6-Day Syria Trip » Damascus + Palmyra + Coast + Krak

Start the day with a 7:00 am pickup from Beirut and drive eastward to the Syrian border, reaching it by around 9:00 am. After completing border formalities, continue toward Damascus and check in to your hotel by 11:00 am. By noon, begin your first visits in the Syrian capital.

The tour starts at the National Museum of Damascus, housing significant finds from Ugarit, Mari, and Palmyra. Then head to the Takiyya Suleimaniah Souq, an Ottoman-era commercial complex built in the 16th century. Walk to the Damascus Citadel, a large medieval fortress with Ayyubid-era modifications. The day ends with a drive up Mount Qasioun for a panoramic city view.

This afternoon offers a clear entry point into Damascus’s historical and strategic geography.

Travel Distance & Time: Approx. 120 km – 3 hours (including border procedures)

Historical Context:

• National Museum: Founded in 1919, with pre-Islamic and Islamic-era collections.
• Citadel: First built in the 11th century and modified by the Ayyubids and Ottomans.

Curiosities & Local Facts:

• The souq was originally built as a charitable complex with Sufi lodgings.
• Qasioun is considered a holy mountain in local Islamic tradition.

5 Key Highlights:

• Cross-border transfer into Syria
• Archaeological displays at the National Museum
• Ottoman Takiyya Souq
• Walk along the Damascus Citadel walls
• City view from Mount Qasioun

Important for you:
Damascus Ottoman legacy, Syrian archaeology, Qasioun hilltop view

Explore the Christian and Islamic quarters of Damascus today. Begin at the underground Chapel of Saint Ananias and then continue to the nearby Church of St. Paul, associated with his escape from the city. Visit Zaitoun Church before continuing to Maktab Anbar, a 19th-century Damascene house and school.

Walk through the covered Al-Hamidiyeh Souq to reach Khan Assad Basha, one of the most elegant Ottoman caravanserais in the city. Visit the Al Azem Palace and then continue to the Umayyad Mosque, constructed in 715 CE over a former Byzantine basilica. Nearby are the Mausoleum of Saladin and the Sayyidah Ruqayya Shrine, an important Shia pilgrimage site.

This visit helps you understand how Christian and Islamic history overlap in Damascus.

Travel Distance & Time: Local walking tour – minimal driving

Historical Context:

• Umayyad Mosque: Built on the foundations of the Roman Temple of Jupiter and a later church.
• Sayyidah Ruqayya Shrine: Final resting place of a granddaughter of Imam Hussein.

Curiosities & Local Facts:

• Khan Assad Basha is notable for its domed ceilings and octagonal design.
• Saint Ananias Chapel lies below modern street level, reflecting Damascus’s deep urban stratigraphy.

5 Key Highlights:

• Visit to early Christian worship sites
• Ottoman caravanserai architecture
• Guided walk in Al-Hamidiyeh Souq
• Grand interior of Umayyad Mosque
• Shia pilgrimage architecture at Sayyidah Ruqayya

Important for you:
Christian heritage Damascus, Islamic architectural layers, Ottoman caravanserai

Depart early from Damascus toward the mountains to reach Saidnaya, where you’ll visit the Convent of Our Lady, founded in the 6th century and still an active pilgrimage site. Continue to the isolated Mar Musa Monastery, built in the 6th century and reconstructed in the 11th.

After your visits to these two key Christian monasteries, head northwest toward Salah al-Din Castle, formerly known as Saône. This fortress stands on a high ridge and features one of the largest moats ever cut into bedrock. Built by the Byzantines and expanded by Crusaders and Ayyubids, it offers dramatic views over forested valleys. Continue to the Mediterranean city of Latakia for overnight.

This day introduces the mountainous and coastal zones that shaped Syria’s medieval defenses.

Travel Distance & Time: Approx. 380 km – 6.5 hours drive

Historical Context:

• Saidnaya: Founded by Emperor Justinian in the 6th century.
• Salah al-Din Castle: Captured by Saladin in 1188 from Crusader forces.

