THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, June 18, 1995 TAG: 9506170037
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E5 EDITION: FINAL
LENGTH: Medium: 69 lines
Getting there: No American airline flies in or out of Damascus. To reach Syria, you must connect in Europe via Air France, KLM or Lufthansa. A round-trip fare to Syria from Norfolk runs between $1,200 and $1,600.
Getting in: Americans need a visa to travel to Syria. Travel agents can refer you to a passport service that will do everything for you for a fee of $30 plus expenses. You can also write directly to the Syrian Embassy, 2215 Wyoming Ave. N.W., Washington, D.C., 20008. Processing the visa costs $15 and takes three to four working days. For questions, call (202) 232-6313.
Because of a quirk in Syrian law, even if you have a six-month visa you have to renew it at a local police station before you are in the country 15 days. You must get the renewal stamp if you want to fly home.
Getting around: Among the best deals in Syria are package tours that provide discount airfare and luxury hotels.
Chamtour USA offers a 10-day tour of Syria starting as low as $1,400. Tours include all in-country transportation and all meals. Chamtour also handles visas.
Chamtour is affiliated with the only chain that operates five-star hotels throughout Syria. Cham hotels are luxurious by any standard, with marble clad lobbies, swimming pools and sumptuous buffets. Cham hotels include a Mediterranean resort in Latakia on one of Syria's best beaches.
Tours include visits to Damascus, Aleppo, Krak de Chavalier, Qalaat Saladin, Ugarit, Dura Europos, Palmyra and Bosra.
Because of an agreement with Lufthansa, Chamtour can also knock several hundred dollars off your round-trip airfare.
Chamtour USA is in the World Center Building, 918 16th Street N.W., Suite 403, Washington, D.C., 20006. You can call at (202) 785-1355.
Golden Horn Travel and Tours offers 19-day tours of Jordan and Syria. The Golden Horn limits its groups to 20 people and hires professional archaeologists as guides.
Tours run $2,700 and cover in-country transportation, admission fees, breakfast and dinner and accommodations at five-star hotels.
Golden Horn covers many of the same sites plus sites in Jordan. Golden Horn also offers other tour packages that include Israel, Turkey and the Sinai peninsula.
For information, write to Golden Horn Travel and Tours, P.O. Box 207, Annapolis, Md., 21404 or call (800) 772-7009.
Hotels: You can find accommodations in Syria in any price range. There are campgrounds throughout the country and cheap, though sometimes run-down, hotels. I found hotels in Damascus, near the Old Town, starting as low as $20 a night. Four- and five-star hotels charge a premium for non-Syrians.
Currency: At official exchange rates, you should get about 42 Syrian pounds to a U.S. dollar. Travelers checks can be tough to cash. Outside major cities, you should carry U.S. or Syrian cash. Avoid using credit cards in Syria. Credit card purchases are calculated at an exchange rate that makes everything about four times more expensive than cash.
Dress: In the spring and fall, Syria's climate can be mild, with warm breezy days and cool evenings. In the summer, it gets hot. Still, because the climate is so dry, you're better off covering up. Hats, scarves and light long-sleeve shirts are recommended even in the summer. It is inappropriate to wear shorts or sleeveless shirts except on the beach.
Books: One of the best historical resources is ``Monuments of Syria'' by archaeologist Ross Burns. Although this isn't written as a guidebook, it has the most comprehensive historical information about the sites of Syria. In the United States, ``Monuments of Syria'' comes only in a hardbound version that will set you back $90. A softcover edition was put out in Syria with a price tag of less than $40.
- Greg Raver-Lampman by CNB