Ultimate Lebanon – 8 Days Best of Culture, History & Cuisine

Ultimate Lebanon — 8 Days Best of Culture, History & Cuisine

Detailed Itinerary

Day 1: Beirut — Welcome to Lebanon

Arrive at Beirut Airport. Private transfer to the 4-star Gems Hotel. Evening walk along the Corniche to see Pigeon Rocks at sunset. Welcome dinner with 20+ mezze dishes at a traditional restaurant in Hamra — a sensory introduction to Lebanese cuisine.

Day 2: Harissa + Byblos — Mountains, Sea & 7,000 Years of History

Morning drive to Harissa. Cable car ascent to the Shrine of Our Lady of Lebanon (1908), offering 360-degree views from Beirut to the Mediterranean. Continue to Byblos, one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities on Earth. Visit the Crusader Castle (12th century), the Egyptian temple, the Phoenician royal tombs with the earliest alphabetic inscriptions (Ahiram sarcophagus, ~1000 BC), and the ancient port. Afternoon at leisure exploring the souk and seaside cafes. Overnight at Aleph Boutique Hotel in Byblos.

Day 3: Bsharri + Qadisha Valley — The Holy Valley & Cedars of God

Drive into the Mount Lebanon range. Visit the Gibran Museum in Bsharri, housing the works and tomb of Khalil Gibran, Lebanon’s greatest poet and artist. Continue to the UNESCO-listed Cedars of God Forest — these ancient cedars (some over 3,000 years old) were prized by Egyptians, Phoenicians, and Romans for shipbuilding and temple construction. Afternoon hike through the Qadisha Valley (Holy Valley), a UNESCO site dotted with ancient monasteries carved into cliff faces. Visit the Monastery of St. Anthony of Qozhaya, founded in the 4th century. Return to Beirut.

Day 4: Anjar + Baalbek + Ksara — The Bekaa Valley’s Ancient Treasures

Full day in the Bekaa Valley. Morning: Anjar, the only Umayyad city in Lebanon, with its distinctive city walls, palace, and colonnaded streets. Midday: Baalbek — the Heliopolis of the Roman world. Stand in awe before the Temple of Jupiter (the largest Roman temple ever built), the perfectly preserved Temple of Bacchus, and the circular Temple of Venus. Afternoon: wine tasting at Chateau Ksara, established by Jesuit priests in 1857, with 2km of Roman-era caves now used as cellars. Return to Beirut.

Day 5: Deir al Qamar + Beiteddine — Chouf Mountains Splendor

Drive into the Chouf Mountains. Visit Deir al Qamar, a perfectly preserved 16th-century town that was once the capital of Mount Lebanon. Its central square with the Fountain of the Martyrs, the 15th-century Fakhreddine Mosque, and traditional stone houses make it one of Lebanon’s most beautiful villages. Continue to Beiteddine Palace, a masterpiece of 19th-century Lebanese architecture built by Emir Bashir II over 30 years. The palace features stunning mosaics, marble courtyards, Turkish baths, and elaborate cedar-carved ceilings. Visit the nearby Shouf Cedar Reserve. Return to Beirut.

Day 6: Sidon + Tyre — Phoenician Heritage on the Coast

Journey south to Sidon. Explore the Crusader Sea Castle (1228), the Khan el-Franj (17th-century caravanserai), and the atmospheric Old Souk filled with spices, soaps, and sweets. Visit the Soap Museum and Debbane Palace. Continue to Tyre, the ancient Phoenician city-state that founded Carthage. Walk through the largest Roman hippodrome in existence (capacity: 20,000 spectators), the colonnaded Roman road, the triumphal arch, and the extensive necropolis with marble sarcophagi. Overnight in Beirut.

Day 7: Beirut Cultural Immersion + Jeita Grotto

Morning at the Jeita Grotto — a subterranean wonderland of stalactites, stalagmites, and underground lakes. Afternoon in Beirut: the National Museum (thousands of artifacts spanning 7,000 years), the Sursock Museum (modern Arab art in a palatial setting), walk through the reconstructed Beirut Souks, and visit the Mohammad Al-Amin Mosque with its four 65m minarets. Evening in Mar Mikhael for farewell dinner — Armenian-Lebanese fusion cuisine and local wine.

Day 8: Beirut — Last Morning & Departure

Morning at leisure. Optional visit to the Pigeon Rocks from a seaside cafe, or last-minute shopping at ABC Mall Achrafieh. Transfer to airport. You leave having experienced the full tapestry of Lebanese history — Phoenician trading ports, Roman temples, Crusader castles, Umayyad cities, Ottoman souks, and the vibrant modern culture of Beirut.

What’s Included

• 7 nights in 4-star hotels (Gems Hotel Beirut + Aleph Boutique Byblos)
• Daily breakfast
• Private English-speaking guide
• Private air-conditioned vehicle
• All entrance fees to monuments and museums
• Cable car at Harissa
• Wine tasting at Chateau Ksara
• Airport transfers

What’s Excluded

• International flights
• Lunches and dinners (~$15-25/meal)
• Travel insurance
• Tips
• Visa fee (visa on arrival available for most nationalities)