Things to do in Beirut
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Abdel Wahab el-Inglizi
Set in a nice old Ottoman house, this place is a favourite with locals for its table-bending buffets. It is a great choice if you're hungry for high quality mezze and are a particular fan of hummus, of which there's numerous varieties - it won't leave you much room for dessert.
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Al-Balad
This place offers the tastiest, best-value Lebanese mezze in Downtown, and is especially popular with lunching business people. The spicy red hummus, in particular, is well worth a dip.
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Corniche
The Corniche is a favourite promenade spot. Families, couples and groups of dressed-up young people saunter along its length, stopping to greet friends or to have a coffee-and-nargileh break at one of the cafés along the route. While many locals say the Corniche starts at Ras Beirut on Ave de Paris in the east and ends at the St George Yacht Motor Club in Ain al-Mreisse to the west, others say it encompasses the entire waterfront area around to Pigeon Rocks to the south.
You'll see a great cross-section of Beiruti life on your walk, from backgammon-playing old men to teenagers dressed to impress, particularly on a Saturday night, when people bring their own plastic chair…
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Maghen Abraham synagogue
Tucked away to the north of the Grand Serail, between Rue France and Wadi Abou Jmil, are the remains of the once grand Maghen Abraham synagogue, which in the early 20th century served a thriving Jewish Beirut community. Though desperately in need of rebuilding, you can still make out the stars of David and Hebrew inscriptions adorning the synagogue's surviving walls.
This is not the only evidence of Lebanon's once open and active Jewish community. In Deir al-Qamar, the now disused synagogue remains intact; in Beirut and elsewhere there are several overgrown Jewish cemeteries. But today, most of Lebanon's Jews prefer to keep their religious identity closely guarded and no …
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National Museum of Beirut
Once situated on a strategically important intersection of the former Green Line, the must-see National Museum of Beirut has an impressive collection of archaeological artefacts, statuettes and sarcophagi. Every hour, between 09:00 and 16:00, the museum screens 'Revival,' a fascinating short documentary on how staff saved the collection from the destruction of the civil war and subsequently restored the museum to its former glory.
The easiest way to get to the museum is to either take a 15-minute walk from Sodeco Square along Rue de Damas (part of the former Green Line), or hail a service taxi and ask for Musee or the Hippodrome.
Inside, the exhibits are organised from p…
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Cilicia Museum
The gorgeous collection of Armenian religious and cultural artefacts at the Cilicia Museum is one of Beirut's best-kept secrets. And secrets play a major role in the history of this museum, as most of the collection was smuggled out of what was known as Turkish Armenia in 1915, by monks from the Monastery of Sis in Cilicia.
Given just several days to flee the genocide by the Turks, the monks removed as much of their treasure as they could and began their dangerous overland journey, eventually arriving in Aleppo (Syria). In 1930 they finally settled in Antelias, just north of Beirut.To get to the museum, take the LCC bus 6, or any minibus going north to Jounieh and Byblos …
reviewed
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American University of Beirut
The American University of Beirut is one of the Middle East's most prestigious educational institutes, and its campus and the surrounding Ras Beirut and Hamra areas are a hive of activity during semesters. The university is privately owned, nonsectarian and teaches all classes in English - hence the local students wandering around the Hamra district conversing in English as often as Arabic. Both the museum and the campus grounds are open to the public and are definitely worth a look.
Spread over 28 hectares, the beautiful, tree-shaded campus runs from Rue Bliss down to the sea and even has its own beach club for the summer months. But the stately charms of the campus did …
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Sursock Museum
Lit up at night, so that the full glory of its colourful stained glass is on show, the Sursock Museum is truly an extraordinary sight.
Owned by the Sursock family, one of the country's most illustrious dynasties, the extraordinary and magnificent Lebanese-Italian architectural style of the building itself often overshadows the temporary exhibitions. The location of the museum, in a wonderful street of luxurious modern apartment blocks and beautiful Ottoman- and French Mandate-era mansions, makes a walk around the neighbourhood mandatory. The interior of the museum is equally grand with vast marble floors and wood panelling. Some of the rooms are decorated in the oriental …
reviewed
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Pigeon Rocks
The natural offshore rock arches of Pigeon Rocks are the most famous, and indeed one of the only, natural features of Beirut. The stretch of the Corniche directly in front of the rocks is an excellent vantage point, but far more interesting is to take one of the tracks down to the lower cliffs. One track starts from the southern side of the rocks and, after a steep 100m, you find yourself down on the lower level of chalk cliffs.
Almost immediately, you can completely forget you are in the city. The way across the rocks is quite rugged and sensible shoes are a good idea, although you see local women teetering precariously across the cliffs in high heels.There are a number …
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B 018
This venerable club is easily the most famous in town. Known for its particular décor as much as its music, it's situated underground in a car park a couple of kilometres east of Downtown. With its mock-horror baroque interior, complete with coffins for seats, B 018 is certainly memorable. Those suffering from claustrophobia needn't worry - the roof is always opened at some stage during the night.
Its liberal reputation means that gays and lesbians will feel comfortable here. To get there, ask a taxi driver for the club or for the Forum de Beyrouth.
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Gemmayzeh Café
This vast and beautiful Beirut institution, dating back to Ottoman times, is one of the best places to hear live Arabic music in Beirut. Generally consisting of an oud (lute) player and singer, you should make a booking for the live music and dinner - the café has a great mezze menu, but it's worth popping in here any time of day for a strong coffee and a quick round of backgammon.
