Syria Ancient Kingdoms: 10 Days Damascus, Palmyra & Aleppo

Tour Overview

Itinerary Highlights

Day 1: Arrive Damascus — The World’s Oldest Continuously Inhabited Capital

Arrive at Damascus International Airport. Damascus has been continuously inhabited for over 5,000 years — it predates recorded history. Transfer to your hotel in the Old City. Afternoon orientation walk through the narrow lanes of Old Damascus. Welcome dinner in a restored Damascene house with a courtyard fountain — taste the city’s famous sweets: baklava with Syrian pistachios. Overnight in Damascus.

Day 2: Damascus — Umayyad Mosque & Old City

Full day exploring Old Damascus (UNESCO). Morning: visit the Umayyad Mosque (705 AD), one of Islam’s holiest sites and one of the world’s most magnificent mosques. Built on a site that has been a place of worship for 3,000+ years — Roman temple of Jupiter, then a Christian cathedral housing the head of John the Baptist (still venerated here). The courtyard’s golden mosaics of paradise gardens are breathtaking. Visit the tomb of Saladin, the great Muslim commander who recaptured Jerusalem from the Crusaders. Afternoon: walk the Street Called Straight (mentioned in the Bible, Acts 9:11) to the ancient Roman Arch. Get lost in Souk al-Hamidiyeh, the covered bazaar stretching over a kilometer under a vaulted iron roof. Visit the Azem Palace (1749), a masterpiece of Damascene architecture. Evening: sunset from the rooftop of a café overlooking the Umayyad Mosque. Overnight in Damascus.

Day 3: Damascus — Sayyida Zeinab & Old Houses

Morning: visit the Shrine of Sayyida Zeinab, a stunning complex of blue-tiled domes and golden minarets, an important Shia pilgrimage site. Afternoon: visit traditional Damascene houses — Beit Nizam, Beit Jabri, and Beit Siba’i — with their exquisite painted ceilings (ajami) and marble fountains. Visit the National Museum of Damascus, home to extraordinary artifacts including the Ugarit alphabet tablets (the world’s oldest alphabet, 14th century BC) and frescoes from Dura-Europos. Evening: hammam experience in a 600-year-old bathhouse. Overnight in Damascus.

Day 4: Maaloula & Krak des Chevaliers

Morning drive to Maaloula, a cliffside Christian village where Aramaic — the language spoken by Jesus — is still spoken by the elderly. Visit the Monastery of St. Thecla, built into the cliff face. Continue to Krak des Chevaliers (UNESCO), the greatest Crusader castle in the world and one of the finest medieval fortifications ever built. T.E. Lawrence called it “perhaps the best preserved and most wholly admirable castle in the world.” Walk the battlements, explore the great hall, and imagine the Knights Hospitaller defending against Saladin’s armies. Overnight in Homs or Hama.

Day 5: Hama Norias & Apamea

Morning in Hama — see the famous norias (water wheels), massive wooden wheels up to 20m in diameter that have been lifting water from the Orontes River since the 13th century, groaning and creaking beautifully. Drive to Apamea, a once-magnificent Hellenistic city founded by Seleucus I (one of Alexander the Great’s generals) in 300 BC. Walk the 1.85km colonnaded main street — originally lined with 1,200 columns, many still standing, making it one of the longest Roman colonnades in the world. Overnight in Aleppo.

Day 6: Aleppo — Citadel & Souks

Full day in Aleppo, one of the world’s oldest continuously inhabited cities and a UNESCO World Heritage site (severely damaged but remarkably resilient). Morning: visit the Aleppo Citadel, a massive fortified hill rising 50m above the city — one of the largest and oldest castles in the world, with evidence of occupation dating back to the 3rd millennium BC. Explore the restored sections and see the reconstruction work in progress. Afternoon: walk through the Old City’s medieval souks — stretching 13km, they were once the longest covered market in the world. Many sections are being rebuilt. Visit the Great Mosque of Aleppo (715 AD) with its 45m square minaret. Evening: Aleppo’s famous cuisine — kebab karaz (sour cherry kebab), muhammara, and mabruma (pistachio pastry). Overnight in Aleppo.

Day 7: Dead Cities — Serjilla & Al-Bara

Full-day excursion to the Dead Cities (UNESCO), a collection of 700+ abandoned Byzantine settlements dating from the 1st to 7th centuries AD — remarkably well-preserved ghost towns in the limestone hills. Visit Serjilla, the best-preserved site with its bathhouse, church, and villas still standing. Visit Al-Bara, the largest Dead City with pyramid-roofed tombs scattered across olive groves. These cities were abandoned after the Arab conquest, their stone buildings left to time — the effect is hauntingly beautiful. Overnight in Aleppo.

Day 8: Palmyra — The Desert Queen

Full-day excursion to Palmyra (UNESCO). Once one of the most important cultural centers of the ancient world, Palmyra was a wealthy caravan city where East met West. Despite severe damage, the site remains extraordinarily moving. Walk through the monumental arch, the colonnaded street (originally 1.1km of 375 columns), the Temple of Bel, the theater, and the Valley of the Tombs with its distinctive tower tombs. The museum houses rescued artifacts and the famous Palmyra Lion. This is a site of resilience and hope. Return to Damascus. Overnight in Damascus.

Day 9: Bosra — Roman Amphitheater

Day trip to Bosra (UNESCO), home to one of the best-preserved Roman theaters in the world (capacity 15,000). The theater survived because it was fortified by the Ayyubids, who built a massive citadel around it. Walk the perfectly intact stage building and seating area. Visit the early Christian cathedral (Bosra was an important early Christian center — the Prophet Muhammad is said to have visited as a young trader). Farewell dinner in Damascus. Overnight in Damascus.

Day 10: Depart Damascus

Morning at the souk for final souvenirs. Transfer to airport.

Inclusions

• 9 nights accommodation (4 Damascus + 2 Aleppo + 1 Homs + 2 Damascus)
• Daily breakfast + 7 dinners
• All transport (private air-conditioned vehicle)
• Krak des Chevaliers UNESCO guided tour
• Palmyra guided tour (full day from Damascus)
• Dead Cities excursion (Serjilla & Al-Bara)
• Maaloula Aramaic-speaking village
• Apamea colonnade visit
• Bosra Roman theater
• All museum entries
• Professional English-speaking guide
• Airport transfers

Why Syria

• Damascus — the world’s oldest continuously inhabited capital, 5,000+ years of history
• Palmyra — the legendary desert queen, crossroads of civilizations
• Krak des Chevaliers — the greatest Crusader castle ever built
• Aleppo — the world’s largest covered souk and one of humanity’s greatest cities
• Maaloula — hear the language of Jesus still spoken in a cliffside village
• Apamea — 1.85km of Roman columns stretching to the horizon