14 Days in Syria
Trip Overview
This 14-day loop stitches Syria's headline cities to its silent mountains and sun-washed coast. Mornings start with church bells rolling over Damascus' Old City, afternoons drift by with cardamom coffee in Homs cafés that reopened after the war, and evenings end with salt wind on Tartus beaches. The pace is intentional: two nights almost everywhere, leaving room to loiter in bazaars, swap stories with shopkeepers who've come home, and watch whole streets put themselves back together. Expect Byzantine mosaics, Umayyad limestone, Armenian pastries, nights perfumed by jasmine and charcoal grills.
Pace
Moderate
Daily Budget
$90, 120 per day
Best Seasons
March, May and October, November
Ideal For
History buffs, Cultural travelers, Photographers, Return visitors to the Levant
Day-by-Day Itinerary
A complete plan for every day of your trip
1
First light in the Old City
Land, clear passport, and dive straight into the oldest inhabited quarter on earth.
Morning
Straight to the Umayyad Mosque before tour groups arrive
Come in through the eastern gate. Cool marble hushes the courtyard and pigeons clap overhead. Sunlight ignites gold mosaics of great destination palms while incense drifts from the shrine of John the Baptist.
Lunch
Beit Jabri courtyard café
Afternoon
Souk al-Hamidiyah stroll and Azem Palace
Stroll the iron-vaulted souk where bullet scars still freckle the ceiling yet perfume vendors flood the air with rose water. The 18th-century palace keeps Ottoman ceilings painted sky-blue and poppy-red.
Evening
Sunset on Mount Qasioun followed by dinner
Sufi songs and grilled kebab at Naranj rooftop overlooking the glowing minarets
Where to Stay Tonight
Bab Touma inside the walls (Beit Zafran boutique hotel)
Five minutes on foot to both souk and mosque. Staff will flag trusted taxis for the next legs.
See all Syria accommodation options →Carry small bills for the mosque shoe-guard; he wants 200 SYP but seldom has change.
Day 1 Budget: $110
2
Damascus depth-dive
Religious quarters, spice-laden lunches, and twilight tea on Straight Street.
Morning
Chapel of Ananias and Jewish Quarter lanes
The underground chapel glows with candles and smells of wet stone. Above ground, old Hebrew letters hide beside Damascene balconies dripping bougainvillea.
Lunch
Al-Khawali courtyard house
Afternoon
National Museum, reopening galleries
Newly restored Palmyra statues stand under skylights. Guards will unlock the 2nd-century frescoes for photos if you ask nicely.
Passport required at entrance
Evening
Straight Street coffee crawl
Cardamom Arabic coffee at Leila's pocket kiosk, then apricot ice cream from Bakdash.
Where to Stay Tonight
Bab Touma (Beit Zafran)
Same base avoids re-packing
See all Syria accommodation options →Museum closes early on Fridays. Go Thursday afternoon instead
Day 2 Budget: $100
3
Maronite bells and Druze hills
Day-trip to cliff-hugging monasteries where Aramaic still echoes.
Morning
Shared taxi to Maaloula (45 km)
The road climbs past terraced vineyards; snow-tipped peaks appear as you switch to a local minibus for the final hair-pin haul.
Hotel desk phones the driver the night before
Lunch
Monastery guesthouse lunch
Afternoon
St. Sergius & St. Thecla churches
Stone corridors smell of frankincense. Nuns chant in Aramaic while sunlight spears through Byzantine keyhole windows.
Bring a scarf. Churches require covered shoulders regardless of gender
Day 3 Budget: $95
4
Krak des Chevaliers crusader stronghold
Head north by microbus, then climb the best-preserved crusader castle on earth.
Morning
Leave early. Students pack the seats, heads bent over phones. Green plains glide by until limestone ridges announce the castle's grey walls.
Microbus leaves from Baramkeh station
Lunch
Family kitchen at the castle gate
Afternoon
Full castle circuit
Ramparts smell of sun-roasted stone. Wind sings through arrow slits while you stare across the Bekaa Valley haze.
Evening
Check in Homs, sunset along Orontes riverfront
Tea and nargileh at Café Clock overlooking the rebuilt Khalid ibn al-Walid mosque.
Where to Stay Tonight
In-Homs center near clock tower (Safir Hotel (reopened 2022))
Walkable to restaurants and microbus stands for tomorrow's trip
See all Syria accommodation options →Ask the castle caretaker to unlock the chapel. Its frescoes outlasted both earthquakes and shelling.
Day 4 Budget: $105
5
Homs neighborhoods rebuilding
Meet residents restoring markets and taste the city's famous pistachio sweets.
