Means of Transport   Where to Go When to Travel Suggested Tours Transport Accommodation Restaurants Your Purchases Museums  In order to discover Syria in detail and at one's leisure, the ideal solution would be to come with one's own car. But such a thing is not handy for everyone. You could of course hire a car but it is compulsory to take a local driver. The only solution left is public transport, or the scheduled air service to (and from) Damascus, Lattakia, Aleppo, and Deir-Ezzor. Coach service is available in all Syrian cities, either directly or with connections. It would be picturesque, but perhaps requiring patience, if you take the local buses, but you will find it quicker, easier and more efficient to take the scheduled coaches of the two major companies in the country: UR and Orient Star coaches. And there are the taxis. A particular type exists in Syria where many passengers may take the same cab, each one paying his seat only. Such taxis obviously depart when they are full and serve only the most common routes. They go almost everywhere, including Lebanon and Jordan. Special stations are reserved for such taxicabs in the various cities. Information may be obtained from tourist offices of from your hotel's reception counter. The Syrian railway network has just been modernized and extended from 556 kms to 1450 kms between 1963 and 1983. This extension is of great use for the transportation of goods and passengers. The number of passengers has tripled between 1970 and 1983. It would be very practical, for example, to go by train from Damascus to Horns (198 kms), Hama (256 kms) and Aleppo (371 kms, the line was inaugurated in June 1984), from Horns to Tartous (102 kms) and soon to Latakia (182 kms), from Aleppo to Lattakia (201 kms), from Aleppo to Raqqa (204 kms) and Deir-Ezzor (340 kms), etc...By Coach Crossing Anatolia is certainly faster by coach than by car, starting from Istanbul or Ankara. However, what you gain in time, you lose in scenery. The choice is yours. Daily coach services exist between Istanbul and Aleppo/Damascus. By Sea There is a ferry service between Greece and Syria. Although somewhat costly, it will allow you to come with your own car by the shortest way. By Road Those who wish to travel in their own car and who not only have adventure in their blood, but also time to spare, can travel by road to Syria without difficulty, regardless of the time of year. You do, however, have to expect some snow-blocked roads in winter before you cross the mountains in Turkey. Distance from Paris to Aleppo is about 4,125 kms, and to Damascus, some 4,480 kms, through the Mont Blanc tunnel, Milan, Trieste, Belgrade, Sofia, Istanbul, Ankara, Adana, and Antakya (Anti-och). This is the shortest and easiest way, with excellent roads and highways throughout. If you wish to rent a car during your stay, our office in Damascus and in all main hotels, Meridien and Sheraton offers this possibility from US.$40 up to US.$100 per day. White Volvo cars with driver are also available for rental at a rate of 80 US $ day including the chauffeur's accommodation and the fuel. Contact UR in Damascus , Tel: 5134850 By Rail It would be fun to reach Aleppo by train, if you really want something different. But this would mean changing trains in Trieste, then crossing the Bosphorus to Hayderpasha, then taking the Ankara train to Aleppo. Three times a week trains (the Taurus Express) leave Hayderpasha (on the eastern bank of the Bosphorus) to Aleppo, on the Bagdad railway, through Ankara and Adana. By Air By direct flight from Europe, you overfly the East Mediterranean shoreline, Mount Lebanon and the Anti-Lebanon range, and some minutes later you reach Damascus International Airport. Gone are the days when the Syrian capital had to use a small undersized airport at Mazzeh. The new terminal is now in keeping with the image of a country which has witnessed a strong economic recovery in the last fifteen years. Daily flights connect it to major airports of the Middle East, North Africa, West and East Europe. Paris and London are just four hours and thirty minutes away. Air France, Austrian Airlines, KLM, Lufthansa, PIA, Swiss Air, and many other airlines land at the airport. Syrian Arab Airlines (Syrianair) is the national airline. Syrianair opffices and representatives: FRANKFURT: Dusseldorfer street 4 Tel. 069-251007 LONDON: 27 Albemarle street WIX 3FA Tel. 4932851 PARIS: 1 Rue Auber Paris Tel. 47421106 ROME: 11 Via Barbarini, 00187 Rome Tel. 4759902   .
© UR Travel 2006