Syria

Visa requirements for Syria depend on which passport you hold. Check the Traveller visa tool to see whether your passport needs a visa and, if so, how long you can stay.

Pre-war (before 2011), April–May and October–November were the ideal windows for Damascus (the oldest continuously inhabited capital city), Aleppo (the great souks and citadel), Palmyra (Roman ruins in the desert), Crac des Chevaliers (the finest Crusader castle on earth), and Bosra (Roman theatre). The Syrian civil war and subsequent conflict have caused catastrophic damage to many of these sites.

• Modest dress throughout — Syria is a Muslim-majority country
• Women: cover arms and legs; headscarf for mosques

• Syria was home to some of the world's most extraordinary historical sites before the war — Damascus (continuously inhabited for 11,000 years), Aleppo's Old City (UNESCO), Palmyra's Roman ruins in the desert, and the Krak des Chevaliers (what T.E. Lawrence called 'the finest thing in the world')
• Syrian hospitality was legendary — considered among the most generous in the Arab world
• The Syrian conflict (2011–present) killed over 500,000 people and displaced 12 million — one of the greatest humanitarian catastrophes of the 21st century

• CRITICAL: Syria remains extremely dangerous — the situation changed significantly in December 2024 with the fall of the Assad regime, but instability, armed groups, and infrastructure collapse make travel very dangerous. Check the most current government advisories before any planning.
• LGBTQ+ activity is illegal