Palmyra for the day

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susanparker
susanparker

I'm going to the Middle East this spring, and I've got a pretty restricted timeline. I always try to do to much, but hey, that's the kind of traveler I am, and I enjoy it. Anyway, I'll be in Hama for a few days doing the dead cities and such, and then heading to Palmyra. I was planning to do that on a day trip from Hama, heading to Damascus the next day. But then I though, why would I waste 2.5 hours coming back to Hama, only to spend 2.5 hours on a bus to Damascus the next day, why not head straight to Damascus from Palmyra. So now that's what I'm hoping to do. It seems there's a pretty early bus from Homs, and buses to Damascus leave 24 hours, so we should have plenty of time in Palmyra even without staying the night.

Anyway, my question is for anyone who'se been there already. Is there anywhere (reasonably trustworthy) to leave your bags during the day? I don't want to be lugging around 60 L on my back all day. If not I suppose I could go to Palmyra earlier on in the trip and head to Damascus after a morning at Kraks.

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abuwalad
abuwalad

Hi,

why don't you go travel from Hama - after having visited the Krak from there - to Palmyra (by Homs), spending a night there (enjoying of the evening and having a place for your bag) and heading from Palmyra to Damascus (several buses and a 2h30 - 3h00 trip) the next day ? When arriving in Palmyra, at the bus stop af "Qadmous", ask the hour of the departures to Damascus (the stop in town, front of the café, has disapperared last year). I think you can ask in Homs or Hama, at the office of the main bus companies (Qadmous, Al Ahlia,...) the time table of their bus leaving Palmyra. I know that Al Ahlia has an Internet site, with time tables). I've taken some notes last summer on the timetable of Qadmous in Palmyra : I'll see thiis evening if I have some more precise informations.

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indianbear
indianbear

hi i just got back from syria. i spent one night at palmyra. it was certainly not enough. a day in palmyra will be quite insufficient to savour its beauty. the best times to spend at palmyra are at dusk and dawn. at dusk , you get great photos and its beautiful. its more beautiful at dawn, which is abt 6 am onwards. at dawn you will get the whole place for yourself. you can wonder around the ruins as you wish and it is just wonderful, especially during the low season. so stay at least a night but if you can stay 2 nights.

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watership
watership

I totally agree with #2, I stayed in Palmyra for two nights and never got tired of wandering around the ruins, the tombs and climbing the hills to see the sunset. You can get great fuul and shawarma for little money, and even beer (opposite the museum, next to the internet cafe) with the company of Czech workers of the oil companies.

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