Day 1: Arrive Beirut — Jeita & Harissa
Arrive Beirut. Transfer to your 4-star hotel. Afternoon: Jeita Grotto — electric boats on the underground lake, the upper gallery’s cathedral of stalactites. Ascend by cable car to Harissa for the Shrine of Our Lady of Lebanon and stunning Mediterranean views. Return to Beirut. Overnight Beirut.
Day 2: Byblos — 7,000 Years of History
Full day in Byblos (Jbeil), the world’s oldest continuously inhabited city. Cross the moat into the Crusader Castle, walk Phoenician streets, explore the royal necropolis, and photograph the tiny horseshoe harbor where the alphabet was born. Afternoon: return to Beirut for the National Museum — 7,000 years in 2 hours, from Phoenician sarcophagi to the “Seven Sages” Roman mosaic. Evening in Gemmayzeh for Lebanese cuisine. Overnight Beirut.
Day 3: Baalbek & Ksara — Rome in the East
Morning drive across the Bekaa Valley to Baalbek. The Temple of Bacchus — more complete than Rome’s Pantheon — will leave you speechless. Walk among the six remaining 22-meter columns of Jupiter’s temple. Lunch in a traditional Bekaa restaurant. Afternoon: Chateau Ksara winery for a tour through Roman-era caves and wine tasting. Overnight Beirut.
Day 4: Anjar, Sidon & Tyre — Empires in a Day
Morning: Anjar — an 8th-century Umayyad city laid out in a perfect geometric grid, a rare inland Islamic city. Drive south to Sidon: the Crusader Sea Castle on its causeway, the labyrinthine old souks and medieval khan. Continue to Tyre for the monumental Roman hippodrome (one of the world’s largest) and the Al-Mina seaside site with layers of Phoenician through Byzantine history. Overnight Beirut.
Day 5: Departure
Morning at Beirut’s Artisanat du Liban for quality crafts. Transfer to the airport.
