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City in Syria
Photo: , CC BY-SA 3.0
Latakia (اللاذقية), also spelt Lattakia, is a major port in Syria, with a population of 550,000. Latakia is a city extending back to Ancient Greek times, and continues to be an important commercial port for Syria today.
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المتحف الوطني في اللاذقية
أُوجَارِيت
The ancient Phoenician city that lays claim to developing one of the first written alphabets in the world. Located about 20km north of Latakia, it can be reached by an organized tour from a hotel in the city, or, for those who are confident in their bargaining skills, can be reached by taxi, but it is important to arrange for joey to come pick you up in the taxi to wait (for a fee), since the road near the Ugarit entrance is not heavily trafficked by taxis for the return trip.
كنيسة قلب اليسوع الأقدس
Catholic church completed in 1933.
الكنيسة الإنجيلية المشيخية الوطنية في اللاذقية
A small historic Evangelical church, dating back to 1876.
The free public beach at the bottom of the cliff below Al Siwar Restaurant is neither particularly clean nor safe due to the debris in the sand.
Rough rocky beach with debris on the sand. From the park, walk on the trail toward the water, crossing the active train tracks. There are other swimmers as well.
These allow non-guests to use their beaches for a charge. Further north, the beaches at Ras ibn Hani and the black-sand beach at Ras al Bassit are nice, but difficult to get to without one's own transportation.
See the link for the GPS track and video of the route. Quiet run around the sports complex completely on side walks off road. During the winter months, the area was mostly deserted of cars and people, save a few runners, walkers, and soccer players. The traffic is heavier in the summer. The complex is about 8km away from the center of Latakia. There is a geocache inside the complexcoord.info/GC2NTNN.
See the link for the GPS track and video of the route. Long run 12 km that circumnavigates the city, mostly close to the water. It is busy near the train station. Otherwise, it is very nice on wide sidewalks. Extend this run by linking it with the other loop around the Sports Complex. You will meet many people exercising on this route: speed-walking and jogging.
See the link for the GPS track and video of the route. Short run 1.5 km that circumnavigates a park and large city block. It is quiet, on wide sidewalks, with a slight hill for extra training. Run this loop multiple times to increase the distance and practice hill climbing. Stop at the park at the end of each loop for some push-ups and sit-ups.
Probably the best-known restaurant among locals, with a beautiful view of the sea. Thus, one of the more expensive options in Latakia, but still moderately priced. Serves good Syrian mezze and kebabs, as well as fish.
Probably the best-known seafood restaurant among locals. Reasonably priced, is famous for having good, fresh fish.
A nice place to sit back and enjoy a nice drink especially just before sunset. Western, Italian and Middle Eastern food is also served at moderate prices.
Double and triple bedrooms with en-suite bathrooms. All rooms include an air-con, TV/digital receiver and wifi. Dorm beds available.
Run by a Tintin fan Mohammad Ziadeh & his family, one of the friendliest budget hotels in town, hospitable & open minded owner Mohammad Ziadeh, who's also the well-informed unofficial tourist information in town; 22 different rooms & a roof dormitory
Simple, clean hotel, rooms overlook main street. TV and Fridge, owner can organise trips in the locality
An upscale seafront hotel and resort, just north of the city. Remains open despite the ongoing civil war.
A large (3,000 bed) Syrian-run hotel. Private beach in one of the better areas on the Latakia coastline. Remains open despite the ongoing civil war.
By bus
Overland travel is limited, but buses connect with regional cities along the Syrian Coast.
By train
As of 2018, trains are limited to a twice daily service from Tartous, taking about 1 hr 15 min. Long distance trains from Aleppo and Damascus are cancelled indefinitely.
By bus
Latakia has quite a good bus system. Destinations are labeled in Arabic, but the buses are numbered, operate frequently and follow predefined routes.
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Latakia · Regional · LTK
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