Syrian Arab Republic Transport

Syrian Arab Airlines flies to Aleppo, Deir ez Zor, Latakia, Palmyra and Qamishli.

The railway extends 2,200km (1,364 miles). A service operates between Damascas-Aleppo-Deirez-Zar-Hassakeh-Kamechli. A second line runs between Aleppo-Latakia-Banias-Tartous-Homs-Damascas-Deraa. First-class carriages are air conditioned.

There are 25,887km (16,086 miles) of roads. Traffic systems are poor and there are numerous accidents. Second-class roads are unreliable during the wet season. The principal route is Aleppo to Damascus and Dar’a (north–south axis). Traffic drives on the right.

Bus: Services run from Damascus and Aleppo to most towns and are cheap, widely used, efficient and comfortable. There are orange-and-white air-conditioned Karnak (Government-operated) buses and buses run by Transtour. Reservations should be made well in advance. Karnak bus routes serve their own terminals, which are usually in or near the city centres. There are also privately-run bus and microbus services.

Taxi: Shared taxis are available to all parts of the country. Service taxis (old limousines) run on major routes and cost 50 to 70% more than Karnak buses.

Documentation: International Driving Permit required. Green Cards are not yet accepted in the Syrian Arab Republic. Insurance is required by law and a customs certificate is needed. These are available from touring and automobile clubs.

Publicly-owned bus services operate in all major towns and cities. Most buses outside the capital, however, have no signs in a European script to indicate destination or stops, which can make travelling rather difficult. Taxis are widely available. Fares should be agreed in advance and according to the meter in the cities.

The following chart gives approximate journey times (in hours and minutes) from Damascus to other major cities/towns in the Syrian Arab Republic.

	Air	Road
Aleppo	1.00	5.30
Latakia	1.00	5.00
Deir ez Zor	1.00	8.00
Al Hasakah	-	8.00