Morning
Old covered souk with local guide
Scarred arches frame stalls selling Aleppo soap and copper trays. Vendors hand out green anise brittle while kids chase pigeons under new skylights.
Safir desk can arrange English-speaking architecture student guides
Lunch
Abu Joseph bakery
Afternoon
Akrah café and Khalidiya street stories
Sip cinnamon tea as owners tell how they reopened after the siege. Photo albums of before-and-after hang between potted plants and rebuilt stone arches.
Where to Stay Tonight
Tadmur (Palmyra town) (Ishtar Hotel)
Ten-minute walk to the colonnade, power back-up for AC
See all Syria accommodation options →Homs sweet shops close at sunset. Buy knafeh early to snack on the bus
Day 5 Budget: $100
6
Palmyra sunrise over the colonnade
Walk the ancient Silk Road city before the desert heat rises.
Morning
Temple of Bel and colonnade at dawn
Rose-gold light strikes the Tetrapylon while shadows stretch across cracked paving. Only larks and the guard's radio disturb the quiet.
Buy ticket evening before to enter right at opening
Lunch
Garden terrace at Ishtar Hotel
Afternoon
Valley of the Tombs and Palmyra Museum
Underground chambers carved with camel trains and grape vines smell of cool stone. The museum is small but guards the rescued statues ISIS failed to smash.
Evening
Camel ride at sunset on dune ridge
Local cameleer Hamid offers 30-minute circuits ending with sweet tea
Where to Stay Tonight
Tadmur (Ishtar Hotel)
Same base, tours start at reception
See all Syria accommodation options →Bring a flashlight for the tombs; there's no lighting inside
Day 6 Budget: $95
7
Aleppo arrival and citadel torchlight
Early coach north, then descend into the legendary walled city.
Morning
Air-con coach crosses stony plains, pausing at desert rest-houses for thyme pies and sugary tea.
Seat 14-17 on right side for shade
Lunch
Khan al-Wazir courtyard canteen
Afternoon
Aleppo Citadel ramparts
Stone scent of centuries and fresh cement. From the throne-room terrace the battered Old City spreads below like a mosaic of minarets and missing roofs.
Evening
Sunset tea on citadel wall, then dinner
Mansaf with almonds at Beit Wakil converted mansion
Where to Stay Tonight
Old City inside Bab al-Faraj (Beit Sissi boutique guesthouse)
Rooftop views of both citadel and distant fires of the soap factories
See all Syria accommodation options →Citadel closes at 6 sharp. Guards start herding you out at 5:45
Day 7 Budget: $115
8
Aleppo souks and soap
Wander vaulted markets, watch olive-oil soap pressed, and taste Aleppo's peppery cuisine.
Morning
Souk al-Madina walking tour
Repaired archways echo with hammered copper. Laurel soap and cumin drift past mounds of green pistachios and silk scarves.
Start at 8 am before delivery carts clog lanes
Lunch
Sissi House rooftop
Afternoon
Khan al-Gumruk soap factory visit
Watch boiling olive oil meet alkaline ash. The air thickens with laurel and citrus, steam curling under vaulted brick.
Call morning of to confirm English-speaking attendant
Evening
Sufi dhikr at Khalidiya mosque
Sit quietly behind the circle. Chanting begins after 9 pm
Buy soap in bulk here. Prices double in Damascus
Day 8 Budget: $105
9
Lattakia sea breeze
Lattakia
Descend from Aleppo's hills to the Mediterranean for seafood and salt air.
Morning
Intercity microbus Aleppo, Lattakia
Orchards and pine forests drop away to banana plantations. The air turns humid, perfumed by orange blossom.
Earliest bus at 7 am grabs window sea-view seats
Lunch
Port-side Abu Salim
Afternoon
Corniche walk and Lattakia Museum
Palm-lined promenade glitters with fishing boats. The museum's Roman mosaics carry a faint cedar scent from reopened drawers.
Evening
Sunset at Ugarit ruins
Hire taxi for 30-minute ride. Bring beer for cliff-top picnic
Where to Stay Tonight
Seafront Corniche (Hotel Ebla)
Balconies catch sea breeze, easy stroll to cafés
See all Syria accommodation options →Evenings cool fast, pack a light sweater even in summer
Day 9 Budget: $100
10
Tartus citadel and café lounging
South along the coast to a sleepy port where crusader towers rub shoulders with Syrian fishermen.
Morning
Service taxi Lattakia, Tartus
Coast road hugs limestone cliffs. Waves explode against black rocks while the radio spins Fairuz.
Sit left side for sea views
Lunch
Abou Fares fisherman's grill
Afternoon
Tartus Citadel and harbour stroll
Salt-stained walls enclose a quiet oleander garden. From the battlements you watch wooden boats unload sardines that flash like silver coins.
