Routes
Tested itineraries, from half a day to a full week.
100 Routes
Raqqa’s four cities: a half-day walk and drive from the Abbasid walls to Tuttul
Half a day in Raqqa: walk Bab Baghdad and the walls of al-Rafiqa, then drive to the tells of Tuttul and Tell Zeidan. About 27 km, with timings and access notes.
4.5 hours · 26.6 km · 5 stops · Moderate
Half a day around Shahba: Tell Shihan, the mosaic museum and the Nimreh bridge
Shahba read from the edge of the Lajat: the extinct volcano of Tell Shihan, the Roman town and its mosaics, and the single-arch Nimreh bridge. 24 km; closed today.
6 hours · 24.3 km · 4 stops · Easy
From Shahba to Umm al-Zaytoun, Shaqqa and Mushannaf: a day in the Roman Hauran
Three Roman villages on the edge of the Lajat: a kalybe dated 282, Shaqqa, a city from 287, and the temple at Mushannaf. 69 kilometres; not drivable today.
7 hours · 69 km · 3 stops · Easy
Raqqa to Resafa along the Roman frontier: Heraqla, Sura and Tetrapyrgium
A day trip from Raqqa along the Roman frontier: Heraqla’s stone platform, the legionary city of Sura, the fort of Tetrapyrgium and Resafa. About 187 km by car.
10.5 hours · 187.4 km · 4 stops · Hard
Masyaf to Krak des Chevaliers in a day, via Montferrand and Raphanea
A full day south from Masyaf Castle: the old town’s fountain, the Crusader castle of Montferrand at Ba’rin, Roman Raphanea and Krak des Chevaliers by afternoon.
9 hours · 55.7 km · 5 stops · Moderate
From Maysalun to the Zabadani plain: Lake Zarzar, Madaya and Bloudan in a day
A day up the old Beirut road: the 1920 Maysalun tomb, Lake Zarzar behind its 1969 dam, the orchards of Madaya and Bloudan at 1500 metres above the plain.
8 hours · 119 km · 4 stops · Easy
Old Latakia on foot: from the National Museum to the Roman arch
A half-day walk in Latakia: the museum garden, Khan al-Hinta and the Al-Jadid Mosque built on Roman columns, a Crusader chapel turned mosque and the Roman arch.
3.5 hours · 3.2 km · 7 stops · Easy
Maaloula on foot: from Mar Thecla through the gorge to Mar Sarkis
A half-day walk in Maaloula: the Convent of Saint Thecla against the cliff, the al-Fajj gorge through the rock and Mar Sarkis above. Just over a kilometre, uphill.
3 hours · 1.2 km · 3 stops · Moderate
Agatha Christie’s Khabur: Chagar Bazar, Tell Brak and Tell Barri from Qamishli
In the footsteps of Max Mallowan and Agatha Christie’s digs of 1935-1937: Chagar Bazar, Tell Hazna, Tell Brak and Tell Barri on a 144-kilometre day from Qamishli.
9 hours · 143.7 km · 4 stops · Moderate
Ismaili castles of the coastal mountains: Al-Kahf, Qadmus, Aleika and Maniqa
Four Nizari Ismaili strongholds in one day: Sinan’s Al-Kahf, Qadmus on its rock, the double-walled Aleika and Maniqa above Jableh. About 50 km of mountain road.
9 hours · 49.6 km · 4 stops · Moderate
Villages of the Valley of the Christians: a day from Marmarita to Mizyeneh
A day through the villages of the Valley of the Christians: old Marmarita, the Fawwar spring, Saint George’s Monastery, Krak and a basalt church in Mizyeneh.
8 hours · 19.1 km · 5 stops · Easy
Old Homs on foot: from the covered souq to Bab Tadmur
A 2600-metre walk through old Homs: the covered souq, the 1923 Old Clock, two churches, the Mamluk Zahrawi Palace and the frescoed crypt of Mar Elian.
4 hours · 2.6 km · 6 stops · Easy
