Things to do in  Beirut

A really enjoyable day trip from Beirut where you will see very old Lebanon at Baalbek, and pass the refugee camps of very new Lebanon. Our guide Madeleine was very good - she did the whole tour in English and French. Baalbek is just stunning - if you like your classical ruins this must be one of the best. Great lunch too.

It was a quick trip from Beirut to see some interesting sites not far from the city centre. The day ended sooner than expected and the last part of the day seemed rushed. After Byblos, we had a late lunch and went back to Beirut.

We had an amazing day trip with guide Georgette, who was friendly and very knowledgeable about the history and archaeology of the places we visited. The tour was a good pace - visiting three different places and lunch feels like it might be a lot to squeeze in, but we didn't feel rushed and had a good amount of time at each site (including for photos!) so felt like we made the most of our time. Jeita Grotto was first, with a self-guided tour of the upper grotto and a boat trip in the lower grotto. A very beautiful place but do be aware you are asked to lock your phones/cameras away in lockers to help respect the rules on no photos. Then we went to Harissa/Our Lady of Lebanon (simply breathtaking views, and very peaceful!) and after a cable car ride down to Jounieh drove to Byblos. There Georgette gave us a very informative tour of the citadel before lunch (delicious hot + cold mezze and mixed grill). We were given some free time in Byblos to explore the souks before heading back to Beirut. This felt like a very well planned excursion and Nakhal take care of everything, including picking us up and dropping us off at our hotel at the beginning and end of the day. The tour did not quite last a full day (we arrived back in Beirut at about 4pm) but we were a small English-speaking group so if your group is larger with multiple languages then it might be longer. I would recommend this tour to anyone as it's a great way to see some different iconic sights in Lebanon, and we really enjoyed it!

A full day travelling by coach, where the guide filled the journey with informative detail about the places we were visiting and the history of the area as we journeyed from Beirut. Anjar was magnificent, Baalbek was amazing. It was a privilege to visit these ancient monuments and imagine how life once was. The tour organisation was efficient, the coach journey was safe, the lunch stop was very good. If you are in Beirut or planning a visit to the region I recommend this agency.

The best trip ever, from start to finish.We have been picking-up from our resort even is little bit away from main Beirut.The driver Fadi was arrived on time with nice clean car.We love him from start of tour as he been so kind,easy to chat and excellent english as well. He answer every question we ask and make us feel very welcome in beautiful country as Lebanon is.The beautiful Qadisha Valley,Bsharri village and main attraction for us was of course the beautiful Cedars of God reserve in Bsharri.This amazing day we will treasure for very long time.The tour and driver himself was so good, we even book one more tour to north lebanon city of Tripoli with same company(Beirut Airport Transfer) and driver Fadi on request.Private tour at is best, we looking forward for future trips, as we do not hesitate to pick this company again-Jaroslav & Brenda

Once again, as with our tour to Baalbeck, an amazing experience! We were picked up promptly at our hotel and taken to the offices of the local agency to join a party of nine (excluding the very knowledgeable guide and excellent driver - travelling in Lebanon and Beirut in particular is, in itself, an experience to live through!) After stopping at Kanaan pastry shop (where you can buy some tasty gifts) along the way, we proceeded to Tyre. We enjoyed the scenery (sea on the one side and the hills of Lebanon on the other side.) Tyre has two intriguing archaeological sites. If all the guides are as knowledgeable as ours was, you're in for a treat. Standing on the second site and being able to see Israel in the distance (16km as the gull flies) and imagine what it was like in Biblical times was a special treat. We also enjoyed the visit to Maghdouche to see the cave in which it is alleged that Mary, the mother of Jesus, met her son on His visits to the region. Sidon is also a special place to visit - we were treated to an excellent Lebanese lunch in a restaurant that is perched on the edge of the shoreline and within a stone's through of the Crusaders' castle. The old city souks are in the process of being restored and the city is apparently earmarked to become a "must visit" destination in Lebanon. We did enjoy the walk through the souks and the intriguing visit to a soap-manufacturing museum (where you can buy some colourful gifts to take home.) An unscripted dusk drive through a Palestinian refugee camp to avoid a traffic jam on the main route into Beirut was the cherry on the cake. We were dropped off at our hotel's front door after a safe and thoroughly enjoyable outing.

