Syria in Style

Our guide will meet you at Damascus Airport and transfer you to your chosen accommodation. Today is free for you to settle into your new surroundings and begin exploring Syria’s Capital – Damascus.

Overnight:

Talisman

Extras and options:

Orientation Tour – short walking tour of the surrounding area, pointing out restaurants and other things which may be of interest to you.

Meals included:

None

We begin our sightseeing today with a visit to Syria’s National Museum. The National museum is home to an immense collection spread over 2 wings. We include a guided tour here where our guide will point out some the museums treasures before allowing you some free time to explore on your own. From here we have a short walk to visit the Tekkiye Suleymaniye Complex. The Tekkiye Mosque is one of Damascus’ most attractive spots; the beautifully designed complex was created by the famous Ottoman architect, Sinan.
After a short break for lunch we head to the Old City where we continue our sightseeing with a visit to the historic Azem Palace. The former home of the Azem family is the oldest and most palatial Ottoman residence in Damascus. Despite being converted to the Museum of Popular Arts and Traditions in 1954 it retains much of its original architecture. Close to the Azem Palace is the Great Umayyad Mosque whose impressive minarets tower over the surrounding buildings, the modest tomb of Saladin is located within the complex. Our day concludes with a drive along ‘Straight Street’ and a stop for shopping at Hamidiye Souq.

Overnight:

Talisman

Extras and options:

Arabic Story Telling - At the Nawfara Café close to the Umayyad Mosque, Arabic story tellers recount traditional folk tales. This will give you a great insight into the Arabic language – very interesting even for non-arabic speakers.

Meals included:

Breakfast

We leave Damascus after breakfast and head north to the Aramaic speaking village of Ma’loula where you have the opportunity to explore and visit the monasteries of Mar Sarkis and Mar Taqla. After lunch we continue our journey towards the ‘Bride of the Desert’ – Palmyra. After checking into your hotel you have some free time to explore and relax.

Overnight:

Tadamora Palace Hotel

Meals included:

Breakfast

Palmyra is one of Syria’s most famous and most visited sites, here you will find one of the worlds most complete classical cities with ruins dating back to the 2nd and 3rd centuries. Our tour includes visits to the most important and best preserved ruins including the Colonnaded streets, Roman Forum, Theatre, Temple of Bel and much more. You will also have plenty of free time here to explore a little further on your own.

Overnight:

Tadamora Palace Hotel

Extras and options:

Desert Camping – As an alternative to spending the night in a hotel at Palmyra, tonight can be spent with the local Bedouin at a desert camp.

Meals included:

Breakfast, Lunch

We bid farewell to Palmyra after breakfast and head through the desert. Our first stop will be at the ruins of Qasr el Hir a former palace and important stop of the ancient caravan routes. Continuing north, our second stop will be at the ‘Dead City’ of Rasafa which dates back to the 9th Century BC when it was an important stop of the trading routes between Palmyra, Europos, Dura and Aleppo. We make our final journey for today to Aleppo where you will check into a 5 star hotel. This evening is free, why not visit the Jdeideh District where evening meals are often accompanied by live music.

Overnight:

Mansouriya Palace

Extras and options:

Euphrates Boat Trip – En-route from Palmyra to Aleppo there is the opportunity for you to take a short boat trip on the Euphrates river.

Meals included:

Breakfast, Lunch

Today we have a full day of tours around this historic city. Our first visit is to the National Aleppo Museum. The museum houses an impressive collection, notably from the early Iron Age sites around Syria. From here we drive to Bab Antakya – the western gate of the old walled city which dates back to the 13th century we will begin our walking tour here. After passing through Bab Antakya we will emerge onto Souq Al-Attareen; the perfume sellers souq which continues for 1200m to the foot of the Citadel. There are 12km of souqs in this area waiting to be explored and you will have free time later today to explore on your own. After walking just over half way along Souq Al-Attareen we reach the Great Mosque. The mosque was built in the 8th century a decade after the construction of the Umayyad Mosque in Damascus and features a beautiful 50m tall minaret. Continuing on along Souq Al-Attareen we reach our final destination, the mighty Citadel. The Citadel dates back to the 13th century and is a magnificent demonstration of Arab Military architecture. We will tour the Citadel before giving you free time to explore the Citadel and Souq further.

Overnight:

Mansouriya Palace

Extras and options:

Beach extension - If you would like to combine your cultural tour with some time to relax then why not add a tour extension to visit Syria’s Cote d’Azur – close to Lattakia. Here you will find impressive beaches and a good choice of luxury accommodation.

Meals included:

Breakfast

After an early start we head north to visit the 5th century basilica of St Simeon. The basilica took 14 years to build and at the time it was the largest and probably the most important church in the world. This was surpassed by Haghia Sophia in modern day Istanbul. After free time at St Simeons we drive south to the ancient ruins at Apamea. Excavations around Apamea prove that the area has been inhabited since the early Bronze Age but it reached it’s peak around the 3rd century BC whilst under the rule of Seleucus Nicator. At this time the city was said to house 500 Elephants, 30,000 Mares and 300 Stallions. During Seleucus’ rule, Apamea was known as a centre for Elephant taming, a skill which was brough from India. Whilst at Apamea you will have a guided tour and a little free time. After departing Apamea we continue our journey south to Hama, where we will spend tonight.

Overnight:

Orient House

Meals included:

Breakfast, Lunch

Before departing for Krak des Chevalier we have a short walking tour of Hama (approximately 2 hours) where we will visit Nur Al-Din Mosque with it’s striped exterior, the Azem Palace and the famous moaning waterwheels of Hama. From here we head to Krak des Chevaliers – the worlds best preserved Crusader Castle.
The original fortress at Krak des Chevaliers was built in 1031 by the Emir or Aleppo and later extended by the Knights Hospitallers between 1150 and 1250. We have an extensive guided tour followed by free time. After departing Krak des Chevaliers in the afternoon we end our journey in Damascus.

Overnight:

Talisman

Meals included:

Breakfast, Lunch

Your time in Syria comes to an end today. You have some free time in Damascus today before our guide transfers you to the airport for departure.

Extras and options:

Extra Nights in Damascus.
Day trip to visit Beirut and Baalbek.
Overnight trip to visit Beirut, Baalbek and Byblos.
Day trip to visit the southern cities of Bosra, Shahba and Swaida.

Meals included:

Breakfast