khaled damlakhi · Pexels LicenseAdvisory - travel not recommended · checked 5 Aug 2026
Foreign ministries advise against all travel to Syria. Fourteen years of war have left unexploded ordnance and mine contamination across much of the country, the security situation after the 2024 change of government remains unsettled, and consular assistance is minimal to nonexistent. Standard scores are suspended while this alert is active.
Official advisory →“Palmyra, Aleppo and Damascus — a guide written after fourteen years of war.”
Syria holds Damascus, which claims to be the oldest continuously inhabited capital on earth, Aleppo's covered souq and citadel, Palmyra's desert colonnades, and the Crac des Chevaliers, the finest crusader castle anywhere. Before 2011 it was one of the most rewarding countries in the region to travel in and one of the most hospitable.
Fourteen years of war changed all of it. Aleppo's old city was devastated and is being rebuilt; Palmyra was damaged by Islamic State and by the fighting around it; several million people were displaced. The government changed in December 2024 and the situation since has been unsettled rather than resolved. Every foreign ministry advises against all travel. Unexploded ordnance and mine contamination are among the worst in the world. This page exists to inform, not to invite.
Highlights
Damascus old city
The Umayyad Mosque, the covered souq al-Hamidiyya, the Christian quarter and Straight Street — a walled city inhabited continuously for millennia and comparatively less damaged than Aleppo.
Aleppo
The citadel on its mound and the medieval souq beneath it, UNESCO-listed and severely damaged in the battle for the city. Reconstruction has been under way for several years.
Palmyra
A desert caravan city of colonnades, temples and tower tombs, damaged by Islamic State occupation and the fighting to retake it. Access depends entirely on the current situation.
Crac des Chevaliers
The best-preserved crusader castle in the world, held by the Knights Hospitaller, damaged during the war and partly restored. UNESCO-listed and, by most accounts, still extraordinary.
Entry requirements for Syria
Advisory - travel not recommended · checked 5 Aug 2026
Foreign ministries advise against all travel to Syria. Fourteen years of war have left unexploded ordnance and mine contamination across much of the country, the security situation after the 2024 change of government remains unsettled, and consular assistance is minimal to nonexistent. Standard scores are suspended while this alert is active.
Official advisory →Checking your passport…
We don't hold entry details for this passport group yet.
Before you fly
The detail
- Passport validity
- Most destinations want validity beyond your stay, and some want six months. Check yours against the return date.
- Onward travel
- Airlines may ask for a return or onward ticket at check-in.
- Arrival form
- Visa arranged in advance or at the border through an approved operator, plus security clearance in practice.
- Health
- Hepatitis A and B, typhoid, tetanus, polio and rabies are all standard advice. The healthcare system was devastated by the war — hospitals were destroyed, medical staff left in large numbers, and drug supply is unreliable. There is no dependable evacuation route. Water and sanitation infrastructure is damaged in many areas. Bring a comprehensive medical kit.
- Money
- Cash only, in US dollars, brought in. The pound has collapsed and the banking system is severed from the international one by sanctions — no foreign card works anywhere. Multiple exchange rates operate. This is a country where you carry the entire budget and where getting it wrong strands you.
When to go
BestApr–May, Sep–Oct. AvoidJun–Aug, Dec–Feb.
Warm, green and flowering — climatically the best month.
The band above each month is our editorial verdict - it weighs crowds, prices and access as well as weather. The line is average daily temperature, the bars are monthly rainfall. Select a month for the figures. Climate figures: ERA5 reanalysis via Open-Meteo, 2005–2024 normals.
What it costs
A day in Syria
Comfortable · sample day
≈ $65
Line items are real prices we track. The daily budget is an editorial estimate for this level, not their sum.
Where this sits among 244 countries we have costed
There is no seasonal market to describe. A collapsed currency with multiple rates, a cash-only dollarised visitor economy and a handful of operators mean prices are set by circumstance rather than demand. What changes month to month is access, not cost.
Updated Aug 2026 · Editorial synthesis — operator quotations, traveller reports (2025–2026) · confidence low
Excludes international flights - they depend on where you fly from.
Regions to know
5Damascus & the south
The old city and Umayyad Mosque, Maaloula's Aramaic-speaking villages, and Bosra's Roman theatre.
Aleppo & the north
The citadel and souq under reconstruction, the Dead Cities of the limestone massif, and St Simeon's basilica.
The coast & the mountains
Latakia and Tartus on the Mediterranean, Crac des Chevaliers, and the Alawite mountains behind them.
The Orontes valley
Hama's wooden norias on the river, Apamea's colonnade and the agricultural plain around Homs.
The desert & the east
Palmyra, the Euphrates valley and the northeast — the last under separate administration and largely inaccessible.
Practical guide
Getting there
Damascus (DAM) has limited flights from a small number of regional carriers, with schedules that change without notice. Most arrivals are overland from Lebanon at the Masnaa crossing or from Jordan at Nasib. The Turkish border crossings serve the northwest under different administration. Sanctions complicate every aspect of booking and payment.
Entry formalities
Visa arranged in advance or at the border through an approved operator, plus security clearance in practice.
Getting around
Road travel between the main cities functions, with numerous checkpoints operated by different authorities. There are no useful domestic flights or rail services for visitors. Movement is normally arranged through a local operator with a driver who knows which routes are usable that week. Some regions, including parts of the northeast and the south, are under separate control and are not accessible from Damascus.
Money & costs
Cash only, in US dollars, brought in. The pound has collapsed and the banking system is severed from the international one by sanctions — no foreign card works anywhere. Multiple exchange rates operate. This is a country where you carry the entire budget and where getting it wrong strands you.
Safety
The dominant consideration. Sporadic violence continues, the security situation after December 2024 remains unsettled, unexploded ordnance is widespread, and arbitrary detention is a documented risk. Several regions are under separate armed control. There is minimal to no consular assistance for most nationalities. Photography of anything official is dangerous. Conditions can change within days.
Health
Hepatitis A and B, typhoid, tetanus, polio and rabies are all standard advice. The healthcare system was devastated by the war — hospitals were destroyed, medical staff left in large numbers, and drug supply is unreliable. There is no dependable evacuation route. Water and sanitation infrastructure is damaged in many areas. Bring a comprehensive medical kit.
SIM & internet
Mobile networks function in the main cities. Internet is filtered and monitored, and shutdowns have been used. Assume no privacy in any communication and that device inspection at the border is possible.
Driving
Checkpoints operated by different authorities govern every journey and a local driver is what makes them navigable. Roadside ordnance contamination means never leaving the paved surface. Fuel supply has been unreliable for years.
Rules change - verify with an official source before you rent.
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From the Journal
Before you go
SyriaFrequently asked questions
Can anyone actually go?
Visas are being issued and a small number of tour operators run trips, generally with a government-approved guide. Administratively it is possible. Every foreign ministry advises against all travel, consular capacity is minimal to nonexistent for most nationalities, and the situation after the December 2024 change of government remains unsettled with sporadic violence. Anyone considering it should speak to their own ministry first.
What about the ordnance?
Syria is one of the most contaminated countries in the world after fourteen years of war, with mines, cluster munition remnants and unexploded shells across large areas including in and around towns. Civilian casualties continue every month. The rule is absolute: stay on hard surfaces, never enter rubble, damaged buildings or agricultural land, and follow local guidance without exception.
Will my insurance cover me?
No standard policy will, and specialist war-risk cover for Syria is difficult to obtain at any price. Medical facilities have been devastated by the war and evacuation options are extremely limited. Anyone entering is effectively self-insuring against everything.