Find places in Lebanon

Must-Haves

• National Museum of Beirut (Museum Street)
  Phoenician sarcophagi, Roman mosaics and a moving story of how the collection survived the civil war.
• Sursock Museum (Achrafieh)
  Modern Lebanese art in a restored white mansion, beautifully reopened after the 2020 blast.
• Mohammad Al Amin Mosque (Downtown)
  The great blue domed mosque at the heart of rebuilt downtown Beirut.

Fun for Everyone

• Saint George Maronite Cathedral (Downtown)
  A graceful cathedral beside the blue mosque, a symbol of the city's mixed faiths.

Off the Beaten Path

• Beit Beirut (Sodeco)
  A bullet scarred house on the old Green Line, now a museum and memory space for the civil war.

Must-Haves

• Corniche Beirut (Ain el Mreisseh)
  The seafront promenade where the whole city strolls, jogs and fishes at sunset.
• Saint Nicholas Stairs (Gemmayzeh)
  Colourful stone stairs linking Gemmayzeh to Achrafieh, lined with old houses and art.

Fun for Everyone

• American University of Beirut campus (Hamra)
  A green seaside campus of old stone buildings and sea views, open for a quiet walk.
• Zaitunay Bay (Ain el Mreisseh)
  A marina promenade with restaurants and cafés, nice for an evening walk.

Off the Beaten Path

• Beirut boat trip at Raouche (Raouche)
  Small fishing boats take visitors around the Pigeon Rocks in calm weather.

Must-Haves

• Pigeon Rocks (Raouche)
  Beirut's famous sea arches, best seen at sunset or from a small boat in calm weather.

Must-Haves

• Souk el Tayeb (Mar Mikhael)
  The country's best farmers market, with producers and home cooks from every region.

Fun for Everyone

• Beirut Souks (Downtown)
  The modern rebuilt souks with shops, cafés and cinemas on the old market streets.

Must-Haves

• Tawlet (Mar Mikhael)
  Home cooks from different villages take turns cooking regional Lebanese lunches.
• Le Chef (Gemmayzeh)
  A cheerful old diner serving daily home style Lebanese stews.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Barbar (Hamra)
  A round the clock institution for shawarma, falafel and manakish.
• Falafel Sahyoun (Damascus Street)
  A family falafel counter running for generations, famous across the city.

Great for Date Night

• Liza Beirut (Achrafieh)
  Modern Lebanese cooking in an elegant old mansion with painted rooms.

Must-Haves

• Café Younes (Hamra)
  A coffee roaster and café going since the 1930s, a Hamra classic.
• Al Bohsali (Hamra)
  A long established sweet maker for baklava and Lebanese pastries.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Kalei Coffee Co (Mar Mikhael)
  A café in a restored old house with a quiet garden.
• Al Rifai (Hamra)
  A historic nut roastery where locals buy roasted nuts and seeds by weight.

Fun for Everyone

• Hanna Mitri Ice Cream (Mar Mikhael)
  An old family shop making Arabic ice cream in a few classic flavours.

Must-Haves

• Armenia Street bars (Mar Mikhael)
  The city's liveliest bar strip, busy with small bars every night of the week.

Fun for Everyone

• Beirut Marathon (Beirut)
  A city wide autumn run with races for every level, including family runs.

Must-Haves

• Albergo Hotel (Achrafieh)
  A classic boutique hotel in an old mansion with a rooftop garden.
• Phoenicia Hotel (Ain el Mreisseh)
  A landmark seafront hotel near Zaitunay Bay.

Fun for Everyone

• Mayflower Hotel (Hamra)
  A long running, comfortable hotel in the heart of Hamra.

Must-Haves

• Byblos Archaeological Site and Crusader Castle (Old Town)
  Seven thousand years of history in one walk, entered through a crusader castle.

Fun for Everyone

• Church of Saint John Mark (Old Town)
  A crusader era church with an open air baptistery.

Off the Beaten Path

• Memory of Time Fossil Museum (Old Souk)
  A small shop and museum of fossil fish from the mountains above Byblos.

Must-Haves

• Byblos Old Souk (Old Town)
  Stone lanes of shops, cafés, fossils and crafts beside the castle.

Must-Haves

• Byblos Old Harbour (Old Town)
  One of the oldest ports in the world, prettiest at sunset.

Off the Beaten Path

• Amchit old houses (Amchit)
  A quiet coastal village of old Lebanese stone houses just north of Byblos.

Great for Date Night

• Bab el Mina (Old Harbour)
  Fish and mezze on a terrace right on the old harbour.

Fun for Everyone

• Byblos Old Souk ice cream and sweets (Old Souk)
  Evening ice cream and knafeh among the crowds in the souk.

Fun for Everyone

• Byblos old town bars (Old Souk)
  Small bars fill the souk lanes on summer weekend nights.

Must-Haves

• Byblos International Festival (Old Harbour)
  Summer concerts on a stage by the sea, in years when it goes ahead.

Fun for Everyone

• Byblos public beach (South of Old Town)
  A sandy stretch for an easy swim close to the old town.