Evening
Corniche tea and backgammon
Café Rawda serves mint tea thick with fresh leaves
Where to Stay Tonight
Old harbour (Hotel Safir Tartus)
Steps from citadel gate and seafront promenade
See all Syria accommodation options →Harbour cafés compete on tea strength. Choose the one with the loudest bubbling kettle.
Day 10 Budget: $90
11
Arwad island fortress
Arwad
Boat across to the last inhabited Phoenician island, thick with castle walls and fishing cats.
Morning
Ferry to Arwad Island
Diesel ferry bobs over 3 km of turquoise water. Seagulls tail the wake and the island's stone seawall swells into view.
First ferry 8 am, every hour on the hour
Lunch
Abu Ahmad fish café
Afternoon
Island wall circuit and citadel
Narrow lanes smell of diesel and drying nets. Climb the citadel tower for 360° views of the Syrian coastline shimmering in afternoon heat.
Where to Stay Tonight
Old harbour (Hotel Safir Tartus)
Same base, no re-packing
See all Syria accommodation options →Cats on Arwad expect fish scraps. Carry small pieces from lunch
Day 11 Budget: $95
12
Alawite mountains to Hama
Leave the coast, snake through the Ansariyeh Mountains, and roll into the city of waterwheels.
Morning
Shared taxi via Masyaf
Road climbs through pine forests. Roadside stalls sell mountain cherries and thyme honey. Pause at Masyaf citadel for a quick scramble.
Ask driver to pause 40 minutes at Masyaf
Lunch
Masyaf citadel gate café
Afternoon
Norias of Hama and riverside tea
Giant wooden wheels creak, flinging river water that smells of algae and moss. Sunset turns the spray copper while storks nest atop stone towers.
Evening
Dinner along the Orontes
Kebab skewers at Abu al-Izz while watching illuminated norias spin
Where to Stay Tonight
Orontes riverfront (Riad Hotel)
Balconies overlook the largest noria. Rooms renovated 2023
See all Syria accommodation options →Evening breeze carries wheel spray, carry a light jacket
Day 12 Budget: $100
13
Apamea colonnade and citadel
Day-trip north to a Roman city stretching endlessly into wheat fields.
Morning
Wheat fields shimmer silver. Distant hills blur blue. Driver waits three hours for your return.
Agree waiting time in writing
Lunch
Packed picnic from Hama bakery
Afternoon
Walk the 1.8 km colonnade
Columns tower above wild poppies. Wind whistles through fluting and distant sheep bleat over broken mosaics.
Evening
Back in Hama for riverside dessert
Ice-cream parlour Al-Boustan serves pistachio-drenched booza
Where to Stay Tonight
Orontes riverfront (Riad Hotel)
Same base again
See all Syria accommodation options →Bring a hat. Colonnade offers zero shade at midday
Day 13 Budget: $95
14
Return to Damascus, farewell feast
Southbound coach, final wander through Straight Street, and celebratory dinner.
Morning
Reclining seats, chilled water, Fairuz on the speakers. Almond orchards smear past as you drop through the Homs Gap.
Book at hotel desk night before
Lunch
Straight Street Sharma juice bar
Afternoon
Last-minute shopping in Souk al-Bzourieh
Sacks of spice perfume the air with clove and cardamom. Vendors weigh Damascus rose petals into pink paper cones.
Evening
Farewell dinner
Leila's Terrace, rooftop lamb with sour-cherry sauce and argileh under fairy lights.
Where to Stay Tonight
Old City (Beit Rima guesthouse near Bab Touma)
Late checkout arranged for evening flight
See all Syria accommodation options →Evening departures allow one last hammam; Hammam Nour opens till 11 pm
Day 14 Budget: $120
Practical Information
Everything you need to know before you go
Getting Around
Book Ahead
Damascus and Aleppo boutique guesthouses ( Beit Sissi), VIP coach seats, castle guides in Krak des Chevaliers and Apamea.
Packing Essentials
Scarf for mosques, light sweater for mountain nights, universal adapter (Syria uses C/E/F), hand sanitizer, sunscreen, and a lockable day-pack for souk purchases.
Total Budget
$1,400, 1,600 for two weeks covering mid-range hotels, three meals daily, all transport, and moderate souvenirs.
Customize Your Trip
Adapt this itinerary to your travel style
Budget Version
Crash in hostel dorms inside Damascus Old City, grab falafel wraps for lunch, ride only microbuses, and pass on private guides, this keeps the daily burn at $60, 70.
Luxury Upgrade
Check into Cham Palace Damascus, secure a private driver with an a/c SUV, reserve a sunset yacht in Lattakia, and eat at Naranj's chef's table, this doubles your budget but buys comfort and privacy.
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