A group of us are going to Lebonon for 5 days, staying in Beirut. But I know nothing about the country, except only the bad news you hear on TV. I'm sure there are many great places to visit in Beirut and outside. Any guidance / advice from anyone would be most appreciated.
yeah it's best to steer clear of driving there...but taxis are abundant for in-city use and i'm sure your hotel can arrange a special call cab to take you up to the mountains...don't really know why he should be christian though.
the ski resorts at Faraya-Mzar cater to all skiers of all levels so don't worry about that, it'll be a blast for the whole family but only if it's during the week, weekends in that place will probably get you just a couple runs down the mountain cause of all the traffic.
For sight-seeing Jeita grotto is a definite must. Going to Baalbak to see the ancient roman pillars is pretty cool but it'll take up a whole day (which is not necessarily a bad thing)...
For the nightlife, restaurants and cafes then downtown should suffice...since none of you drink you don't have to visit Gimmayze (though it's still a nice street).
IF you need to do some shopping then you should pass by Verdun, ABC Achrafieh and Hamra....they're nice areas (the ABC is a mall) and you can just hang around and have some coffee i guess.
Don't even consider driving, only Lebanese can drive there specially at the mountains as the roads are narrow. you have to hire a chauffeur (preferably a Christian)
Zaid, Loulsy - thanks a lot for your detailed responses. I can see that you are really missing your home !
We are three families, with kids ranging from 8 to 14, so its very much a family hol. We're in for sightseeing, history, nightlife, street cafe's, restaurants, scenery etc etc, minus booze and pubs as none of us drink. I'd love to try the skiing as suggested - do they cater for total beginners and children ?
Loulsy - we'll be leaving on April 7th and returning on the 12th - so if you can sketch out a day-by-day plan that would really be appreciated. We'll base ourselves in the hotel in Beirut and do day trips. Btw, is it safe to drive or would you suggest take arranged exersions with driver/guide etc.
Lebanon is fabulous. As Loulsy suggested, you have to Head to Faraya this time of year. Make sure you try out the restaurant at intercontinental MAZAR that overlooks the slops . They serve the best tiramisu ever all soaked in rum. For nightlife & trendy restaurants head to Monot
Seriously UKEng.. same dangers exist in lebanon that exist everywhere!
Raaz, you will be staying in Beirut, but are you up to going out of beirut to spend a day?! If you are going now.. you have chosen the BEST Time to enjoy the Ski Slopes.. The Snow is Amazing right now and Skiing Season is at its highest, this would mean you need to head out to Faraya...
Now with the right guidance you can do alot in 5 days.. definitely not Enough but alot.
You Definitely need to Visit Jeita Grotto which is up for nomination for 7 wonders of the world. Depend on the weather you could visit both caves or if it is is rainy and all you will get to see only one cave. You can do the Jeita Groto Trip and visit the Famous People Museum and the skiing in one day, also make sure you have lunch up in faraya as the restaurants there are great.. you should try out a restaurant called Erzel when you are in Faraya.. the person driving you there will know it when u ask him... or you could try Chez Michel in Faraya.
on a nother day you could head out to Byblos (Jbeil) the oldest city in Lebanon... on that day you can go towards afternoon where you aim to have lunch there at the seaside, visit the ruins and Wax museum and then head up to Batroun for a night of partying at the endless nightclubs there... then have the cab/ driver drop you back at your hotel in beirut to sleep of the drinks ;-) I mean since u are able to go out of beirut, try out a nighty of partying OUTSIDE beirut.. as our partying life is not limited to just there...
While in Beirut, you definitely need to spend a day walking around Downtown, where you are able to see the heart of the city and at the same time see roman ruins and all... you can lunch and in the evening head out for some bar and pub hoping in Gemmayze Street.
On another night aim to party in Monot where similar to Gemayze you can go around Bar and Pub Hopping.. and trust me .. i thought partying in leb was expensive.. but after living in doha i realized how cheap booze is back home..
so much more to advice so much more to say.. if u can have a basic idea of the time u will be arriving and the time u will be departing i can give you a clear schedule of what to do and all...
but for now i guess the above is enough.. i wrote enough.. if you want anything specific give me a buzz.. ;-)
You're gonna have a great time Raaz no matter what your inclinations are.
As mentioned above by your fellow country men, lebanon has some great pubs and clubs and they're filled with friendly easy-going people...the area to head out to for those is called Gimmayze. Weekends are crazy so you should probably head there during the week.
You absoloutely need to head to downtown just to walk around...it's sort of like souq waqif here but bigger and (in my humble opinion) far better. There you can get a taste for some casual lebanese nightlife...it's mainly cafes and restaurants...gets nice over the weekend.
There's a lot more but i just realized that this is making me way too nostalgic haha..if there's anything you need in particular then just PM me or something.
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you made me miss home...
yeah it's best to steer clear of driving there...but taxis are abundant for in-city use and i'm sure your hotel can arrange a special call cab to take you up to the mountains...don't really know why he should be christian though.
the ski resorts at Faraya-Mzar cater to all skiers of all levels so don't worry about that, it'll be a blast for the whole family but only if it's during the week, weekends in that place will probably get you just a couple runs down the mountain cause of all the traffic.
