Beirut: a first-timer's guide to Lebanon's capital

Why go

Beirut is a city you feel as much as see. Mornings are for coffee and manakish, afternoons for walking between museums and old neighbourhoods, and evenings for long dinners that turn into late nights. People are famously warm and quick to help, and most speak English or French as well as Arabic. It is not a polished city: traffic is heavy, pavements are uneven and power cuts still happen, but its energy is hard to match.

Top things to do

Start with the **Corniche**, the seafront promenade that runs from Ain el Mreisseh to Raouche, where families stroll, fishermen cast lines and joggers pass at sunset. At the western end, the **Pigeon Rocks** of Raouche rise from the sea; take a small boat around them in calm weather.

The **National Museum of Beirut** is a must: Phoenician sarcophagi, Roman mosaics and a powerful film on how the collection was protected during the civil war. Nearby, the **Sursock Museum** shows modern Lebanese art in a restored white mansion in Achrafieh. In the centre, see the **Mohammad Al Amin Mosque** and the neighbouring **Saint George Maronite Cathedral**, the Roman baths and the restored streets around Nejmeh Square.

Then walk the old neighbourhoods. **Gemmayzeh** and **Mar Mikhael** have the Saint Nicholas Stairs, galleries, design shops, bakeries and the best bar street in the country. **Hamra**, near the American University of Beirut, is bookish and busy, with old cafés and the green AUB campus by the sea. The **Beit Beirut** museum, a bullet scarred building on the old Green Line, tells the story of the civil war.

Food

Beirut is a food city first. Eat manakish for breakfast at a neighbourhood bakery, falafel and shawarma at long running street counters, and settle into a proper mezze lunch of hummus, moutabal, tabbouleh, fattoush, kibbeh and grilled meats. Souk el Tayeb, the farmers market, brings producers from across the country, and the Gemmayzeh and Mar Mikhael restaurants mix home cooking with modern ideas. Finish with knafeh or ice cream in the evening.

Where to stay

For first trips, stay in **Achrafieh**, **Gemmayzeh** or **Mar Mikhael** to walk to restaurants and bars, or in **Hamra** for a livelier, lower cost base with plenty of cafés. **Downtown** and **Ain el Mreisseh** have larger hotels near the sea. Ask any hotel about generator power and water before you book, since supply can be patchy.

Getting around

The centre is walkable in parts, but distances and traffic make taxi apps the easiest option. Service taxis, shared cars that pick up along set routes, are cheap and local, but agree the destination first. There is no metro.

Safety

Beirut's main visitor neighbourhoods have long been open to travellers, but some governments advise caution in or against travel to the southern suburbs and areas near Palestinian refugee camps. Avoid demonstrations, carry your passport, and check your government's current advice before and during your trip.

Day trips from Beirut

The classic day trips are the Jeita Grotto and the cable car up to Harissa, both north of the city, and Byblos, about an hour up the coast. In summer, the hill towns of Broummana and Beit Mery offer cool evenings and views, and the Chouf mountains make a full day out.