Lebanon in 10 Days

This ten-day route is built for travelers who want Lebanon’s biggest archaeological names alongside its northern mountains, at a moderate pace with two-night bases and one long transfer. You’ll rely on minibuses from Beirut to the Bekaa Valley and to the north, coastal buses, shared taxis for short hops and a local van up to Bcharre.

Days 1-2: Beirut

Look under the city first. Beneath the Saint George Greek Orthodox Cathedral and Crypt Museum, glass walkways pass over excavated layers of Hellenistic, Roman and Byzantine Beirut, including tombs and mosaic fragments found during postwar rebuilding. Then swing to the opposite mood at Ramlet al-Baida, the capital’s big public sandy beach, where families picnic and fishermen cast from the rocks as the sun drops into the sea. Two nights in Beirut give you time for both and for a long dinner of mezze.

Days 3-4: The Bekaa Valley

Catch a minibus over the mountains and step off for the Anjar Umayyad Ruins, an early 8th-century palace town built on a … read more 👉

This ten-day route is built for travelers who want Lebanon’s biggest archaeological names alongside its northern mountains, at a moderate pace with two-night bases and one long transfer. You’ll rely on minibuses from Beirut to the Bekaa Valley and to the north, coastal buses, shared taxis for short hops and a local van up to Bcharre.

Days 1-2: Beirut

Look under the city first. Beneath the Saint George Greek Orthodox Cathedral and Crypt Museum, glass walkways pass over excavated layers of Hellenistic, Roman and Byzantine Beirut, including tombs and mosaic fragments found during postwar rebuilding. Then swing to the opposite mood at Ramlet al-Baida, the capital’s big public sandy beach, where families picnic and fishermen cast from the rocks as the sun drops into the sea. Two nights in Beirut give you time for both and for a long dinner of mezze.

Days 3-4: The Bekaa Valley

Catch a minibus over the mountains and step off for the Anjar Umayyad Ruins, an early 8th-century palace town built on a Roman-style grid, with a rebuilt two-story arcade and a four-way gateway at its center crossing. Continue to Baalbek for two nights. Be at the gate of the Baalbek Roman Ruins (Temples of Jupiter at opening time. The six surviving columns of the Temple of Jupiter stand around 20 meters high, the Temple of Bacchus next door is among the best-preserved Roman temples anywhere, and the ancient quarry at the edge of town holds a cut monolith weighing roughly 1,000 tons.

Days 5-6: Tripoli

Day five is the long one: a minibus back to Beirut and a bus up the coast, four to five hours in total. Tripoli repays the effort. Its Mamluk-era souks are still working markets, with olive oil soap makers in Khan al-Saboun and pastry shops piling up knafeh. Climb Tripoli’s Citadel, founded by the Crusader Raymond de Saint-Gilles, for the view over the old city and the river.

Days 7-8: Bcharre and the Qadisha Valley

A local van climbs about 90 minutes to Bcharre, hometown of the poet Gibran Khalil Gibran, whose museum sits in a former monastery above town. Go up early to the Cedars of God, a protected grove of ancient cedars at about 2,000 meters, then spend your second day in the Qadisha Valley. Trails drop from the cliff edge to the monasteries of Mar Elisha and Qannoubine, and a taxi can collect you at the bottom to spare your knees the climb.

Days 9-10: Byblos

Ride down to Byblos for a final night. Arrive in time to watch the fishing boats come into the small stone harbor and eat at one of the seafood places overlooking it. On your last morning, visit Byblos Castle before the tour buses, then reach the airport in around an hour.

For a bonus detour from Bcharre, walk down to the Monastery of Qozhaya in the Qadisha Valley, whose small museum keeps one of the earliest printing presses in the Middle East.