Damascus Travel Risk — Extreme Risk (75/100)
Is Damascus safe right now? Checked 16 October 2026
Damascus scores 75/100 on our travel risk index (Extreme). The US State Department rates Syria Level 4 (Do Not Travel, updated 7 Aug 2026); the UK FCDO advises against all travel to the whole country (updated 2 Sep 2026); Canada says: avoid all travel. No GDACS or USGS hazard events within 100 km in the last 14 days. No change in government advice in the last 7 days.
Official US advisory · Level 4
Do Not Travel
This decision takes precedence over the analytical composite shown on this page.
Environmental quality (score 40)
Government advisory (score 85)
September 27, 2026
Damascus, Syria has a current Travel Risk Calculator composite score of 75 out of 100 (extreme risk tier); the highest-rated risk category is government advisory at 85/100; the lowest-rated category is environmental quality at 40/100; last updated September 27, 2026. For official nationwide security advisories, entry requirements, and health notices, see the Syria travel risk page. Real-time conditions below include live weather, official advisory levels, GDACS disaster alerts, and current news.
Get a personalized assessment for your tripHow safe is Damascus to visit in 2026?
Damascus is currently under a US State Department Level 4 Do Not Travel advisory. That official decision takes precedence. The 75/100 extreme composite remains visible only as analytical context and must not be read as permission to disregard the advisory. The highest-rated risk category for Damascus is government advisory (85/100), and the lowest is environmental quality (40/100). This page was last updated on September 27, 2026; the baseline category scores reflect analytical indicators, layered with live conditions throughout the day. Live conditions — weather and air quality every 30 minutes, US State Department advisory every 6 hours, GDACS disaster alerts every 30 minutes, CDC health notices every 12 hours, and news every hour — are cached at the source and refreshed automatically when stale.
Driven by: The US State Department and Government of Canada and UK FCDO advise against all travel here, so the score is held at 75 or higher.
A score of 75 is higher than the scores of 91% of the 241 countries we cover.
AI safety snapshot · refreshed Oct 11, 2026
Damascus, Syria maintains an extreme risk baseline safety composite of 75/100 and a US State Department advisory level of 4. Despite severe ongoing risks, recent headlines note that some hotel groups are targeting Syria for tourism, Syrian Airlines is returning to Europe, and European aviation safety agencies have reopened Syrian air corridors.
AI-summarized strictly from the live public-source data below (US State Dept advisory, GDACS, CDC, Google News). Auto-refreshed at most once per day on the first visit. Not official advice.
Live conditions last refreshed: Oct 16, 2026 06:23 UTC
What should I do now?
- Run a real assessment. Open the calculator for live data (weather, advisory, news) layered onto this baseline.
- Government advisory (score 85/100): Read your country's current official advisory within 7 days of travel. Register with your embassy on arrival if available.
- Political instability (score 80/100): Avoid demonstrations and political gatherings. Monitor news the morning of travel. Have a flexible departure plan.
- Check your country's advisory. The single most authoritative live signal. Linked at the bottom of every real assessment.
Day vs Night Safety in Damascus
Guidance based on our scores and official advice — not a measured score.
Exercise heightened caution even during daylight hours. Stick to primary thoroughfares, travel in groups where possible, and avoid navigating quiet residential side-streets alone.
Nighttime movement carries significant risk. Strictly avoid solo walking after dark; rely exclusively on hotel-arranged transportation or registered radiotaxis, and confirm destination security before leaving your accommodation.
Safety by Traveler Type in Damascus
Guidance based on our scores and official advice — not a measured score.
Solo travelers
Crime risk is elevated. Solo travelers should avoid quiet areas at night, keep a charged phone and offline map, and share a live location with someone.
Women traveling solo
General crime risk is elevated. Plan arrivals in daylight, avoid isolated areas, and prefer accommodation with 24h reception. We do not hold gender-specific incident data for Damascus, so also check the live official advisory above and local women-traveler communities.
Families with children
Health/disaster risk is elevated. Confirm medical-evacuation cover, identify hospitals near your accommodation, and check seasonal hazard (storm/heat/quake) before you book.
Older travelers
Health/transport risk is elevated. Confirm medical-evacuation cover, plan rest between transfers, and locate English-capable medical care on arrival.
Business travelers
Digital/money risk is elevated. Avoid public Wi-Fi for sensitive work, use a VPN, watch for card-skimming at ATMs, and carry minimal cash.
LGBTQ+ travelers
Local laws and social attitudes toward LGBTQ+ travelers vary widely by country and are not captured in our category scores. The official advisory/political indicators are elevated. Read your government LGBTQ+ travel guidance carefully and weigh trip purpose against current conditions.
Score layers
Safety categories
Source: Grounded open data research & citations
Quick facts
| Hospital access | low |
|---|---|
| Airport risk | high |
| Road safety | high |
| Public transport | high |
| Tourist scam risk | high |
| Night safety | high |
| Last updated | September 27, 2026 |
Live conditions in Damascus
Real-time data refreshed from public sources — weather and air quality from Open-Meteo, official advisory from the US State Department, disaster alerts from GDACS, health notices from the CDC, news from Google News. For an AI-synthesized briefing tailored to your specific trip, run a personalized assessment.
Official travel advisory
Level 4 · Do Not Travel
Syria - Level 4: Do Not Travel
Read full advisory → · US Department of State
Disaster alerts
Active Disaster Alerts
-
Green flood alert in Syria GREEN · ~403 km away · 2026-10-15
On 12/10/2026, a flood started in Syria, lasting until 14/10/2026 (last update). The flood caused 2 deaths and 0 displaced .
