Lebanon — Where to Go
Top Things to See
• See the neo-Ottoman campus of the American University of Beirut in Hamra, which was founded in 1868 (website: www.aub.edu.lb). Achrafieh, in East Beirut, is the other center and home to the Université St Joseph and an increasing number of smart shops and expensive restaurants.
• Witness the spectacular number of modern buildings and office blocks springing up in Beirut’s Central District.
• Capture the old Beirut in the city’s old souks (covered markets) that are being reconstructed in an authentic way. The Turkish bath at Al-Nouzha provides another glimpse of antiquity, while the Beirut National Museum is constantly updating its interesting collection (website: www.beirutnationalmuseum.com).
• See the Pigeon Rocks in Raouche, an increasingly popular district with a lively seaside promenade on the western tip of Beirut. The huge formations stand like sentinels off the coast.
• View the provincial charm of Lebanon’s second and most Arabian city of Tripoli (website: http://tripoli-city.org). Its old medieval center at the foot of the Crusader castle has many mosques, including the Al-Muallaq Burtasiyat Madrassa, Al-Qartâwiyat Madrassa, Great Mosque and Taynâl.
• Spot the green turtles and rare birds on the Island of Palm Trees, listed by UNESCO as a nature reserve, just off Tripoli.
• Behold Byblos, reputed to be the oldest town in the world (website: http://whc.unesco.org). Excavations have unearthed artifacts dating back to Neolithic times as well as from Canaanite, Phoenician, Hellenistic, Roman and Crusader periods. Fishing boats and pleasure craft ply the old harbor.
• Glimpse the sea castle built of stone from Roman remains in the small port city of Sidon. See one of the best-preserved temple areas of the Roman world that is still in existence in Baalbek, near the Syrian border. The columns of the Temple of Jupiter soar behind the complex of several temples.
Top Things to Do
• Visit the spectacular Jeita caverns, around 20km (13 miles) north of Beirut. On two levels, the lower gallery includes an underground waterway which can be visited by boat.
• Shop at the old souks (covered markets) in Tripoli, a town famous for its sweets and traditional olive oil-based soap.
• Enjoy delicious Lebanese food in the port area of Al Mina, where many seafood restaurants and fish markets can be found.
• Go scuba-diving and snorkeling in the waters near the ancient city of Tyre. Divers can explore some interesting underwater archaelogical ruins.
• Try out the watersports on offer, which include waterskiing and sailing. Swimming is also popular and many beaches have freshwater pools provided to supplement the sea.
• Ski amidst a Mediterranean backdrop in Lebanon’s many mountain resorts, such as Bakish, The Cedars, Faqra, Faraya, Laklouk and Zarour, which offer excellent accommodation and facilities (website: www.skileb.com). Whilst there, explore these mountains and gorges. They present excellent terrain for hiking.
• Visit the Gibran Museum in Besharre (website: www.kahlil.org/museum). Best known as the birthplace of the famous Lebanese poet Khalil Gibran, author of The Prophet, the town is also a gateway to the Kadisha Valley, a mountainous region famous for its many cedar trees.
• Enjoy vibrant downtown Beirut (website: www.downtownbeirut.com), expensively refurbished following the civil war. The many arches and sidewalk cafes of Maarad Street lead into Place de l’Etoile, which has a 1930s art-deco clock tower. The Lebanese parliament, another example of Lebanese art-deco architecture, is nearby.
• Discover the archaeological sites of Tyre (website: http://tyros.leb.net/tyre). Area one contains ruins of the large district of civic buildings, public baths and mosaic streets, while area two has an extensive network of Romano-Byzantine roads. Area three contains one of the largest Roman hippodromes ever found.
• Visit the courtyard and state rooms of Beiteddine, in the Chouf Mountains, which is the site of the palace built by the Amir Basheer in the 19th century.
Featured Tours to Lebanon
Cedars of Lebanon
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