You can travel from one end to the other in about 3 hours but for a small country Lebanon has a lot up its sleeves. Unfortunately one of those things is currently a great deal of instability and this does make travelling in the current political climate a bit of a gamble. If you are thinking of taking a trip to Lebanon you’d be advised to take current advice from the foreign office as the position can change quite quickly. 

For those undeterred by the political situation or who are planning a trip well into the future, there is much to get excited about. 

First and foremost, food!! Lebanon arguably offers the finest Middle Eastern cuisine and is a place where you can eat yourself silly. If you have a sweet tooth you’ll completely fall for Baklava - these exquisitely sweet pastry desserts are to die for. Then there’s the shwarma kebabs to tantalize your taste buds. Empty your mind of the memories of kebabs laden with fat you may have encountered in Europe, shwarmas are something else. In fact Lebanon food is a very social thing, good food and company go hand in hand here and you’ll find yourself looking forward to the next meal.

What to do in between meals? Does party central appeal, or cultural heaven? Rest assured that both are catered for superbly in Lebanon. Beirut is one of the most cosmopolitan cities in the Middle East, with designer shopping, trendy eateries and nightlife to rival any big city the world over. Bring your dancing shoes and open your eyes to the ever changing club scene, from pumping music to lavish interiors to a crowd as hedonistic as you’d find in Ibiza, party fever is ON! 

Once known as ‘Paris of the East’ and nestled amidst towering mountains Beirut is a vibrant city and its hip vibe might come as a surprise to some, who will find frequent fashion shows and weekly performing arts, as well as concerts throughout the year. Beirut also has a chequered history, it has been destroyed and rebuilt 7 times and for that reason has been compared to the Phoenix because it keeps rising from the flames! As a result the mix of different architecture is quite astonishing and there is a strong art deco influence to the city due to the extensive refurbishments following the civil war. Overall it creates a bohemian feel. It can be a buzzing city but it’s equally attractive to culture vultures, with museums and galleries and historical monuments around every corner. 

The Middle East is a haven for biblical sites and references, a collection of mystical lands with legends of ancient times. No exception to this is Byblos, a Lebanese city that has a couple of claims to fame. The bible allegedly takes its name from the city of Byblos and Byblos is also where the first alphabet was created, by Cadmus. There is also evidence to suggest that Byblos is the oldest continuously lived in city in the world so as you can imagine, this is a city steeped in history and well worth a visit. Hunt out ancient temples, monasteries, decadent palaces and the like.

Continuing the city theme, explore the mystical souks of Lebanon’s second largest city, Tripoli then admire your day’s hard bargaining efforts relaxing in a funky cafe smoking fruit flavoured sheeshas with the locals. Spend the afternoon admiring the local sights including the mosques with their geometric designs.

Lebanon is a country full to the brim with interesting facts and some really quite quirky ones too – take for example the case of the single most lucrative bank robbery in history – in January 22nd 1976 a gang of guerrillas were successful in blasting into the vaults of the British Bank of the Middle East in Bab Idriss, cleaning out somewhere in the region of 50 million dollars – all in a day’s work!

Lebanon certainly has an interesting history and there are scores of archaeological sites to keep history buffs amused for weeks on end. In fact there are more archaeological sites in Lebanon than in most countries the world over and not many people know that! 

One of the most visited sites in Lebanon is the archaeological site of Tyre, which is a fascinating complex split into several areas. It includes ruins of civic buildings and public baths as well as mosaic streets and Roman-Byzantine roads running through. The complex also holds one of largest Roman Hippodromes ever to be discovered. Leave enough time to wander at will. 

In Roman times, Tyre was famous for a precious purple dye made there from local sea snails and which became the colour of Lebanese royalty! 

The delights of Lebanon don’t stop at culture and arts, there’s plenty on offer for adventurers too. During the colder months, grab your skis and head to one of Lebanon’s many mountain ski resorts. They may not be as sophisticated as the pristine snow groomed European resorts but actually the ruggedness appeals more so to many! The mountainous backdrop and the Mediterranean location are simply stunning and are fabulous hiking territory. Water skiing, sailing, scuba diving and snorkelling are also very popular.

Getting there and around

Beirut international airport has frequent services running to and from Europe, Asia, Africa and the rest of the Middle East and is by far the best way in to Lebanon. The Syrian border is currently the only country from which you can enter overland. 

Once in Lebanon, its tiny size makes getting around relatively easy. There is a good network of service taxis that run regular set routes in the same way as buses. They pick up passengers from different destinations and everyone chips in to pay a proportion of the fare. 

There are also buses if you fancy putting yourself in the hands of a kamikaze driver! If you’d feel safer at the wheel yourself then hiring a car is easy though can be expensive. 

Fast Facts

Population: Approx 1,200,000 

Currency: Lebanese Pound 

Official Languages Spoken: Arabic 

Country Dialling Code: 961