Aqaba is Jordan's only coastal city and its only seaport, at the northern tip of the Gulf of Aqaba on the Red Sea. It is also a special economic zone with duty-free status, which makes it a shopping destination as well as a beach one.
The sea
Aqaba's principal attraction is the Red Sea itself. Coral reefs run along the shore and around the offshore islands, accessible both by boat and directly from the beach at several points, and the water is warm for most of the year. Diving and snorkelling are well established, with dive centres offering courses and guided dives; the Japanese Garden and the wreck of a sunken freighter are among the better-known sites. Glass-bottom boats and snorkelling trips are available for those who do not dive.
Sea temperatures remain comfortable through the winter, which makes Aqaba one of the few places in Jordan that works as a winter destination. Summer is very hot on land, and the sensible pattern is to be in the water or indoors in the middle of the day.
The city
Aqaba is compact and walkable in its central area, with a corniche along the shore, the Aqaba Fort — a Mamluk and Ottoman structure on the site of earlier fortifications — and the archaeological museum nearby. The Great Arab Revolt Plaza contains the Hijazi railway locomotive that features on the Jordanian dinar. The duty-free zone has shopping, and the restaurant scene runs on seafood and Levantine cooking.
Using Aqaba with Petra
Aqaba is about 130 kilometres from Petra and about 70 from Wadi Rum, so the southern loop of Petra, Wadi Rum and Aqaba fits naturally into four or five days. There is also an airport with international services, and a ferry connection to Egypt, which makes Aqaba usable as an entry or exit point rather than a place to be visited and returned from.