Itinerary
Day 1: Arrive Damascus — The Pearl of the East
Welcome at Damascus International Airport. Transfer through the modern city to the ancient heart — the Old City’s winding alleyways. Afternoon walking orientation: the Street Called Straight, the Al-Hamidiyah Souq, and evening view from Mount Qasioun. Welcome dinner featuring the full spectrum of Syrian cuisine — from Aleppo kebabs to Damascene sweets. Overnight in Damascus.
Day 2: Damascus Old City → Palmyra
Morning exploration of Old Damascus. The Umayyad Mosque with its golden mosaics depicting paradise — among the most beautiful Islamic art in existence. Saladin’s tomb. Walk through the souqs and visit the Khan As’ad Pasha caravanserai. After an early lunch, drive east across the Syrian Desert to Palmyra — the legendary city where Queen Zenobia defied the Roman Empire. Arrive in time for sunset at the ruins. The Great Colonnade, the Temple of Bel, the theater — watching the desert light turn from gold to rose to purple over these 2,000-year-old stones is an experience that stays with you forever. Overnight in Palmyra.
Day 3: Palmyra → Homs → Krak des Chevaliers
Sunrise at Palmyra — the Valley of the Tombs, the agora, and the Temple of Bel seen in the soft morning light are even more magical than the sunset. Visit the Palmyra Museum to see the remarkable funerary portraits and sculptures. Drive west through the desert to Homs. Afternoon: arrive at Krak des Chevaliers — the king of Crusader castles. After the afternoon crowds depart, explore in the golden late-afternoon light: the Hall of the Knights, the remarkable chapel with traces of medieval frescoes, the windswept battlements with views to the Mediterranean coast. Overnight near Krak.
Day 4: Saladin’s Castle → Latakia — The Mediterranean
Morning at Saladin’s Castle (Qal’at Salah al-Din), a 10th-century fortress dramatically perched between two gorges. The hand-carved moat — 28 meters deep, 156 meters long, cut entirely through solid rock by Crusader slaves — is one of the most extraordinary military engineering feats of the Middle Ages. Continue through the coastal mountains to reach the Mediterranean. Arrive in Latakia, Syria’s port city. Afternoon: beach time, swimming in the Eastern Mediterranean, seafood lunch. Visit the Roman triumphal arch and the ancient harbor. Evening seafood dinner at a waterfront restaurant. Overnight in Latakia.
Day 5: Ugarit → Maaloula → Damascus
Morning visit to Ugarit — the Bronze Age city where the first alphabet was created ~1400 BC. See the royal palace where the alphabet tablets were discovered, changing our understanding of writing forever. Drive inland through the coastal mountains to Maaloula, the cliffside village where Aramaic — the language of Jesus Christ — remains a living tongue. Visit the monasteries and hear the Lord’s Prayer in the language it was first spoken. Return to Damascus. Farewell dinner in the Old City. Overnight in Damascus.
Day 6: Departure
Morning at leisure — final exploration of the Old City, last-minute shopping for Damascene textiles, inlaid woodwork, and rose water. Transfer to Damascus International Airport or to Beirut for extended travel in Lebanon.
