|
| |
 Discovering Syria tour
Call us now on 0845 003 2211 or
01543 258631
Short on time?
But want to see the highlights and be led by an expert? Then this tour is
the one for you.
A 7 night expert led tour
Tour departures: 15th March 2011, 8th November 2011
Prices from £1795 per person, 7 nights
This seven night itinerary has been planned specially for those who want to
enjoy Syria’s major sites and cities in a week - Damascus, Aleppo,
Palmyra and the mighty Crusader castles of Krak de Chevalier and Saladin are all
included. A special attraction of this particular tour is that we will be
staying in traditional, courtyard hotels in Damascus and Aleppo.
We stay in the heart of the old
town in Damascus for two nights before leaving for the ancient site of Ugarit,
we move on to Aleppo where a further two nights are spent and the tour ends with
time at one of the greatest sites in the ancient world - Palmyra. The tours will
be led by two of our best-known tour leaders, Dr Thomas Tuohy and the Reverend
William Taylor. Both have great experience of Syria and indeed the Middle East.
Dr Tuohy leads the March tour and William Taylor the October date.
What we Include
- British Midland flights from London Heathrow to Damascus
- Seven nights’ accommodation with breakfast, lunch and dinner each day
- All entrance fees, gratuities and sightseeing as described
- The services of a tour lecturer and a local guide
- Damascus Airport Departure Tax
- Group Visa for entry into Syria (NB Non UK Passport holders may be charged a
supplement - please check with our sales staff)
Flights Details
Flights with bmi
Depart Heathrow at 18.00 arrive Damascus at 01.10
Depart Damascus at 10.30 arrive Heathrow at 14.05
Supplement for bmi Business Class available on request.
Itinerary...
Day 1 - We fly from London to
Damascus where we stay for the first two nights of the tour at the 4* Oriental
House.
Day 2 - After a leisurely start, we visit several historic monuments and sites
of Syria’s capital including the Tomb of Saladin and the Umayyad Mosque. Time
will also be spent walking through the narrow streets of the old town which is
lined with picturesque houses with their typically Damascene gardens. There will
be time to shop in the souk.
Day 3 - Today we drive to the mighty Krak des Chevaliers, the most famous and
grandest of all the Crusader castles. Later we visit the important ancient site
of Ugarit before reaching the shores of the Mediterranean for a one night stay
at 4* Revira Hotel in Lattakia.
Day 4 - This morning we visit another important Crusader fortress,Saladin
Castle, before reaching St Simeon Cathedral. Dating from the 6th Century, we see
the four huge basilicas of the cathedral radiating out from the column on which
St Simeon himself lived for more than forty years. We then continue to nearby
Aleppo for a two night stay at 4* Dar Zamaria.
Day 5 - We spend today in Aleppo, dominated by its massive citadel. Teeming with
labyrinthine bazaars, Aleppo is a magical city, which seems to capture the very
spirit of the Middle East. We explore all this together with the Great Mosque.
Day 6 - Today’s journey takes us to Ebla and then the delightful town of Hama,
famous for its ancient waterwheels which dominate the rushing waters of the
Orontes River. We then arrive at Palmyra for a one night stay at the three star
Hotel Zenobia Cham.
Day 7 - We spend today exploring Palmyra, one of the great sites of the ancient
world and arguably one of the most important desert cities. It was the base of
the power-crazed Queen Zenobia who, having defeated the Egyptians, went on to
defy the Romans. There are many finely preserved temples, colonnaded streets, a
theatre and an impressive market place. We then travel to Damascus for our final
night of the tour at the Oriental House.
Day 8 - We drive to the airport for the flight back to London.
Your tour
lecturer
Andrew Allen - Andrew Allen
studied the History of Art at the University of East Anglia and obtained his MA
in mediaeval paintings. He lectured at Anglia Ruskin University and now
teacheshumanities in Norfolk where he lives. Andrew Allen is a great traveller
and spends much of the year abroad. He has made a particular study of Syria and
all the countries in the Middle East and the emerging republics which were once
part of the Ottoman and Soviet empires. Andrew Allen writes: “I have been
travelled regularly to the Middle East and have developed a great love of the
Islamic world – its peoples, languages and cultures. These countries are a rich
mosaic of all these things, none more so than Syria. I relish the opportunity to
introduce this country to those who are visiting it for the first time”.
| |
|
