Lebanon Sample Itinerary

Brief | Beirut | Baalbek/Ksara | Byblos | Beiteddine | Tyre/Sidon | Faraya Mzaar | Option/Prices

This 8 day itinerary reconstructs the glamorous Beirut of old- a city where the likes of Brigitte Bardot and a pre-exile Kim Philby partied. Your first day in Beirut will have you touring the beautiful AUB campus, spending sunset by Pigeon Grotto and stopping for coffee at one of the cafes frequented by the city's intelligentsia, touring the famous towns and historical sites of Beirut before ending the trip in Faraya Mzaar, sampling its exotic skiing and apres-ski scene. The design and architecture of the restaurants and clubs that we recommend to you though are reflective of Beirut's contemporary history and frequently double up as social commentary.

Day trip to Baalbek and Ksara. Explore the Roman ruins, which were built in honour of the God Bacchus (as per the Roman name for Dionysus), the Roman God of wine. Have lunch in a modern-day winery in Ksara, partaking of traditional Lebanese mezze, main courses of lamb, fish or chicken. Dinner tonight is at Bread, located on Gemmayzeh, the epicentre of quaint boutiques and chic restaurants in Beirut. Take a trip , post-dinner, to B018, an underground bunker in a deserted parking lot with nothing belying its location with the exception of a few security personnel positioned above ground. At a certain time of the night, the roof of the underground bunker opens up to reveal a starry night sky.

Land in Beirut. Based at the Albergo, the city (and country's) installation of a Relais y Chateaux, settle into your hotel and then a tour of the AUB Campus in the afternoon. Situated on a hill overlooking the Mediterranean sea on one side and Bliss Street on the other, the campus' history is reflective of Lebanon's own. The site of the assassination of political scientist Malcolm Kerr and bearing the physical scars of multiple sieges on Beirut( its famous clock tower was bombed in 1991), the campus, however, follows a long line of illustrious alumni. Come 2009, the university's centre for Middle Eastern Affairs will be designed by Zaha Hadid, an AUB alumni. Dinner tonight will be at Centrale, dubbed 'one of the 20 most beautiful restaurants in the world'. One of the best places in Beirut to enjoy French cuisine, the restaurant was designed by Bernard Khoury, an architect whose works you would encounter, time and again, during your stay in Lebanon.

Day trip to Byblos. Byblos, with its Arabic name Jbeil, was alternately referred to as Gibelet. One of the contenders for the 'oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world- the other two being Damascus and Jericho. Visit the Castle and Church in Byblos, built by the Crusaders in the 12th and 13th Centuries before sampling a seafood lunch in this famed seaside town. Expect plenty of fresh seafood and fresh salads in unpretentious surroundings. Dinner tonight is at Yabani, a sushi restaurant similarly designed by Bernard Khoury. Located on Achrafiyeh, entry to the restaurant is through a 'elevator' door that slides open to allow patrons in. Once inside, the 'elevator'- as big as a dining area and with circular plush seating allowing patrons to lounge in for the length of the 'elevator' ride, then opens up to the main dining area located underground.

Head to Beiteddine today to visit the residences of the last Emirs of Lebanon. You can opt be based for the night in a hotel that has been converted from the original Emir Amine Palace or to drive back to Beirut and spend the night there. The summer residence of the Archbishop of Sidon(formerly Emir Bechir's country house) is located within walking distance from Emir Amine Palace. With a view of the Chouf Mountains and with most of the rooms opening into private terraces and a hanging garden, this 24-room boutique hotel represents a unique stay in Lebanon- a departure, perhaps, from the glitz of Beirut and into the historical recesses of Lebanon.

Transfer back to Beirut, travelling to Tyre and Sidon. Stop at the famous sea castle in Sidon, originally built as a crusader fortress by King Louis IX, and later to grace the imaginations and illustrations of many an Orientalist's account of the area, was alternately destroyed by (to prevent the return of the Crusaders) and then reconstructed by the Mamluks in the 17th century. Have lunch at the Rest House, a restored Ottoman Khan overlooking the Sea Castle and a garden terrace with a view of the sea. Drive down further south to Tyre and witness the 20,000 spectator chariot racing arena in the hippodrome. The city of Tyre figured prominently in the trade route of yore, most well-known for its production of a purple dye, a shape dubbed Tyrian purple, a colour reserved for royal use in ancient times. The historian Theopompus recorded how: Purple for dyes fetched its weight in silver at Colophon( somewhere in modern-day provinces of Manisa and non-coastal Izmir in Turkey). Dinner tonight is at Al Mijana, a Lebanese restaurant with Warholesque portraits of famous Arab personalities. Brought to you by the same people behind Sky Bar, Al Mijana injects a suitable dose of chic to Lebanese cuisine. Have post-dinner drinks at the Sky Bar @Biel. Fashioned after the Sky Bar at the Mondrian in Miami, the Sky Bar in Beirut is a new, mega version of the original.

Move on to Faraya Mzaar in the morning for your day of skiing or snowboarding. We'll arrange for an instructor and ski passes depending on your preference. Based at the Inter-continental Faraya Mzaar, have an early dinner and prepare for more skiing the next day or sample excellent apres-ski activities in the evening. Still in Faraya Mzaar and possibly more familiar with the slopes, ski in the morning before we transfer you back to Beirut in the afternoon to possibly complete that cliche of 'skiing in the morning, swimming by afternoon'. In the afternoon and back in Beirut, enjoy a different sort of vantage point from the restaurant 'People' (another work by Bernard Khoury), dining alfresco and overlooking what the people at Aishti promise to be a 'blue, blue sea'. Have a late lunch at People Restaurant or at the cafe- both with a view to the sea and an impossibly chic decor. Hop next door to Black Box Aizone- a structure that must have caught your attention during your drives to your other destinations in Lebanon.

Spend the morning at leisure, preparing for your flight back home or for your onward journey to Syria and/or Jordan. This itinerary combines well with Syria and Jordan. Alternatively, explore the age of the Emirs and Pashas by starting the trip in Greece, staying in a boutique hotel that was once a pit stop for pilgrims en route to Mecca. Prices (Indicative Only) USD2210 pp on double occupancy basis. Hotels: Le Gray (Beirut), Mir Amine Palace (Beiteddine), Intercontinental Faraya-Mzaar (Faraya).

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From lunch at chic restaurants and nights in establishments doubling up as social commentary, this itinerary takes you through the cultural highlights of Lebanon combined with the hedonism of a re-emergent Beirut.

A 5-day itinerary that focuses on the cultural and historical highlights oif Lebanon- from the wineries of Ksara and Anjar, Moussa Castle and Echmoun, the God of Birth and Death. Suitable for the summer months and easily paired with a trip to Syria,

An itinerary combining the ruins of Palmyra, Baalbek and Petra. A suitable introduction for those interested in the archaeological and historical elements of the Levant.