here's a question... if i want to go to syria across the land border, which airport do i fly into in turkey?
has anyone done this? I want to fly to the south and take the land border across - i think there is a share taxi...
but i need a little more information
can anyone help?
thanks in advance!

Our friends at Lonely Planet recommend going via Antakya which is 3.5 hours by bus from Adana and 4 hours from Gaziantep.

Antakya in itself is supposed to be lovely, and apparently you can catch direct buses to Aleppo (4 hours) and Damascus (8 hours) from there.

This is true. I've done the run from Adana to Antakya and then to Aleppo and had fun. I was travelling with a local tour company that smoothed some of the border crossing problems. If you're travelling independently it might take a while longer. And a lot depends on what passport you carry. You could also go via Gaziantep, I'd have thought.

well.. this is what one LP thorntreeposter told me:
[i]You have two options: 1. You can fly to Gaziantep and take a taxi from there. I am not sure if you could find someone to share but you can use Halep Taksi (Aleppo Taxi). It is USD 70. It is only two-three hours to Aleppo from Gaziantep. 2. You can fly to Adana. Then take a bus to Antakya and then you can either take another bus from there to Aleppo or share a taxi. But this one takes more than 7-8 hours after you land Adana. [/i]

according to this, it seems better to go to Gtepe = shorter instead of bussing to antakya and then on to the border
does everyone agree?

probably right. and the mosaic museum in gaziantep is just as good as the one in antakya, if you're into that.

hmm
not sure if i will have the time... i am sort of planning a week in allepo and damascus
but thanks for all the info and thoughts...
so
gtepe quicker and easier? anyone else want to weigh in?
so ... visa question then - as a canadian - is it easy to get a visa for syria? i heard the consulate was in nisantasi or something...

The consulate is in Teşvikiye and Canadians will need a prior visa, also you cannot have any Israeli stamps in the passport or hint that you may have been to Israel in passport (that is the only thing that would be likely to derail a visa application). Syrian Consulate: Silahhane Cad. Ralli Apt. No:59-5, Tesvikiye (212)2327110.

yes... i am fully aware of the israeli stamp problem and accidentally washed my passport in the machine this year and now have effectively erased all evidence of being in israel
and unless my dive log were checked, i think i am home free to go
any idea on how long it takes for a canuck to get a visa?

Couldn't you have just partially destroyed or 'lost' it and got a new one?
Not that I would ever condone such things.....

yeah well... its not the first time i have had to get a new passport.
lets just leave it at that
but yes... you can partially destroy but then sometimes they paste them together
and lost... well.. i just couldnt lose it again
and NO
i am not condoning any madness of this sort at all
we are all law abiding citizens who never travel anywhere dodgy
now... go back about your business people

i would also like to publicly congratulate myself for being an "expat gone native" finally... after being an expat drunk for so long!

And there's me still aiming for drunk status...
For those of you who haven't had the pleasure of meeting me yet, this means you have to buy me a vodka before I'll speak to you.

Good luck with your trip, banana.

I found Aleppo Taksi's website (http://www.haleptaksi.com/index.html). It appears you can also take their service from Adana. You can email Ahmet Bey (ahmet@haleptaksi.com) to be sure you have the latest on prices, departure times, etc. This can help you decide if it is quicker/cheaper/more convenient via Gaziantep vs. Adana.

thanks so much for the help people!
and that email address is golden, burbaco! cheers miss!

Uhhh,... bit of a dumb question maybe, but why not fly directly to Damascus from Ataturk? Is that not possible?