For sight-seeing Jeita grotto is a definite must. Going to Baalbak to see the ancient roman pillars is pretty cool but it'll take up a whole day (which is not necessarily a bad thing)...
For the nightlife, restaurants and cafes then downtown should suffice...since none of you drink you don't have to visit Gimmayze (though it's still a nice street).
IF you need to do some shopping then you should pass by Verdun, ABC Achrafieh and Hamra....they're nice areas (the ABC is a mall) and you can just hang around and have some coffee i guess.
I'm sure you will all have a great time :)
Don't even consider driving, only Lebanese can drive there specially at the mountains as the roads are narrow. you have to hire a chauffeur (preferably a Christian)
All your comments are really appreciated
Zaid, Loulsy - thanks a lot for your detailed responses. I can see that you are really missing your home !
We are three families, with kids ranging from 8 to 14, so its very much a family hol. We're in for sightseeing, history, nightlife, street cafe's, restaurants, scenery etc etc, minus booze and pubs as none of us drink. I'd love to try the skiing as suggested - do they cater for total beginners and children ?
Loulsy - we'll be leaving on April 7th and returning on the 12th - so if you can sketch out a day-by-day plan that would really be appreciated. We'll base ourselves in the hotel in Beirut and do day trips. Btw, is it safe to drive or would you suggest take arranged exersions with driver/guide etc.
Thanks a lot again
Lebanon is fabulous. As Loulsy suggested, you have to Head to Faraya this time of year. Make sure you try out the restaurant at intercontinental MAZAR that overlooks the slops . They serve the best tiramisu ever all soaked in rum. For nightlife & trendy restaurants head to Monot
I did write alot.. i didnt notice as i was typing
WYSIWYG
Seriously UKEng.. same dangers exist in lebanon that exist everywhere!
Raaz, you will be staying in Beirut, but are you up to going out of beirut to spend a day?! If you are going now.. you have chosen the BEST Time to enjoy the Ski Slopes.. The Snow is Amazing right now and Skiing Season is at its highest, this would mean you need to head out to Faraya...
Now with the right guidance you can do alot in 5 days.. definitely not Enough but alot.
You Definitely need to Visit Jeita Grotto which is up for nomination for 7 wonders of the world. Depend on the weather you could visit both caves or if it is is rainy and all you will get to see only one cave. You can do the Jeita Groto Trip and visit the Famous People Museum and the skiing in one day, also make sure you have lunch up in faraya as the restaurants there are great.. you should try out a restaurant called Erzel when you are in Faraya.. the person driving you there will know it when u ask him... or you could try Chez Michel in Faraya.
on a nother day you could head out to Byblos (Jbeil) the oldest city in Lebanon... on that day you can go towards afternoon where you aim to have lunch there at the seaside, visit the ruins and Wax museum and then head up to Batroun for a night of partying at the endless nightclubs there... then have the cab/ driver drop you back at your hotel in beirut to sleep of the drinks ;-) I mean since u are able to go out of beirut, try out a nighty of partying OUTSIDE beirut.. as our partying life is not limited to just there...
While in Beirut, you definitely need to spend a day walking around Downtown, where you are able to see the heart of the city and at the same time see roman ruins and all... you can lunch and in the evening head out for some bar and pub hoping in Gemmayze Street.
On another night aim to party in Monot where similar to Gemayze you can go around Bar and Pub Hopping.. and trust me .. i thought partying in leb was expensive.. but after living in doha i realized how cheap booze is back home..
so much more to advice so much more to say.. if u can have a basic idea of the time u will be arriving and the time u will be departing i can give you a clear schedule of what to do and all...
but for now i guess the above is enough.. i wrote enough.. if you want anything specific give me a buzz.. ;-)
Enjoy ittttttttttttt
WYSIWYG
Is it safe to go to this Beautiful Country with the family and what time of year is the best..
Like is it good to go in July/August during the kids holidays?
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HE WHO DARES WINS
think of organizing a skiing trip...
or just a nature gataway somewhere in them mountains.
The women and the food Woweeeeeeeeeeee!
You're gonna have a great time Raaz no matter what your inclinations are.
As mentioned above by your fellow country men, lebanon has some great pubs and clubs and they're filled with friendly easy-going people...the area to head out to for those is called Gimmayze. Weekends are crazy so you should probably head there during the week.
You absoloutely need to head to downtown just to walk around...it's sort of like souq waqif here but bigger and (in my humble opinion) far better. There you can get a taste for some casual lebanese nightlife...it's mainly cafes and restaurants...gets nice over the weekend.
There's a lot more but i just realized that this is making me way too nostalgic haha..if there's anything you need in particular then just PM me or something.
LEBANON my Beautiful country!
http://www.destinationlebanon.com/eng/index.asp
and vimmin.....
Beirut was the gay Pareee of the region remember..
Brit like booze, night clubs. 18-30 clubs? Really I thought it was an Arab country?
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HE WHO DARES WINS
Lebanon has everything you could want in a vacation..