Lebanon Private Discovery: 6 Days Culture & Cuisine

Lebanon Private Discovery: 6 Days Culture & Cuisine

Lebanon is a feast for the senses, and this 6-day private tour puts food, wine, and living heritage at the centre of your journey. Walk the ancient Phoenician ports of Tyre and Sidon, hike through Lebanon’s last great cedar reserve, watch the sun set behind the temples of Baalbek, and sit down to a home-cooked meal after learning the secrets of Lebanese cuisine from a local family. From street-side manoushe to vintage Ksara wines, every meal tells a story of the Mediterranean’s richest culinary crossroads.

Day 1: Arrival – Beirut Street Food Tour

Arrive at Beirut Airport. Private transfer to your 4-star hotel in central Beirut. In the late afternoon, your guide leads a walking food tour through the city’s most authentic eateries. Navigate the alleyways of Mar Mikhael and Gemmayzeh, sampling manoushe zaatar fresh from the oven, crisp falafel with tarator sauce, and sizzling kibbeh nayeh at a family-run butcher’s shop. End at a rooftop bar overlooking the city as the muezzin’s call drifts across the rooftops. Overnight Beirut.

Day 2: Tyre – Sidon – Phoenician Coast

Drive south to Tyre, the legendary Phoenician queen of the seas. Walk the vast Roman hippodrome – complete with starting gates – and the colonnaded mosaic road. Continue to Sidon to explore the Crusader Sea Castle, built on a tiny island and linked to shore by a stone bridge. Wander the labyrinthine old souk, stopping at a 14th-century soap workshop (Musée du Savon). Lunch at a Sidon institution – freshly fried sayadiyeh (spiced fish with rice) by the port. Return Beirut. Overnight Beirut.

Day 3: Beiteddine Palace – Chouf Cedar Reserve

Drive into the Chouf Mountains to Beiteddine Palace, Emir Bashir’s 19th-century masterpiece of Arab-Ottoman architecture. Admire the intricate mosaics, carved cedar ceilings, and immense hammam complex. Continue to the Chouf Cedar Reserve for a guided hike through Lebanon’s largest protected cedar forest, where trees up to 3,000 years old stand sentinel over the valleys. Picnic lunch of mezze in the forest. Visit Deir el-Qamar village before returning to Beirut. Overnight Beirut.

Day 4: Byblos – Old Souk & Crusader Castle

Head north to Byblos (Jbeil), the city where the alphabet began. Tour the Crusader Castle, the Phoenician necropolis with sarcophagi bearing the earliest alphabetic inscriptions, and the Roman theatre overlooking the sea. Free time to explore Byblos’ charming old souk – bargain for silver jewellery, olive oil soaps, and hand-blown glass. Lunch at a harbour restaurant with tables so close to the water that waves lap beneath your feet. Afternoon at leisure to wander the port or visit the Byblos fossil museum. Return to Beirut. Overnight Beirut.

Day 5: Baalbek Sunset – Ksara Wine – Cooking Class

Morning drive to the Bekaa Valley and the monumental Roman ruins of Baalbek. Time your visit for late afternoon, when the low sun ignites the honey-coloured stone of the Temples of Jupiter and Bacchus – the setting is unforgettable. Before the ruins, stop at Chateau Ksara for a tour of the ancient cave cellars and a tutored tasting of Lebanon’s finest wines. On return to Beirut, a local family welcomes you into their home kitchen for a hands-on Lebanese cooking class. Learn to prepare tabbouleh, hummus, kibbeh, and sfiha, then sit down together to feast on the meal you’ve created. Overnight Beirut.

Day 6: Departure

Final breakfast. A morning visit to a traditional Beirut bakery to watch the wood-fired manoushe ovens at work – and take some zaatar mix home. Private transfer to the airport. Depart Lebanon with a heart full of flavours and a camera full of sun-drenched memories.

Included

5 nights 4-star hotel accommodation in Beirut (twin share) • Daily breakfast • Private English-speaking guide • Private air-conditioned vehicle • Airport transfers • Beirut street food tour • Entry fees to Tyre, Sidon, Beiteddine, Chouf Reserve, Byblos, Baalbek • Chateau Ksara wine tasting • Lebanese cooking class with dinner

Excluded

International flights • Travel insurance • Lebanon visa • Most lunches • Personal expenses • Tips