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Morocco in one week from Malaga Spain



 

Syria in a Week


We'll show you the wonders of fabled Syria--Roman citadels, Biblical sites, great Omayyad mosques--and the ancient/modern city of Damascus in only 7 days (6 nights)

Locals in Syria, tour Syria

Combine this tour with any Travel in Style tour to Egypt, Jordan or Turkey for an even more exciting vacation adventure

 

 


DAY 1 - DAMASCUS Sunday - Weekly - Year Round
Our staff greets you at Damascus International Airport and escorts you to your hotel. You can begin your explorations of this "Arabian Nights" city just after you arrive.
Visa is included for a limited number of nationalities, such as USA , Australia , NZ, Canada, EU, Japan etc. Please make sure to scan an eligible copy of your passport info page and e.mail to us at least 45 days prior to arrival to allow us to secure your visa.

 

 

 

DAY 2 - DAMASCUS Monday (BL)
Today we explore the Syrian capital, visiting the National Museum, with treasures dating from the 1400s BC; the bustling Old Bazaar, the Eastern Gate (Bab ash-Sharqi) in the Roman city walls; the Street Called Straight (Via Recta); the house of Anania; and the chapel with a window from which disciples lowered St. Paul so he could escape those who sought to kill him (Acts 9:24-25).
Lunch is included at a local restaurant

 

 

 

DAY 3 - PALMYRA Tuesday (BLD)
We drive to ancient Palmyra (Tadmor), in a desert oasis on the trade route between the Mediterranean and Mesopotamia, to visit its museum, the temples of Bel, Baal Shamin and Nebo, the Roman baths, the Tetrapylon, Diocletian's camp, and the Valley of the Tombs, before settling in at our Palmyra hotel. Lunch is included enroute. Dinner is included at the hotel

 

 

 

DAY 4 - KRAK DES CHEVALIERS, HAMA & ALEPPO Wednesday (BL)
Get your camera ready, for today we see the famously photogenic Krak des Chevaliers, the most spectacular 12th-century Crusaders' castle of all. From this marvel of military architecture we head north to Hama, one of Syria's prettiest towns, to see its great norias (water wheels), some up to 65 feet in diameter, scooping water from the fabled Orontes River. We continue to Aleppo for the night. Lunch is included enroute in a local restaurant

 

 

 

DAY 5 - ALEPPO Thursday (BLD)
The sights of Aleppo (Halab) include the Grand Mosque, the vast Ottoman bazaar, the 12th-century Citadel, and a camel caravanserai. We visit them all, then continue to the church (Qala'at Samaan) built to honor the Byzantine ascetic St. Simeon Stylites, who lived atop a column for over 35 years in the 5th century. We return to our comfortable Aleppo hotel for the night.
Lunch is included at a charming local restaurant. Dinner is included at the hotel

 

 

 

DAY 6 - SERGELLA, APAMEA, MAALULA & DAMASCUS Friday (BLD)
We head south to Sergella, one of the 500 Dead Cities, fabled ghost towns built between the 4th and 7th centuries which were abandoned mysteriously around the 9th century. Our next stop is Apamea (Qala'at al-Mudiq), the Hellenistic "city of a thousand columns" built by Seleucus I Nicator in the 2nd century BC and named in honor of his wife. We continue to Maalula, where villagers still speak Aramaic, the language of Jesus, for a visit to the chapel of St. Sergius, before returning to Damascus for the night. Lunch is included enroute

Complimentary Dinner is included at a local home:
We are proud to be the only ones that are able to afford you such window on the true warm and hospitable Syrian people , come and meet the locals
,
you may wish to bring token gifts to exchange with the host family ( T shirt , small souvenirs of your home town):
This evening we'll venture where few ordinary visitors ever tread . . . right into the homes of some of the people of Syria l! You'll be invited to a family dinner, and while you enjoy wholesome home-cooked specialties, you'll learn about and appreciate the outlook, aspirations, and way of life of your hosts. Be assured, as curious as you may be about your new friends, they're sure to have questions about your own background. Once the ice is broken, you'll enjoy a lively evening, and find that you have more in common than you ever suspected. As some have inquired after they returned , feel free to ask about the recipes for the local dishes you will enjoy tonight , please let us know in advance of you prefer vegetarian meals.

Of course, you may enjoy a quiet evening with your travel companions, by letting us know your preferences.

 

 

DAY 7 - DEPARTURE Saturday (B)
Our staff escorts you to the airport for your flight home.

