Lebanon Highlights Tour

Welcome to Lebanon, a famous tourist destination on the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea! You can book your flight to the capital Beirut according to your own needs and preferences and let us know your landing time in advance. Our reliable driver will meet you at the Beirut Rafic Hariri International Airport on time and escort you to the hotel in a comfortable private car.

In consideration of your possible late arrival, we have not arranged any scenic spots today. If you arrive early and aren't too tired, refer to the following suggestion to get around and know this interesting country quickly.

Accommodation: Gems Hotel 

After breakfast, we will embark on a full day tour of the highlights of downtown Beirut. Our guide will first show you around the must-see attraction, the National Museum, which has a collection of more than 100,000 objects, with about 1,300 on display, ranging from prehistoric times to the Mamluk Period in the Middle Ages. The best thing to see is the Phoenician Alphabet Tablet, the origin of the modern English alphabet. Then we will visit the Mohammad Al-Amin Mosque and its adjacent Saint Georges Maronite Cathedral to learn about Lebanon's interesting culture of religious coexistence.

After lunch, follow the guide to drop by the Beirut Souks and its landmark Clock Tower. Then we will visit the American University of Beirut, known as the Harvard of the Middle East. At dusk, we could take a leisurely stroll along the Corniche. Built during the French rule, the Corniche is flanked by palm trees. Fishermen, cyclists and runners can be seen along the promenade, while the famous Pigeon Rocks (Raouche Rocks) are not far by the seaside.

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch
Accommodation: Gems Hotel

In the morning, we will travel 1.5 hours by private car to Anjar, an ancient city in the Bekaa Valley in eastern Lebanon. Founded in 714 AD, Anjar was a crucial inland commercial city with many palaces and mosques, and is now inhabited mainly by Armenians. Our guide, who knows the local roads well, will take you explore deep into the Umayyad Ruins. There you can see only the remnants of the palaces, but you can still feel the prosperity and power of this most important surviving site of the once Umayyad Empire.

Afterwards, we will continue to Baalbek in the Bekaa Valley, known as Heliopolis (Sun City). Led by the guide, you can visit the Baalbek Temple Complex, which is one of the largest and best-preserved historical sites left by the ancient Roman Empire in Lebanon, with grand architecture and elaborate carvings.

Our next stop is the Chateau Ksara where you can explore the winery and taste the best local wines. If you are not interested in it, we can arrange a visit to the Taanayel Lake instead. Finally, return to the hotel in Beirut.

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch
Accommodation: Gems Hotel

Common travel agencies will probably only tell you about Lebanon's rich historical sites. Join our tours and you will have a unique experience. In addition to several well-known World Heritage sites, today we are guiding you to explore Lebanon's lesser-known natural wonders.

After breakfast, we will drive 1 hour to Shouf Cedars Reserve, Lebanon's largest nature reserve, where our guide with rich mountain trekking experience will take you on an approximately 1 hour hiking tour and you will know the charm of the cedar, Lebanon's national tree.

Later we’ll drive half an hour to the Beiteddine Palace, built 200 years ago by the Shihab Dynasty's Emir Bashir II and used as a government building by the Ottoman Empire.

In the afternoon, you will be led to the last stop of today, the ancient city of Deir Al-Qamar, which literally means the “Monastery of the Moon”. We’ll take a leisurely walk around this time-honored and well-kept small town with secluded pebble streets and picturesque walled gardens. By nightfall, return to our hotel in Beirut.

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch
Accommodation: Gems Hotel

Today we’ll travel south along Lebanon's western coastline, visiting two historic Phoenician cities, Sidon and Tyre, and a small village of Maghdouche.

After breakfast, we'll drive about 1.5 hours to Tyre, once the most important port and trading center on the eastern Mediterranean and now Lebanon's fourth largest city. It owns many relics, among which the Colosseum is a UNESCO World Heritage site. Follow our guide to visit the Ruins of Tyre: The Egyptian Port. From the broken walls and pillars, you can imagine the glory of the city at that time.

After lunch, we'll drive back north. In about half an hour we will arrive on the outskirts of Sidon, passing through a small primitive village called Maghdouche. At this inland village, the guide will take you to its landmark, the Tower of Our Lady of Mantara, which is the Marian shrine. The cave above is believed to have been the resting place of Virgin Mary as she waited for Jesus to return from his ministry in Sidon.

Later, we'll drive 10 minutes north to Sidon, Tyre's sister city on the coast. The city also retains many Phoenician ruins. The guide will lead you to visit the Sea Castle of the Crusades, and also show you the local souk and fish market, where you can fully immerse yourself in the atmosphere of the local life. Finally we’ll drive back to Beirut.

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch
Accommodation: Gems Hotel

In the morning, we'll drive about half an hour northeast to the Jeita Grotto, a geological wonder composed of two separate but interconnected karst limestone caves. We have specially arranged a cable car for you to easily reach the upper cave halfway up the mountain, where you can enjoy the world's largest stalactite. The access to the lower cave is an underground river, which requires a boat ride. We have arranged everything for you in advance. Please feel free to follow the guide and enjoy the beautiful scenery.

In the afternoon, a half-hour car ride north along the coast will bring us to Byblos, one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. The guide will show you around the ancient castle, the Church of St John, the Roman Amphitheatre and the Old Souks with detailed explanations. Finally, we will drive back to Beirut, visiting the small mountain village of Harissa on the way. We will get into the village by cable car and visit the Shrine of Our Lady of Lebanon, one of the most important places of pilgrimage in Lebanon. In the evening, our guide and the driver will escort you back to the hotel.

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch
Accommodation: Gems Hotel

On the last day of our Lebanon 7 days itinerary, you can pack your bags after having breakfast at the hotel. Our driver will meet you in the lobby at a pre-arranged time and escort you to the Beirut Rafic Hariri International Airport to catch your flight home or to your next destination.

If you would like to continue your trip to Israel, Jordan, Syria, Egypt, or other destinations, you can contact our travel consultants at any time to arrange for your subsequent extension trip. Have a good flight!

Meals Included: Breakfast