Christmas in Syria Tour

Wednesday 23^rd December – Beirut, Lebanon – Damascus, Syria

Morning

• Arrival at your convenience into Beirut, the capital city of Lebanon which is well connected with flights from Europe, and the Middle East.
• Pre-tour meeting will be held at the lobby of our hotel (will be disclosed before the tour commencement date) at 8:00am to discuss the tour itinerary and to meet your fellow travelers and YPT guide.
• Our drive to the Syrian border will take about 1.5 hours.
• With guidance from your YPT guide, you’ll cross the border.
• The whole border crossing usually takes 1 hour to 2 hours, with the border guards being very friendly.

Afternoon

• Once clearing Syrian customs and immigration, we’ll continue our drive to Damascus, which will take roughly an hour and a half.
• On arrival, we will check into our boutique hotel – quite simply one of the best hotels in the Old Town of Damascus. This itself is a highlight.
• Next stop is lunch. Quite simply you have not been to Damascus unless you have tried their shawarma, or falafel for those of the vegetarian persuasion.
• The duration of our walking tour of the old part of Damascus will depend on our arrival time, but we’ll make sure to explore the Old Town’s bazaar and shopping areas – a great spot for sampling local ice cream or some of the best street food in the Arab world.
• Later we’ll head to one of the best restaurants in Damascus for dinner. We could write pages about Syrian food but you wouldn’t believe us, so let’s just say it will be one of the best dinners you ever had. That’s guaranteed.
• After dinner, we can check out a café some locals refer to as the ‘Tinder café’ where lots of young people come to meet, drink tea or beer, smoke shisha and play board games such as backgammon!
• Overnight in Damascus.

Thursday 24^th December – Damascus – Maaloula – Homs – Aleppo

Morning

• Breakfast at the hotel
• We’ll drive to the outskirts of the city and you’ll get your first glimpses of the destruction caused by the recent conflict.
• Our first stop will be the harrowing Jouba district. This area was the hardest hit suburb in Damascus and served as the frontline between the former Assad government and the opposition factions. You will see almost incomprehensible levels of destruction, secret tunnels and craters left from bombs. This is also said to be the place of one of the Assad chemical weapons attacks during the war. While this is confronting, it is our first look at the destruction everyday Syrians faced under Assad.
• Continue our drive up north to Aleppo where we’ll pass destroyed buildings, abandoned villages, and industrial sites. We’ll stop for refreshments and photo opportunities.
• Our next stop will be at Maaloula, a small Christian town that was almost completely decimated by ISIS in 2014. This town is one of the last in the world where people speak the Aramaic language – the same language Jesus spoke, and it is possible to hear the Lord’s prayer being spoken using it.
• Visit the Greek Catholic church which was destroyed but has already largely been rebuilt and is now again doing services.
• This is also a great place to stop for a coffee, snack, or even to buy wine, arak or vodka produced by the Christians of the area (and yes, they offer free samples).
• This will be your first opportunity to properly explore the destruction that is now so commonplace in Syria, at the Safir Hotel. Until 2014, it was a 4 star hotel with plenty of international guests, but is now a shell filled with rubble. There are still “do not disturb” signs, menus, folders of guest information, time sheets, crockery and all sorts of other hotel items amongst the debris.
• Walk through a canyon to the St. Sergious and Bakhous Monastery where you may have the chance to meet nuns who were kidnapped and held hostage for several years.

Afternoon

• Quick stop at our favourite shawarma shop before we continue the our drive to Homs – Syria’s third largest city and one that suffered the most during the civil war.
• Visit St. Mary Church of the Holy Belt, the Seat of the Syriac Orthodox Church, where the Virgin Mary’s belt was kept until shortly before the war. Fortunately, the belt was already removed before the church was looted and all the icons and artwork were burnt or stolen. It is now back to its original place.
• Stop by the recently renovated Khalid ibn-al-Walid mosque, standing in the middle of a devastated neighbourhood. Homs was, with Aleppo, one of the most destroyed cities during the war – particularly the old town. Many of the inhabitants never came back, so entire neighborhoods are now empty.
• Continue up to Aleppo arriving in the late afternoon. On the way, we’ll make a quick photo stop at the famous “Welcome to Aleppo” sign!
• Check into our centrally located hotel to freshen up.
• For dinner, we head to a lovely local restaurant with lovely waiters, serving local Aleppian cuisine. Particular favourites include the Aleppo Kebab and lamb testicles for the truly adventurous.
• Optional return to the hotel and join us at a rooftop bar, overlooking the beautiful city and sipping on Syria’s own beer, Afamia.
• Dinner and overnight in Aleppo

Friday 25^th December – Aleppo – Krak des Chevaliers – Damascus

Morning

• Breakfast at hotel
• Aleppo was arguably one of the worst affected cities during the Syrian war. Here you’ll get the chance to see some of the terrible destruction as well as the opportunity to witness the early stages of rebuilding that Syrians are now partaking in as they slowly return to their homes.
• We head to not only one of the highlights, but also probably the saddest part of Aleppo, visiting the formerly bustling Souk. This was previously the biggest and most profitable in the Arab world, but now lies in ruins. It is slowly starting to rebuild and as well as destruction we will witness its slow rebirth.
• We’ll stop by a Syrian institution – the Aleppo Soap company, where they have been making the soap using the exact methods for over 800 years, excluding the years it was under ISIS control. Aside from seeing how it is made, we will also get the chance to buy some – they make for great souvenirs.
• Explore the famous Aleppo Citadel, or Aleppo Castle. This is a truly amazing experience and we will take a few hours exploring here. During the Syrian war, Assad’s army troops were blockaded in the citadel for over a year and you will still see bullets strewn around. More recently, some of the iconic photos of the fall of the Assad government came from when militias took control of the Citadel. Historically, those who had control of the Citadel had control of Aleppo.
• We’ll stop for a tea and coffee break at a cafe with a beautiful view of the citadel. This is also a fantastic spot for people watching.

Afternoon

• We’ll stop by Aleppo’s best falafel store – and what we believe to be the best in the region. Often there are 15 men cooking in the kitchen and tens of people waiting for their orders.
• Depart Aleppo making our way back down towards Damascus stopping at:
• Explore Krak des Chevaliers – a stunning medieval castle and one of the most important preserved medieval castles in the world. The site was first inhabited in the 11th century by Kurdish troops garrisoned there by the Mirdasids. You’ll be given full access to the castle.
• Continue drive to Damascus and on arrival we’ll have a special Christmas dinner at Naranj Restaurant, one of the best in Syria for a large Christmas feast – shisha available for those interested
• We’ll take a brief stroll around old-town Damascus taking in the unique Christmas festivity, lights, and family gatherings.
• For those up for a unique evening we’ll take you to our favourite bar in Damascus. We won’t spoil the surprise by giving away its quirks, but rest assured it is well worth it.
• Overnight in Damascus

Saturday 26^th December – Damascus – Beirut, Lebanon

Morning

• Breakfast at the hotel
• Last chance to do some last minute exploring and shopping in Damascus. You can buy everything from a national football jersey, to the independence flags!
• Farewelling Damascus, we’ll head back towards the Lebanese border. Including the border crossing – which usually takes longer in this direction – and a few stops, we’ll hopefully arrive back in Beirut around 4:00pm. We recommend not booking flights earlier than 6:00pm – preferably night flights.
• Tour concludes – the group will be dropped off at the pre-tour meeting hotel location, and for those departing that evening we’ll include an airport drop off.
• If you want to continue the festive season in the Middle East, join our Iraqi Kurdistan New Year Tour directly after!