Must see attractions in Beirut

Located on the former Green Line, this is Beirut's major cultural institution. Its impressive, magnificently displayed collection of archaeological artefacts offers a great overview of Lebanon’s history and the...

Under the St Joseph university, this atmospheric and beautifully designed museum presents an extraordinary collection of exquisitely selected and presented minerals. The otherworldly colours and forms produced in...

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 excellent and atmospheric archaeological display outlines elements...

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 that added underground exhibition spaces, it's looking very...

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 high. Slain former prime minister Rafic Hariri was...

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 cheesy attractions and head straight for the Ferris wheel for...

These limestone outcrops just offshore are prime selfie territory and a Beirut landmark. They are impressive; one has an archway eroded through it. A couple of cafes here do awful food but are decent spots to sit...

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 Robert Mouawad to showcase his magnificent and eclectic...

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,...

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 handbags, but it’s also a museum, home to mogul Tony...

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 on and engaging. There's a separate art workshop where...

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 by armed guards who seem to decide based on their moods...

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 cantilevered, distorted Tetris block that appears even more modern in...

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 was the city's central Sunni mosque until construction of...

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 family made its fortune trading cotton and wheat from the...

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 paths perfect for in-line skating. You can rent bikes at the...

Housed in a gorgeous 1930s villa, Dar El Nimer features rotating art exhibits and an impressive permanent collection including decorative arts, glass, coins and manuscripts spanning 10 centuries from Palestine...

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 occupied by snipers from Christian militias during the...

One of the Middle East’s most prestigious and expensive universities, the AUB was founded in 1866 by American Protestant missionary Daniel Bliss. Spread over 28 tree-filled hectares, it is a true oasis in this...

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 Byzantine church, now open as a worthwhile museum entered down...