 

 

 

 

Rates per person in USD $

 
Deluxe
First Class
Triple
US$ 1170.00
US$ 960.00
Double
US$ 1290.00
US$ 1060.00
Single
US$ 1830.00
US$ 1530.00

 

 

Tour operates : Weekly on Saturdays , ( For Dec 1- Jan 1 Please add : 15 % high season supplement)

 

Important
Syria will not issue visas for any passport holder that may carry any stamp or visa for Israel. Border crossings may take some time, depending of several circumstances (traffic, police, documentation, visas, etc.)

 

 

Included are the following services:

  • All transfers , always on a private basis, private air-conditioned vehicle, private chauffeur .

  • Guided sightseeing as per itinerary including all entrance fees.

  • Meals as listed: cB: Continental breakfast, L: preset menu lunch, D: Dinner

  • Hotel accommodation as indicated, including all tax & service charges.

  • Local guides escorting the group at all times during sightseeing at all times, as per itinerary.

  • Syrian visa fee is included in our rate , visa is issued at the border for limited number of nationalities : American, Canadian, Australian, NZ, EU, & Japanese. It is your responsibility to ensure that you have valid passport. Please send us a legible scan of the info page of your passport at least 45 days prior to your arrival .

 

 


Not included:

  • Airport taxes
  • International air fare from/ to your home country
  • Trip interruption and cancellation insurance
  • Personal expenses, including excess baggage or shipping charges, beverages, and personal charges in hotels for laundry, telephone, or other services
  • Gratuities
  • Optional Excursion

 

 

THE LANGUAGE OF THE JESUS
IN THE LAND OF THE BOOK

Syria is truly the Land of the Book. The ancient alphabets of the Near East grew into Aramaic and then Hebrew, and finally Arabic and the modern Latin script that you're reading!

Jesus spoke to His Disciples in Aramaic. And nowhere else in the Holy Land does His language live as in
Maaloula, where His words may still be heard exactly as He spoke them. For the believer, or for anyone who values traditions of faith, it is a deeply moving experience.

Maaloula is just a short drive from Damascus, and home to Christian community that thrives after 2000 years.

As much as any land, Syria is the birthplace of the Christian faith. St. Paul converted on the road to
Damascus, and in the early centuries of the Church, six Syrian bishops were elevated to the Holy See as
popes. The grand Omayyad Mosque is built on a sacred site shared by Muslims and Christians for centuries, expressing the true brotherhood at the center of both faiths. Two million Syrians worship as Christians.

The full panoply of the Christian experience in the Near East has been played out in Syria. The Krak des
Chevaliers is the unique unconquered Crusader fortress that stands intact as if ready to host the Knights of the Cross once again––and is a must stop for the visitor of faith to the holy sites.

 

 

 

Sample Charming Boutique Hotels in Syria :



Talisman Hotel:
Damascus
Talisman is more than an hotel: it is more like a home. We will provide you all the services and luxury of a five stars residence. Two wide opened courtyards with outdoor swimming
pool. Private and exclusive Turkish Hammam.
The Talisman is a luxury «charm» hotel situated in the old town of Damascus, twenty minutes from the airport, a hundred yards from the old Roman straight way (Medhat Pacha) and the historical Bab Sharqi, famous now for its souks and street markets. This old Jewish palace, built in a quiet side street and easily accessible by car, has been restored in the most authentic tradition of an Arab house.

Each of the 16 rooms and suites at Talisman is unique with its personalized lay-out and decoration. All the rooms are equipped with the latest commodities:king size bed, mini bar, central heating, individual air-conditioning, plasma television set with decoder so that you may choose any channel you please, DVD reader, wi-fi internet connection, telephone. Executive suites are larger and have a desk corner. The bathrooms are spacious and planned for your rest and well-being: finely worked wooden basins with their matching mirrors, old cement tiled or beige marble floors, bath tub or shower cabin, or both, hair-drier and comfortable bathrobes.

 


Zenobia hotel: Palmyra
built in 1920 … Agatha Christy was one of the welcomed guests , the Zenobia Hotel is ideally located in the middle of Palmyra archeological site; rooms offers a wonderful view of the traces of past civilizations, which you can explore at your ease.

The 26-room hotel offers a wonderful view of the traces of past civilizations, which you can explore at your ease. The hotel is a masterpiece of elegance and warm hospitality that is part of our commitment to tradition particularly amidst this historical surrounding. You are welcome to the world of Zenobia hotel where you relive the past and feel the glorious days of Palmyra.
The hotel rooms; all are air-conditioned, with central heating and a telephone. The Countess suite is a duplex room, with two double beds and a private bathroom on each deck. ( Supplement applies, and you must really book in advance to get this suite)

The Oasis restaurant offers a wide variety of delicious cuisine whether it is indoors or in the open air with a direct view on the ruins.

