On arrival at Damascus International Airport, you are met by our representative and transferred to your hotel. This is simply an arrival day so you may arrive in Damascus at any time. Note that hotel rooms are generally only available after midday. The balance of the day is free to explore your surroundings, but normally a Welcome Meeting is held in the evening where you meet your tour leader and fellow travellers.

There's nowhere quite like Damascus. A place of beauty and drama, the picaresque streets are suffused with an unparalleled history that makes exploration a stirring, endlessly exciting prospect. Once a Persian capital, it fell to Alexander the Great and became an important Greek city, then later a keystone of the Byzantine Empire. In the 7th century it fell again, this time to the Muslims and then had a chequered history before becoming part of the Ottoman Empire. The resulting jumble of architectural styles can't but fail to captivate visitors. After breakfast at the hotel we visit the superb National Museum, providing the best introduction to Syria's capital as well whetting our appetite for Palmyra, with many artefacts from the Roman city. We also see the superb 2nd century AD synagogue with its brightly coloured frescoes. In the west wing, a tiny clay tablet found in Ugarit bears the 30 characters of the Ugarit alphabet, considered one of the oldest in the world. We then head to the Old City, where we visit the Umayyad Mosque. Built on the site of a Roman temple, it is an adaptation of a Christian cathedral and is considered the fourth most holy Muslim site after Mecca, Medina and Jerusalem's Dome of the Rock. For those lucky enough to visit, it is a place of remarkable beauty and calm, a transcendent aesthetic experience. The courtyard is particularly beautiful with its monumental arcades and brightly-coloured mosaics. We then walk through winding streets to the Souk al-Hamidiyya, a grand covered arcade of shops and one of the most evocative places in the Middle East, where traders have sold their wares for hundreds of years. After time for lunch we set off to Palmyra, where we make our way up to the Arab castle that overlooks the site. This is the most atmospheric time and place to view Palmyra with the glowing sun and failing light casting beautiful shades and shadows on the ancient remains and surrounding parched plains. We then head out to a Bedouin tent, where we enjoy traditional desert hospitality with dinner under a blanket of stars (please note that this option may not be available in the colder months, in which case we will dine at our hotel).

Palmyra's pink granite columns, rising improbably from desert plains, provide one of the Middle East's blockbuster sights. Palmyra is simply one of the most striking ancient sites – some would argue the most striking – in the world with its exquisite architecture, austere landscape and cobalt-blue skies all combining to dazzling effect. Agatha Christie's description sums up Palmyra's appeal: 'lovely and fantastic and unbelievable, with all the theatrical implausibility of a dream'. Although its history dates back to the Assyrian Empire, Palmyra's 'Golden Age' was during the first two centuries AD, first as a Greek city and then as part of the Roman Empire. It was a major link in the ancient Spice Route to India and pack-camels once arrived here laden with spices and perfumes. We visit the splendid Temple of Bel, Palmyra's principal deity, often identified with the Roman god, Jupiter, and the Greek god, Zeus. We walk along parts of the ceremonial colonnade (once the main street) and explore the various other places of interest including the Baths of Diocletian and the remains of the agora (marketplace). At the conclusion of this splendid visit we drive to Krak des Chevaliers, where our hotel is situated in a valley overshadowed by the mighty castle.

T.E. Lawrence (Lawrence of Arabia), having visited some 37 castles in the region, described Krak as simply 'the finest castle in the world' and it is hard to deny this sentiment. Krak rises from the floor of the desert like a fairytale fortress and is one of Syria's premier attractions. It dates back to 1031, but it was the 12th century Crusaders who expanded and extensively remodelled the castle. The Great Hall is particularly impressive and we ascend to the southern ramparts for wonderful views of the surrounding countryside. The loggia, with its Gothic façade, is the castle's most impressive structure and we also visit the chapel that was later converted into a mosque. Afterwards, we head north, stopping at the pretty town of Hama. Situated on the banks of the Orontes River, the tree-lined streets, peaceful gardens and ancient water wheels make Hama a lovely place to visit. We then continue to Apamea, known as Pharnake before the conquest of Alexander the Great, and, in its heyday, one of the most beautiful cities in the region. Today, Apamea is celebrated for its magnificent colonnaded street (Cardo Maximus) which runs for 1.85 kilometres, is approximately 37 metres wide and was once lined on both sides with civic buildings and elegant porticoes. We walk the full length of this splendid street – perhaps the most graceful stroll in all of Syria. After Apamea it's time for one of the country's lesser known treasures: the 'Dead Cities'. Abandoned 1500 years ago, these Byzantine towns are as quiet and still as the Damascus souks are bustling. Few travellers visit here, but they are an atmospheric place and show another side of Syria. We'll most likely visit Serjilla; eerie and fascinating, the condition of the stone houses, tavern and church are remarkable. It feels as though the people left last week, not 1500 years ago. A castle, a Roman city, a pretty town and an ancient abandoned one: a long day, but a superb one with many of Syria's finest sights included. We continue on to Aleppo in the late afternoon.

