History & heritage
Saladin Castle
Latakia
A castle between two deep gorges in the forest, a UNESCO World Heritage site.
Discover Syria
Ancient sites, castles, beaches and mountains worth the trip — pick a destination, then book a place to stay nearby.
The coast
History & heritage
Ugarit (Ras Shamra)
Latakia
The ancient kingdom where the world's earliest known alphabet was found.
Sea & beaches
Blue Beach
Latakia
Latakia's best-known beach, lined with hotels, chalets and seafood restaurants.
Mountains & nature
Kassab
Latakia
A mountain town among pine forests near Jebel Aqraa, with a road down to Badrousiyeh beach.
Mountains & nature
Slunfeh
Latakia
The highest resort on the coast: cool air, forests and mountain views.
Sea & beaches
Ras al-Basit
Latakia
A bay of dark sand and clear water under green mountains, full of chalets in summer.
Sea & beaches
Arwad Island
Tartus
Syria's only inhabited island, a short boat ride from Tartus, with a fortress and boatyards.
Holy places
Cathedral of Our Lady of Tortosa
Tartus
A 12th-century cathedral that now houses the Tartus museum.
History & heritage
Amrit
Tartus
A Phoenician site south of Tartus with a rock-cut temple and the 'spindle' tombs.
History & heritage
Marqab Castle
Tartus
A black basalt castle on a hill above Baniyas and the sea.
History & heritage
Safita Tower
Tartus
A crusader keep that is still a working church, looking over the hills to the sea.
Mountains & nature
Mashta al-Helu
Tartus
A mountain resort of springs and woods, one of the coast's favourite summer spots.
Damascus & countryside
Holy places
Umayyad Mosque
Damascus
One of the oldest and grandest mosques in the world, in the heart of Old Damascus, with the shrine of John the Baptist.
History & heritage
Old Damascus & Al-Hamidiyah Souq
Damascus
A walled UNESCO World Heritage city of lanes, courtyard houses and khans, entered through the covered Hamidiyah Souq.
History & heritage
Azm Palace
Damascus
An 18th-century Damascene palace of courtyards and fountains, home to the Museum of Popular Traditions.
History & heritage
Straight Street & Bab Sharqi
Damascus
A Roman street crossing the old city to Bab Sharqi, near the cafés of Qaimariyah and Bab Touma.
History & heritage
National Museum of Damascus
Damascus
Syria's largest museum, with treasures from Ugarit, Mari, Palmyra and the Dura-Europos synagogue.
Holy places
Tekkiye Mosque (Sulaymaniyya)
Damascus
An Ottoman complex by the architect Sinan on the Barada river, with a crafts market around it.
Mountains & nature
Mount Qasioun
Damascus
The mountain above Damascus — best at sunset as the city lights come on.
Holy places
Maaloula
Rif Dimashq
A mountain town where Aramaic is still spoken, with the monasteries of Mar Taqla and Mar Sarkis.
Holy places
Our Lady of Saydnaya
Rif Dimashq
A historic convent on a rocky summit, one of the great Christian pilgrimage sites of the Levant.
Holy places
Deir Mar Musa
Rif Dimashq
A desert monastery near Nabk with 11th-century frescoes and wide views over the steppe.
Mountains & nature
Bloudan
Rif Dimashq
A cool mountain summer resort among orchards, close to Damascus.
Mountains & nature
Zabadani & Buqqein spring
Rif Dimashq
A green valley of apple orchards and the Buqqein spring — a summer escape for Damascenes.
Centre: Homs & Hama
History & heritage
Krak des Chevaliers
Homs
One of the best-preserved crusader castles in the world, a UNESCO World Heritage site.
Mountains & nature
Valley of the Christians & Marmarita
Homs
A green valley of mountain villages and the monastery of Saint George, a summer favourite near the Krak.
Holy places
Khalid ibn al-Walid Mosque
Homs
An Ottoman-style mosque of black-and-white domes and minarets in Homs.
History & heritage
Palmyra
Homs
Queen Zenobia's ancient city in the desert; heavily damaged — check conditions before travelling.
History & heritage
Norias of Hama
Hama
Giant wooden water wheels on the Orontes, some dating back to the Middle Ages.
History & heritage
Apamea
Hama
A Roman city with a colonnaded street nearly two kilometres long.
History & heritage
Masyaf Castle
Hama
A stone castle above the town of Masyaf at the foot of the coastal mountains.
North: Aleppo & Idlib
History & heritage
Citadel of Aleppo
Aleppo
One of the oldest and largest castles in the world, on a hill above the old city.
History & heritage
Old Souqs of Aleppo
Aleppo
The covered al-Madina souq, among the longest historic markets in the world, being restored section by section.
Holy places
Church of Saint Simeon
Aleppo
The ruins of a great Byzantine church built around the pillar of Saint Simeon Stylites.
History & heritage
Serjilla (Dead Cities)
Idlib
A Byzantine stone village of the Dead Cities, with a bathhouse, church and near-complete houses.
South: Daraa & As-Suwayda
History & heritage
Bosra Roman Theatre
Daraa
One of the most complete Roman theatres in the world, preserved inside an Islamic fortress.
History & heritage
Shahba
As-Suwayda
The city of Emperor Philip the Arab, with a Roman theatre, baths and mosaics.
History & heritage
Qanawat
As-Suwayda
Roman and Byzantine basalt ruins among the oak trees of Jabal al-Arab.
Check road conditions and opening times before you travel — some historic sites were damaged or are under restoration.