A half-day walk in Tartus: from inside the castle to the cathedral

There is not much ground to cover in Tartus, and that is exactly what this route promises: two stops, 550 metres between them, under a kilometre and a half of walking in all. But the two stops are two faces of the same thing. The Templars took the town in 1152, built a castle with double walls on the shore, and raised a cathedral a few streets away. The castle is now a neighbourhood, the cathedral is now a museum. Get the hour right and both stand in the same light.

The route

Begin on the seafront. At the north end of the corniche the castle wall rises straight from the edge of the road. One gate sits at the northwest corner, another on the north side; both look like the mouth of a lane, with no sign. Inside there is a square courtyard and the houses sit on top of the wall, cut Crusader stone showing between them. Leave the square and follow the ditch on the north and east sides — that trench is what separates the old town from the modern one. Then southeast: the cathedral is 550 metres on, seven minutes, outside the walls, with an open square in front of it. Round the corner and the whole west front is there.

Timing

Be on the corniche at 14:00. The first two hours go on the neighbourhood and nothing needs hurrying: narrow lanes, plenty of shade, people at home. Walk to the cathedral at 16:00. The west front takes the afternoon light head-on and the pointed portal reads properly at that hour. Inside is the Tartus Museum, where the finds from Amrit and Ugarit are kept and Roman sarcophagi stand in the garden. Closing time is not fixed, so ask before you go. At 18:00 you are back on the corniche, finishing the day at the sea.

Take care

The old town is an address, not a museum: people live there. Do not walk into courtyards, and ask before photographing washing lines and windows. The cathedral now works as a museum, and both the entrance fee and the hours vary, so confirm them at the door. The paving is uneven and stepped in places, which makes this route hard in a wheelchair. There is no shade on the corniche at midday in summer, which is why the day is built around the afternoon.