Room rates are negotiable but expect to pay an average of $200 for a double room with breakfast and Government tax (12 per cent) included.

Beit Al-Mamlouka
The first Damascene boutique hotel has a charming courtyard and elegant furnishings and is a five minute stroll to the souqs. It is well set up for tourists with helpful English speaking staff. Its eight rooms get booked up quickly so reserve early.

www.almamlouka.com

Oriental Hotel
The best located of the five hotels, just off the ancient Straight Street, the Oriental has luxuriously-furnished rooms – one with its own fountain – and a roof terrace. The good restaurant is an added bonus not found elsewhere; being new it feels less touristy but communication in English can be tricky for anything other than standard room and breakfast requests.

Travelling in Syria on a budget

Our intrepid duo travel to Damascus, Hama and Palmyra and discover Syria can be cheap to get around

Syria: four sites you shouldn't miss

Aleppo, Rasafa, the Dead Cities and Krak de Chevaliers - plus advice on travelling alone as a woman in Syria

• Our big family adventure in Syria

Damascus: best hotels and street food

Sarah Birke picks her five favourite places to stay in the Syrian capital - and the best street food

• Travelling in Syria on a budget

Related Links

• Travelling in Syria on a budget

Beit Rumman
Five warm rooms and one sumptuous suite around a small courtyard, free internet and a wine and cheese cellar make this family-run hotel a cosy choice. It is on a busy street but tranquil inside, especially the rooms at the rear.

www.bietrumman.com

Talisman
The Talisman’s main hotel is tucked away from Damascus’ traffic in the old Jewish Quarter. A large courtyard with a pool as the centrepiece and uniformed staff gives this seventeen-room house a feeling of grandeur. Has a second hotel in the Muslim area of Bab Musala.

www.hoteltalisman.net

Dar Al Yasmin
A slightly cheaper option, the Dar Al Yasmin is tucked away in a historic house in the back streets of the Christian Quarter of Bab Touma. The large courtyard, where breakfast is served, is impressive and airy in summer.

www.daralyasmin.com

STREET FOOD IN DAMASCUS

Street food in Damascus is cheap, plentiful and hygienic. Some of the best food can be sampled in Damascus, especially around the area of Bab Touma where most of the foreign students live. £1 = 70 SYP

Juice: Juice stalls will whip you up any mixture of juices for under £1. The stall at Bab Touma square has a huge range of juices; for freshly-squeezed pomegranate juice try the stalls around the Omayyad Mosque.

Felafel: Felafel, hummus and salad wrapped in a thin bread; spicy sauce to taste. Available all over town, but the best is to be found on the right-hand side of the road on the walk up Bab Touma street from the square (25 SYP).

Bread and croissant: Syrians regularly cluster around holes in the wall – it’s the bread they’re after – plentiful and cheap thanks to a Government subsidy. Join the scramble to buy fresh, hot flat bread or croissants – the best is on the way to Bab Touma from the Omayyad Mosque (croissant 15 SYP).

Pide: Small flat breads with toppings including the fluorescent green and extremely tasty thyme sauce (zaatar) or cheese (jubne) are sold at a range of places for 5-15 SYP each.

Ice cream: For Arabic ice cream made with semolina try the infamous Bedach in Damascus’ Souq Hamidiyeh (50 SYP); head to the area around the Cham Palace hotel for good Italian-style ice cream.

Times recommends

• Oasis of the Seas: the Times review
• The 20 best new year party places to stay
• Green Spaces 2009: are you the winning writer?