Half a day in Palmyra: walking the ruins

The ruin field at Palmyra is flat and open, and half a day on foot is enough to see it. This route walks 800 metres over three stops: it starts in the courtyard of the Temple of Bel, pauses on the seating of the Roman theatre, and ends at the tetrapylon crossing on the colonnaded street. It is not the distance that is hard, it is the sun. There is no shade on the site and the stone gives the heat back in the afternoon — which is why the plan is built around the morning.

The route

Start at the Temple of Bel, the stop closest to the modern town. The courtyard walls and the monumental gateway largely stand; the temple building in the middle was blown up in 2015 and its place is now a bare platform. Leave the courtyard to the northwest, pass under the monumental arch and follow the line of columns: the theatre is 740 metres ahead, on the south edge of the street. Step out of the stage building and you are on the colonnaded street within a few paces. The street runs 1100 metres in all; walk northwest along it to the crossing where the tetrapylon stands. Most of the copied columns raised there in 1963 came down in 2017. The crossing still reads as the point where the street changes angle.

Timing

Be at the Temple of Bel at 08:00. The first hour is the coolest of the day, and the courtyard wall takes its light from the east. At 09:30 start walking northwest; the columns throw side shadows at that hour, and it is the best window for photographs. You reach the theatre around 10:00. Half an hour on the seating is enough. At 11:00 you are at the tetrapylon crossing. Do not stay past 12:00: the shade runs out and the walk back feels long. If you want the castle or the valley tombs as well, they belong to a separate day.

Take care

No water is sold on the site; buy two bottles in town. A hat and closed shoes are needed, as the ground is stony and uneven. Stay on the marked paths, do not walk out beyond the edge of the ruin field, and follow local warnings. The entrance fee and the hours the site is open both change — check at the gate and carry cash. April to May and October to November are the easiest months. In high summer, finish the walk before midday.