How many days do you need in Tartus?
The city is half a day: the cathedral, the lanes inside the fortress and the corniche. The second half goes to Arwad — twenty minutes by boat, an hour to walk the island. With two days, give the second one to the interior: Amrit to the south, Safita to the east. With one day only, take the cathedral and the fortress in the morning and the island in the afternoon.
- Suggested length
- 1–2 days
- Total visiting time across these places
- 27 hours 45 minutes
- Best season
- April–June, September–October
Ready-made routes
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By car · 1 dayFrom al-Shaykh Badr to Hawat al-Jubab: the town of the 1918 revolt, two hill castles and a sinkhole
A day by car in the hills of Tartus: al-Shaykh Badr, where Saleh al-Ali declared revolt in 1918, the castles of al-Kahf and Qadmus, and a sinkhole 35 metres deep.
By car · 1 daySafita to Jabal al-Nabi Matta: a hill town, the Dreikish reservoir and a planted chestnut forest
A day trip by car from Tartus: Safita's houses built from castle stone, the springs of Duraykish, a lake behind a 41-metre dam and a chestnut forest at 1100 metres.
By car · 1 dayTartus to Baniyas: Maraclea, Burj al-Sabi, Margat and Qalaat al-Qawz
A day's drive north from Tartus: the sunken base of the Maraclea tower, the Burj al-Sabi lookout, Margat Castle, Bronze Age walls in Baniyas and a coastal khan.
What to see
- Al-Shaykh Badr, Tartus · 20th century
Sheikh Saleh al-Ali Mausoleum and Museum, al-Shaykh Badr
The hilltop tomb of Saleh al-Ali, who launched the 1918 revolt against French rule, with a museum of the uprising above al-Shaykh Badr and an April festival.
Tartus · hill townSafita, the Hill Town Around the White Tower
Spread over three hills south-east of Tartus, Safita grew out of the stones of a Crusader castle: the line of its outer wall, the Castle Quarter, an Ottoman past.
Dreikish, Tartus · reservoir lakeDreikish Dam and Lake
A 41-metre rockfill dam on the Qais river north of Dreikish, with a lake a kilometre long behind it. Built for drinking water, in a valley ringed by villages.
Arwad Island · Phoenician eraThe Phoenician Walls of Arwad Island
Giant stone blocks facing the open sea on Arwad's west shore: what an 1853 survey measured, the rock-cut ditch, and what can still be seen of the wall today.
- Tartus · Bronze Age to Hellenistic
Tell Kazel, the Ancient City of Sumur
A mound rising 25 metres above the Akkar plain south of Tartus: Sumur of the Amarna letters. What was found, where the finds are and what to know before you go.
Tartus mountains · 1100 metresJabal al-Nabi Matta Forest Reserve
A 650-hectare reserve at 1100 metres in the Tartus mountains, planted with chestnut, pine and cedar since 1976, with a shrine on top. Protected since 2009.
Transparency
- How this was chosen
- The answer on this page is written by hand. The lists are built from published records tied to this city and grow on their own as records are added.
- Facts checked
- August 2026
- Last updated
- September 15, 2026