How to get to Tartus: the Arida crossing, Homs and the coast road

There are three ways into Tartus: from northern Lebanon through the Arida crossing, from Damascus via Homs, and from Latakia along the coastal motorway. The city has no airport and no passenger trains run, so all three are by road. This page spends most time on Arida, because the crossing changed twice between 2025 and 2026. There is no dated information on crossing hours, visa practice, fares or bus times; check those before you set off.

From Lebanon: is the Arida crossing open?

Partly. Arida is the shortest way onto the Syrian coast from the Tripoli side and the closest land crossing to Tartus. It reopened in June 2025, and heavy traffic in the following days made the news. According to Syria’s General Authority for Borders and Customs, about 45,000 travellers passed through in the first half of 2026, while the crossing worked only in part during repairs to its bridge and facilities.

The repairs centre on the border bridge, 72 metres long and 26 metres wide. The Tartus governorate said in June 2026 that the work was nearly complete, with the aim of restoring goods and passenger traffic. The numbers show the crossing is still secondary: in the same six months the Jousieh crossing in rural Homs handled 625,000 travellers, and Jdeidet Yabous on the Damascus road about 1,700,000.

If Arida is closed, which crossing?

From northern Lebanon the best-known alternative is Jousieh. The road from there leads to Homs, and Tartus lies west of Homs, so the journey is longer. There is also the Jisr Qamar crossing, opened in early May 2026; the authority’s figures show about 100,000 travellers for the half-year. Ask which road it connects to, and whether it is taking passengers that day, before you leave. From Beirut the main route is the Damascus road, covered on the Beirut to Damascus overland page.

From Damascus and Homs

From Damascus the M5 motorway runs to Homs: about 160 kilometres, roughly two hours. Tartus is west of Homs, close to 90 kilometres away. Intercity buses arrive at the new garage in Tartus (Al-Karaj al-Jadid). It lies south-east of the centre, close to three kilometres in a straight line from the old town, so a taxi or service taxi takes you on to your hotel. How buses, minibuses and shared taxis work is on the intercity transport page.

From Latakia along the coast

The M1 coastal motorway links Latakia and Tartus, a distance of close to 90 kilometres. The road is flat and passes Jableh and Baniyas. A coastal route spreads the same drive over two days with stops. Getting to Latakia is a separate question, answered on the how to get to Latakia page.

Crossing hours and visas

There is no dated source for the opening hours of Arida or the other Lebanese crossings, and the state of the crossing shifted during the repairs. Syria’s visa practice has changed several times since 2025; what each passport meets at the border is on the visa page. Before setting off, ask two things: which hours the crossing is open that day, and whether passenger traffic is full or restricted.