Syria Safety Guide
Health, security, and travel safety information
Emergency Numbers
Save these numbers before your trip.
Healthcare
What to know about medical care in Syria.
Syria's public hospitals deliver basic care. Yet imported medicines and equipment are scarce. Private clinics in Damascus, Aleppo and Lattakia reach higher standards and take foreign cash on the spot.
For tourists the most reliable are Al-Shami Hospital (Damascus, Mezzeh), Al-Razi Hospital (Aleppo) and Ibn Sina Hospital (Lattakia); carry your passport for registration and expect immediate cash or dollar card payment.
Green-cross shops open 09:00-21:00; common antibiotics, rehydration salts and topical creams sit on shelves. But specific European brands may be missing so pack prescription duplicates.
Travel insurance covering Syria is mandatory because most embassies refuse to guarantee evacuation costs.
- ✓ Pack a small sterile-suture kit and broad-spectrum antibiotics. Pharmacies sell without prescriptions but formulations vary.
- ✓ Carry paper copies of prescriptions; Arabic translations speed up service.
Common Risks
Be aware of these potential issues.
Mortar shells, cluster bomblets and landmines still lie in fields around Daraa, Homs countryside and Palmyra approaches.
Pickpocketing strikes crowded microbuses and Souq al-Hamidiyah, though violent mugging is rare.
Diesel shortages can leave inter-city buses stalled for hours, stranding tourists at roadside cafés after dark.
Scams to Avoid
Watch out for these common tourist scams.
An unofficial checkpoint soldier asks foreigners for a 2,000-pound "security photo fee" and pockets the cash.
Vendors near Palmyra hawk Roman coins. They are fresh replicas sprayed with saltwater to mimic age.
Safety Tips
Practical advice to stay safe.
- • Carry colour copies of your passport. Originals stay in hotel safes.
- • Use registered taxis bearing red licence plates. Agree the fare on the meter before the door shuts.
- • Drink only sealed water; a faint chlorine whiff in tap water signals treatment gaps.
- • Never aim a lens at checkpoints, uniformed personnel or military vehicles. Ask before photographing people in conservative rural areas.
- • Mute camera sound to avoid drawing crowds in souqs where narrow lanes amplify every click.
Information for Specific Travelers
Safety considerations for different traveler groups.
Syrian society is conservative yet welcoming. Solo women report feeling safe in city centres where families often invite them for tea.
- → Wear long sleeves and loose trousers. Keep a scarf in your bag to cover hair when entering mosques.
- → Pick women-run cafés on Merjeh Square in Damascus for breaks. They offer female-only sections.
Same-sex relations are criminalised under Article 520 with possible three-year prison terms. Enforcement targets locals more than foreigners but the risk stands.
- → Book twin beds instead of doubles in mid-range hotels to dodge questions at check-in.
- → Turn down dating-app invites to meet near checkpoints. They can be entrapment stings.
Travel Insurance
Protect yourself before you travel.
Because European medical evacuation flights touch down in Beirut and demand an overland transfer, policies covering war-risk zones and cash-up-front payments are important.
Ready to plan your trip to Syria?
Now that you've got the research covered, here's where to go next.