Palmyra
Syria
- Safety rating
- 2/10
- Best time to visit
- Spring and autumn historically avoided the harshest desert extremes, security permitting.
- Population
- 0.1M
Overview
Palmyra is a legendary oasis city in the Syrian desert, whose UNESCO-listed Greco-Roman ruins once formed a glittering caravan crossroads ruled by Queen Zenobia. Despite deliberate damage during the war, its colonnaded streets and temples remain among antiquity's most evocative.
Top attractions
The ruins include the Temple of Bel, the Monumental Arch, the colonnaded Great Colonnade, and the desert tower tombs.
Getting around
There is no safe public transport; the site historically lay along the desert road from Damascus, reached by car.