Travelling by train across Europe & Turkey was a beautiful and exciting way to get to Syria. Without the teleport effect of airplanes, mountain ranges are more than bumps on a flat surface and the Danube remains a mighty river rather than just yet another waterway.
How did I get to Syria:
Thursday 16 July
London – Brussels (Eurostar) 12:57 – 16:00 – £75
Brussels – Koeln (Thalys) 16:55 – 19:15 – €12
Koeln – Muenchen (sleeper) 23:46 – 07:16 – €64.50
Friday 17 July
Muenchen – Belgrade 08:27 – 23:30 – €81
Sunday 19 July
Belgrade – Sofia – Istanbul (sleeper) – 08:00 – 11:30 (next day) – €48.40
Monday 20 July
Istanbul: Eminonu – Haydarpasa (ferry across the Bosphorus)– YTL 1.50 (60 pence!)
Haydarpasa – Ankara 11:00 – 16:39 – YTL 24 (£9.60)
Ankara – Adana (Mavi Cukurova sleeper) – 20:05 – 07:25 – YTL 54.50 (£21.80)
Tuesday 21 July
Adana – Antakya (coach) – 10:00 – 14:00 – YTL 12.50 (£5)
Wednesday 22 July
Antakya – Bab Al-Hawa (shared taxi) 09:00 – 10:00 – $10
Bab Al-Hawa – Aleppo (hitchhike) 16:00 – 17:00
Aleppo – Damascus (coach) – 18:00 – 22:00 – Syr Lira 150 (£2)
Total: 7 days (including a day in Belgrade & a day in Istanbul) + £114 + $10 + €205.90
You can do it cheaper with better planning!