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ESSENTIAL INFORMATION: SYRIA

Passport & Visas

A full ten year passport together with an Syrian Visa are required by British and US citizens to enter Syria. Tourist visas can either be obtained prior to departure from the nearest Syrian Consulate, or with a minimum of 4 weeks prior notice, can be arranged to be issued on arrival in Syria. NB. Holders of passports containing an Israeli stamp, or a stamp from any border with Israel (eg Taba) will not be allowed to enter Syria. Should the stated profession in your passport be in any way related to the information business (eg. journalist) you should obtain your Syrian visa prior to departure. Passports must have a minimum of 6 months validity from your return date and have at least two free pages.

Accommodation

We use the best hotels available in Syria. In recent years there has been a marked improvement in hotel standards in many parts of the country. Damascus now has a Four Seasons, Aleppo a Sheraton hotel, and Latakia a Rotana hotel. There has also been a wave of openings of small character hotels, which are often of a high standard of accommodation and have wonderful atmosphere. Outside Damascus and Aleppo, hotels tend to be dated and of a 3 star standard. As hotel ratings can vary widely across the globe, to avoid confusion the star ratings given on this website are our own, and approximate to those found in the UK and USA.

Transportation

All transfers in Syria are chauffeur driven. The type of transportation used will depend on the size of your party. For groups of 2 we will typically use a saloon car or a minivan. For 3 to 4 people we will use a minivan. These vehicles are all equipped with air-conditioning, heating and proper safety facilities, and can comfortably accommodate 1 piece of checked luggage and 1 piece of hand luggage per person. If you travel think you will be travelling with more luggage please let us know at the time of booking so that we can arrange the most appropriate vehicle size for you. As driving standards in Syria are not the same as in the UK, we make sure that all our drivers are experienced, and used to local road conditions.

Departure Tax

On exiting Syria airport departure tax is now included in the cost of your ticket. The departure tax when crossing a land border is SYL 500 pp. This is payable in cash.

Walking

Many of the sites in the Syria are quite spread out and our tours consequently necessitate a reasonable amount of walking. Whilst the walking is normally easy going, a full-day sightseeing can be quite tiring and sometimes strenuous.

Guides

To enhance the enjoyment of your tour a full time expert guide will accompany you on all pre-arranged sightseeing. This will enable you to benefit from a continuity of delivery as you journey through Syria and will enable the guide to tune the information to your particular interests. Please note that the guide will be a separate person from your driver.

Language

The official language of Syria is Arabic. English is generally spoken in tourist areas.

Electricity

The electricity supply is 220v. Plugs are European style with two circular pins so adapters are required for British and US appliances. Visitors from the US will require a transformer. This can be supplied by most hotels.

Mobile telephones / Internet

GSM mobile telephones work through much of Syria. It is advisable to check the rates for roaming charges with your phone provider prior to your departure. The internet can be accessed throughout and in most hotels in Damascus, Aleppo, and Hama via either wired or wireless internet connections. Where internet connections are not available in hotels, it is generally very easy to find a nearby internet café.

Time

Syria is GMT + 2. The time in Syria is thus generally 2 hours ahead of that in the UK, 7 hours ahead of EST, and 10 hours ahead of PST.

Religion

Syria is a predominantly Muslim (90%) country with a small Christian minority (10%). 75% pf Muslims belong to the Sunni branch of the faith, and 16% from other sects including Alawi and Druze. There are many denominations of Christians.

Ramadan

Ramadan is a ninth month of the Muslim calendar and the Islamic month of fasting, in which participating Muslims do not drink anything from dawn until sunset. During this time some restaurants maybe closed during the day but most tourist attractions and hotels are unaffected. Concentration spans may however be shortened. Some disruption may continue into the three-day Eid ul-Fitr festival that follows Ramadan.

2012 20 Jul - 18 Aug
2013 9 Jul - 7 Aug
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Your Financial Protection: The air holiday packages offered by Corinthian Travel are ATOL protected by the Civil Aviation Authority. Our ATOL number is ATOL T7335. Where flights are not included your holiday is protected through our membership of the Travel Trust Association. We hold TTA membership number U6485. Please see Financial Protection or our booking Terms & Conditions for further information.