I am considering traveling to Damascus, Syria; Istanbul, Turkey; & Jerusalem, Israel. I am looking at a timeframe of 2.5 weeks in late summer or fall. I was considering 4 days in Damascus, 4 or 5 days in Istanbul, and 4 or 5 days in Jerusalem. (These are full days, i have an extra day inbetween the cities as "flight"days.)
Does this time frame sound reasonable for each city? In Damascus, my interest is mainly the Old City. And in Istanbul & Jerusalem just the major sites. If someone has been two all 3 cities, would you shift more days to one city from another. I dont have too much interest in museums however may go to one if looking for something to do.
(When i went to Egypt last year in summer I did cairo region and luxor in 13 days (5 or 6 of those in luxor). The rest of the days were spent in Cairo with 2 day trips to memphis/saqarra/dahshur & alexandria. Both Cairo and Luxor we moved at a relaxed pace and was able to see everything we wanted and actually finished a day early in each, in which we used to explore other stuff or play in markets. I enjoyed being out on the street more than being inside museums. Since i overestimated time in egypt i thought i may be good my timeframe for this trip.)
IF i cant get the 2.5 weeks and can only do two weeks, I will probably drop one of these cities. Which two are the most enjoyable (i am a history buff, and enjoy photography). I thought if i had to cut one i first thought Syria, because i originally thought about just Istanbul&Israel. But the more i read about syria the more interested I got. And i have thought about syria & israel and cut Istanbul, but then wondered how i would get between the two. this is just worst case senario, i should be able to do the 2.5 weeks.
Reply to this Hello Aaron
I can speak in relation to two of the cities, but not to Jerusalem. Even though I really love Syria, I suspect that Damascus has the least to offer in terms of sights. Damascus has a great and long history, but there is not as much of it on display. The advantage with Damascus however, is that it is possible to go on long day trips to see some surrounding historical areas (Bosra ampitheatre and Krak des Chevaliers come to mind). I had 4 days in Damascus last year, but only spent 2 within the old city, the rest I travelled elsewhere.
There is plenty to keep you occupied in Istanbul for 4 days, but I am unsure if there is much nearby to do for daytrips. You can spend 2 days alone in the area around Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque and the Topkapi Palace. Then you have the Grand Bazaar as well, and that is worthy of a bit of time.
Hope this helps.
Reply to this Based on the pace of your Egypt trip, I'd say you have a pretty good itinerary. In my opinion, you should definitely prioritize Istanbul though.
I fully agree with the last post. Although since you're a history buff, Damascus' status as the oldest continuously inhabited city in the world should count for something. The best part of the city is Old City and I wouldn't have a problem at all spending 3 days there alone.
And just make sure you research the Syrian entry requirements regarding Israeli stamps.
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