Destinations

The Syrian coast consists of long stretches of beach and green mountains. These mountains are mostly covered with pine and oak trees, and their slopes touch shore. This landscape repeats itself from Ras al-Basit in the north to Tartus in the south. On the mountains are scattered villages and towns with springs of clear mineral water.

Probably the most famous crusader castle in the world, this mighty edifice, in almost mint condition, was built between 1150 and 1250 on a mountain pass between Turkey and Lebanon to protect eastern trade routes. From its great height it provides superb views over the valley and surrounding mountains.

Its rise to glory beginning under the Assyrians, the desert fortress of Palmyra (Tadmor in Arabic) lies in the centre of Syria between the Orontes River to the west and the Euphrates to the east. Located beside a hot-water spring, Afqa, this charming oasis town is most notable today for its breathtaking displays of Roman architecture in the form of its Great Colonnade, theatre, Temple of Bel, Valley of the Tombs and many other magnificent ruins covering 6 square kms. Overlooking the town is a 17th-century Arab castle where you can watch the beautiful sunsets.

Historically one of the great commercial centres of the Middle East, Syria's second city is almost as old as Damascus itself and even more interesting. There is a plethora of ancient buildings, not least the citadel, an immense structure in the heart of the old city, and the Hammam al-Nasri, the most impressive bath in the whole country. The covered souk, catering for locals not tourists, is another must.

The former capital of the Roman Province of Arabia, Bosra, situated at a crossroads of old trade routes, was the first Muslim city in Syria. Its main point of interest today is an Arab fortress enclosing one of the world's best preserved Roman amphitheatres seating up to 15,000 people. There are also baths, columns, capitals and minarets and great pools built to supply a metropolis with water.

Syria's capital is the oldest continuously inhabited city in the world. At 690m above sea-level, it grew up around the Barada River and Ghouta Oasis which enabled life to be sustained in an otherwise uninhabitable landscape. The focal point of Damascus is its charming Old City, surrounded by a Roman wall, in which the main covered market, the Souq al-Hamadiyyeh, lies among cobbled streets in the shadow of the Omayyad Mosque, built in 705 AD on the site of ancient temples and a Christian cathedral.