Beirut Tour

We take our direct flight from Antalya on Thursday at 17:45 (Sun Express). Upon our arrival in Beirut, we start our city tour accompanied by our professional Turkish guide. After a short tour with our vehicle, we go to Solidere (Downtown), which reminds us of the streets of Paris with its stylish cafes, restaurants and famous brands. While Solidere, the company that undertakes the construction, repair, arrangement and beautification works in this region, gave this region its current name, it also found various artifacts from the Roman period during the works and opened them to visitors within the modern city structure today. In this region, which we will get out of our vehicle and visit on foot, Nejmeh Square, famous for its clock tower, the historical Orthodox church located in the square, the ruins of the historical Roman Bath, the buildings that were built as barracks during the Ottoman period and today serve as the Prime Ministry and the Parliament, the United Nations Building, Lebanon’s played an important role in the restructuring

The tomb of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri and the Mohamed El-Amin mosque are among the places we will see. At the end of our tour, transfer to our hotel and free time. We will spend the night at our hotel in Beirut.

Free time after breakfast at our hotel. Our guests, if they wish, can join the Jeita & Harissa & Byblos Tour organized by our guide. After our tour, we return to our hotel. In the evening, we will attend the dinner where you will taste Lebanese appetizers with our guests who wish (extra). After this entertaining dinner, we return to our hotel. We will spend the night at our hotel in Beirut.

Jeita & Harissa & Byblos Tour (Extra $80) |

Departure towards the Jeita caves, located on the edge of the Dog River and its valley, at the foot of the Lebanese mountains, approximately 30 minutes (20 km) from Beirut. There are two caves, upper and lower, in Jeita, which is shaped by karst formations. We start our visit with the cable car ride up to the cave from the car parking area. The upper cave was discovered in 1958 and has a length of 2200 m, of which 750 m is open to visitors via walking path. Although the lower cave sheltered people in prehistoric times, its rediscovery dates back to 1836. Excursions inside the lower cave are made by electric motor boats. Departure to Harissa by walking back down from the caves or taking the mini train. With a journey of approximately 15-20 minutes, our vehicle will arrive in Beirut’s neighbor, the resort city of Jounie. 2 different cable cars depending on the weather conditions

Ascent to Harissa, which is located at an altitude of approximately 650m. At the top, we will be greeted by the 15-ton statue of the Virgin Mary, which was mounted on a small church in 1908. The large cathedral behind the statue is impressive with its architecture, which looks like a cedar tree from the outside and a Phoenician ship from the inside, and was chosen as a result of the competition. Our descent from the hill will be back to Jounie with our vehicle. From here, we arrive at the ancient Phoenician port city of Byblos, located on the seashore, with a journey of approximately 20 minutes (18 km). Although the history of the city is not known for certain, scientists estimate that it dates back to 7000 years ago. Byblos, a large commercial port, was a city that dominated the papyrus trade in the region due to its developed commercial and cultural relations with ancient Egypt. For this reason, the Greeks gave the city the name Byblos, which means holy book in Greek. It was the Phoenicians who discovered the first linear alphabet, which is the basis of today’s modern Latin, Arabic and Greek alphabets, and the oldest work related to the alphabet was found in Byblos. At the end of the tour, return to Beirut and free time.

After breakfast at our hotel, we move towards the Bekaa valley, which is 90 km away from Beirut.

We approach the Damascus gate of Syria, 5 km away, visit the city of Zahle, and then start our route to visit the Roman temples of Baalbek, which were built for the god of Baal and are considered the largest and most magnificent in the world. We visit 3 different temples and then turn our route to the wine cellars in Zahle, Lebanon’s 5th largest city.

In the Ksara district of Zahle, we take a tour of the world-famous Ksara wine cellars and tasting.

Note: The tasting tour is offered in 3 different price options and is extra. (Average $8/person) . Then, return to Beirut, free time at the hotel.

After breakfast at the hotel, departure for a trip to Sidon (Sidon), the 3rd largest city of Lebanon and one of the port cities of the Phoenicians.

Mamluk bazaars, you can feel like you are right in the middle of a movie set while wandering around these bazaars… These delightful bazaars, where narrow stone buildings extend in the form of a labyrinth, are definitely worth seeing.

At the end of our Saida trip, we will drive up to the Chouf mountains, approximately 900 meters above sea level, where the Durzi community predominantly lives. We will visit Deir Al Qamar, (Moon Monastery – City of Emirs) the capital before Beirut became the capital. Deir Al Qamar has been on the UNESCO World Heritage list since 1984.

Then, we move towards our last destination, Beyteddin Palaces. Beyteddin palaces were completed in the early 1800s by Emir Basher, the Durzi-origin Emir of the Donem, as befits the Ottomans, and the Lebanese administration was controlled from this palace for a long time.

Although it was heavily damaged in the 1975-1991 civil war, it was revised again by Durzi leader Walid Janbolad.

After this tour is completed, you will return to Beirut and be transferred to Alan according to your flight time. Your return flight to Antalya takes place at 19:50 with Sun Express and the tour ends.