Aqaba carries the relaxed small-town atmosphere of a popular local getaway. The town offers a sociable stopover en route to the diving and snorkelling clubs to the south and the big destinations of Wadi Rum and Petra. It’s also an obvious place to break a journey to or from Israel and the Palestinian Territories or Egypt.

The winter temperature in Aqaba rarely goes below 20°C and is often quite a few degrees warmer. In summer the weather is hot, with daytime temperatures often the other side of 35°C, but the sea breezes make it bearable. It also helps to follow the traditional siesta: everything shuts down around 2pm and reopens after the afternoon nap, around 6pm.

Aqaba is a Jordanian port city on the Red Sea's Gulf of Aqaba. Inhabited since 4000 B.C., it's home to the Islamic-era Aqaba Fort. Its beach resorts are popular for windsurfing and other water sports, and the area is a top destination for scuba divers, with notable dive sites including the Yamanieh coral reef in the Aqaba Marine Park, south of the city.

Aqaba has an ideal combination of city-life, beaches and history. The southernmost city in Jordan, Aqaba sits on the northeastern tip of the Red Sea and is surrounded by mountains and desert. Although there is a border between them, Aqaba is in very close proximity to Eilat, Israel’s most southern beach resort city. While the water and beaches draw many people here, the city’s prime location gives visitors access to many amazing attractions in Jordan, including Wadi Rum and the famous lost city of Petra.