Hi Guys,
I arrive into Damascus 05:30 Friday morning what would be the best way into town, how much SHOULD a taxi cost? I am doing the normal tourist route around Syria. Has anyone any suggestions of accommodation in Damascus, Aleppo & Palmera ETC. Any recomendations on things not to miss.Cheers,
JMF
When leaving the airport building, you can take the airport bus, leaving half hourly from the booth you will see to your right. It will bring you to Baramke, which used to be the long distance bus station, but actually the airport bus is the only one still serving Baramke, now a derelict and empty large square...
You will be 'attacked' by taxi drivers, charging you exaggerated prices for a ride to a hotel. But Baramke is within 5 or 10 mins walk from many hotels such as Sultan, Afamia, Amir, Oriental, Semiramis. I could give you the directions how to get there if you would use the bus. Bus fare is still SYP. 50,- ( unchanged since years ), that is approx EUR 0,70 / USD 1,-.
SYP 600 is indeed the fare for a taxi ride. Within the city NEVER pay more than SYP 50, most trips don't cost more than SYP. 25,-. Insist on using the metre, which honest drivers mostly do without being asked.
Hi,
as said, there are buses to former Baramkeh station (center of town) from 6 am to 12 pm (midnight), every half an hour. The fare is 25 SP by person an 25 SP for each "big" luggage. 30 to 45 minutes ride (it depends of traffic). The bus stop and ticket office (a small "house") is 100 m just on your right, passing the exit door of the airport. It was still like that in july 2007. I think that, now, if I understand it well at the office, there are too buses between midnight and 6 am. This summer, on arrival, I could catch a bus a few minutes after 5h30 am.
Correct for buses and taxis at Damascus airport.
I've got some info on hotels gathered in a word sheet. If you want it, you can have it. Just email syriatravel@gmail.com.
I am Belgian and living near Aleppo.
Accomodation in Aleppo: Dar Halabia Hotel
(right in the souk area, near Bab Antakya)
http://www.halabia-tours.com/
http://dachzelte-und-mehr.de/ALEPPO/hauptteil_aleppo.html
Accomodation in Damascus: Al Amer hotel
(10-15 minutes on foot from Museum and Tourist Souk)
http://www.alamerhotel.com/pkg/index.htm
Dar Halabia in Aleppo is an excellent ** hotel in a 16th/17th century building, in the Jdeida Christian quarter - some 10 mins walk to the souk and the citadel. It is not a budget hotel, but if you can afford it ( approx. USD. 80, in double room per night incl. taxes and breakfast buffet ), it's one of the best choices in town, as I have experienced last September ! Excellent restaurants, to western standards very affordable, are within 2-3 mins walk.
The rooms are spread into 3 different houses along a very quiet alley, far from noisy traffic or other nuisance - I even didn't hear the morning or evening prayers from the very nearby mosques !
Never forget, however, that you should not expect the same service level as in ** hotels in e.g. Europe - everything is fine, and the staff is very friendly and helpful, but there is space for improvement. But to Syrian standards, it is a very good hotel - warmly recommended !
If are going to spend a lot of time in the Old Walled City you best bet find a place as close as possible to it, cos to go back and forth to the old city from the new city or city centre cost a lot of time in traffic jam apart from the taxi fare.I must mention that in the last two years alone taxi fair has alsmost doubled due to increase in fuel cost.visit damascushostel.com in Bab Touma
syriafullbottle