What is Zabadani famous for?
Zabadani is known as the summer highland of Damascus: a plain at 1250 metres between two mountain ranges, apple and cherry orchards, and summers 5 to 8 degrees cooler than the capital. Bloudan, just above it at 1500 metres, holds snow in winter. The Barada rises in this plain, and the water that Damascus drinks starts here and runs down through Wadi Barada. The town was heavily damaged between 2012 and 2017 and the repair is still going on, so seeing it means seeing a place being put back together.
Highlights
- The apple, apricot and walnut orchards that cover the Zabadani plain
- Bloudan at 1500 metres, on the slope looking down over the plain
- The end of the Beirut line at Serghaya and its old turntable
- The Roman road cut into the cliff at Souq Wadi Barada, with its Latin tablets
- The plain where the Barada rises: the water of Damascus starts here
What to see
Zabadani · a reservoir dammed in 1969Zarzar Lake
A reservoir at about 1200 metres on the road to Zabadani, dammed in 1969. It dried out in summer 2025 and refilled in 2026; what to check before you go.
- Zabadani · hill town
Madaya
A hill town looking down on the Zabadani plain: apple and cherry orchards, spring water, and the two years it spent under siege between 2015 and 2017.
- Wadi Barada · ancient Abila
Souq Wadi Barada
The site of ancient Abila, in the narrowest gorge of the Barada valley. A Roman road cut into the cliff, the Latin tablets above it, and rock-cut tombs.
North of Zabadani · 1446 metresSerghaya
A border town at 1446 metres, 12 kilometres north of Zabadani. Apple and cherry orchards, and the last stop on the narrow-gauge line that came up from Beirut.
Above Zabadani · 1500 metresBloudan
A town at 1500 metres, 5 kilometres above the Zabadani plain. Almond woods, terraced orchards, and a name that two Arab summits once borrowed from it.
Ready-made routes
- By car · 8 hours
From Maysalun to the Zabadani plain: Lake Zarzar, Madaya and Bloudan in a day
A day up the old Beirut road: the 1920 Maysalun tomb, Lake Zarzar behind its 1969 dam, the orchards of Madaya and Bloudan at 1500 metres above the plain.
By car · 1 dayUp the Barada valley to Zabadani and Bloudan: one day
A day out of Damascus climbing into the highlands: ancient Abila, the Zabadani plain, Bloudan at 1500 metres and Serghaya on the border. 137 kilometres.
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
- September 2026
- Last updated
- September 15, 2026