Tartus

Tartus is Syria's second port and the most relaxed of its cities, and its old town is a curiosity: houses built into and over the walls of the crusader city of Tortosa, so that medieval halls serve as living rooms and lanes duck through fortress gates. The cathedral of Our Lady of Tortosa, a fortified Romanesque-Gothic church, survives complete and houses the city museum. The seafront corniche fills in the evening, and boats cross to Arwad island offshore.

What you actually see

• The cathedral - the fortified church of Our Lady of Tortosa.
• The old town in the fortress - houses grown into crusader walls.
• The corniche - the evening seafront promenade.
• The Arwad boats - the crossing to the island offshore.

When to go

April to June and September to November are mild and clear. Summer is humid but the sea softens it. Evenings on the corniche are the city's best hours.

Honest expectations

The museum's opening is irregular. The old town is lived-in and unrestored - part of its charm, but expect washing lines rather than presentation. Beaches in the city itself are ordinary.

Nearby

Arwad is offshore, and Amrit is south along the coast.