Tailor this guide:
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Routes
Four itineraries that actually work
Built around what is open and how long the driving really takes. Each assumes a car and driver, which is the normal way to move here.
The best first trip, entirely within the reliably open west.
Day 1
Arrive Damascus
Settle into the Old City. Evening walk to the Umayyad Mosque and dinner in a courtyard house.
Day 2
Damascus in full
Souk Hamidiyya, Straight Street, Azem Palace, then Qasioun at sunset.
Day 3
Maaloula and Bosra
Aramaic in the morning, Roman basalt in the afternoon. Long but rewarding.
Day 4
Krak des Chevaliers
Drive north, castle for two hours, lunch in Marmarita, on to Homs or the coast.
Day 5
Hama and back
The norias on the Orontes, then return to Damascus for departure.