Aleppo Travel Guide 2026 — Citadel, Souk, the Food Capital & How to Visit

Aleppo is one of the oldest inhabited cities in the world, home to the greatest Islamic citadel, the largest covered souk anywhere, and — by common consent — the food capital of Syria. It came through years of war, and restoration has moved far: life has returned to the old city. Here's what to see, what to eat, where to stay, and how to visit.

What to see

• The Citadel — on a 50-metre mound in the heart of the old city; the fortified gate and bridge are a masterpiece, and the view from the top takes in all of Aleppo.
• The covered souk — a roofed labyrinth once over 13 km long; restored stretches are working markets again, including the beautiful Khan al-Wazir.
• The Great (Umayyad) Mosque — its black-and-white stone courtyard and Seljuk minaret, rebuilt from its original stones; the mosque reopened in 2026.
• Al-Jdayde — the historic Christian quarter of yellow-stone mansions, churches, boutique hotels and restaurants, including the famous heritage house Beit Ghazaleh.
• Historic khans and hammams across the old city.

The food — Syria's culinary capital

Aleppo has one of the great cuisines of the Levant, famous for sweet-and-sour cooking: the iconic cherry kebab (kebab karaz), dozens of kinds of kibbeh, muhammara, kebab halabi with pistachios, and toshka. For sweets, pistachio baklava and barazek — Salloura is an institution. Eat in a courtyard house in Al-Jdayde: Sissi House, Beit Wakil, Dar Zamaria, Kan Zaman. See the Syrian food guide and Aleppo restaurants.

Where to stay

From the Sheraton to boutique houses in Al-Jdayde — see Aleppo hotels & restaurants.

How to visit

• From Damascus: Aleppo is about 4 hours away — plan to stay overnight. We arrange a private trip with a car and driver, and sort your stay.
• By air: flying into Aleppo? Start with an Aleppo airport pickup — a driver waiting with your name.

Day trips & nearby

• The Dead Cities — hundreds of abandoned Byzantine towns in the limestone hills nearby.

Practical

• Cash (US dollars); cards rarely work — see money in Syria.
• See the best time to visit and getting to Syria.

Read more: Damascus travel guide · Syrian food · Aleppo airport pickup

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