Known as the longest continuously inhabited capital in the world, the history of Damascus seeps through the rough, even after 14 years of conflict. Unfortunately, you will feel the impact of that throughout the city, whether its in the run-down buildings or the instability in the infrastructure. It can be very challenging to access 4G data (don’t even think about 5G yet!). And electricity only officially works 8 hours a day, spread through the 24-hour period. You will see a lot of generators and solar panels around. I actually joke that Damascus is well on its way to becoming one of the most environmentally friendly capitals on earth. Just by necessity!
In spite of this – or maybe because of this – what you will find throughout the streets of Damascus is joy at seeing foreign tourists come, and lots of smiling faces. The Syrian people are keen to welcome you as you explore this country that they feel more optimistic about than possibly ever before. Expect hospitality, conversations, and (as mentioned) lots of smiles, even as you notice the levels of poverty and destruction that this country has experienced after 14 years of civil war.
That said, travelling to Damascus is not for new travelers, given that you will likely have to adapt and remain flexible as the new government is also adapting. Processes can change from one day to the next. But in my experience, people are friendly and generally try to assist.
Travelling to/from Syria
Over the last 14 years, Syria has been an incredibly difficult country to access, with high levels of restrictions and bureaucratic procedures placed at all border crossings. Airports were also not accessible to commercial flight due to sanctions – not to say anything about the risk of air travel during an active conflict.
Previously international visitors were subject to extensive visa processes, or required the administrative support of organizations that worked in non-government-controlled Syria to travel into the country.
However, since December 2024, Syria is increasingly open to visitors, with a variety of options available to travel into Syria. Building their tourism industry is a key priority of the new Syrian government.
By plane
As of writing, severalinternational airlines are now flying into Damascus International Airport: Turkish Airlines from Istanbul, Ajet from Ankara, Royal Jordanian from Amman, Fly Dubai from Dubai and Qatar Airways from Doha. With plans now in place to remove sanctions though, it is likely that more airlines will be opening up flights soon. For example, Dan Air is expecting to open flights from Bucharest, Frankfurt, Berlin and Stockholm in June 2025.
Be aware, though, flights to Damascus do get booked out quickly and well in advance, given that the interest and limited number of flights per week.
The Damascus airport is very small, and located a bit far from the city. When entering, you will first go to the visa desk to purchase your visa. See below for details on visas.
After purchasing your visa, you will head to the immigration line to get your passport stamped. Expect it will take some time to move through as the airport is still not staffed to handle the amount of people passing through.
Also expect there to be little-to-no English spoken. Come prepared with a print out of where you are staying, just in case.
After getting your stamp, picking up checked luggage is fairly standard through the baggage carousel. However, if your baggage does get lost, particularly if you have limited Arabic, your best option is to reach out to the airlines where you departed from. If you do want to attempt resolving lost luggage, note that everything is still completed through paper. It’s also likely that you will require a Syrian number to provide.
To get into town, it’s best to have a taxi or other vehicle arranged in advance. With time, it’s likely to see airport taxis, or taxi ranks, being established to make it easy to get into the city center. Find advice on Getting Around here!
When departing, be sure to leave enough time to both manage traffic to the airport, and the multiple rounds of security in the airport. Even though it’s small, the queues can be quite long, as airport security may scan luggage several times.
Unfortunately, there is no WiFi across the airport, but some of the smaller cafes may have it available for customers. I recommend asking.
By road
As of now, there are 2 options to travel to Damascus the land borders by road: from Amman, Jordan or from Beirut, Lebanon. You can fly into either location and take a car across, but it may require you to spend a night or a few hours in the relevant city, depending on when your flight arrives. Of course, if you are based in these locations, or are adding Damascus on to a wider itinerary, this could also be a good option. Travel from each city takes between 1.5-2.5 hours, not including border crossing time.
From Amman, Jordan
From Amman, there are several options for getting to Damascus, from the easy and expensive, to the cheap and more challenging (or shall we call it adventurous?), all crossing at the Jaber/Nasib border crossing.
Private car:
The easiest, but by far the most expensive, is to take a private car company that will pick you up at your location in Amman and drop you at your location in Damascus. They process all the necessary paperwork to cross the border and have drivers and vehicles that are comfortable for the journey. Some even come with WiFi available. The vehicles cost anywhere between $180-$250 USD one way per vehicle. This is frequently the quickest, if the driver passes busses that may be in the queue ahead of you. You can find recommendations for drivers/companies through expats Facebook groups, or reach out directly to me for contacts.
Shared taxi:
A shared taxi departs from downtown Amman and drops you off in downtown Damascus. You are in the same vehicle the whole way, but the price will depend on the number of individuals interested in the taxi on that day/time. It could be a full vehicle or you could be on your own, or with just one other. Allegedly the cost for the taxi can be as low as 35 JOD per person, when sharing in a full vehicle, or up to 160 JOD if you are alone. The vehicles are also likely not as high of quality. The same process is expected for returning to Amman from Damascus.
Bus:
Jett Bus offers daily bus service from Amman Abdali terminal to Damascus, departing at 7:30am (double check the schedule though). It currently costs 10 JOD for adults. Note, the website says that it takes 3.5 hours. This is subject to lines at the border, which can be impacted depending on the number of people on board, combined with any other queues at the border. Expect 4 hours or more. You can also book on Jett for return travel to Amman from Damascus.