Palmyra was known as the bride of the desert, where once stood as one of the greatest Roman oasis cities of all times. The extensive roman ruins, only a three-minute walk from the hotel; stand gracefully to remind us of the glory of Palmyra's past

 

 


Beit Wakil Hotel: Aleppo
A true example of the distinguished 16th century Aleppine architecture,is a charming palace situated just outside the old city walls.This perfectly preserved structure which has stubbornly defied the destructive elements of time,ranks among the most elegant and
beautiful palaces in the region.

The Old City of Aleppo is a labyrinth of cobblestone streets and shops. This alley at the entrance to the Old City also led to Beit Wakil, whose sign and awning are visible to the left. Beit Wakil is an old merchant serai that has been renovated into a charming 14 room hotel. The hotel is centered around the courtyard pictured at the right, and the rooms are all arrayed around this central point. Our room, shown at the left was one floor up from the courtyard. The rooms are very traditional, dark wood with equally dark woven rugs on the floor, a bed and nightstand. For privacy one closes the wooden shutters. Except for electricity and your cable tele , the room could have been from an Indiana Jones movie set

The Hotel is in " Jadidah" which is a particularly picturesque quarter. Next to the main Maronite church is Sissi Street, which is full of old Arab residences. Most have now been converted into small boutique hotels and restaurants serving the delicious local Arab-Syrian cuisine for which Aleppo is famous. Beit Wakil is one of the loveliest examples. Simple on the outside, but you enter a beautiful courtyard with a fountain, a majestic arch, coloured marble flooring and arabesque glass windows. You can descend past an underground bar into stone-built cellars with a labyrinth of tunnels, said to lead all the way to the Aleppo Citadel.

Beit Wakil,a true example of the distinguished 16th. century Aleppine architecture,is a charming palace situated just outside the old city walls.This perfectly preserved structure which has stubbornly defied the destructive elements of time,ranks among the most elegant and beautiful palaces in the region. Faithful to the old Aleppine tradition the exterior is castle like,simple and void of any decoration,but as soon one enters inside a magical oriental story like world comes into existence

The beautiful courtyards with breathtaking relief and tracery work of their walls, the marble fountains among the jasmine and lemon trees, the unique iwan with its majestic arch and colors marble flooring,the elegant arabesque woodwork of the wall cupboards,the hand drawn wooden ceilings with corniche, the famous central Qa'a (large room: Lobby ) with its suspended dome and coloured arabesque glass windows,the stone built cellars and the lime stone caves below with a labyrinth of tunnels , one of which , links the palace to the Citadel of Aleppo , are just few of the many elements which distinguishes the Aleppine masonry art and Arabian architectural genius

Today, Beit Wakil welcomes its guests as a four star hotel with all the modern comfort facilities. Beit Wakil rooms and suits are centrally air conditioned, with traditional comfortable Aleppine furniture, minibar, music, T. V and satellite services, phone and private bathrooms. Both our summer and winter restaurants offer a wide verity of delicious Aleppine mezes and specialties together with an oriental entertainment program of classical Arabic music and dancing.

Aleppo includes a virile population, a splendid architecture,and a fine Arab tradition. Aleppo AL-Chahba, 355 Kilometers from Damascus, has been a prosperous city since the 3rd millennium B.C. and has maintained its status through town development and an increasing population. It has played a vital role in the history of the area from the time of the Akkadian and Amorite Kingdoms. Until recently it has always been the center of the junction of the ancient trade routs. The old city was surrounded by a wall incorporating defense towers and fortified gates built during the Islamic period. A large part of the wall still standing, for example Bab Qinisrin, Bab Al-Nasser, Bab Al-Hadid, Bab Antakia. Aleppo is also known for its mosques and churches and is considered the third city in the Islamic world because of the number of its mosques and schools. The Archaeological Museum contains exhibits from the stone age to modern times. It has particularly interesting collection of antiquities from some of the most ancient site in Syria (Mari, Ugarit, Ebla) , objects found in the Euphrates Basin, Hama, Tell Halaf and Ein

 

 

Add a spa package to your stay

 

Honeymoon Spa Package  in Tunisia

 

 

 

Nubian Nile Cruises, North Africa & East Mediterranean Specialists

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