When people think of Syria, it conjures images of desert and ancient cities with 1000s of years of history. While yes, this is absolutely true that Syria is mainly made up of a semi-arid desert, there is also a mountainous coastline and beachside cities that used to be tourist hotspots.
Syria’s northern coast in between Lebanon and Turkey is on the shores of the Mediterranean, and offers a side of the Middle East that most people would only associate with Lebanon. The Jewel of this area is Latakia.
Why is Latakia so special?
Well, if you like beach resorts, amazing bars, great restaurants with cheap seafood and on top of this a scattering of historical, sites then Latakia is definitely a place for you. Latakia feels different to the rest of Syria because it has a relaxed beach attitude, this is evident in the atmosphere of the city, and mostly in the people themselves.
Most people from this part of Syria are part of the Alawite sect of Islam, which is a much more moderate version of Islam. The current President of Syria, Bashar Al-Assad, is Alawite, and he and his family come originally from this region. There is much less evide
nce of religion in this part of Syria and more evidence of bars and a culture of partying.
Around Latakia, you can find grand beachside hotels that dot the coast offering an escape from the craziness of Damascus. Tourists here can also enjoy many historic sites such as Salah Ad-din Citadel in the nearby mountains, Ugarit, which is supposedly where the first evidence of written music was discovered, as well as many more ancient sites from the age of Phonecians.
Is it safe?
Yes! In fact, throughout the Syrian crisis, many families moved from the nearby cities of Hama, Homs, and Aleppo to Latakia because it remained very stable throughout the conflict. Latakia has been largely untouched from the conflict and you won’t see evidence of fighting in this region. Most of the damage you see around here now is from the February 2023 earthquake, which did adversely affect the area.
Many people from all over the Middle East used to come to Latakia for holidays before the crisis as a cheap beach destination. Currently, tourist numbers are much less than they should be (as is the case with all of Syria), however, every time we visit, we do see more and more families from other parts of the Middle East starting to trickle back in.
Is it worth the journey?
Latakia is slightly out of the way and many Syrian tour itineraries don’t include it. We however think Latakia is absolutely awesome and shouldn’t be missed, especially in the summer months! Latakia gives Damascus a run for its money in terms of the party scene with many cool small bars reopening up and beach clubs and pool parties frequenting the scene in the summer months.
We think if you want to see a side of Syria that is far from the destruction that we see in the media then Latakia is just the place for you.
If you’d like to check out what we do in Latakia and other parts of Syria then check out our tours here .
