Must see attractions in Beirut

  • Top Choice
    National Museum of Beirut

    Located on the former Green Line, this is Beirut's major cultural institution. Its impressive, magnificently displayed collection of archaeological…

  • Top Choice
    MIM

    Under the St Joseph university, this atmospheric and beautifully designed museum presents an extraordinary collection of exquisitely selected and…

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    Top Choice
    St George Crypt Museum

    When a bomb fell on the Orthodox cathedral in 1975, the only silver lining was that it revealed these ruins beneath. Though the area is small, an…

  • Sursock Museum

    This privately owned contemporary-art museum is housed in a 1912 mansion located in one of Achrafiyeh's most attractive streets. After a major facelift…

  • Mohammed Al Amin Mosque

    Now the city's major landmark, this huge, striking amber-coloured blue-domed mosque near Martyrs Sq was opened in 2008 and has four minarets standing 65m…

  • Luna Park

    Luna Park is a rickety old amusement park, with all the attendant charms and nuisances, at which most Western tourists turn up their noses. Bypass the…

  • Pigeon Rocks

    These limestone outcrops just offshore are prime selfie territory and a Beirut landmark. They are impressive; one has an archway eroded through it. A…

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    Robert Mouawad Private Museum

    The world would be a poorer place if it didn't host idiosyncratic cultural institutions such as this one. Conceived and funded by jeweller and collector…

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    Aïshti Foundation

    The Aïshti Foundation is a combination of seemingly strange bedfellows. On one hand, it’s a high-end mall aimed at people who have a few grand to spend on…

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    Planet Discovery

    This activity centre and interactive science museum in the Souks shopping arcades is aimed at young children and offers a science museum that's very hands…

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    Horsh Beirut

    The large and verdant Horsh Beirut could be the city's version of Central Park, but opening hours are irregular to the point of arbitrary, and it’s manned…

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    Issam Fares Institute

    The IFI holds the distinction of being the only Zaha Hadid-designed building in Beirut. The structure is distinctive in appearance too: it’s a…

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    Al Omari Mosque

    Built in the 12th century as the Church of John the Baptist of the Knights Hospitaller, this attractive building was converted into a mosque in 1291. It…

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    Sursock Palace

    One of the last remaining Beirut manor houses from the Ottoman era, Sursock Palace stands behind high gates across from the Sursock Museum (the Sursock…

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    Sanayeh Public Garden

    A very well-maintained public park with soothing greenery and water, this has playground equipment for the kids to let off steam, and plenty of paved…

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    Dar El Nimer

    Housed in a gorgeous 1930s villa, Dar El Nimer features rotating art exhibits and an impressive permanent collection including decorative arts, glass,…

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    Beit Beirut

    Conceptualised as a museum dedicated to the memory of Beirut, Beit Beirut started off as the stately home of the Barakat family in the 1920s and was then…

  • American University of Beirut

    One of the Middle East’s most prestigious and expensive universities, the AUB was founded in 1866 by American Protestant missionary Daniel Bliss. Spread…

  • St George Greek Orthodox Cathedral

    This was built in 1767 and is one of the oldest buildings in the city. In 1975, during the civil war, a bomb fell here and unearthed the ruins of a…