Lebanon Discovery: 8 Days Mediterranean Mountains & Ancient Cities

Tour Overview

Itinerary Highlights

Day 1: Arrive Beirut — The Paris of the Middle East

Arrive at Beirut-Rafic Hariri International Airport. Beirut has been destroyed and rebuilt seven times — the city’s resilience is legendary. Transfer to your hotel in Hamra or Achrafieh. Afternoon orientation walk through Zaitunay Bay, Beirut’s luxury marina. Welcome dinner of mezze at a traditional restaurant: hummus, baba ghanoush, tabbouleh, kibbeh, and fatteh. Overnight in Beirut.

Day 2: Beirut — History, War & Resilience

Full day exploring Beirut’s layers of history. Morning: visit the National Museum, home to an extraordinary collection of Phoenician artifacts including the world’s largest collection of anthropoid sarcophagi. Walk the Green Line that divided the city during the Civil War (1975-1990). Visit Martyrs’ Square with its bullet-scarred statue. See the Mohammad Al-Amin Mosque and St. George Maronite Cathedral standing side by side — a powerful symbol of Lebanon’s religious coexistence. Afternoon: explore the vibrant street art scene, including works by international artists. Visit the Sursock Museum, Lebanon’s premier modern art institution housed in a 1912 palace. Evening: nightlife in Gemmayzeh — Beirut is famous for rooftop bars with Mediterranean views. Overnight in Beirut.

Day 3: Byblos — The World’s Oldest Continuously Inhabited City

Morning drive to Byblos (Jbeil, 40km north). Byblos has been continuously inhabited for over 7,000 years — it’s where the Phoenician alphabet (the ancestor of every Western alphabet) was developed. Explore the Crusader Castle (12th century), built with stones from Roman temples. Walk through the Phoenician royal necropolis. Visit the Bronze Age temple of the Obelisks. The charming old souk by the harbor has restaurants serving fresh-caught fish. Afternoon: visit the Jeita Grotto, a system of two interconnected limestone caves — the upper gallery features the world’s largest stalactite (8.2m). Take the boat ride through the lower cave’s underground river. Overnight in Beirut.

Day 4: Baalbek — Rome’s Greatest Temple

Full-day excursion to Baalbek in the Bekaa Valley (2 hours from Beirut). Baalbek (UNESCO) is one of the most important Roman sites outside Rome — the Temple of Bacchus is better preserved than the Parthenon in Athens. Stand beneath the six remaining columns of the Temple of Jupiter — each column is 22m tall, topped with the largest stone blocks ever quarried. The trilithon at the base weighs over 800 tons each, and no one fully understands how the Romans moved them. Visit the Temple of Venus, a rare circular Roman temple. Lunch at a family-run winery in the Bekaa, tasting Lebanon’s famous wines. Overnight in Beirut.

Day 5: Cedars of God & Qadisha Valley

Morning drive to the Cedars of God (UNESCO) in the Mount Lebanon range — the last remaining groves of the majestic cedars that made Lebanon famous, shipped across the ancient world to build temples and palaces (King Solomon’s Temple, Phoenician ships, Egyptian temples). Walk among these 1,000+ year-old trees. Continue to the Qadisha Valley (UNESCO), a deep gorge that served as a refuge for Christian monastic communities for over 1,500 years. Hike to the cliffside Monastery of St. Anthony of Qozhaya with its cave chapels and 16th-century printing press (the first in the Middle East). Overnight at a mountain guesthouse in Bcharre.

Day 6: Tripoli & Batroun Coastal Road

Morning in Tripoli, Lebanon’s second city. Visit the magnificent Mamluk-era Great Mosque (1294), the Crusader Castle of Saint-Gilles, and the medieval souks specializing in perfumes, soaps, and sweets — try Tripoli’s famous halawet el-jibn (sweet cheese rolls). Afternoon drive south along the coast through Batroun — a charming seaside town with a Phoenician wall and natural rock formations creating the perfect Mediterranean swim spots. Overnight in Beirut.

Day 7: Sidon, Tyre & South Lebanon

Full-day south coast exploration. Morning in Sidon: visit the Sea Castle (built by Crusaders in 1228 on a small island connected by bridge), the Khan el-Franj (17th-century caravanserai), and the Soap Museum. Continue to Tyre (UNESCO), one of the greatest Phoenician city-states. Walk the Roman hippodrome — one of the largest and best-preserved in the Roman world, seating 20,000 spectators for chariot races. Explore the extensive Roman necropolis and the triumphal arch. Farewell dinner with sunset views over the Mediterranean. Overnight in Beirut.

Day 8: Depart Beirut

Morning at Beirut’s charming Sunday souk (if applicable). Transfer to airport.

Inclusions

• 7 nights (6 Beirut + 1 Bcharre mountain guesthouse)
• Daily breakfast + 5 dinners
• Baalbek UNESCO guided tour (full day)
• Cedars of God & Qadisha Valley (full day)
• Byblos & Jeita Grotto (full day)
• Sidon & Tyre UNESCO tour (full day)
• All museum entries
• Wine tasting in Bekaa Valley
• Professional English-speaking guide
• Airport transfers

Why Lebanon

• Baalbek — Roman temples that rival Rome itself, with stones so massive no one knows how they were moved
• Byblos — 7,000 years of continuous habitation, birthplace of the alphabet
• Cedars of God — walk among the trees that built the ancient world’s greatest monuments
• Ski in the morning, swim in the Mediterranean in the afternoon — only in Lebanon
• World’s best mezze — 30+ dishes in a single meal, a culinary tradition like no other