Taxi & walking:
For the more adventurous, but not necessarily the cheapest, there is still the option to take a taxi or other vehicle to the border, leave the vehicle on the Jordanian side, and then crossing, walking or taking a minibus/taxi between the borders, and then picking up a taxi on the Syrian side. This is not recommended, both due to the distance at the border, as well as that it would likely not end up cheaper than any of the above options. But there are indeed taxis waiting on the Syrian side, for those keen to try. Recommend a high level of Arabic for this option.
From Beirut, Lebanon
When I’ve done this trip myself, I’ll advise. For now, if you are looking to go this route, check out Syrian Guides who are also sharing some advice.
Visas
Since December 2024, visas to Syria have gone through many different phases, as the new government is looking at old procedures. Be careful, as a lot of what you read on the internet is out-of-date, particularly if its from before 2025. Additionally, the government is currently working on a e-visa system. It’s not operational yet, but they are making improvements to it regularly, so keep checking the website for updates and when it could be active.
*Update from 7 July 2025: Syria has now updated its visa processes and confirmed that all fees apply at all entry points, as of 6 July 2025. I’m striking out the information below, but keeping it here for relevance. This includes a revision of the fees that apply as well, with many appearing to be less than before. You can find the updates on Syrian Guides (same as before, but updated) here. Important Note: You will need to pay your visa fee in USD only.
Even more confusing is that Syria does have required visa schemes, but they are not yet charging visas at all entry points. As of writing, visa fees are required for most nationalities at the airport, only. However, this could change as the new government continues to work on their systems. Come prepared at all border crossing points to pay for a visa, regardless of this advice here. Plan to pay with varying sizes of USD cash, in new bills. Syrian Guides has the most updated list available here, but I’ve also heard from recent visitors that different prices than listed were paid (thankfully lower than indicated here). Again, your flexibility and preparation for it to be different is essential.
As of now, there is also no clarity on if passports with certain stamps in them are being refused entry. Prior to the new government, it was clear that those with Israeli stamps had issues entering into Syria. This new government has not indicated if that is the case. If you have any stamps that “could” be concerning, come prepared to be denied entry and/or to be questioned further.
Entry at the airport:
After departing the airplane, go to visa desk indicated and present your passport. The process is changing all the time, so an application might be required. It’s only possible to pay in cash. Don’t expect change, so come prepared with various sizes of USD based on your expected payment. After paying the visa fee, only then can you proceed to the immigration officials to get your passport stamped.
Entry from Jordan (Jaber/Nasib border crossing):
Exiting Jordan and entering Syria is a fairly standard process, although might be time consuming depending on the queues in front of you. Most foreigners will have to pay a 10JD exit tax before getting an exit stamp. Be aware that Jordanians may have different exit requirements set in place by the Jordanian government as well.
At the Nasib border crossing, the exit tax window is in the room to the left of the main immigration office. They will direct you after standing in the immigration line, but if you prefer to speed the process, head to the exit tax window first. As of writing there was no sign, but feel free to ask. Before even going through the exit stamp process, expect your passport to be checked multiple times, as well as the car you are in to be searched.
After getting your passport stamped from the Jordanian authorities, proceed to your vehicle to drive to the Syrian entry point. At the Syrian entry point, there are separate lines (usually) for women visitors, but the foreigner visit queue isn’t usually respected. If you are male, enter into any queue except the female line; if you are female, enter into the female-only queue. Interestingly, your vehicle isn’t searched when entering into Syria, but expect a few checkpoints verifying your stamp to exit. And after this easy process, you are back on the road to Damascus!
Leaving the country is mostly the same but in reverse. However, expect your car and luggage to be searched much more thoroughly when entering back into Jordan. Be sure to build that into your time plans.
At this time, also, the border is open 24/7, which also makes planning this component much easier. In terms of safety, I’ve always tried to cross either side during daylight, but mostly because it makes me more comfortable and not due to any specific reason.
Entry from Lebanon:
I’ve not travelled to/from Lebanon to Syria yet (through the Masnaa-Jdeidet Yabous border crossing), hence why there’s limited advice here. However, I expect it’s much the same as the land border from Amman, with checks on both sides of the border.
Additionally, as of late May 2025, the Lebanese government has started applying an entry fee for all non-Lebanese of about 1,000,000 Lebanese lira, or around $11 USD. Allegedly it must be paid in local currency, but it’s possible USD will be accepted. Border officials in Lebanon will direct you where to purchase this stamp.
Travelling to Damascus is somehow much less complicated than many assume. I hope this advice is helpful and that it encourages you to visit!
Stay tuned for more advice on Damascus to come!
Angela was born and raised in the United States, but has spent the last 15 years of her life travelling around the globe as a humanitarian, responding to some of the world worst crises. She spent the last 11 years of her life travelling around the Middle East, supporting the humanitarian crisis in Syria. All of this work only spurred on her love of travel. Angela has now been to almost 50 countries, 8 of which are in the Middle East region. Yalla Habibti was born out of a deep love for the Middle East, and a desire to bring the beauty, history and culture of this region to encourage more women to visit! Angela still works full time as a humanitarian as well as providing advice and recommendations here on Yalla Habibti.