A must see trip to Jeita Grotto, Harissa and Byblos. The tour is around 8 hours and you get picked up from your hotel. Jeita Grotto was absolutely wonderful. We got to see both the upper and lower grotto. Lower grotto is accessible depending on the water level in the grotto. We were lucky enough to see. Byblos is a very ancient city and worth seeing. Be ready for a long walk thru the history of this ancient city. A cable ride to Harissa was enjoyable. The Lady of Lebanon was very gracious. The sight from the mountain of beirut below is awesome. Our guide Lucy was wonderful and she explained everything in detail. The lunch was excellent. I would like to mention that Beirut is a beautiful city and very safe for travellers in spite of cautionary travel advisory from many countries.

Be prepared for a long day. Baalbek is approximately 60 miles west of Beirut over mountains. It was interesting to see 4000 year old Roman ruins, and the venue is used today for an annual concert in July. Anjar is less interesting, and Ksara is a fast trip to a 150 year old winery. Our representative at the winery was a charming young lady who loves her work and loves good wines. She made the trip to Ksara enjoyable. Lunch was late :2:30. I would suggest that the tour operator adjust the schedule a bit and arrange lunch closer to 1 pm. The restaurant had strong incense burning, which some people might like but it spoiled my appetite.

The tour which was carried out by Nakhal, one of Lebanons largest tourism companies was absolutely worth it. We were a small group of people and our tourguide was very knowledgeable, friendly and funny. I would have wished for some more guided tourtime in Jbeil, especially the parts of the very picturesque town around the archaeological sites. Our driver even made a small adjustment to drop me off closer to my home, transport worked perfectly, we had airconditioning and the van was comfortable. Would definitely recommend this as a nice day trip to explore the history of the country and to see what Lebanon has to offer outside of Beirut!

A visit to Byblos is undoubtedly a visit to the cradle of civilisation, with evidence of continuous habitation since 5000BC and further evidence suggesting that the first settlements were some 11000 years ago. The tour starts with a trip to the Jeita Grotto, but that name doesnt do it justice. A grotto evokes images of a small cave, whilst this is in fact an enormous expanse of a cavern. You start with the upper chamber, which is at a constant 22c, and has some enormous stalagmites and stalactites, all of which make the imagination runaway with itself. You eventually head down to the lower cavern, which allows you to take a boat ride, although the boat ride is interesting in of itself, the cave itself is nothing to compare with the upper cavern. Unfortunately throughout the Grotto there is no photography, so you will have to take my word for the fact that some aspects defy belief. From Jeita, it is a short drive to Byblos, where the main focus is the Phoenician settlements dating back to 5000BC, although the centrepiece remains the Crusaders fortress, which contains a very informative museum. It is worth visiting to get views of the coastline, but also to see the various civilisations. There is the Roman amphitheatre, evidence of the Persian conquests as well as the Greeks and Egyptians. Any lover of history cannot help but be impressed by the range of civilisations all in one spot. As you wonder around the site, there are some signs of an attempt to cater for the tourist, with some information, but as with much of Lebanons tourism, there is a lot left to the imagination. From here it was a typical Lebanese lunch in the beach in Jounieh, followed by the cable car and then funicular to Harissa the Lebanese Christian memorial to the Virgin Mary, also known as Our Lady of Lebanon. The shrine is known to be one of the most important in the world dedicated to the Virgin Mary, but also brings with it exceptional views of Byblos, Jounieh and on a bright day Beirut.

The guide was excellent and this was a great way to get to see outside of Beirut. I do recommend!

Jeita Grotto is amazing, too bad they don't allow photography or sell postcards with it, so I have no souvenir :-( Byblos is again pretty, both the ancient ruins and the town with the souk, museums, boutiques and restaurants. It was a Sunday during the pilgrimage month of May so it was very busy at Harissa. Noisy building work was taking place at the cathedral next to the statue. There was thick fog (not unusual in the area) that prevented us from enjoying the view. The explanations of the guide were good but we weren't thrilled with the structure of the day: rush to visit everything, have lunch (good food, nice view to the beach) very late, about 2 PM and then drive back to Beirut. The fog at Harissa cleared in the afternoon so if we had lunch first we could have enjoyed the stop at Harissa more.

This is one of the most fun things I did while in Beirut. Our tour guide was amazing--knowledgable, enthusiastic, and very nice. She was able to answer any questions, and she engaged in some great conversation. The sites themselves were fascinating. The caves were otherworldly, like nothing I've ever seen. Byblos was steeped in history. There's one tiny shop that sells authentic ancient artifacts for pennies on the dollar. Treat yourself. Bottom line: This is a great tour and well worth taking.