Practical information
Visas, border crossings, cash, SIM cards, getting between cities — where the plan is built.
145 Practical
Donating and volunteering: what a visitor can usefully do
Spending locally, checking an organisation, the traps in volunteer tourism and the ethics of photographing children — where good intentions help and where they harm.
Travel insurance for Syria: which clause matters
Most standard policies exclude Syria outright. Which clauses to check, why medical evacuation is the one that counts, and how to get an answer in writing.
Beirut to Damascus by road
It is 115 km from Beirut to Damascus through the Masnaa crossing. The drive takes two and a half hours; the border decides the rest. Options and fares.
Jordan to Syria: Amman to Damascus overland
The Jaber-Nasib gate sits 80 km north of Amman. Buses, shared taxis and private cars, the exit tax, and why the status of the crossing keeps on moving.
Iraq to Syria by land: which gates are open
Al-Qaim, Rabia and Semalka have all reopened. What each of those gates gives a foreign traveller is another question entirely: the known and the unknown.
Aleppo airport to the city centre
Aleppo International is 7 km from the centre and the drive takes 20-25 minutes. No meters, no bus route. What a taxi should cost, and who flies into it.
Which airlines fly to Syria
Who lands at Damascus and Aleppo, which cities they come from and how often they fly. The timetable moved fast through 2026, so read the date first of all.
Taxis in Syria: fares, bargaining and apps
Meters do not run, there is no tariff, and the fare is agreed before you get in. City fare bands, the local ride-hailing apps and what changes at night.
Getting around town: microbuses and buses
The white microbuses carry the cities: fixed routes, a fare of a few pounds, and no stops at all. How to board, how to pay, and what women need to know.
Finding your way in Syria: offline maps and addresses
Main roads map well and souq lanes do not. Addresses here run on landmarks rather than street names, and GPS is not always reliable. How to find a way.
Do trains run in Syria? The state of the railway today
Trains move on these tracks, but none of them carry passengers. Which lines work, which are shut, where the Hejaz line stands, and what you can board.
Syrian customs: what you can bring and what you cannot
Cash declarations, electronics, medicines, drones and radios. The written limits at entry and exit, the gaps between them, and what to ask at the gate.