In case you don’t want to join one of our Syria tours where we usually provide transport from Beirut for free, you can cross the border by yourself. Did you know that you can travel from Beirut to Damascus by bus (or vice versa) for less than 10 USD each way. However, there are many steps involved. Follow along with the article to learn how.
IF travelling from Beirut to Damascus:
First, go to Cola station (exactly at this location: https://maps.app.goo.gl/Pch6j3Xv2pY7m3i87). You will find minivans heading towards Chtoura in the Bekaa valley. Get in one of them. It currently costs 300,000 Lebanese Lira per person (just over 3 USD). They look like the image below:
After around an hour you should arrive in Chtoura. You can also exchange money to Syrian Lira here. After you get out of the bus, you can find another similar minivan heading to Masnaa (the border crossing with Syria) for 100,000 Lira (1 USD). When you arrive, ignore all of the drivers offering to take you to Damascus, and go and get your passport stamped out of Lebanon.
Once you are stamped out of Lebanon, go through customs and find a car heading to the Syrian side of the border. I suggest paying the driver 1 or 2 USD each to the Syrian side of the border (or the equivalent in Syrian or Lebanese currency), as he is heading there anyway.
After getting stamped into Syria, pass through customs, and you will find a similar minivan heading to Damascus. They currently charge 25,000 Syrian Lira per person (around 2.5 USD). You might have to wait a while for it to fill up before the minivan leaves. He will drop you at Somariyah station (exactly here). You can cross to the other side of the highway and find another minivan heading towards central Damascus from there (Baramkah).
IF travelling from Damascus to Beirut:
If you are travelling the other way around, you basically have to follow the same steps. Make sure you go to Somariyah station (exactly here) and search for a minivan heading towards Jdeidet Yabous (the Syrian side of the border). The minivans are usually located inside the station on the left hand side – ignore the taxi drivers that offer to take you to the border if you’re on a budget.
Once arriving at the border, you can follow the same steps mentioned above, but in reverse.
Travelling from Beirut to Damascus by bus this way shouldn’t take too much longer than going by taxi – around 4 hours should be enough. Safe travels and enjoy Syria!