Syria Classic: 10-Day Complete Journey from Damascus to Aleppo & Palmyra

Itinerary

Day 1: Arrive Damascus — The Oldest Continuously Inhabited Capital

Welcome to Syria. Your RJ Travel guide meets you at Damascus International Airport or the Lebanon border crossing — visa approval letter arranged for all clients. Transfer to your boutique hotel in the Old City, a UNESCO World Heritage site where stone alleyways have absorbed the footsteps of prophets, emperors, and merchants for 5,000 years. Evening orientation walk through the Old City — the aroma of cardamom coffee, freshly baked bread, and centuries of spice trade. Welcome dinner in a restored Damascene courtyard house. Overnight in Damascus.

Day 2: Damascus Immersion — Umayyad Mosque, Straight Street & Souqs

Full-day deep dive into Old Damascus. Begin at the Umayyad Mosque — one of Islam’s holiest sites, built on a site that has been sacred for 3,000 years (Roman temple of Jupiter, then Christian basilica of St. John the Baptist). Visit the shrine of Saladin, the great Kurdish sultan who recaptured Jerusalem from the Crusaders. Walk the ancient Straight Street mentioned in the Bible (Acts 9:11). Explore the Khan As’ad Pasha caravanserai — an 18th-century Ottoman masterpiece. Lunch in the Al-Hamidiyah Souq, the covered market that has been trading silk, spices, and stories since the Roman era. Afternoon: visit the National Museum of Damascus to see artifacts from Mari, Ugarit, and Palmyra. Evening rooftop tea overlooking the Umayyad Mosque. Overnight in Damascus.

Day 3: Damascus → Maaloula → Krak des Chevaliers → Hama

Morning departure to Maaloula — one of the last places on Earth where Aramaic, the language of Jesus, is still spoken. Visit the Monastery of Saints Sergius and Bacchus (4th century) and the cliffside Saint Thecla Convent — hear the Lord’s Prayer in Aramaic. Continue through spectacular mountain scenery to Krak des Chevaliers — the greatest Crusader castle ever built. Standing on its battlements, you understand why T.E. Lawrence called it “the finest castle in the world.” Explore the Hall of the Knights, the chapel, the massive storerooms, and the ingenious defensive system that withstood a 36-day siege. Descend to the Orontes Valley and the city of Hama, famous for its 17 massive wooden water wheels (norias) that have creaked along the river since the 13th century. Overnight in Hama.

Day 4: Apamea & Dead Cities → Aleppo

Morning visit to Apamea — one of the most spectacular Greco-Roman sites in the Middle East, with a 2-kilometer colonnade of 1,200 columns stretching across the plain. Founded by Seleucus I Nicator in 300 BC, Apamea once housed 500,000 people and 500 elephants. Continue to the haunting Dead Cities of the limestone massif — 700 abandoned Byzantine settlements frozen in time since the 7th century, their stone houses, churches, and olive presses remarkably intact. Afternoon drive to Aleppo, Syria’s second city and one of the oldest continuously occupied cities in the world. Evening walk through the newly restored Old City. Overnight in Aleppo.

Day 5: Aleppo — Citadel, Grand Souq & Armenian Quarter

Full-day exploration of Aleppo. Begin at the Citadel — a massive fortress on a 50-meter hill that has been fortified since the 3rd millennium BC. The views from the top span the entire city. Walk through the Grand Serail, the Armenian Quarter, and the Christian neighborhoods. Visit the Great Mosque of Aleppo and the Al-Madina Souq — one of the largest covered markets in the world, where merchants have traded for over 800 years. Watch Aleppo soap being made by hand using laurel oil and olive oil, a tradition dating back centuries. Afternoon visit to the Baron Hotel — where Agatha Christie wrote part of “Murder on the Orient Express” and Lawrence of Arabia stayed. Evening in the Al-Jdeida quarter with its beautifully restored courtyard restaurants. Overnight in Aleppo.

Day 6: Aleppo → Saint Simeon → Ebla → Latakia

Morning visit to the Church of Saint Simeon Stylites — an extraordinary 5th-century complex built around the pillar where Simeon lived for 37 years, inspiring a generation of pillar-dwelling ascetics. Continue to the ruins of Ebla — a Bronze Age kingdom discovered in 1964 that rewrote the history of the ancient Near East. The Ebla tablets (17,000 cuneiform documents) revealed one of humanity’s earliest written languages. Drive through the coastal mountains to Latakia, Syria’s Mediterranean port. Afternoon at leisure on the beach — the Mediterranean coast that was part of ancient Phoenicia. Evening seafood dinner at a seaside restaurant. Overnight in Latakia.

Day 7: Ugarit & Saladin’s Castle → Homs

Visit Ugarit — the Bronze Age city where the world’s first alphabet was created around 1400 BC. See the royal palace, the library where the alphabet tablets were found, and the temples of Baal and Dagan. Continue to Saladin’s Castle (Qal’at Salah al-Din) — a Crusader fortress built on a dramatic ridge between two gorges, with a 28-meter-deep moat cut entirely by hand through solid rock. Afternoon drive to Homs and visit the Church of Saint Elian with its remarkable Byzantine mosaics. Overnight in Homs.

Day 8: Palmyra — Queen of the Desert

Full-day excursion to Palmyra — one of the most important archaeological sites in the world. Walk the Great Colonnade, the 1,100-meter avenue that was the main street of this desert metropolis. Stand before the Temple of Bel, the Monumental Arch, and the theater. Visit the Valley of the Tombs with its distinctive tower tombs where Palmyrene families were buried for generations. Climb to the Arab Castle for the iconic panorama of the ruins at sunset — one of the most unforgettable views in the Middle East. Lunch with a Bedouin family. Return to Damascus in the evening. Overnight in Damascus.

Day 9: Bosra & Southern Syria

Journey south to Bosra, the ancient Nabatean and Roman city with one of the best-preserved Roman theaters in the world — a 15,000-seat amphitheater enclosed within a massive Ayyubid citadel. Walk the black basalt streets lined with Roman columns, visit the early Christian cathedral, and explore the ancient cisterns. Lunch in a traditional restaurant in the old city. Afternoon visit to the Roman aqueduct and the Temple of Baalshamin. Return to Damascus for a farewell dinner in the Old City. Overnight in Damascus.

Day 10: Departure

Morning at leisure in Damascus — last chance for the souqs, a final cardamom coffee, or a visit to the Azem Palace (18th-century Ottoman governor’s residence). Transfer to Damascus International Airport or overland to Beirut for departure. Ma’a salama — go in peace.

What’s Included

• Air-conditioned vehicle
• Driver
• Fuel Cost, Parking Fee, Toll Fee
• Accommodation in selected hotels
• Daily breakfast

What’s Not Included

• Entrance fees to attractions
• Tour Guide
• Meal (lunch and dinner)
• International flights
• Travel insurance
• Personal expenses