Lebanon
Why go to Lebanon?
Lebanon is a tiny country in the Middle East that you may have difficulties putting on the map. It lies on the Mediterranean shores to the north of Israel, surrounded by Syria from 3 sides. It is not a desert country—quite the opposite. The diverse landscape is one of Lebanon’s major attractions. Two mountain ranges (Mount Lebanon and the Anti-Lebanon Mountains) divide the country, with the Bekaa valley nestled between. With some over 3000-meter-high mountains, Lebanon is an ideal destination for skiing in winter. Beirut makes it the most liberal and cosmopolitan country in the Middle East with a never-ending nightlife, a sense of elegance, and excellent education.
Some parts of the country like Tripoli, Sur, and Tyre are more conservative, where chador is common attire for local women. Beirut is, however, no different from any other European city.
Lebanon is the melting point of countless religions. Sixty percent of the people are Muslims, evenly split among Sunni and Shia, and nearly 35% of the population is Christian, most of whom are Maronite Catholic Christians. All in all 18 different religions are present in Lebanon.
The Lebanese youth is skilled and mostly multilingual, making it easy for a visitor to get along, and are famous for welcoming foreigners with an open heart.
However, Lebanon lived a bloody civil war (1975-1990) that permanently labeled it a “war zone”, which it still struggles to put behind.
The country is currently in a severe social and financial crisis, and the explosion of 4th August 2020 coupled with the pandemic made things even worse.
Languages: Arabic is the primary language, French or English is widely used.
Currency: The Lebanese Pound (LBP) rapidly devaluated and is unstable because of the economic crisis. The American dollar is a parallel currency, but you can change Euro as well.
Safety: Lebanon is safe, but keep informed about the ongoing events, as protests and politically motivated clashes happen.
Insurance: Safetywing is a cheap travel and medical insurance that covers COVID-related issues as well.
How to visit Lebanon?
It is easy to get from Beirut to the main cities along the coast (Tripoli, Byblos, Sidon, Tyre) or to Baalbek. However, public transportation to the countryside is often scarce. I highly recommended for you to rent a car when you discover the mountain region. In this way, you can stop for a photo whenever you want and easily visit remote villages. Discover Cars offers great options to rent a car in Beirut.
Where to book your accommodation?
Since not all hotels are not listed on booking.com, I recommend checking out Hotellook that integrates other hotel platforms, like Agoda, thus proposing more options. It is especially useful when you look for accommodation in the countryside. Hostelworld is another good option for finding low-budget accommodation, but it only covers Beirut and Tripoli.
What to visit?
The country is an ideal destination, even for only 5 or 7 days, but even if you have 2 weeks Lebanon will not let you get bored. Check out the best itinerary for your trip to Lebanon.
Local tours in Beirut
Alternative Tour Beirut offers two local tours in Beirut. It is a perfect option if you want to understand the complex past and present of Beirut including the civil war, life during the current crisis, the architectural masterpieces, street art, and hidden gems of Beirut. I took part in both tours and you can read more about that here.
Local tours outside Beirut
You can reach almost everything in a day trip from Beirut (Jounieh, Jeita grotto, Tripoli, Tyre, Sur, Bekaa valley, Baatara waterfall, Ksara winery. Deir-al Qamar, the Chouf, etc. Here you find a list of all the travel packages from Beirut.