Curiosities & Local Facts:

• Mar Musa frescoes include rare Syriac Christian iconography.
• The rock-cut trench at Salah al-Din Castle is over 20 meters deep and 28 meters wide.

5 Key Highlights:

• Saidnaya pilgrimage site
• Remote hilltop monastery of Mar Musa
• Walk across the great moat at Salah al-Din Castle
• View from the Crusader-era fortress walls
• Arrival in coastal Latakia

Important for you:
Byzantine Christian sites, Crusader fortress Syria, Mar Musa mountain monastery

Start the day with a short drive north of Latakia to visit the ruins of Ugarit, an ancient port city dating back to the 14th century BCE. Ugarit was home to one of the earliest known alphabets, the Ugaritic cuneiform script.

Next, travel south along the coast to Markab Castle (Qalaat Marqab), a black basalt Crusader fortress overlooking the Mediterranean, originally built by the Byzantines and taken by the Hospitallers in the 12th century. From here, head inland to visit the iconic Krak des Chevaliers, one of the best-preserved Crusader castles in the world. Walk through its massive outer walls, Gothic chapel, and storage halls before reaching the Christian village of Al-Mishtaya for overnight.

This route shows how coastal trade and fortifications were linked during medieval times.

Travel Distance & Time: Approx. 290 km – 5.5 hours drive

Historical Context:

• Ugarit: Flourished under the Hittites and was destroyed around 1200 BCE during the Bronze Age collapse.
• Krak des Chevaliers: A key fortress on the Crusader defense line; captured by Mamluks in 1271.

Curiosities & Local Facts:

• Ugaritic tablets discovered here include diplomatic treaties, poems, and economic texts.
• Markab Castle offers views of the coastal plains once used for maritime signaling.

5 Key Highlights:

• Visit to the birthplace of alphabetic writing in Ugarit
• Strategic hilltop views from Markab Castle
• Full guided walk through Krak des Chevaliers
• Gothic-style Crusader chapel
• Overnight stay in a Christian mountain village

Important for you:
Ugarit alphabet origin, Markab coastal fortress, Crusader castle interior

Leave Al-Mishtaya early and cross the central Syrian desert toward Palmyra, once a major trading center of the Roman world. Visit the colonnaded avenue, the theater, Temple of Bel remains, and several tower tombs scattered across the necropolis.

Despite damage in recent years, key structures such as the agora and arches still allow for a clear understanding of Palmyra’s former scale and prosperity. After the site visit, continue by road back to Damascus, arriving in the evening.

This day gives a direct encounter with one of the most influential cities in ancient trade history.

Travel Distance & Time: Approx. 330 km – 6 hours drive

Historical Context:

• Palmyra: Flourished during the 1st–3rd centuries CE; declared a Palmyrene Empire under Queen Zenobia.
• Temple of Bel: Constructed in 32 CE; one of the best-preserved temples in the region until recent destruction.

Curiosities & Local Facts:

• Palmyrene funerary towers were used as family mausoleums with multiple floors.
• The city layout reflects a combination of Greco-Roman and Semitic urban planning.

5 Key Highlights:

• Explore the Roman colonnaded street
• See the Palmyra theater and agora
• Tower tombs in the desert landscape
• Temple of Bel architectural remains
• Evening arrival back in Damascus

Important for you:
Palmyra trading hub, Roman desert ruins, Queen Zenobia history

After breakfast, depart from Damascus at 8:00 am. Reach the Syrian-Lebanese border by 9:00 am for exit procedures, then continue to Beirut, arriving by around 12:00 pm.

This concludes the journey through Syria’s northern coast, desert, and capital.

Travel Distance & Time: Approx. 120 km – 3 hours (including border procedures)

5 Key Highlights:

• Final departure from Damascus
• Syrian border exit
• Return to Beirut by road
• Scenic mountain and border route
• End of services

Important for you:
Syrian–Lebanese border crossing, Beirut road return, departure logistics