Travel to Syria
⌘K

Cities

Where to go in Syria starts in Damascus. The first week is the M5: sleep Homs, then Aleppo, a Maaloula morning, Krak and Palmyra from Homs. That is the seven-day line. Hama is a stop. Bosra is south. The coast is extra nights. Not a tour. Not ten cities in one week. Open Damascus first.

Last checked 13 September 2026

The deskHow we writeReport an error

  1. Courtyard of the Umayyad Mosque in old Damascus: the mosaic treasury on columns, the north arcade, and the Minaret of the BrideEssentialDamascusThe capital of Syria. Stay in the old city. Walk the souq to the Umayyad Mosque.
  2. Visitors walking the arched bridge to the restored south gate of the Aleppo CitadelEssentialAleppoThe second city of Syria. Stay by the citadel. Walk the mound, then the souq.
  3. Visitors walking Palmyra’s Great Colonnade toward the desert hillsEssentialPalmyraA day from Homs, Syria. Independently. Ask that morning.
  4. Krak des Chevaliers on its green ridge: pale limestone walls, sloped inner glacis, and visitors on the pathEssentialKrak des ChevaliersA day trip from Homs, Syria, not Damascus. Walk the castle. Cash pounds at the gate.
  5. Visitors in the black basalt Roman theatre at Bosra, cream columns against the stage wallIf you have timeBosraA day south from Damascus, Syria. Walk the theatre. Cash pounds at the citadel gate.
  6. Houses of Maaloula stacked up the pale Qalamoun cliff, church towers and laundry on the terracesEssentialMaaloulaA morning from Damascus, Syria. Independently. Last seats early afternoon.
  7. Khalid ibn al-Walid Mosque in Homs: silver domes, twin north minarets, and the city parkEssentialHomsHoms, Syria. Sleep in the centre. Krak one morning, Palmyra the other.
  8. Giant wooden norias on the Orontes in Hama, families sitting by the waterIf you have timeHamaAn hour on the M5 in Syria, Homs to Aleppo. Walk the norias. Not a night.
  9. Latakia’s southern corniche at sunset: promenade, fishing boats, and the MediterraneanIf you have timeLatakiaLatakia, Syria. Extra nights after Homs or Aleppo. Walk the corniche.
  10. Fishing boats at the Tartus quay, Arwad island low on the horizonIf you have timeTartusTartus, Syria. Extra nights closer to Homs. Boat to Arwad.

The map

DamascusAleppoPalmyraKrakBosraMaaloulaHomsHamaLatakiaTartus