Jerash with kids
Exploring the ancient Roman city of Jerash with kids could be a wonderful option for a day trip from Amman or half day tour from Amman. If the kids are rested and not famished, they will surely enjoy it. You have to be ready to walk for almost 4hrs with breaks in between.
Jerash, or Gerasa as it was known, today is home to one of the best preserved Greco-Roman cities, which earned it the nickname of “Pompeii of the East”
Looking for the complete Jordan Itinerary, check out ours 5 day Jordan itinerary here.
Reaching Jerash from Amman
While on Google maps it may show you about 1hr, it will depend on which part of Amman are you going from as well as what time of the day. If its a weekday, avoid traveling during office hours (broadly 8am to 10am and 4pm to 6pm). Although there are public buses that run between Jerash and Amman, I highly recommend renting a car for self drive or hiring a cab with a driver. We had done that and actually since Jordan was a road trip for us, we had hired a cabbie for the entire trip.
Opening Times and total time needed
To visit the Roman ruins of Jerash with kids, you need to there between 8 AM to 4 PM during winter, 8 AM to 8 PM during summer, 8 AM to 3 PM during the month of Ramadan and 9 AM to 4 PM on Fridays and official holidays. While I recommend you budget atleast 4hrs with occasional stops, rest breaks and photo breaks, the minimum you should be planning to spend is 2.5 – 3hrs to explore the ancient Roman ruins of Jerash with kids, on foot.
Not sure between Jerash or Wadi Rum, check out this post to know more about Wadi Rum and what to do there with kids.
What to see in Jerash with kids
Jerash has some of the best preserved Roman ruins so some of the impressive structures you will be looking at include Oval Plaza, Arch of Hadrian, Temple of Artemis, The Hippodrome, long colonnaded street called Cardo, and a perpendicular Cardo running to the main one called Cardo Maximum, North and South Theatre (North being the smaller one) and Nymphaeum.
There are many conspiracy theories around how some of the columns have been recreated using current age blocks and are not from Roman era at all. But one doesn’t know any truth behind these.
Interested in other Roman sites in middle east and Asia, check out Ephesus in Turkey. The houses are worth seeing with a lot of floor masaics still intact.
The city of Jerash holds 3 week long Jerash festival of culture and arts during summers, hosting dance, music and theatrical performances. If you’re visiting Jerash with kids, make sure to also see the Roman Army and Chariot experience races around the hippodrome or the enactment of gladiator fights in the South Theatre. Our kids quite enjoyed the drum beats performance of South Theatre too.
Wondering between Petra and Jerash? Check out this post.
