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julianne42219:37 UTC17 Jan 2009

Hi all,
I'm going to be in Syria in April, and trying to sort out some details- how easy/quick is it to travel from Damascus to Maaloula? Is it feasible to do in a day? What are my options?
Thanks!
Julianne

marcopoloo03:14 UTC18 Jan 2009

Yes you can do it.Take the minibus from Zablatani Maalola garage one hour drive.When in Maalola try and hire a taxi/minibus to take you to the St.Georges Monastery (Cherebim) some 20 km up the narrow winding road.Scenery is spectacular.You can also include Sednaya famous for 40 churches and the shrine of the virgin Mary on your trip

oni08:44 UTC18 Jan 2009

You could rent a car and drive yourself--easy and well signed.

julianne42214:02 UTC18 Jan 2009

not to sound overly American, but I'm not exactly excellent with manual cars (shameful, I know)- I can do it, but not very well. Would I be correct in assuming it's a bit tricky to find automatic cars for hire in Damascus? If so, how expensive should I expect a hired driver to be?

goodyearbear19:44 UTC18 Jan 2009

it is NOT difficult to find an automatic car in Syria. I do not drive manual transmissioned vehicles and rented a compact in May through one of the major companies for about $200/wk. However, i would not recommend you drive in Dimashq. And if you are a "shy" driver, this could be a problem, too. I had a number of postings on here prior to my trip to Syria in May in which i was very concerned about driving in Syria, because of everything i heard about how unsafe and aggressive Syrian drivers are. In fact, I scared some of THEM. LOL

Day trip to Maaloula Country forums / Middle East / Syria
julianne42219:37 UTC17 Jan 2009	Hi all, I'm going to be in Syria in April, and trying to sort out some details- how easy/quick is it to travel from Damascus to Maaloula? Is it feasible to do in a day? What are my options? Thanks! Julianne
marcopoloo03:14 UTC18 Jan 2009	Yes you can do it.Take the minibus from Zablatani Maalola garage one hour drive.When in Maalola try and hire a taxi/minibus to take you to the St.Georges Monastery (Cherebim) some 20 km up the narrow winding road.Scenery is spectacular.You can also include Sednaya famous for 40 churches and the shrine of the virgin Mary on your trip	1
oni08:44 UTC18 Jan 2009	You could rent a car and drive yourself--easy and well signed.	2
julianne42214:02 UTC18 Jan 2009	not to sound overly American, but I'm not exactly excellent with manual cars (shameful, I know)- I can do it, but not very well. Would I be correct in assuming it's a bit tricky to find automatic cars for hire in Damascus? If so, how expensive should I expect a hired driver to be?	3
goodyearbear19:44 UTC18 Jan 2009	it is NOT difficult to find an automatic car in Syria. I do not drive manual transmissioned vehicles and rented a compact in May through one of the major companies for about $200/wk. However, i would not recommend you drive in Dimashq. And if you are a "shy" driver, this could be a problem, too. I had a number of postings on here prior to my trip to Syria in May in which i was very concerned about driving in Syria, because of everything i heard about how unsafe and aggressive Syrian drivers are. In fact, I scared some of THEM. LOL	4

Day trip to Maaloula