Is Syria Safe to Visit? An Honest 2027 Guide

Is Syria safe to visit? Not by the standards of official travel advice. As of November 2026, the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada and Australia all tell their citizens not to travel to Syria. At the same time, Syria is open to visitors again: 719,000 foreign visitors arrived in the first half of 2026, Damascus airport has daily international flights, and local guides run tours to Damascus, Maaloula, the coast and the old castles. This guide sets out what the official advice says, what has changed since 2025, which areas carry the most risk and how travelers who decide to go reduce that risk. We link every official source so you can check it yourself.

Planning a trip? Read our complete Syria travel guide, our Syria visa guide and meet our local guides in Syria.

The short answer

• Do governments say it is safe? No. The US rates Syria Level 4, “Do Not Travel,” its highest level. The UK, Canada and Australia also advise against all travel.
• Are people visiting anyway? Yes. Syria recorded 3.52 million visitors in the first half of 2026, including 719,000 foreign visitors, more than five times as many as a year earlier.
• Is the airport open? Yes. Damascus International Airport has scheduled flights from the Gulf, Turkey and Jordan, though services can be suspended without notice.
• What are the main risks? Terrorism, kidnapping, armed clashes in some regions, unexploded ordnance at old front lines and regional strikes linked to the 2026 conflict with Iran.
• Will my insurance cover me? Usually not with a standard policy. Traveling against your government’s advice can invalidate it, so you need specialist cover.
• Can my embassy help me there? Do not count on it. The UK says it cannot provide consular support from inside Syria.

What official travel advice says

Every major Western government places Syria at its highest warning level. The advice applies to the whole country, not just to border areas, and it has not been lowered since the change of government in December 2024.

Two points from this advice matter even if you are an experienced traveler. First, the UK says it cannot provide consular support from inside Syria, so if you lose your passport or are detained, help may have to come from outside the country. Second, the UK warns that traveling against its advice can invalidate your travel insurance. The US Federal Aviation Administration also has standing warnings for civil aviation over and near Syria.

What has changed since 2025

A great deal has changed on the ground, even though the official advice has not. After the end of the Assad government in December 2024, Syria reopened to tourism and visitor numbers rose quickly.

• More visitors: the Ministry of Tourism counted 3.52 million arrivals in the first half of 2026, up 111% on 2025. Of these, 2.13 million were Syrians living abroad, 664,000 were Arab visitors and 719,000 were foreign visitors.
• More flights: Qatar Airways, Turkish Airlines, Royal Jordanian and Emirates resumed flights to Damascus in 2025, and more Gulf and Turkish carriers have followed.
• Heritage sites reopening: the National Museum of Damascus reopened after restoration, and visitors are returning to Palmyra, Maaloula and the castles, although many sites still show war damage.
• A new currency: in January 2026 Syria removed two zeros from the Syrian pound, so prices you read in older guides no longer apply.

Where the risks are highest

Risk is not the same across Syria. Reports from 2026 point to a few areas where violence and instability are most likely, and these are the places local guides avoid.

• Sweida province in the south: tensions between government forces and Druze armed groups remained high in October 2026, and armed groups closed the main highway between Sweida and Damascus.
• Desert areas and the countryside around Damascus: security forces are still carrying out operations against Islamic State cells, including one in Rankous, about 45 km north of Damascus, in 2026.
• The northeast: much of the region passed to government control in early 2026 after years outside it, and the situation is still settling.
• Border areas and old front lines: unexploded ordnance and landmines remain a danger in former conflict zones, including around parts of Palmyra. Stay on marked paths.
• Military and security sites: the UK advises staying away from security and military facilities, which have been targets of strikes in the region.

Damascus, the coast around Tartus and Latakia, and the Christian villages such as Maaloula are where most visitors go, but they are not free of risk, and incidents can happen anywhere in the country.

The 2026 regional conflict and flights

The wider Middle East has been unstable since a conflict involving Iran began in early 2026. The UK warns that Iran has said it intends to target US- and Israel-linked locations, and that strikes and retaliatory attacks have taken place across the region.

For travelers, the practical effect is disruption: flight cancellations, airspace closures and sudden schedule changes. Flights between Damascus, Doha and Jeddah were halted for a period and resumed in May 2026. Book tickets you can change, keep extra days in your plan and watch airline and airport announcements before you travel.

If you decide to go: how to reduce the risk

The decision to travel is yours, and it should be an informed one. Travelers who go to Syria in 2026 usually follow the same few rules.

• Travel with a licensed local guide. A guide who lives in Syria knows which roads are open, which checkpoints to expect and which areas to skip that week.
• Get specialist insurance. Standard policies usually exclude countries under “do not travel” advice. Look for a high-risk travel insurer that names Syria in the policy, including medical evacuation.
• Tell someone your plan. Share your itinerary and daily check-in times with family or a friend at home.
• Sign up for alerts. Register with your government’s travel alert service and follow local news while you are there.
• Do not photograph security forces, checkpoints or military sites. Ask before photographing people.
• Stay flexible. If your guide says a place is off-limits that day, change the plan.
• Dress modestly and respect religious sites. Women need to cover their hair and arms at mosques such as the Umayyad Mosque, where cloaks are provided at the entrance.

Money, phones and documents

Syria still runs mostly on cash, so plan your money before you land.

• Bring US dollars in cash. Foreign bank cards are still unreliable in Syria. Some hotels and larger businesses in Damascus have started accepting cards since 2026, but do not depend on them.
• ATMs are linked to the Syrian banking system and pay out Syrian pounds only.
• Currency: the new Syrian pound replaced the old one at 100 to 1 in 2026. Check which notes you are given.
• Visa: most visitors get a visa on arrival, but air travelers may need approval before flying. See our Syria visa guide.
• Passport: carry your passport at all times. Keep a paper copy and a digital copy somewhere separate.

Travel with a local guide

Simsem’s hosts in Syria are local people who guide visitors through their own cities and villages. A few of their experiences:

See every host and tour on our local guides in Syria page.

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