchange foreign cash or traveler's checks in any bank in Jordan, but traveler's checks will be charged a commission (amount varies from bank to bank). When you change traveler's checks, you will be asked to show your sales receipts for the checks, despite the fact that you are not supposed to keep them together.  

There are authorized moneychangers in Amman, Aqaba and Irbid, and generally speaking, you get better deals at moneychangers downtown. Exchange rates between banks and moneychangers vary slightly. Hotels of 3-stars or more will also change money but at a less favorable rate.   

Credit cards are accepted in several hotels, restaurants and shops; the most widely accepted being American Express, Visa, Diners Club and Mastercard. You can also use your cards to draw cash (up to 500 JDs) at any bank linked with your credit card network at no extra charge. The automatic cash machines outside some banks in Amman may be used.   

Loss Of Belongings

Report any lost belongings to the nearest police station and ask for a certificate of loss for insurance purposes. If you lose your passport, you should also contact your embassy/consulate as soon as possible.   

Medical Services

All treatment, including emergency treatment, must be paid at the time of service. A certificate of treatment will be issued to enable you to claim back the expenses from your insurance. It is therefore wise to buy health insurance from your travel agent before traveling. 

Generally speaking, Jordan has good medical care and there is a medical center or clinic in every town and village. Amman has a large number of hospitals and high quality specialists. 

Outside Amman, there are hospitals in Aqaba, Ma'an, Kerak, Madaba. Zerqa, Irbid and Ramtha and there are clinics with a small number of beds in the Jordan Valley.
There are three classes of hospital beds and prices are standardized. 

Measurnments

Jordan employs the metric system. Length is counted in meters, distances in kilometers, weight in kilograms and volume in liters.  
1 inch                  =      2.54 centimeters (cm) 1 foot = 0.30 meters (m)  
1 yard                  =     0.91 meters (m)  
1 mile                  =     1.61 kilometers (km) 1 acre = 0.40 hectares (ha)  
1 ounce                =     28.35 grams (g)  
1 pound                =     0.45 kilograms (kg) 
1 British ton          =     1016 kilograms     1 American ton = 907 kilograms
1 imperial gallon   =     4.55 liters (I) 1 American gallon = 3.79 liters (I) 

Business Hours

Government offices:
Open 8 a.m.—3 p.m.. Closed Friday and Saturday. During Ramadan: 9:30 a.m.—2 p.m.  
Businesses: 
Open winter (November-April) 8-8:30 a.m.—1-1:30 p.m., 3-3:30—6:30 p.m. and summer (May-October) 4-4:30—7:30 p.m. Most businesses close on Fridays and some close Sunday all-day or half-day. Some travel agencies stay open during lunch break. During Ramadan: 9 a.m.—3/6 p.m.  
Banks:
 Open 8:30 a.m.—3:00 p.m., closed Friday and Saturday all day, and Thursday and Sunday afternoons. During Ramadan 9 a.m.—1/2 p.m.  
Museums: 
Generally open 8 a.m.—5 p.m., closed Friday. consult Museum section below, as times vary.  
Shops: 
Open winter 9 a.m.—6:30/7p.m., summer 9 a.m.—8/9 p.m. Most shops close in the afternoon for about two hours, any time between 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. Most shops close Friday, except for the Amman downtown suq, and some close Sunday. During Ramadan: 9 a.m.—1 p.m. and after the break of fast, most will reopen until 9 or l0 p.m. 

Tipping

In Jordan, you will certainly not be pressed near as much as other countries for what is known in Arabic as “baqsheesh,” but it is nonetheless a good idea to leave a small tip. 

The better hotels and restaurants may add a 10 percent service charge to your bill, but waiters do not always get this. Other establishments expect you to leave a tip for all staff or give something to those that worked for you most. 

Taxi-drivers are generally not tipped, but it is customary to pay the nearest round figure to the price on the meter. Anywhere else, tip according to will, bearing in mind that tips are always appreciated.  

Post offices:

Post offices are open in winter 8 a.m.—5 p.m., summer 7 a.m.—7 p.m., and during Ramadan 8 a.m.—3 p.m. Postal services in Jordan are generally reliable.

Hitching

 You can walk and hitch everywhere in the country except in the security area at the Dead Sea and between the Jordanian and Israeli checkpoints on the King Hussein Bridge. It is relatively easy to get picked up by cars, unless you are in a very remote area. Drivers will often expect a small contribution towards their petrol, especially if you travel with them a long way. From Amman, you can hitch from the Seventh Circle to anywhere in the south and west, from Suwaylah for west and north and from the road to Zerqa to the north and east. Women should not hitchhike on their own. Summertime is not recommended for hitching but if you have to hitchhike in the summer, at least ensure that you are well equipped to cope with the heat and the sun.
Departure tax is l0 JD at the airport, 6 JD in Aqaba going to Egypt, and 4 JD at the land borders going to Syria, Iraq, Israel and the Occupied Territories. If you have not renewed your visa you will also have to pay .
 

Visa

Visa may be issued on arrival to Jordan. Groups over 5 persons do not need to pay for the visa, group arrangement must be through Jordanian travel agent.