Day 1 – UK to Damascus

Scheduled flight to Damascus Airport – transfer with our tour manager in our private executive coach to the 5* Dedeman Hotel at Damascus.

Day 2 – Maalula, Krak des Chevaliers, St George’s Monastery & Lattakia

Maalula is an enchanting village where yellow stone and silvery blue painted fairytale houses are stacked up against a sheer cliff – the first fortress at Krak des Chevaliers, described by TE Lawrence as ‘the finest castle in the world’, was built by the emir of Homs in 1031 – guided tour of St George’s Monastery takes in the New Church dating from 1857 – check in at the 4* Riviera Hotel at Lattakia.

Day 3 – Saladin’s Castle & Ugarit

Saladin’s Castle, set high in the Jebel Daryous mountain range, is considered to be one of the most prestigious castles of the medieval period and was named in honour of the great Arab warrior to commemorate the capture of the fortress in 1199 – Ugarit is the birthplace of one of the world’s earliest alphabets and once the most important city on the Mediterranean coast – check in at the 4* Riga Hotel in Aleppo.

Day 4 – Monastery of Simon & Aleppo

At the Monastery of Simon, dating back to the 5th century, there are remains of two monasteries, a church, the bazaar and a monumental arch – guided tour of Aleppo takes in the Citadel, the Great Mosque, the Covered Bazaar and concludes in the Christian and Armenian Quarter.

Day 5 – Apamea & Hama

The ruinous site of Apamea is one of the unmissable highlights of Syria – in Hama, one of Syria’s most attractive towns, we see the Water Wheels that are 20 metres in diameter and were constructed to scoop water from the river and into aqueducts – check in at the 4* Dedeman Palmyra Hotel.

Day 6 – Palmyra

Guided tour of Palmyra begins at the Temple of Bel, the single most impressive part of the ruins and the most complete structure – the Valley of the Tombs contains a series of freestanding square based towers that were constructed as multi-storey burial chambers – the Great Colonnade is an avenue of almost 1km, stretching between the city’s main funerary temple in the west and the Temple of Bel in the east – the tour concludes with the Bath of Queen Zenobia, the Theatre and the Agora, once the hub of Palmyrene life – check in at the 5* Dedeman Hotel in Damascus.

Day 7 – Damascus

Guided tour of Damascus, thought to be the oldest continuously inhabited city in the world – the National Museum’s collection contemplates the pre-Classical, Classical and Islamic history of Syria – after visiting Hamidiyah Bazaar, we see the Omayyad Mosque, Syria’s most significant religious structure – the nearby Mausoleum of Saladin is the resting place of the famed adversary of the Western Crusaders who died in Damascus in 1193 – after visiting the Spice Market we continue to St Ananias Church, housed in a cellar and reputedly the house of Ananias, an early Christian disciple – the Old City Gate purportedly marks the spot where the disciples lowered St Paul out of a window in a basket – tour concludes with a panoramic view of the city from Qassioun Mountain.

Day 8 – Damascus to UK

Transfer to Damascus Airport for our scheduled flight home.

Stay in 4* or 5* hotels for the duration of the tour:

- 5* Dedeman Hotel, Damascus - Day 1

- 4* Riviera Hotel, Lattakia - Day 2

- 4* Riga Hotel, Aleppo - Days 3 & 4

- 4* Dedeman Palmyra Hotel, Palmyra - Day 5

- 5* Dedeman Hotel, Damascus - Days 6 & 7

All rooms are ensuite. The first evening of our tour is on bed and breakfast basis, and dinner is included at our hotels on the remaining six nights.

Single room supplement £399

Insurance

Gratuities

Entry visas for non UK nationals

Like this tour but want to change it to suit your group’s budget or preferences? You could:

• stay at 5* hotels throughout
• with fewer or different excursions
• for more (or fewer) days
• bring your own specialist lecturer
• include all entrance fees and gratuities

Remember there will be cost consequences (either up or down) depending on your preferences but once we have we have sent you our initial offer, we can amend it as required by you until you have a tour with an itinerary and at a price which matches the interests and profile of your members.