Note that there's no name on the outside of the café but, bigger and more imposing than all the other places on Rue Gouraud, it's hard to miss.
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AUB Museum
The AUB Museum, was founded in 1868 and is one of the oldest in the Middle East. On permanent display is its collection of Lebanese and Middle Eastern artefacts including weapons, tools, flints, figurines, pottery and jewellery, along with a fine collection of Phoenician glass and Arab coins dating from as early as the 5th century BC.
The museum runs monthly lectures throughout the year, hosts temporary exhibitions and children's activities, and is involved in ongoing excavations in Lebanon and Syria.
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Blue Elephant
OK, so it's a little overdone with its profusion of bamboo, screechy Thai soundtrack and indoor waterfalls, but the Blue Elephant, housed in the Searock Hotel on a road just above Lunapark, is nevertheless an excellent place to go for an upscale Thai fix. The sweet corn cookies and green curries are particularly tasty, and there's a decent vegetarian menu - but watch out for the over-attentive waiters who will replenish your every sip and spoonful, even if you protest.
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Hippodrome
If you're into horseracing, the Hippodrome, just behind the National Museum of Beirut, is one of the only places in the Middle East where you can legally place a bet. Horse racing has always been wildly popular with the Lebanese; built by the Sursock family just after WWI, the Hippodrome was the place to go in the good old days. Go quickly, however, as the municipality, which owns the race track, is threatening to sell off the land to commercial concerns.
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Explore Lebanon
8 days (ex Beirut)
by Intrepid
See the stunning ancient temples of Baalbek, Walk through the cedar forests close to Bcharre, Admire the beautiful harbour of Byblos, Indulge in Beirut's modern…Not LP reviewed
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Pasta di Casa
An unpretentious local Italian place, just a short walk from most Hamra and Corniche accommodation options. Friendly staff and huge bowls of home-made pasta - one portion alongside a starter or salad is big enough to share unless you're ravenous - make it a welcoming place to which it's easy to return again…and again…and again. It only has 10 tables, doesn't accept credit cards and gets very busy after about 21:00.
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Planet Discovery
One of the more educationally stimulating activities on offer can be found at Planet Discovery, an interactive science museum especially designed for three- to 15-year-olds. Adults will be unable to resist the soap bubble display, where bubbles big enough to encase their young charges can be blown. Puppet shows are also held at 16:00 and 17:00 most Fridays and Saturdays, which are an additional charge on top of the entry fee.
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Crystal
Crystal is, without a doubt, Beirut's glitziest, glammest club. It's a great space with a good, fun atmosphere where the well-heeled clientele generally book a large table with friends (for dinner) and settle in for a night of dollar-flashing. If you want to join in, consider ordering the US$3000 salmazar of champagne and have it carried, spotlit, to your table - which it pays to book in advance.
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Beirut-by-Bike
If you and your kids are feeling intrepid, you can hire bikes from Beirut-by-Bike. Downtown is officially a cyclist-friendly no-car zone on Sundays, but in practice is currently safe to cycle throughout the week, since military roadblocks have rendered it largely out of bounds to cars. Meanwhile, the pavement along the Corniche makes a good place to cycle if you're adept at dodging pedestrians.
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Blue Note
This is the place to hear live jazz. Generally Thursday, Friday and Saturday are the only nights when the music is live, and these are definitely the best nights to visit. There's a very good food menu if you want to dine first, but live jazz is the main course here. Aficionados should phone or check the website to see who's playing before booking as it sometimes books non-jazz acts.
reviewed
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Robert Mouawad Private Museum
The Robert Mouawad Private Museum is housed in Pharaon Palace, once the home of Robert Mouawad, a jeweller and collector of gorgeous objets d'art, including clocks, porcelain, jewellery, icons and watches. Like the Sursock Museum just down the road, it makes a beautiful respite from the city, with the palace itself every bit as sumptuous as the items on display.
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Ramlet al-Bayda beach
If you fancy a dip, this is the only public beach. Unfortunately, it's rather litter-strewn and predominantly male. A better option is one of the many private beach clubs. Though they're less about swimming and more about seeing-and-being-seen, they're convenient, well equipped (many with pleasant pools, bars, snack bars, dressing areas etc) and well maintained.
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Al-Kahwa
Usually lost in a thick haze of nargileh smoke this is a popular hang-out with students from the AUB. Its friendly atmosphere and reasonably priced menu make it a reliable choice for breakfast, lunch or for dinner. An Arabic or cooked English breakfast is available, and there are also tasty jacket potatoes and quesadilla appetisers to munch on.
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Place des Martyrs
Place des Martyrs has been the location of some of the largest ever Lebanese public gathering, notably the March 14th demonstration held on the one-month anniversary of the murder of Hariri, which brought 1 million Lebanese - a quarter of the country's population - to the streets, resulting in the final withdrawal of Syrian troops from Lebanon.
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Ristretto
As its name implies, this small café serves good strong espresso shots. It also serves some of the best breakfast eggs and pancakes in town, and is an excellent place to cure that Rue Monot-induced hangover. Its lunch menu changes every day: if you're a homesick Brit, check if their Friday special is fish and chips with tartare sauce.
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