Latakia

Understand

thumb|Welcome sign on the Latakia Train Station The city consists largely of white stucco highrises and streets lined with palm trees, and the most popular beaches are along the coast to the north of the city. Latakia is home to one of Syria's largest universities, Latakia University, and the city tends to be relatively socially progressive and liberal (by Syrian standards), with a mixed population of Christian, Alawi, and Sunni inhabitants.

Get around

Much of Latakia is accessible by taxi.

One can walk along the corniche, although it is otherwise not a very walkable city, due to distances between points in the city (beach, downtown, resort hotels, Ugarit, etc.).

See

thumbnail|Saladin's castle

The Latakia region is known for its diversity of landscapes, from the green mountains to the sandy beaches, with many important archeological sites, such as the Saladin Castle (a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2006) and the ruins of Ugarit, close enough to see on a day trip from Latakia.

Do

thumb|View of the beach from Al Siwar Restaurant In the city center, the American street attracts the young and fashionable at night.

Also the Zira'a quarter and around the university are hip upcoming parts of the city.