Beirut Lebanon
Lebanon
Frequently Asked Questions
At the port of Beirut, about ten minutes' walk from downtown. That is a rare advantage for a capital of this size: the essentials can then be covered on foot, with no shuttle or compulsory excursion.
Yes, and it is the best way to see it. From the terminal you reach Martyrs' Square in a few minutes, and the compact centre lends itself to walking. On foot the city delivers its most striking contrasts, sometimes from one pavement to the next: a shell-pocked building, a designer boutique, a Roman ruin, a packed café.
Downtown on foot, then the corniche. Martyrs' Square, the Mohammad al-Amin mosque, St George's cathedral and the Roman baths all fit within a few hundred metres. The corniche then leads, in an hour's easy walk, to the Pigeon Rocks. The National Museum needs a taxi and replaces one of the two halves.
Three thousand years stacked into a few hundred metres. Martyrs' Square, the symbolic heart of the country, is dominated by the great Mohammad al-Amin mosque and its blue domes, with the Maronite cathedral of St George right beside it: the Lebanese mosaic in a single image. Rebuilt streets line up Ottoman facades and 1930s arcades, and one esplanade opens onto open-air Roman baths, remains of ancient Berytus.
Two limestone arches standing in the sea off the Raouché district, about an hour's walk from the centre along the corniche. Boats moored below offer to take you around them and slip beneath the arches when the sea allows. At sunset, the clifftops fill with spectators.
Yes, it holds the country's richest archaeological collection and one of the most affecting in the Near East: Phoenician sarcophagi, Byzantine mosaics, jewellery and figurines. The building itself is part of the story, riddled with shrapnel and then restored after the civil war. Some exhibits still bear the marks of the fighting, owned rather than hidden, and that honesty gives the place a singular power.
A mezze, that succession of small dishes to share. Silky hummus, tabbouleh where parsley far outweighs the bulgur, manouche with zaatar straight from the oven, charcoal-grilled skewers, baklava and cardamom coffee. Lebanese cooking, imitated the world over, is eaten here in its original version, from popular counters to elegant terraces. Leave room: something else always follows.
It is the city's daily theatre, facing the sea beneath palms leaning in the offshore wind. Anglers, families out walking, joggers, shisha smokers and coffee sellers cross paths from morning to night. The promenade is flat, long and undemanding: it is the best place to feel Beirut's rhythm without planning anything.
The Lebanese pound, though the US dollar circulates widely. Arabic is the national language; French remains very present in daily life and education, and English is gaining ground among younger people. A French-speaking traveller will be understood without difficulty, which is rare in the region.
Allow a comfortable margin to get back to the ship: Beirut traffic has a temperament of its own. Agree on the taxi fare before getting in, which is local practice and avoids any discussion on arrival. Since the centre is walkable, taxis are really only needed for the National Museum or the ride back from Raouché.