This morning we travel to Qala'at Samaan, or Church of St Simeon, where the ascetic Simeon Stylites spent nearly 40 years sitting atop a column. We visit the superb 5th century church, which was built in a burst of brilliant architectural activity commemorating the life of St Simeon. It's a large site in a wonderful location, atop a barren hill with views to the surrounding countryside. St Simeon's Pillar can still be seen in the centre of the church's courtyard. We return to Aleppo where the rest of the day is free to explore. Aleppo's French influence may be evident in the new town's post boxes and grand boulevards, but it's the age-old bazaars that captivate here. Abraham was said to have tended his flock on citadel hill, and sometimes the atmosphere in the souks can feel straight out of earlier times, a vibrancy to the streets and alleyways that has persisted over centuries. In the great vaulted bazaar, the thick pall of ground spices hangs in the air, gold shines from stalls and textiles provide a colourful backdrop to the daily commotion. The city is also renowned for its Turkish bathhouses (hamams) and the distinctive yellow-domed Hamam Al-Nasri is a beautiful example, dating back to the 14th century. If you would like to experience a traditional bath, your tour leader will help organise a visit this evening.

Leaving Aleppo we drive to Ugarit, which dates back to 1600 BC (around the time of Egypt's New Kingdom) when it was a major centre of trade with Egypt and Mesopotamia. It is mainly noted for the discovery of stone writing tablets (now in the Damascus Museum). These depict one of the world's first alphabets (probably introduced from the Sinai) which replaced the previous hieroglyphic script. We wander through the remains of the ancient site and continue to the magnificent castle at Saone, described by T. E. Lawrence as 'the finest example of military architecture in Syria'. Taken by Saladin's forces in the 12th century, it is more commonly known as Qalaat Saladin (Saladin's Castle) although it is doubtful he ever stayed there. We visit this splendid ruin, located on a rocky wedge-shaped ridge strategically placed between two steep canyons, before continuing on to Tartus for the night.

Located on the Mediterranean coast, Tartus is now an important port; however, some of the original walled city built by the Crusaders in the 12th and 13th centuries still remains. Here we find the old Frank cathedral, a masterpiece of Romanesque architecture, which serves as a small museum and contains antiquities recovered from nearby Amrit and many other sites in the region. After our visit we make our way to the Syria-Lebanon border, where we bid farewell to our Syrian tour leader and proceed to the immigration counter. Once we have passed through we meet our Lebanese leader and driver who transfer us to Beirut. Its about 3 hours to the vibrant capital city of Lebanon. After checking into our hotel we have the rest of the evening free to explore this exciting city.

Life has returned to normal in downtown Beirut. Known once as the 'Paris of the Middle East', it has emerged again as a lively and vibrant city with busy cafes, great restaurants, numerous shops and several up-market shopping malls. Its mix of people, religion and cultures gives it a dynamic edge and it is certainly well worth spending some time soaking up its unique atmosphere. We continue on to Aanjar, a prominently Armenian town inhabited by refugees. Aanjar is home to the Umayyad city, thought to have been built around 710 AD. Boasting a typically Hellenistic-Roman layout dating from the first centuries of Islam, the city was discovered by accident in the 1940s and now holds great historical significance. We have time to explore the city before heading to visit the Ksara Vineyard. Lebanon is one of the oldest sites of wine production in the world and this is the oldest commercial vineyard in Lebanon, dating from the 18th century. The winery tour includes a visit to underground caves with nearly two kilometres of tunnels. We head on to Baalbek, one of the most extraordinary and enigmatic holy places of ancient times. Long before the Romans conquered the area and built their enormous temple of Jupiter and even long before the Phoenicians constructed a temple to the god Baal, Baalbek already existed as the largest stone block construction found in the entire world. We spend time exploring the site before heading back to Beirut for the evening.

