No cards, no ATMs, and a currency that lost two zeros in January. How money works in Syria, and what a trip actually costs.
Bring every dollar you will need, in clean US notes. Foreign cards do not work and there are no ATMs for visitors. Budget around 75 dollars a day on the ground, plus the visa fee, transport and a guide. Dollars are now accepted openly in shops, which was illegal before December 2024.
Syria is the rare country where your bank card is worthless. Foreign cards do not work, there are no ATMs available to visitors, and nothing you have arranged at home will help you once you are inside. Whatever you spend on your trip, you carry in with you, in cash, in notes.
That sounds alarming and is mostly just logistics. Syria is cheap, the people handling your money are honest, and the system works perfectly well once you understand it.
US dollars are the currency to carry. Euros are widely accepted too, but dollars are safest and are the only currency reliably accepted for the visa fee at the border. Bring new, clean, unmarked notes: torn or scribbled bills are refused or discounted, which catches people out.
Bring a spread of denominations. Large notes get the best exchange rate, small ones pay for taxis, tips and coffee without a hunt for change. Split the money between your bag and your person, and leave some in the hotel safe rather than carrying everything.
One change worth knowing: paying in dollars was illegal under the old regime. It is now normal, and shops, cafes and restaurants take them openly.
On 1 January 2026 the Syrian pound was redenominated and two zeros were removed, so 100 old pounds became 1 new pound. This matters for a practical reason: prices quoted in older articles, and even on some signs, look a hundred times too high. If a figure seems absurd, ask which pound is meant.
Change money through your guide or hotel rather than on the street. Rates vary and the official rate is not the rate anyone actually uses.
Operators commonly suggest budgeting around 75 dollars a day on the ground, which covers food, water, entry fees and incidentals comfortably. Meals run from about 5 to 15 dollars, bottled water around a dollar, coffee or tea about a dollar, a beer about two. Fuel is roughly 1.16 dollars a litre, which matters if you are paying for a car and driver.
The costs that actually shape your budget are the ones before you arrive: the visa fee, flights or the road transfer from Beirut, insurance, and a guide or driver if you use one. Food and accommodation are cheap by regional standards.
Tipping is expected and appreciated. Setting aside five to ten euros or dollars a day for tips is a reasonable rule, with more for a guide who has looked after you well.
Small details, but each one has caught out a visitor.
Torn, written on or heavily creased dollars get refused or discounted. Ask your bank for new notes specifically.
Large notes exchange better, small ones pay for taxis, tips and coffee. You want both.
After the January 2026 redenomination, old prices still appear online and sometimes on signs. A figure a hundred times too big is an old pound figure.
They know which offices give a fair rate. The official rate is not the rate anyone uses.
Lebanese ATMs are unreliable and give poor rates. Carry enough cash for both countries, and change to dollars before the border.
If something medical happens, expect to pay on the spot. This is a strong argument for insurance that actually names Syria.
No. Foreign cards are not accepted anywhere, including at the border for your visa fee, and there are no ATMs available to visitors. Syria is a cash country for travellers.
The whole trip, plus a margin. Around 75 dollars a day on the ground is a common operator estimate, then add the visa fee, transport, your guide and a reserve for emergencies and for getting out of the country.
Dollars. Euros are widely accepted, but US dollars are the safest to carry and the only currency reliably accepted for the visa fee at the border.
No. Food and accommodation are cheap by regional standards, with meals at 5 to 15 dollars. The real costs are the ones before you arrive: the visa, getting in, insurance and a guide.
It was redenominated on 1 January 2026 and two zeros were removed, so 100 old pounds became 1 new pound. Old price information online can therefore look a hundred times too high.