Lebanon

Best of 3 days in Lebanon:

The small country Lebanon is worth a visit. It’s major tourist attractions are along the Mediterranean coastline.

Beirut

Mohammad Al-Amin mosque

St George Pool

Pigeon Rocks / Raouche

 

Around Beirut

  • Jounieh & Harissa

Our Lady of Lebanon

The Shrine with the Maria statue is on top of a hill above Harissa, 20 km outside of Beirut. The 13-ton-statue created by French, has been placed in 1908.  Access to Our Lady of Lebanon by Teleferique of Lebanon,  a cable car, one of Lebanon’s oldest and most visited tourist attractions and a scenic view along Lebanon’s coast with Beirut in the South up to Byblos in the North.

Jeita Grotto

One of the new 7 wonders, Jeita Grotto is a system of two separate karstic limestone caves. The caves are situated about 18 km north of Lebanon’s capital Beirut. In a cable car, reaching the Upper Grotto. a visit on foot of some 700 m from the cave’s total length, show the beauty of the limestone formations. The Lower Grotto with its more fascinating short boat ride, in the turquoise shining water, takes about 10 min over a distance of 400 m from the cave’s total distance of 7800 m.

Byblos

37 km North of Beirut, the ruins of Byblos belong to the UNESCO World Heritage Centre. The  coastal area at the Mediterranean Sea has been occupied between 8800 – 7000 BC and Byblos has been built as the first city in Phoenicia. Byblos is also considered as the “oldest city in the world”.

Baalbek

Mainly visited by international journalists, the Phoenician city is a UNESCO World Heritage Centre and lies in the Anti-Lebanon foothills in Lebanon’s Beqaa Valley, about 85 km northeast of Beirut. In the Hellenistic period, also known as Heliopolis, the site with its colossal structures has the Temple of Bacchus and other temples. These were the biggest ever built by Romans.

Baalbek,  dominated by Shi’ites, is a relatively poor and traditional town, yet better known as one of the Hezbollah strongholds in the country.  By the time of visiting in October 2017, Baalbek is considered as “quiet”, however, the safety in the city could not be guaranteed due to the unrest in Syria. Before planning a trip, it is advised to check the latest developments in Baalbek.

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Why I would like to go back to Lebanon: Visit Baatara Waterfall Gorges