Syria is located in the middle east, south from Turkey ; it is not yet a very famous destination for tourists because of its bad image abroad. Nervertheless, Syria is a great country with very friendly people, great archaeoligical sites and wonderful landscapes.

A good idea is to take a plane ticket, arriving in Damas and leaving from Alep, the two major cities of the country. Syrian Airline enable to do this for around 450 euros (300 £) from Paris and I think it should be quite the same from London. Two weeks are enough to discover the main sites but three weeks wouldn't be too much.

- two days in Damas, a the capital of Syria, a big city ; you will visit the big mosque (women are allowed but they should wear the sort of chador the guy at the entrance will give you), museums of arabian art, small palaces and many bazzars.
- then, take the bus to Palmyra (many hours on a straight road in the desert, passing many big oil truck coming from Irak), and then an incredible oasis lost in the middle of the desert : Palmyra.
- two days in Palmira : the site of the old city of the queen Zenobie is really beautiful ; you can also visit some tombs, drink tea with the nomads of the desert (very friendly) and visit a small but interesting archaeological musem.
- take the bus across the mountains to reach Homs and to visit the Krak of the knigths not far from the city (50 km by small bus) : a really big fortress built by the crusaders. One day is enough as Homs is not an interesting city.
- then, take the bus to Hama (2-3 hours) : the city is near a river and there are several huge "norias", sort of water mills used to provide the city with water. The city is really nice with a lot of gardens.
- from Hama, you can take a small bus to visit Apame, an archaeological site, as beautiful as Palmyra but less famous.
- then, take the bus to Lattakya, a city near the sea ; the city is not really interesting but it is the starting point to two nice tours : Ugarit, a prehistoric site and the fortress of Sallaadin, on a steep peak.
- final bus to Alep, with its big mosque, its huge fortress in the middle of the city, and many bazaars.

Travelling in Syria is really easy and not dangerous at all ; no problem with women even if wearing a short skirt is not advisable. The country is quite cheap (cheaper than Turkey) and don't forget to take an international sutdent card which will enable more than 50% discount on the entrance fees. You should have a visa which costs around 45 euros (30 £) and is delivered within two weeks.