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Rainbow Street

#6of 9 places to visit in AmmanAmman, Amman Governorate, Jordan

Also known as Shari' al-Rainbow · Rainbow Street, Jabal Amman

Quick answer

Opening hours: 09:00–01:00. Entry is free. Allow 2 hrs. Best time: Late afternoon into early evening.

Updated 18 September 2026 · Compiled by Traveliac, AI-assisted · 4 min read

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Photo: miiika / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Opening hours: 09:00–01:00; The street is open 24 hours; most cafes and restaurants trade roughly 09:00-01:00.
Entry fee: Free
Time needed: 2 hrs
Best time of day: Late afternoon into early evening
Best months: Mar – May, Sep – Nov
Address: Rainbow Street, Jabal Amman, near First Circle, Amman, Jordan (street-level postal code not published)

About Rainbow Street

Rainbow Street in Jabal Amman is free to walk at any hour as of 2026 and is the city's densest strip of cafes, bookshops and galleries, about a kilometre from First Circle to the edge of the valley. Rainbow Street takes its name from the Rainbow Cinema that once stood on the street, and it is lined with early-to-mid 20th-century limestone villas, many now holding restaurants, shops and cultural spaces. Rainbow Street and the neighbouring lanes hold Books@Cafe, the Good Bookshop and the Wild Jordan Center, a nature-conservation cafe run by the Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature.

Best time of day: Late afternoon into early evening. 16:30-20:00, when the cafes fill and the city lights come on across the valley.

Rainbow Street timings

Rainbow Street opens at 09:00 and closes at 01:00. The weekend is no different: Saturday and Sunday follow the same times.

Opening hours: 09:00–01:00; Mon–Sun 09:00–01:00; The street is open 24 hours; most cafes and restaurants trade roughly 09:00-01:00.
Closed on: Open every day

Mon–Sun	09:00–01:00

Good to know: Souk Jara on Malouf Street is reported on Friday afternoons and evenings in summer, but the schedule has varied by year.

Opening hours compiled from international.visitjordan.com and public records, last updated 18 September 2026. They change without notice — confirm before you travel. How we write these guides

Rainbow Street ticket price

Entry fees for Rainbow Street
Ticket	Price
Standard ticket	Free
Concession (student / senior)	Free
Children	Free

Rainbow Street is a public street and free to walk at any hour, as of 2026. Cafe and restaurant prices are at the venue's discretion, and many restaurants add a 10% service charge plus 16% sales tax; check the bill. Friday craft-market stalls on Malouf Street (Souk Jara) run in some summers, so verify the current season before planning around it.

Prices compiled from international.visitjordan.com and public records, last updated 18 September 2026. They change without notice — confirm before you travel. How we write these guides

Best time to visit Rainbow Street

Quiet
Moderate
Busy
Very busy

09:00 - 12:00
Quiet MorningBest time to go
Cafes open, bookshops trade, and the street is easy to walk; the light is best for photographs of the villas.
Quiet
12:00 - 16:00
Lunch and Afternoon
Lunch tables fill at the most popular restaurants, but the street itself stays comfortable.
Moderate
17:00 - 20:00
Early Evening Build
Cafes fill, the terraces overlooking the valley get busy, and ride-hailing pickups slow down.
Busy
20:00 - 00:00
Night Peak
Thursday and Friday evenings are the busiest; pavements are crowded, tables need reservations, and Souk Jara nights add stallholders in summer.
Very busy

History of Rainbow Street

Rainbow Street runs along Jabal Amman, one of the city's original seven hills, in the residential district that grew up after Amman became the capital of Transjordan in the early 1920s. Its limestone villas were built for officials, merchants and diplomats, and several old houses now hold restaurants, galleries and cultural centres. The street is named for the Rainbow Cinema. The Wild Jordan Center, on the edge of the valley near Rainbow Street, is run by the Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature, a Jordanian non-profit whose cafe proceeds support the country's nature reserves, including Mujib and Dana. On Fridays in summer, some years, craft stalls collect on Malouf Street in the Souk Jara market.

Rules & etiquette at Rainbow Street

Rainbow Street is a public street with no dress code, but Amman is a conservative city, so modest clothing (shoulders and knees covered) draws the least attention, particularly for women out after dark. Rainbow Street has licensed bars, and drinking in public, on the pavement or in cars is not acceptable. Restaurants commonly add a 10% service charge and 16% sales tax, so a further tip is optional; rounding up for cafe service is normal.

At busy weekend hours, ride-hailing pickups are crowded and taxis may refuse short fares; agree the meter or use the app. Street sellers and cafe touts operate on the pavement, and a polite no is enough. Photography of people needs permission.

Tips for visiting Rainbow Street

1
Rainbow Street is best walked from First Circle down to the viewpoint over the valley, with a stop at a bookshop-cafe on the way. Arrive at 16:30 to see the street change over from afternoon quiet to evening crowds, and eat at a cafe with a balcony over the valley if you want a view of the lights. Thursday and Friday evenings are the busiest; a mid-week visit is easier.
2
Rainbow Street pairs well with the Wild Jordan Center, which has a terrace over Downtown and sells reserve-made goods, and with a morning at Amman Citadel. Wear comfortable shoes for the slope and stepped side-lanes. Taxis and ride-hailing to Downtown or the Citadel cost only a few dinars, so the route to the Roman Theatre is easy after dinner.

How to reach Rainbow Street

The red star is Rainbow Street; the numbered pins are the 4 nearest places in our guides, each showing its rank in its city. Tap a pin for details.

Rainbow Street, Jabal Amman, near First Circle, Amman, Jordan (street-level postal code not published)Directions in Google Maps

From Downtown Amman (Hashemite Plaza)
2 km · 8-15 min
Roughly JOD 1.5-3 (metered taxi or app price)
From Queen Alia International Airport (AMM)
40 km · 60-80 min
JOD 3.3-3.4 by Airport Express (reported, as of 2026), plus roughly JOD 2-4 by taxi
From Abdali (Boulevard and bus hub)
3 km · 10-15 min
Roughly JOD 2-4 (metered taxi or app price)

Nearest airport

From Queen Alia International Airport (AMM)

about 35 km south of central Amman, 45-60 minutes by Airport Express bus or 40-50 minutes by taxi.

Nearest station

From Amman has no metro or passenger rail; the nearest public transport is the Ras Al-Ain BRT terminal and Downtown taxi ranks. Rainbow Street is about 2 km from Downtown by taxi.

Rainbow Street FAQs

Is Rainbow Street free to visit?

Yes. Rainbow Street is a public street with no entry fee and is open at all hours, as of 2026. You pay only for what you buy at cafes, restaurants and shops.

Why is it called Rainbow Street?

The street is named after the Rainbow Cinema that once stood on it. Sources differ on the date of the cinema, so treat any specific year as unconfirmed.

When is Rainbow Street busiest?

Thursday and Friday evenings, roughly 20:00 to midnight. Weekday mornings and early afternoons are the quietest and best for photographs of the limestone villas.

Does Rainbow Street have a Friday market?

Sometimes. Souk Jara, a craft and street-food market on Malouf Street, has run on summer Fridays in some years, but the schedule has varied, so verify the current season locally.

Compiled with AI assistance from official sources and public records, and published only after the checks in How we write these guides. Nobody from Traveliac has visited this place. Last updated 18 September 2026. How we rank and check places