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With the continually volatile situation in many parts of the
Middle East and occasional demonstrations in the area, it's
a good idea to consult the State Department travel warnings
website and register at the embassy for your country - the
US embassy is on Al Mansour Street in Damascus - soon
upon arrival. US citizens staying longer than two weeks are
required to register with immigration.
Getting There by Air
There are no direct flights to Syria from the United States,
Australia or New Zealand, so you must fly via Asia or Europe.
You can get good prices in the off season on EgyptAir,
Alitalia, Turkish Airlines or Royal Jordanian,
but these flights fill up fast with Syrians travelling home
for a visit. Expect to pay around $1200 - $1400 for a high
season flight or $600 (rock bottom) - $950 for fall and winter,
low season, fares. Most flights will connect via Cairo or
Amman. Another method to get to Damascus is to take Syrian
Air from a European hub - but it's difficult to impossible
to book a flight on Syrian Air if you live in the US. If you
have friends in Europe, you might be able to swing it. Jordan
- to Amman, or Lebanon - to Beiruit offers more direct flights
from the US or Australia. |
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A Syrian visa is required for most nationalities, and if you
leave Syria you will be required to purchase a new visa (about
US $16) if you wish to re enter the country. It's a good idea
to get your visa sorted out before you leave your home country
- obtaining one at the airport is likely to be extremely time
consuming and inconvenient at best, and impossible at worst.
Passport Stamps
If you travel to Israel, however, you cannot come back
to Syria with the same passport. It's not possible to enter
Syria from any Israeli border, and the officials are serious
about the "No prior travel to Israel" rule. Many
travellers get around this by having the Israeli officials
stamp a separate piece of paper. Syrian border guards are
wise to this, however. Also, if you have Egyptian stamps from
Rafah or Tabah, or an Allenby Bridge stamp
from Jordan, you're likely to be denied access to Syria.
In the same vein, it's unwise to discuss the Israel/Palestine
situation, or politics in general with average Syrians. Syria
is tremendously pro-Palestinian - a quick peek at evening
newscasts or English language newspapers - the Syrian Times
is the only one, it is government run - will bear this out.
Discussing anything about the government is also unwise,
as the watchful eye of Bashar Assad is present most everywhere
you go - there are posters in shop windows, on cars and there
are even stenciled visages on walls. This isn't because of
any particular devotion the Syrians have for their current
president, it's more for "good luck". Though, Bashar,
Assad Sr's son, has done a lot to modernize Syria, including
bringing the internet into the country.
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