Things to do in Damascus

When visiting Damascus, things to do are mainly going to involve sightseeing. The reason for this is that the city of Damascus offers you a variety of museums, but you can also find older buildings that offer you a chance to look at the old architecture of the city. If you're not interested in sightseeing you can always enjoy shopping in the numerous streets around town.

Hejaz Railway

The Hejaz Railway is open to the public every day but Fridays from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Outside of the museum you will find a great locomotive display, while inside you will find various artifacts and photographs about the railway. The museum is located on the far side of the tracks at the Cadem Station. You can also partake in a steam locomotive ride if you wish to purchase tickets in advance.

Explore the Old City

The Old City is one of the best neighborhoods to visit if you're interested in exploring the town of Damascus. The Old City does not have newly constructed buildings; instead, it gives you a chance to explore what the city used to be like. If you're going to be exploring the many streets and alleyways of the Old City you must do so on foot; taxis do not come here due to the narrow streets. However, exploring on foot gives you the chance to window shop at all of the beautiful stores in the Old City.

Visit Mount Qassioun

If you visit Mount Qassioun you will want to make sure you make the trip in the evening because of the beautiful view that it has to offer. However, if you do go up at night you want to bargain with your taxi driver before leaving town, because you can easily spend hours up there watching the town light up under the night sky. At the bottom of the mountain there is a monument erected in honor of an unknown soldier, which is something to stop and look at before heading up the mountain.

St. Ananias Chapel

Even though the chapel has a very interesting history, there isn't very much to see. St. Ananias Chapel, which is located in the Old City, offers you the chance to see the small church that is located in the cellar. You can also visit the room next to the church in the cellar that is filled with plaques that tell the history of St. Ananias Chapel. After visiting here you should stop at the Chapel of St. Paul.

Bimaristan an-Nuri

This building was the first hospital in the world, but now it is an Arabic Science and Medicine Museum. The building also happens to be one of the last ayyubid monuments in the city of Damascus. Inside the museum you will find an ancient tomb, old Arabic surgical instruments and many other things of interest.