Routes
Tested itineraries, from half a day to a full week.
172 Routes
3 days in Damascus: the Old City, the museum quarter and the Qalamoun
Damascus split into three days: the walled city on foot, the museum quarter and Qasioun, then Maaloula. 130 kilometres, day by day, with distances and times.
20 hours · 130 km · 8 stops · Easy
Half a day in Damascus: the museum, the Takiyya and the Hejaz station
Three stops and 800 metres at the west end of Damascus: a museum doorway carried in from the desert, a courtyard by Sinan, and the pilgrimage railway station.
3 hours · 0.8 km · 3 stops · Easy
Down the Syrian coast: Latakia to Tartus in 2 days
Ugarit, Jableh, Margat, Amrit and Arwad on one coastal line. 130 kilometres over two days, with distances, timings and the boat crossing out to the island.
16 hours · 130 km · 5 stops · Easy
Christian heritage from Homs to Tartus: five stops in two days
From two churches in Homs to a Crusader cathedral on the coast: Umm al-Zunnar, Mar Elian, Krak, Safita. 119 kilometres over two days, planned hour by hour.
16 hours · 119 km · 5 stops · Easy
A second day in Idlib: from Ebla to Saint Simeon
A second day in Idlib, 190 kilometres: the palace archive under Ebla, the Byzantine basilica at Ruweiha, and Mar Semaan in the north. A long driving day, hour by hour.
8 hours · 190.1 km · 3 stops · Moderate
From Hama to Shayzar and Apamea: a day in the Orontes valley
Three stops from Hama in one day, 129 kilometres: Shayzar castle on its rock spine, the lived-in walls of Qalaat al-Mudiq, and the colonnade of Apamea.
8 hours · 128.6 km · 3 stops · Moderate
From Jdeideh to the souk: four stops on foot in Aleppo
2000 metres and four stops in Aleppo: the square of Jdeideh, two merchant houses, and a khan on the east side of the souk. Narrow doors, wide courtyards.
3 hours · 2 km · 4 stops · Easy
From the museum to the citadel: a walking day in Aleppo
From the museum to the citadel in Aleppo, 1800 metres and four stops: the Tell Halaf gate, the clock tower, the vaulted souk, and the mound at the end.
6 hours · 1.8 km · 4 stops · Moderate
Aleppo’s courtyards on foot: from Jalloum to the citadel square
1200 metres and four stops in old Aleppo: the pool of a Mamluk hospital, the Shibani courtyard, the Byzantine capitals at Halawiye, and a striped bathhouse.
3 hours · 1.2 km · 4 stops · Easy
On the Umayyad trail: 4 days from Damascus across the desert to Aleppo
Two great mosques of around 715 and the steppe between them: Damascus, Palmyra, Qasr Ibn Wardan, Aleppo. 525 kilometres over 4 days, with distances and timing.
32 hours · 525 km · 4 stops · Moderate
Crusader castles of Syria: five castles in three days, Tartus to Latakia
Five Crusader castles from Tartus to Latakia: Yahmur, Safita, Krak, Margat, Saladin. 273 kilometres over three days, with distances and a day-by-day plan.
24 hours · 273 km · 5 stops · Moderate
A day among the monasteries north of Damascus: Saidnaya, Maaloula and Deir Mar Musa
Three monasteries north of Damascus in one day: Saidnaya at dawn, the gorge at Maaloula, and 350 steps up to Deir Mar Musa. 200 kilometres, hour by hour.
11 hours · 200 km · 3 stops · Moderate
