I made at least two earlier, failed attempts to visit Syria. I rediscovered a Bradt Syria guidebook from 2006 in my bookcase, so I probably tried around 2008-2009, but the trips got cancelled. But as I now can see the end of my “country wish list”, Syria was at the very top. As a destination, it also has the advantages that it does not require a long international flight from Western Europe and that its “Cost per WHS” is low.

So here are some tips for travelling to Syria at the moment (September 2025), with the caveat that the situation on the ground can change at any time for better or worse in this highly flammable region.

It’s open for business

It is hard to find the “best” time to visit Syria, but now it is easier than it has been for years. It still is slightly earlier on my 'Windows of Opportunity' curve (as described here) than I usually do, but it definitely is past the “sights have yet to reopen” stage. All WHS and all major Points of Interest were easily accessible, no need for permits, except for Palmyra and the Aleppo Citadel. There are many checkpoints along the roads, but they never bothered us.

Despite the difficult past years, Syria has a well-established tourism industry. Guides are professional, there are plenty of good hotels and the “old” tourism circuits have been dusted off and brought back on offer again. It has always been a much more popular destination than Iraq or Pakistan, for example: they still talk about the years 2008-2010 when millions of foreign tourists were visiting.

Don’t cut it short

There’s no shortage of 3 or 4-day in-and-out offerings to Syria, just to ‘tick’ the country. You can fly directly into Damascus nowadays as well, although the overland route from Beirut is still convenient and popular. Usually, these packages cover Damascus and a day trip to Palmyra. But there is so much to see in Syria: 10 days is a must to do it justice. All 6 WHS are worth seeing and at least in the 3.5 to 4 stars range; Damascus and Aleppo need at least a full day each (better to have 1.5 to 2 in Damascus even). Also, I found the TWHS of Apamea, Ugrarit and Maaloula recommendable. Tours to Syria in the past could be up to 3 weeks long (they routinely spent 2 full days in Aleppo), but unfortunately, not everything is there anymore.

Heritage in Danger, indeed

All 6 Syrian WHS have been placed on the In Danger List, but their kinds and levels of damage and endangerment vary. Damascus and the Crac des Chevaliers have suffered very little to no damage and they continue to function as before. On the other side of the spectrum, Aleppo and Palmyra are in such a bad state that they have lost a significant part of their OUV and it is questionable whether that can or will ever be repaired.

Maybe even more worrying is the lack of oversight at many of the archaeological sites, as the new regime does not seem to have either conservation or tourism high on its agenda. At sites like Palmyra, Serjilla and the TWHS of Apamea, there are no “officials” to guard or maintain the site. In Apamea, looting goes on until today; we saw the holes and the spades, and met two local men going around with metal detectors to search for old coins.

Stock up on large amounts of US Dollars

Although with the end of sanctions earlier this year, Syria nominally has been reconnected to the international SWIFT banking system, it still does not mean that you can pay with an international credit card or use an ATM. So you have to bring cash to pay for your entire tour (mine also required a deposit of 100 USD sent by Western Union to Beirut) and for all other expenses in the country (USD to be changed into bundles of Syrian pounds). With these required amounts, it is worth shopping around for the best dollar rate. My journey brought me to Amsterdam, where I saved 150 EUR on acquiring 2000 USD, even after the cost of the train ticket to get there.

Enjoy the food diversity

The Syrian cuisine is one of the main attractions of travelling in this country. It is as diverse as its quarreling ethnic and religious factions. It's also a sign of the great hospitality of the Syrians; they keep on bringing dishes, overstuffing the dinner table until there is no space left to put your fork down. We ate something different every day during one of the copious lunches (the main meals of the day), although some favourites like the spicy dip Muhammara and eggplant stuffed in many ways often returned on request.

My itinerary and practical details can be found at this Forum post. Please don't hesitate to contact me here or privately if you have any questions or concerns about visiting Syria at this time.

Palmyra is pretty far ‘out there’: on the 3-hour drive from Damascus, the only thing we saw was desert. It still needs a special permit to access (I visited in September 2025), but once you’re at the archaeological site itself, there is nothing: I guess it is “under control” of the Ministry of Tourism somehow, but there is no oversight, no tickets are being sold, etc. Five Bedouin men await the daily trickle of tourists with camel rides and souvenirs to sell. They are quite desperate and will follow you around.

It's a huge site, ruins everywhere. We spent 2.5 hours there, and although I made it to 12,000 steps, we did not see it all. We arrived around 9 a.m. to beat the scorching heat in this area, but at 11.30 the sun was so fierce that I retired to the shade inside the bus. And there were few other tourists, of course, only some Syrian daytrippers from Damascus. It was like having the Acropolis all to yourself.

The Temple of Baal used to be one of Palmyra’s main highlights. It lies uphill from the main residential area. Its outer walls were converted into a citadel in Arab times and that has survived pretty well. But inside, now only one lonely arch can be seen, plus a huge pile of rubble where the Temple once stood. Even if you, like me, have never been here before and you don’t really know what you’re missing, the devastation is shocking. It was blown up by ISIS during the first of their two stints here. They occupied this region and the site in 2015 and 2016. The only thing you can do now is walk through the rubble and see if you can still see something of interest. I found a few building blocks with pretty reliefs.

There seem to be no plans to piece the Temple together again; of course, it would be a hugely costly and painstaking job, but to my untrained eye, it must be possible since the parts are still there.

Another painful loss is the Tetrapylon, the monument that stood at the crossing of the two roads at the center of the residential zone. Here, the columns have fallen like dead trees. This area is dotted with the usual public monuments of a Roman city, such as a small theatre. The main roads are aligned by the famous ‘Great Colonnade’, but the row is far from complete nowadays.

In general, I would conclude that the site remains impressive, with its vastness and numerous tall columns still on display. Still, the cherry on the cake, which is what made it outstanding beyond other Greco-Roman sites, is lacking due to the acts of ISIS.

The site of Palmyra is also known for its funerary art. Unfortunately, the tombs around the site cannot be visited now, but in the National Museum in Damascus, they have preserved a fully intact version of one of them, which should not be missed (it is in the basement). The Hypogeum of Yarhai is ornately decorated with images of the extended Yarhai family, who were buried here in a mass grave. All family members are shown in a portrait sculpture from when they were 30 years old.