Off the Beaten Path

• Nahr Ibrahim Valley (Nahr Ibrahim)
  A green river valley rising towards the source at Afqa.

Must-Haves

• Byblos Sur Mer (Old Harbour)
  A hotel right on the harbour with a sea pool.

Must-Haves

• Phoenician Wall (Old Town)
  An ancient sea wall where people swim and watch the sunset.
• Ixsir Winery (Basbina)
  A modern winery in the hills with tastings and a restaurant.

Fun for Everyone

• Mseilha Fort (Nahr el Jawz)
  A small castle on a rock that is fun to climb.

Off the Beaten Path

• Douma village (Douma)
  An old red roofed mountain village with a small souk.
• Monastery of Saint John Maroun, Kfarhay (Kfarhay)
  A quiet historic monastery in the Batroun hills.

Must-Haves

• Saint Stephen Cathedral (Old Harbour)
  A pretty church on the tiny harbour of the old town.
• Saint Charbel Monastery, Annaya (Annaya)
  A major pilgrimage site in the mountains.

Fun for Everyone

• Our Lady of the Sea Church (Old Town)
  A small chapel by the water, lovely at golden hour.

Must-Haves

• Chez Maguy (Old Harbour)
  A small, much loved fish spot on the rocks by the sea.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Batroun old town bakeries (Old Town)
  Manakish and sweets fresh in the morning.

Must-Haves

• Hilmi Lemonade (Old Town)
  A classic stop for Batroun's famous fresh lemonade.

Must-Haves

• Batroun old town bar street (Old Town)
  Lanes of bars that buzz all summer.

Great for Date Night

• Pierre and Friends (Thoum)
  A legendary beach bar on the rocks just north of Batroun, best at sunset.

Fun for Everyone

• Kfarabida beaches (Kfarabida)
  A string of beach spots and clubs south of Batroun.

Off the Beaten Path

• Beit Douma (Douma)
  A restored village house guesthouse in the hills.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Batroun souk (Old Town)
  A small market for local produce and crafts.

Must-Haves

• Cedars of God (Arz)
  An ancient grove of cedars, some well over a thousand years old.

Fun for Everyone

• The Cedars ski resort (Arz)
  A ski area beside the old cedar grove, open in winter.
• Tannourine Cedar Forest Reserve (Tannourine)
  A large cedar forest with quiet walking trails.

Off the Beaten Path

• Lebanon Mountain Trail, Qadisha section (Qadisha Valley)
  Walking between valley villages on a marked long distance trail.
• Baatara Gorge Waterfall (Tannourine)
  A waterfall dropping through three natural bridges, best in spring.

Must-Haves

• Gibran Museum (Bsharri)
  Khalil Gibran's tomb, paintings and belongings in an old monastery above the valley.

Off the Beaten Path

• Monastery of Saint Anthony of Qozhaya (Qadisha Valley)
  A cave chapel and an old printing press at the valley's end.

Must-Haves

• Deir Qannoubine (Qadisha Valley)
  The old seat of the Maronite patriarchs, built into the cliff.

Off the Beaten Path

• Deir Mar Elisha (Qadisha Valley)
  A monastery under a rock overhang on the valley floor.
• Bqaa Kafra (Bqaa Kafra)
  The highest village in Lebanon and the birthplace of Saint Charbel.
• Hadchit village (Hadchit)
  An old stone village on the valley rim with trail access.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Bsharri mountain restaurants (Bsharri)
  Terraces serving mezze and grills with valley views.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Ehden guesthouses (Ehden)
  A summer town with a choice of small stays near the valley.

Must-Haves

• Beiteddine Palace (Beiteddine)
  A nineteenth century palace of courtyards, fountains and fine mosaics.

Must-Haves

• Deir el Qamar main square (Deir el Qamar)
  An old square of fountains, a mosque and a seventeenth century palace.

Fun for Everyone

• Moussa Castle (Beiteddine road)
  A castle built single handedly by one man, packed with displays.
• Deir el Qamar old lanes (Deir el Qamar)
  Stone lanes climbing the hillside around the square.

Off the Beaten Path

• Moukhtara village (Moukhtara)
  A Druze town with an old palace and fine stone houses.
• Baakline (Baakline)
  A historic village with an old serail and library.

Must-Haves

• Shouf Biosphere Reserve, Barouk cedars (Barouk)
  Walking trails among the largest cedar forests in Lebanon.

Off the Beaten Path

• Maasser el Chouf cedars (Maasser el Chouf)
  Quieter entrance to the reserve with old trees.

Must-Haves

• Beiteddine Art Festival (Beiteddine)
  Summer concerts in the palace courtyard, in years when it goes ahead.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Deir el Qamar square cafés (Deir el Qamar)
  Coffee and simple food on the old square.

Must-Haves

• Mir Amin Palace (Beiteddine)
  A historic palace hotel overlooking Beiteddine.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Chouf village cooperatives (Barouk)
  Local honey, jams and dried figs from village cooperatives.