'''Hama''' (????,) is a city in Syria - population around 400,000.

Get in

Hama is well connected by bus with other Syrian towns such as Aleppo, Damascus and Tartus. The bus station is a little way from the town center and the railway station is further away. Connections are unreliable and the trains leave at odd times. The bus is a better bet.

Get around

Taxi or Service. You should never spend more than 20 Syrian Pounds on a Taxi within the city.

Walk. Hama is a very walkable city, with the biggest waterwheels an easy 1km stroll from the centre. The passport office, where you get visas renewed, can be reached from the downtown in about 15 minutes on foot and there are plenty of restaurants and markets around the two most popular hotels for backpackers, the Riad and Cairo.

See

  • The world's largest Norias (a kind of waterwheel) on the River Orontes. Even in the dry season there's usually one of these wheels turning.
  • Souq - which seems to have a lot of shoes for sale.
  • Citadel - not a great deal to see, but you do get some views over the city.
  • Azem Palace is not as big as its counterpart in Damascus but still very much worth a visit.
  • Hama Museum
  • Do

    Buy

    Eat

    Eat possibly the best felafel (20 SP) in the Middle East at Ali Babas near the Cairo Hotel. This small and simple restaurant is recommended by the guidebooks and consequently has a menu in english. There are numerous fast food and juice stands in the area around Ali Babas.

    Al-Baroudi restaurant on Shoukri al-Quwatli is a good bet for barbequed chicken but be careful what you order. If you are not precise, they will bring a huge meal of half a chicken each plus three or four dips, bread, salad and a large plate of rice. While all the food is excellent, and perhaps just the ticket if you are starving, the cost was 225 SP per person in November 2007 and smaller meals are available for a proportionaly smaller cost.

    If you would like a quiet place to sit and have a tea, walk along al-Buhturi street and there you will find a couple European-style cafes selling pastries, ice cream and a wide selection of bread as well as serving all kinds of hot and cold drinks. They are quite popular with women.

    Camel steaks!!!

    Sleep

    Budget

    Mid range

  • Cairo. haria Shoukri al-Quwatli. 22 280. Good basic clean hotel in the centre of town
  • Riad. haria Shoukri al-Quwatli. 39 512. Good basic clean hotel in the centre of town ''The two most popular hotels for backpackers are the Riad and the Cairo. They are found right next to each other on Shoukri al-Quwatli street, near the clocktower, and seem to mop up all the tourist traffic in Hama. Both hotels get good reviews in the guidebooks and from their guests for their good service and clean rooms with nice extras like satellite TV. Rooms cost 700 SP for an en suite double as of December 2008. The Riad has a nice common salon for travellers to gather in and chat while the Cairo has the perfect terrace to enjoy the view from over a tea or cold drink. Both hotels run sightseeing tours and seem to contract them out to the same people - although this traveller found the owner of the Riad much more friendly and able to customise tours than that of the Cairo. A tour in the 1952 Pontiac is well worth the money (UD$26 for a whole day - Nov '06)

    Splurge

    Get out

    Hama makes a great base for exploring a lot of the north-east of Syria

    the following can be done as a half day trip from Hama, but you could string a few together for a long day!

  • Serjilla and Al-Bara - locations of the so called 'Dead Cities'
  • Ma'arat an-Nu'aman - for the Mosaic Museum
  • Apamea - site of some well preserved roman ruins
  • Qala'at Sheisar - runied castle overlooking steep river valley
  • A little further afield you could get to the Krak des Chevaliers as a day trip - but this would be a bit of a shame, as staying the night near the Krak and spending some time to explore this gem of Syria is well worth the time and effort.

    Riad and Cairo hotels can arrange private transport to all these.

    Internet

    Several internet cafes have sprung up around Hama and the going rate for high-speed service is 75 SP an hour. Space Net on Abual-Feda is near the Al-Nouri mosque while Happy Net is just one option near the Cairo and Riad hotels. The Cairo hotel also offers internet access to its guests on a computer in the lobby. The cost is the same as the internet cafes and the speed is quite good, despite the connection being a dial-up one.