Amman or Petra?

Neither is a beach destination, but Amman at least has the Dead Sea an hour down the hill. Its resort beaches and public beach clubs make an afternoon of floating in the salt water and coating yourself in mud. From Petra there is nothing to swim in except a hotel pool, if yours has one.

Both send real swimmers to Aqaba for the Red Sea's reefs. Petra is the closer of the two at about two hours, against four from Amman, so Aqaba fits naturally as the next stop south.

Amman is where you eat well in Jordan. Downtown has falafel, hummus and fuul at breakfast, hot knafeh and shawarma late into the night. Jabal Amman and Weibdeh add rooftop terraces and modern Arab cooking, and mansaf at a family restaurant makes a proper occasion.

Wadi Musa serves the same standards along its main road and at hotel buffets, without a food culture of its own. What it offers that Amman cannot is the setting: zarb lifted from a Bedouin pit, sage tea poured inside the site, and cooking classes on local dishes.

This is what Petra exists for. The walk through the Siq to the Treasury, the Royal Tombs and the climb of some 800 steps to the Monastery fill two or three days. The High Place of Sacrifice and Little Petra reward anyone who stays longer.

Amman's sights are good but compact. There is the Citadel with the Temple of Hercules and the Umayyad Palace, and the Roman Theatre below it. The Jordan Museum, with fragments of the Dead Sea Scrolls and the 'Ain Ghazal statues, gives the best grounding in the country's history before you head south.

Amman has an evening life and Petra barely has one. In Amman, Rainbow Street and Jabal Amman stay busy late with cafés and shisha, and there are rooftop bars in Weibdeh and Abdoun and a few weekend DJ nights. Wadi Musa winds down after dinner, with a hotel bar at most, because everyone is up early for the site.

Petra is far stronger outdoors. The archaeological park is itself a hiking ground, with trails up Jebel Haroun, through Wadi al-Farasa and along the back route from Little Petra to the Monastery. Dana's juniper slopes and ibex and the red sand and peaks of Wadi Rum are both within about ninety minutes.

Amman offers the steep drop to the Dead Sea and the wade-and-scramble canyon of Wadi Mujib in the warmer months. Ajloun's oak and pine woods are pleasant in spring. The city itself is bare and has little green space.

Amman is by far the better hub. Jerash is under an hour north, and Madaba's mosaic map, Mount Nebo, the Baptism Site, Salt, Umm Qais and the desert castles with Qasr Amra are all easy outings with a driver.

From Petra the choice narrows to Shobak castle with Dana village, Wadi Rum and Aqaba. Kerak is best seen on the drive along the King's Highway. Petra in turn is too far for a day trip from Amman, which is why most people sleep near the site.

Amman is the easier place with children, though neither city is built for them. It has the children's museum in King Hussein Park, play areas in the malls and the fun of floating in the Dead Sea, and whole families eat out late together.

Wadi Musa has nothing aimed at children. Older children who can walk long distances over rock, though, will find the tombs and the Siq a real adventure. Toddlers and pushchairs struggle in both places.

Both are hard going, but in different ways. Amman is a city of hills and valleys with no metro. You walk downtown and up the stairways to Weibdeh, and take cheap taxis or ride-hailing for everything else.

In Petra everything inside the park is done on foot, over long distances and steep steps, so the strain is on your legs rather than in traffic. Beyond the site, both cities need a hired driver or car, and southern Jordan works best as a road trip.

Amman has far more to buy. There are the spice and gold souks downtown, and embroidered textiles, Hebron glass and Dead Sea cosmetics in the shops around Rainbow Street. Souk Jara adds craft stalls on summer Fridays.

Petra's offer is souvenir stalls repeating the same trinkets. Its women's cooperative shops are worth a look, but anything more is best left for Amman.

Amman is easier on the budget. Falafel breakfasts, coffee and taxis cost little, although hotels in the western districts and any alcohol cost more.

At Petra the steep entry fee for foreign visitors dominates the bill. A multi-day ticket or a combined pass bought before arriving in Jordan helps. Rooms and local food in Wadi Musa are fair, but the drivers you need to reach anything beyond town add up.

Neither is a place to plan a trip around performances, but Amman has more going on. There is the Royal Cultural Centre, small stages in Weibdeh for oud recitals and Arab indie bands, and the summer Jerash Festival in the Roman theatres. Petra has one show, Petra by Night: Bedouin rababa and flute in front of a candlelit Treasury, memorable if the crowd keeps quiet.

Amman is better placed for unwinding. The Dead Sea's resort spas and mud and the Ma'in hot springs are about an hour away, and the city has hammams of its own. Petra's bathhouses, built for tourists, ease tired legs after the trails, but a stay there is a physical effort, and the Dead Sea belongs to a different part of the trip.