Vacation Spots Blog: Travel Guide to Beirut, Lebanon [with Sample Itinerary]

By: Fatima Turla

Read our Beirut travel guide to help you have an idea with your next journey to this wonderful capital in the country of Lebanon.

Travel Guide to Beirut, Lebanon [with Sample Itinerary] — Photo by Rami Mohsen CC BY-NC 2.0

Nicknamed as “The Paris of the Middle East”, Beirut is a popular tourist destination in Lebanon. Its French influences made it more attractive to tourists. And upon going here, you will be able to learn and observe its lively cultural and intellectual life. If you want to explore more of this Lebanon’s capital, we encourage you to visit it that’s why we made this travel guide for you.

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Table of Contents

Beirut Travel Guide: Places to Visit in Beirut, Lebanon

1. National Museum of Beirut

A must when visiting Beirut. Valuable and historical finds have all been brought to this museum. All of the art treasures found in Lebanon in the past few thousand years are here! Altar reliefs from the Greek period, bronze statues, sarcophagi, ancient Egyptian statuettes, and a lot more. Highly recommended for history and art lovers!

2. Zaitunay Bay

Located directly at the marina of Beirut, this is one of the most beautiful places in the country with excellent bars and restaurants. It is recommended to visit in the evening. You can walk along the jetty and observe the expensive yachts. In the end, you’ll find a nice little restaurant and you can enjoy the view.

3. Mim Museum – Mineral Museum

This is a very unique museum. It provides very good explanations, including an interesting comic about the creation of fossils. The variety of colors and shapes of the rocks are indescribable, one cannot escape the amazement of what nature itself produces.

4. Mohammad Al-Amin Mosque

This mosque is very impressive. Not only because of its size and structure but also because it is right next to a Christian church. Here you can see that peaceful coexistence works. It is impressive from the outside, but much more from the inside. And as usual, when visiting a mosque, remember to wear proper clothes before you enter.

5. Pigeon Rocks in Raouche

Practically one of the symbols of the city. This rock formation is particularly recommended especially at sunset.

6. American University of Beirut

Even if you don’t want to study, you should definitely take a look at this great facility with beautiful old buildings and trees. Everyone has access to the site, which is huge. It is a beautifully maintained campus with benches to linger. You won’t notice the hustle and bustle of the city when you’re here.

7. Gemmayzeh Street

Gemmayzeh is another of Beirut’s nightlife districts, like restaurants after bars after cafes. It gets very lively, especially in the evening. If you’re looking for something to have fun, this is the place you should go to.

8. Beirut Souks

The modern Souq of Beirut was built on the remains of the traditional Souq that was destroyed during the civil war and looks more like a state-of-the-art shopping center. It is built very bright and open, all major international brands and many more are available. You don’t necessarily have to shop here, even strolling is fun, you can see many different people and you can just enjoy the atmosphere.

9. Hamra Street

If you want to “immerse” yourself in Beirut, you should not miss the highly lively Hamra street. There are lots of shops, cafes, restaurants, bars, hotels, people, and cars. Might probably the “real Beirut”. Anyone who wants to shop will find all possible shoe and textile shops here. You can spend an hour just wandering around this street.

10. Corniche Beirut

It is a very nice promenade by the sea of Beirut. There’s always something going on at the Corniche. There are tourists here, but many locals also use the area for a walk along the sea. From here it is also not far to Pigeon Rock.

Beirut Travel Guide: Sample Weekend Itinerary to Beirut, Lebanon

Day 1 – Weekend Guide to Beirut, Lebanon

Mim Museum – Mineral Museum
American University of Beirut
Zaitunay Bay

Day 2 – Weekend Guide to Beirut, Lebanon

National Museum of Beirut
Mohammad Al-Amin Mosque
Hamra Street
Corniche Beirut
Pigeon Rocks in Raouche

Day 3 – Weekend Guide to Beirut, Lebanon

Beirut Souks
Gemmayzeh Street