-
Green flood alert in Jordan GREEN · ~181 km away · 2026-10-15
On 10/10/2026, a flood started in Jordan, lasting until 12/10/2026 (last update). The flood caused 1 deaths and 0 displaced .
-
Green flood alert in Türkiye GREEN · ~427 km away · 2026-10-14
On 12/10/2026, a flood started in Türkiye, lasting until 14/10/2026 (last update). The flood caused 0 deaths and 0 displaced .
“~N km away” = event centroid within ~500 km of this location; “country-wide” = a national/regional alert that may not be near this specific city. Source: GDACS · fetched 2026-10-16 06:23:25 UTC
Natural hazard calendar & history
5-Year Hazard Calendar (100 km Radius)
| Hazard | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Floods | — | 1 | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 3 | — |
Most flood events within 100 km of Damascus happened in November (3 of 5 in five years).
Source: GDACS, USGS; five years to October 2026.
For consular advice on women's safety, LGBT+ travel, and local laws, see the Syria travel advice & laws.
Check the official entry requirements for your nationality before you travel. See the Syria entry requirements.
Health notices
Health Notices for this Destination
-
Level 1 - Global Dengue WATCH · 2026-10-02
Dengue is a year-round risk in many parts of the world, with outbreaks commonly occurring every 2–5 years. Travelers to risk areas should prevent mosquito bites. Country List : Colombia, Vietnam, Maldives, Bolivia, Cambodia, Kenya, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Costa Rica, Mar
-
Level 2 - Global Polio ALERT · 2026-09-23
Some international destinations have circulating poliovirus. Before any international travel, make sure you are up to date on your polio vaccines. Country List : Afghanistan, Algeria, Benin, Cameroon, Chad, Côte d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast), Democratic Republic of the Congo, Niger, Nig
-
Level 1 - Global Measles WATCH · 2025-05-28
Measles cases are rising in many countries around the world. All international travelers should be fully vaccinated against measles with the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine, according to CDC's measles vaccination recommendations for international travel. Country List : Afghan
Source: CDC Travelers’ Health · fetched 2026-10-15 19:24:31 UTC
1991–2020 climate normals
Seasonal risk & best time to visit Damascus
The most weather-stable two-month window for Damascus is April–May, when typical daily temperatures run from about 8°C to 29°C and monthly rain averages 8 mm.
Seasonal planning flags include extreme heat in July–August. These are climate patterns, not forecasts.
Climate normals are planning context, not a short-range forecast. Source: Open-Meteo Climate API. Refreshed Sep 9, 2026.
Calculate risk for these travel dates Compare seasonal windows →
Emergency numbers (Syria)
| Police | 112 |
|---|---|
| Ambulance | 110 |
| Fire | 113 |
| General | — |
Medical access
| Hospital access | medium |
|---|---|
| Pharmacy access | medium |
| Emergency response | medium |
| English-speaking care | unknown |
| Evacuation complexity | medium |
No specific information on healthcare facilities or emergency services in Damascus was found in the available sources. Travelers should assume limited access and plan accordingly.
Common scam patterns
- label. Corruption and bribery are reported throughout Syria, including at security checkpoints. Travelers may be asked for unofficial payments to pass or avoid delays. Tip: Carry only official documents and politely refuse any request for unofficial payments.
- label. Violent crime such as robbery is common, and tourists may be targeted for overcharging by taxi drivers. Incidents of theft and inflated fares have been noted in the country. Tip: Use reputable transport services and agree on a fare before starting the ride.
Area notes
- Central Damascus (tourist zones). The government has launched a tourism season, indicating a focus on central attractions.
- Rural Damascus. ReliefWeb reports ongoing insecurity in rural Damascus and adjacent areas.
Frequently asked questions about Damascus
Is Damascus safe to visit?
Damascus currently scores 75/100 on our composite travel risk index (extreme risk; lower is safer). It already includes the current US State Department advisory for Syria (Level 4 of 4). Official advice can change quickly, so check it again shortly before you travel.
Sources: Travel Risk Calculator — Damascus · Methodology
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Calculate my trip riskScore history
| When | Score change | Tier | Reason / source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 14, 2026 | 0 → 0 | unknown | Data update Grounded open data research & citations |
Every editorial change to Damascus's composite score is logged here, with the source and reason for the change. Live data overlays (weather, advisories, disaster alerts, news) refresh continuously on their own cadences and are not recorded as score changes — see the Live conditions section above for current overlay state.
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Transparency & Sources
We document the baseline sources, coverage scope, and data inputs for this destination below.
Sources used
- SimpleMaps World Cities (CC BY 4.0): Coordinates, region, population for Damascus
- Travel Risk Calculator score (method v2): Security, crime and scams, health, natural hazards and current alerts for Damascus, from US, UK and Canadian advisories, INFORM, World Bank, UCDP, CDC, GDACS, USGS and OpenStreetMap
- Editorial baseline (Travel Risk Calculator): City-level threat scoring across 9 categories (crime, health, advisory, political, disaster, transport, environmental, digital security, money safety)
Live data overlays on this page refresh asynchronously on the source cadences shown above. Run an assessment to create a trip-specific briefing using your dates and traveler profile.
Baseline scope
- Category scores represent an analytical baseline, updated from official feeds and public records.
Coverage notes
- Transport-hub safety notes (airport, train stations).
Methodology · Full data-source registry · Report a correction
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Disclaimer
Travel Risk Calculator provides estimated travel-threat information for preparation purposes only. It does not replace official government advisories, medical advice, emergency alerts, immigration rules, insurance advice, police guidance, embassy information, or professional security consultation.