Modest clothes, serious shoes, and the two things you cannot get once you are there.
Cover shoulders and knees, bring shoes you can walk all day in, and carry every dollar you will need in clean notes. Add your medication in original packaging, printed copies of your documents, a power bank and offline maps. Winter needs real layers; Damascus nights get close to freezing.
Syria is not a hard country to pack for. Modest clothing, comfortable shoes, and a clear head about the two things you genuinely cannot sort out once you arrive: cash and medication.
Cover shoulders and knees, men and women alike. Nobody will shout at you for a short sleeve, but you will be more comfortable and better received dressed as locals dress. Women should carry a scarf for mosques; the Umayyad Mosque lends abayas at the door, but having your own scarf is easier.
Shoes matter more than anything else you bring. Old City lanes, souq floors and archaeological sites are uneven stone, often slippery and rarely level. Bring the shoes you would walk ten kilometres in.
For winter, add real layers and a proper coat: Damascus nights approach freezing and courtyard houses are often poorly heated. For summer, loose and light, plus a hat and sun protection for desert sites.
Cash is the big one. No card works and no ATM will help you, so every dollar of your trip travels with you, in clean notes. Bring more than you think.
Medication is the other. Bring everything you take, in original packaging, with a copy of the prescription, plus a basic kit: painkillers, rehydration salts, something for an upset stomach, plasters. Pharmacies exist and pharmacists are good, but a specific brand may simply not be available.
Printed copies of your passport, insurance policy, hotel bookings and any approval document, kept separately from the originals. A power bank, because supply is not always steady, and a European two-pin adapter. Download offline maps before you arrive rather than relying on data when you land.
Beyond the obvious. These are the items visitors say they were glad to have, or wish they had brought.
New and unmarked. Torn or scribbled bills get refused. Large notes exchange better, small ones pay for taxis and coffee.
For women at mosques and shrines. Abayas are lent at the Umayyad Mosque, but your own scarf is simpler and more comfortable.
Old City lanes and ruined sites are uneven, polished stone. This is the single most useful thing in your bag.
With a copy of the prescription, plus a small kit. Specific brands may not be available locally.
Electricity supply is not always steady. European two-pin plugs are the standard.
Passport copies, insurance, bookings and any approval document, carried separately from the originals.
Shoulders and knees covered, loose rather than tight. A headscarf is not required day to day, but you will need one at mosques and shrines. Syrian women dress across a wide range, from fully covered to western styles, particularly in Damascus and on the coast.
Not in daily life. At mosques and shrines, yes, and an abaya is usually lent to you at the entrance of larger sites like the Umayyad Mosque.
European-style two-pin plugs. Bring an adapter and a power bank, since electricity supply is not consistently reliable.
No. Do not attempt it. Drones will cause serious problems at the border and anywhere near a checkpoint or military site.
Everyday toiletries, yes, easily. Prescription medicine is less certain by brand, so bring everything you take with you in original packaging with a copy of the prescription.