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
Qala'at Musyaf - another crusader castle about 45minutes west of Hama. To get there take a service take to Musyaf (60 SYP. The castle is right in the city center, you can't miss it. Service taxis run back to Hama until at least 5pm)
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.
