Syria is a travel destination in Western Asia. Its capital is Damascus. October and May are its two best months to visit, ranked on 1991–2020 climate averages.
Top places to visit in Syria
Palmyra (Tadmor) (landmark, Homs) — Ancient caravan city in the Syrian desert — a UNESCO World Heritage Site featuring the Temple of Bel, colonnaded street, Roman theatre, and Zenobia's city walls; partially damaged in recent conflicts but still awe-inspiring.
Old City of Damascus (city, Damascus) — One of the world's oldest continuously inhabited cities and UNESCO site — the Grand Umayyad Mosque, Straight Street (Via Recta), Azm Palace, and labyrinthine covered souks are cornerstones of Arab civilisation.
Umayyad Mosque (Damascus) (landmark, Damascus) — Considered Islam's fourth-holiest site — a triumph of early Islamic architecture completed in AD 715, housing the Shrine of John the Baptist and the mausoleum of Saladin in its colourful mosaic courtyard.
Krak des Chevaliers (landmark, Homs) — The finest preserved Crusader castle in the world — UNESCO-listed hilltop fortress with concentric walls, Gothic chapels, and banqueting halls overlooking the Homs Gap; described by Lawrence of Arabia as the best castle in the world.
Old City of Aleppo (city, Aleppo) — UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the oldest cities on earth — the Great Mosque of Aleppo, Byzantine citadel, 13 km of covered souks, and the distinctive Aleppo soap workshops of the ancient Christian quarter.
Citadel of Aleppo (landmark, Aleppo) — Massive medieval fortified palace on a 50 m tell — considered one of the oldest and largest castles in the world, with Hittite, Greek, Byzantine, and Ayyubid layers; restored throne room and underground passage.
Bosra Ancient City (landmark, Daraa) — UNESCO-listed city retaining an almost complete Roman theatre (capacity 15,000) enclosed within a later Arab citadel — among the best-preserved Roman theatres in existence, set in a former Nabataean and Roman capital.
Apamea (Qalat al-Mudiq) (landmark, Hama) — Monumental colonnaded street stretching 1.85 km — once a Hellenistic and Roman city of 500,000, its vast cardo maximus with twisted column drums is one of Syria's most photogenic ancient ruins.
Dura-Europos (landmark, Deir ez-Zor) — Remarkable Hellenistic-Roman-Parthian frontier city on the Euphrates — the "Pompeii of the Orient" where excavations revealed stunning early Christian murals, a synagogue, and Mithraic temples before the river.
Maaloula Village (landmark, Rif Dimashq) — One of very few places in the world where Western Neo-Aramaic (Jesus' language) is still spoken — cave churches of St Sergius and St Thecla carved into dramatic pink cliffs above a traditional Christian village.