Zarqa Governorate · Jordan
Zarqa travel guide
Zarqa is a city in Zarqa Governorate, Jordan, home to about 481,000 people.
- Best months
- March, April, October and November
- Nearest airport
- ADJ16 km · Marka International (Amman Civil) Airport
- Currency
- JODJordanian dinar
- Time zone
- Asia/Amman
- Language
- Arabic
About
About Zarqa
Zarqa (Arabic: الزرقاء) is the capital of Zarqa Governorate in Jordan. Its name means "the blue (city)".
Zarqa is regarded as Jordan's third largest urban settlement but now part of the ever-growing urban sprawl of Amman. Zarqa is Jordan's industrial centre. It is home to over 50% of Jordanian factories. The growth of industry in the city is the result of low real estate costs and proximity to the capital Amman. There are three universities in Zarqa, the largest of which is Hashemite University. The other two are Al-Balqa` Applied University and Zarqa University. Other community colleges and research centres are based in Zarqa such as the Al-Zarqa Educational & Investment Centre.
Wikipedia and Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Things to do
What to see and do in Zarqa
See
- The global village of the animal
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
When to go
The best time to visit Zarqa
The most comfortable months for a city stay in Zarqa are March, April, October and November. July is the warmest month, with average highs of 34 °C; January is the wettest, with about 46 mm of rain.
Comfortable means average daytime high between 18 °C and 29 °C and under 80 mm of rain in the month. Averages for 1991–2020 over the surrounding area, a grid square about 50 km across, so a coast or a nearby mountain can make the town itself warmer or cooler. Data: CRU TS v4.10, Climatic Research Unit, University of East Anglia (Open Database License).
Getting there
Getting to Zarqa: airports and arrival
The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Marka International (Amman Civil) Airport (ADJ), about 16 km from the city centre in a straight line; Queen Alia International Airport (AMM, 41 km) and Ben Gurion International Airport (TLV, 115 km) are also within reach.
Getting in
Bus rapid transit is the most convenient and cheapest way to reach Zarqa from Amman. Zarqa is connected by the Hejaz Railway to Amman to the south and to Syria to the north. A new railway is under construction to connect Amman with Zarqa. Zarqa lies on the international highway that connects Saudi Arabia with Syria and on the international Amman-Baghdad highway.
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
ADJ · Marka International (Amman Civil) Airport
AMM · Queen Alia International Airport
TLV · Ben Gurion International Airport
Questions
Zarqa: questions travellers ask
When is the best time to visit Zarqa?
The most comfortable months for a city stay in Zarqa are March, April, October and November. July is the warmest month, with average highs of 34 °C; January is the wettest, with about 46 mm of rain.
Which airport is closest to Zarqa?
The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Marka International (Amman Civil) Airport (ADJ), about 16 km from the city centre in a straight line; Queen Alia International Airport (AMM, 41 km) and Ben Gurion International Airport (TLV, 115 km) are also within reach.
What currency is used in Zarqa?
Jordanian dinar (JOD).
Nearby
Destinations near Zarqa
Sources: city facts from Wikidata and Wikipedia; airports from OurAirports; climate from CRU TS v4.10 (University of East Anglia Climatic Research Unit), 1991–2020 monthly means, 0.5° grid; places to stay, guest scores and amenities from each operator's own public pages. How this guide is made.