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Beirut

No reviews yetCity Beirut, Lebanon
Beirut, Beirut, LebanonStreets of downtown Beirut (3), Beirut, Beirut, LebanonSourp Nshan Church in downtown Beirut, Beirut, Beirut, LebanonBeirut Downtown, Beirut, Beirut, LebanonBeirut Museum, Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon

About Beirut

Beirut has been rebuilt more times than almost any city on the Mediterranean, and it shows in every street. Ottoman mansions, French Mandate balconies, bullet-scarred towers and glassy new apartments stand side by side on a headland between the sea and the mountains of Mount Lebanon.

People have lived here for some five thousand years: Phoenicians, Romans, Byzantines, Crusaders and Ottomans all left layers beneath the modern city, some of them visible in the Roman baths and the crypt of St. George Cathedral. In the 20th century Beirut became a centre of banking, publishing and nightlife, then suffered a long civil war from 1975 to 1990 and, in August 2020, a huge explosion at the port. Each time its residents have picked up and carried on.

For visitors, Beirut is about contrasts and food. Start at the National Museum, walk the Corniche to Pigeon Rocks at sunset, and spend evenings in the bars of Gemmayzeh and Mar Mikhael or over mezze in Hamra. Byblos, Jeita Grotto and the Chouf mountains are all within day-trip range. Check current travel advice before you go.

Best seasonApril to June and September to November, when it is warm but not humid
Ideal stay3-4 days, plus day trips
ArrivingBeirut-Rafic Hariri International Airport is on the southern edge of the city, a short taxi ride from the centre

12 Best Things to Do in Beirut

Museums 3

National Museum of Beirut, Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon

National Museum of Beirut

Lebanon's main archaeological museum, opened in 1942, holds treasures from prehistory to the Ottoman era, including Phoenician sta...
Sursock Museum, Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon

Sursock Museum

Housed in an elegant white villa built in 1912 for the collector Nicolas Sursock in the Achrafieh district, this museum of modern...
Beit Beirut, Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon

Beit Beirut

This ochre 1920s apartment building on the former Green Line was used by snipers during the civil war, and its shell-pocked walls...

Landmarks 2

Pigeon Rocks, Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon

Pigeon Rocks

Two huge limestone sea stacks rise from the water off the Raouché cliffs, one of them pierced by a natural arch, and they are the...
Nejmeh Square, Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon

Nejmeh Square

The star-shaped heart of downtown Beirut, laid out under the French Mandate, radiates streets of restored sandstone buildings from...

Waterfront 2

Beirut Corniche, Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon

Beirut Corniche

The palm-lined promenade along the northern and western seafront is where all of Beirut comes to walk, jog, fish, smoke a narghile...
Zaitunay Bay, Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon

Zaitunay Bay

This modern promenade along the marina at the western end of downtown is lined with restaurants and cafes that look over yachts to...

Religious Sites 2

Mohammad Al-Amin Mosque, Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon

Mohammad Al-Amin Mosque

Completed in 2008 on Martyrs' Square, this large mosque with its blue dome and four tall minarets draws on Ottoman architecture an...
Saint George Greek Orthodox Cathedral Beirut, Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon

Saint George Greek Orthodox Cathedral Beirut

The oldest church building in Beirut stands on Nejmeh Square, rebuilt in the 18th century on the site of earlier churches and rest...

History 1

Roman Baths of Beirut, Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon

Roman Baths of Beirut

Below the Grand Serail on the edge of downtown, excavations uncovered the remains of a Roman bath complex, with hypocaust pillars...

Neighborhoods 2

Gemmayzeh, Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon

Gemmayzeh

Climbing up from downtown toward Achrafieh, Gemmayzeh is a district of old houses with arched windows, art galleries, cafes and ba...
Hamra Street, Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon

Hamra Street

West Beirut's busiest street was the city's intellectual and cultural hub in the 1960s and remains lively with shops, cinemas, caf...

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