Itinerary
Day 1: Arrive Damascus
Airport meet-and-greet. Transfer to your Old City hotel. Welcome briefing and orientation. Evening: walk through the Old City — the streets where Saul of Tarsus walked blind, where Saladin planned his campaigns, and where merchants from the Silk Road traded for millennia. Welcome dinner of Syrian mezze. Overnight in Damascus.
Day 2: Damascus — The Living Museum
Full day in Old Damascus, a UNESCO World Heritage site. Umayyad Mosque — the marble courtyard, golden mosaics, and the shrine of John the Baptist. Saladin’s mausoleum. Walk the Via Recta (Straight Street) — the same street named in the Bible. The House of Saint Ananias. Al-Hamidiyah Souq — the grand covered market that has traded continuously since Roman times. Afternoon: Azem Palace, the opulent 18th-century Ottoman governor’s residence. Sunset tea overlooking the mosque courtyard. Overnight in Damascus.
Day 3: Maaloula → Hama → Aleppo
Morning to Maaloula — hear the Lord’s Prayer in Aramaic, the language of Jesus, still spoken in this cliffside village. Visit the monasteries carved into the mountainside. Continue to Hama to see the famous wooden waterwheels (norias) — 17 of them, some dating to the 13th century, still creaking along the Orontes River. Lunch by the river. Afternoon drive to Aleppo. Overnight in Aleppo.
Day 4: Aleppo — Citadel, Souqs & Soap
Full-day immersion in Aleppo. The Citadel dominates the city from its 50-meter hill — explore the throne room, the Ayyubid palace, and the panoramic views. The Great Mosque of Aleppo with its distinctive square minaret. The Al-Madina Souq — kilometers of vaulted stone passages selling everything from spices to textiles to the city’s legendary laurel soap. Watch soap-makers at work, just as their ancestors did centuries ago. Visit the Armenian Quarter and the beautifully restored Al-Jdeida neighborhood. Overnight in Aleppo.
Day 5: Apamea → Krak des Chevaliers
Morning at the Dead Cities — haunting Byzantine ghost towns frozen since the 7th century. Continue to Apamea — one of the greatest classical cities of the East. Walk the 2-kilometer colonnade of 1,200 columns — the main street that once saw elephants, chariots, and philosophers. The views stretch across the Ghab plain. Afternoon: Krak des Chevaliers — the most magnificent Crusader castle in existence. Explore the great hall, the chapel, the defensive galleries, and the wind-swept battlements. Overnight near Homs.
Day 6: Palmyra — Queen of the Desert
Full day at Palmyra, the bride of the Syrian desert. Walk the Great Colonnade, the monumental axis of a city that once rivaled Rome. The Temple of Bel, the theater, the tetrapylon, and the agora. Explore the Valley of the Tombs — the tower tombs where wealthy Palmyrene families built their eternity. Climb to the 13th-century Arab Castle for the definitive sunset panorama. Return to Damascus for farewell dinner. Overnight in Damascus.
Day 7: Departure
Final morning in the Old City — one last coffee, one last walk through the souq. Transfer to airport. Ma’a salama.