We depart Beirut early for our drive north to Bcharre. We pass through some of the most beautiful scenery in Lebanon as we drive the mountain roads. We can spot Qornet as-Sawda (3090m) Lebanon's highest peak, and get some amazing views of the Qadisha valley below. We arrive in Bcharre, situated at an altitude of around 1950 metres and might have time for a cup of tea before heading off to visit the famous Gibran museum, a 19th century monastery and the burial place of poet and artist Khalil Gibran. We get some outstanding views over the valley below from the museums terrace. We drive a few kilometres out of Bcharre to the cedars, the remnants of a vast Cedar forest that once covered the area, some of these slow growing trees are thought to be well over 1000 years old. The Cedars of Lebanon were mentioned in the Old Testament and provided a source of wealth for the ancient Phoenicians who traded the wood to Egypt and Palestine. We have the opportunity to hike in the World Heritage listed Qadisha Valley, passing centuries old monasteries, caves and chapels before we head back to Bcharre for the evening.

After breakfast we drive to towards the coast to Tripoli, the second-largest city in Lebanon. Founded during the Persian period before eventually being destroyed by the Mamelukes in 1289, Tripoli is famous for its Mamluk architecture and has the best souk in Lebanon. It's a great city to explore for a day. We visit the Citadel, originally a Crusader Castle, constructed for Raymond de Saint-Gilles, founder of the County of Tripoli. It has been extensively renovated and remodelled over the years, most recently in the early 19th century. After a visit to the citadel, we spend time exploring the old souks, renowned throughout the region. Tripoli is famous for its Arabic sweets and not trip would be complete without sampling some of these sweet delights. After a fascinating day we drive to nearby Byblos for the night.

Byblos is a modern town with an ancient heart and a particularly picturesque port. It gave its name to the Bible and it was here that the first linear alphabet, precursor of our own, was invented. We visit the old Roman-medieval port and nearby we see the extensive excavated remains of the city's past which dates back from the Stone Age to the Crusader era. This old part of town with its archaeological areas dominated by the Crusader castle make Byblos a popular destination. Drive to visit one of Lebanon highlights Jeitta Grottos. Few caverns in the world approach the astounding wealth or the extent of those of Jeita. In these caves and galleries that have been known to mankind since Paleolithic times, the action of water has created cathedral-like vaults beneath the wooded hills of Mount Lebanon. We head back to Beirut this evening.

Leaving Beirut early, we drive south until we reach the old Phoenician city of Sidon. As we approach, we can see the famous Sea Castle in the distance, a fortress built by the Crusaders in the early 13th century on a small island connected to the mainland by a causeway. Downtown, the busy main street is full of small shops of every variety, including patisseries with oriental delicacies stacked in little pyramids. Sidon is also famous for a variety of local sweets which you can watch being made in the old bazaar. The particular speciality of Sidon is known as 'senioura', a delicious crumbly cookie. We continue to the relatively 'modern' palace at Beit Eddine - a 'jewel' of Ottoman architecture. We explore the 'midan' (public square), a huge rectangular place for visitors, and enjoy a spectacular view from the beautiful gardens. A large section of the private apartments has been opened to visitors and we see the finely sculpted doors and columns, as well as a unique collection of mosaics in the ancient stables. We head to Deir Al-Qamar to end a long, but rewarding day.

Deir Al-Qamar is one of the best preserved examples of 17th and 18th Century provincial architecture in Lebanon; we spend a few hours this morning exploring this beautiful historic site. We then drive to Shouf Cedars Forest - the largest of Lebanon nature reserves. Al-Shouf Cedar Nature Reserve stretches from Dahr Al-Baidar in the north to Niha Mountain in the south. Blanketed with oak forests on its north-eastern slopes and juniper and oak forests on its south-eastern slopes, the reserve's most famous attractions are its three magnificent cedar forests of Maasser Al-Shouf, Barouk and Ain Zhalta-Bmohary . These cedar forests account for a quarter of the remaining cedar forests in Lebanon. In the afternoon we return for the last time to Beirut. We visit the corniche and see pigeon rocks. After enjoying a guided tour through downtown Beirut observing the many styles of architecture on display, we might want to head out for a meal and the famed night life on our last night together in Lebanon.

Your trip ends today after breakfast. Check-out time is usually around 12 noon and you are free to leave at any time. If you have arranged a private airport transfer you will be advised of the pick-up time. Additional accommodation can be pre-booked if you wish to spend more time exploring Beirut.