Hi everyone - I'm based in Damascus and heading on a trip out of Beirut airport. Is it possible to do this making only one transfer in Beirut?? Where will a shared taxi leave me in Beirut, and can I get a service straight from there to the airport?
Also, about how much time should I leave for the total trip? Is 5 hours enough?
Thanks
Mary
You'll probably get left off at the main bus/taxi station in Beirut (Charles Helou)... then you'll need to take another taxi from there to the airport.
5 or 6 hours sounds about right.... depending on who you get for a driver and how much delay you get at the border.
If you head to Beirut in the afternoon ,you be taking a Lebanon registered taxi.Same taxi can drop you off at airport for an extra usd 20
Five hours is adequate.I did that once.
The shared taxi from Soumrieh to Charles Helou will take about 2.5 hours as per my experience in November. However there was no delay at all at the border checkpoints. So 5 hours in total sounds like a safe bet.
The taxi will drop you off at any point on the road to Charles Helou. Many passengers get off in Baabda for example.
Is Charles Helou the best place to get a service taxi/mini bus to the airport?? or should i just ask my first driver (my arabic is decent)
thanks again
You can ask to drop of in Baabda also. It's the suburb where road from Damascus descends from last hills before Beirut.
It may save you some 20-30 min at least and more during a rush hour.
When you are already in Beirut downtown (Charles Helou) there is no difference where you take your taxi. There is no service taxi to airport and you have to take your own taxi. Price depends on your negotiation and should be 10-20 USD.
There are LCC buses running along the road near airport but I have no idea which number is running on this road and where it may stop near downtown. I should have map of LCC lines somewhere when I can find it I can check it out.
You have to note that it may take up to one hour or more from central Beirut to airport road with these buses. And it may take lot more during evening rush hours as buses are running mostly along normal roads not urban motorways in Beirut and stopping everywhere when needed.