7-Day Cultural and Historic Lebanon Tour with Accommodation

Day 1 · Arrival to Beirut, Lebanon

1. 1

   Stop 1

   30 min

   Welcome to Lebanon!

   Upon your arrival to Beirut Airport, our representative will be waiting you at the lounge holding a sign with your name on it. He'll meet and assist you at the airport and transfer you to your Beirut city hotel by a private air-conditioned comfortable vehicle.

2. 2

   Beirut

   30 min

   You'll arrive to your hotel in Beirut city center by a private air-conditioned vehicle with an English speaking driver. Our driver will support you in carrying luggage and you'll have a break at your hotel until the next day. Relax and get ready for an amazing adventure awaiting you!

Overnight at a hotel in Beirut city

Day 2 · Explore Anjar, Baalbek & Ksara vineyards

1. 1

   Umayyad Ruins of Aanjar

   one hour Admission included

   Discover the Umayyad Ruins of Aanjar that bears an outstanding witness to the Umayyad civilization and a good example of an inland commercial centre.The ruins of Anjar include the walls of the Umayyad palace, harems, a mosque, the great palace of the Caliph, thermal baths, and many pillars which include some elements of the Roman architectural style.

2. 2

   Baalbek Temple

   2 hours Admission included

   Explore the Roman temples and ruins of Baalbek, Lebanon's greatest Roman treasure, that can be counted among the wonders of the ancient world. The largest and most noble Roman temples ever built, they are also among the best preserved.

3. 3

   Chateau Ksara

   one hour Admission not included

   Indulge yourself in tasting the Lebanese wine at one of the most famous wineries of Lebanon, Chateau Ksara. Explore the wine cellars, get to know more about wine making and production, and enjoy the amazing view of the Bekaa valley vineyards.

Overnight at a hotel in Beirut city

Day 3 · Discover Jeita Grotto, Harissa & Byblos attractions

1. 1

   Jeita Grotto

   2 hours Admission included

   Explore the pearl of nature of Lebanon, Jeita Grotto, a system of two separate, but interconnected, karstic limestone caves which have formed over millions of years. Enjoy the amazing views of the caves and experience a boat promenade at an underground lake of the lower cave. Many activities will be waiting you, but we'll keep it surprise for you!

2. 2

   The Shrine of Our Lady of Lebanon

   one hour Admission included

   Visit the shrine of our lady of Lebanon, go up the round stairs achieving the statue and enjoy the amazing view of Jounieh bay. Visit also the churches at Harissa, and a cable car ride will be awaiting you from Harissa towards Jounieh accompanied by an overlooking adorable panoramic views.

3. 3

   Byblos

   2 hours

   Discover the Phoenician city of Byblos and explore its highlights. Start with its archeological site including a citadel, roman ruins and temples, then wander through its wonderful old souk achieving the ancient port of the city where amazing views of the harbor and the boats are waiting you.

4. 4

   Stop 4

   one hour Admission included

   Byblos Castle, a restored 12th-century Crusader castle surrounded by a 10m-wide dry moat is located just inside the Byblos' atmospheric archaeological site that contains the ruins of the Temple of Baalat Gebal and the Temple of the Obelisks.

   It's an impressive building that offers an excellent perspective over the ruins from the top of its foursquare keep. A series of Bronze Age dwellings is clearly visible below the walls as you look towards the sea. Inside the castle, there's a small museum and a room with information panels outlining the city's history.

5. 5

   Old Souk

   10 min

   Byblos old souk is an old market where tourists can shop for souvenirs and antiques, or simply stroll along the old cobblestone streets and enjoy the architecture.

6. 6

   Stop 6

   10 min

   Byblos Port is an ancient port in Byblos and is believed by the Lebanese to be the oldest port in the world. Around 3000 BC, Byblos Port was the most important timber shipping center in the eastern Mediterranean

Overnight at a hotel in Beirut city

Day 4 · Enjoy the charm of Qadisha valley, Bcharre & Cedars forest

1. 1

   Qadisha Valley

   Passing by

   Qadisha valley is one of the most important settlement sites of the first Christian monasteries in the world, and its monasteries, many of which of great age, are set in an extraordinarily rugged landscape.

   The Qadisha Valley comprises all the caves, monasteries and cultivated terraces that are associated with the activities from a very early phase of Christianity.

2. 2

   Stop 2

   30 min Admission included

   The Gibran Museum, formerly the Monastery of Mar Sarkis, is a biographical museum in Bcharre, Lebanon. It is dedicated to the Lebanese writer, philosopher, and artist Kahlil Gibran.

   Founded in 1935, the Gibran Museum possesses 440 original paintings and drawings of Gibran and his tomb. It also includes his furniture and belongings from his studio when he lived in New York City and his private manuscripts.

3. 3

   The Cedars of God

   one hour Admission included

   The Forest of the Cedars of God with its 375 trees, is the last remains of antique forests and one of the rare sites where the Cedars still grows.

   It was highly prized in ancient times and was one of the most valued construction materials of great religious buildings and cited 103 times in the Bible.

   The Cedar is the symbol of the country, its pride, and features prominently on the Lebanese flag.

4. 4

   Maronite Monastery of St. Anthony The Great

   30 min

   The Monastery of Saint Anthony the Great is situated at a height of 950 meters above sea level in the celebrated Valley of Qozhaya. The pine trees and oak trees cover the great hills surrounding it. Fruit trees of every description grow all along the valley, which extends into the Valley of Qannubin to form the great Qadisha Valley, thus bearing witness to the history of eremitic life and the quest for holiness in Lebanon.

   Historians and scholars suppose that this Monastery was first built and began to be occupied by hermits at the beginning of the fourth century. It was several times looted, set on fire and razed to the ground, but there still remain vestiges dating back to the seventh century.

Overnight at a hotel in Beirut city

Day 5 · Visit the highlights of south Lebanon at Sidon, Tyre & Maghdouche

1. 1

   Sidon

   2 hours

   Discover the main attractions of the majestic city of Sidon, start by exploring the crusader sea castle, one of the most prominent historical sites in the port city of Sidon. Head after to explore the soap museum, khan el franj, debbane palace and stroll in the old souks of Sidon.

2. 2

   Stop 2

   30 min Admission included

   The Sidon Sea Castle was built by the crusaders in the thirteenth century on a small island, connected to the mainland by a causeway, as a fortress of the holy land. It is one of the most prominent historical sites in the port city of Sidon, Lebanon. The castle was largely destroyed by the Mamluks in 1291 and was later restored by Fakhr el-Dine Maan II in the early 17th century.

   Old prints of the fortress show it to be one of great beauty, but little remains of the embellishments that once decorated its ramparts.

3. 3

   Khan al-Franj

   15 min

   Khan al-Franj is one of Sidon’s main attractions. It was built in the beginning of the 17th century by Emir Fakhreddine II to be a hotel for ambassadors and a center for commercial exchange between Lebanon and France.

   The hotel soon became a center for literature, religion, history, industry and diplomacy. It became a home for culture and civilization.

   This is a typical khan with a large rectangular courtyard and a central fountain surrounded by covered galleries.

4. 4

   Stop 4

   30 min Admission included

   The Soap Museum is a museum in Sidon specialized in Levantine soaps

   The soap workshop was originally built in Sidon by the Hammoud family in the 17th century.

   The Soap Museum traces the history of soap making in the region, its development and manufacturing techniques. Visitors can see a demonstration of how traditional olive oil soaps are made and learn about the history of the "hammam" (bath) traditions.

   A historical section of the museum introduces artifacts which were found during onsite excavation and which include remains of clay pipe heads dating from the 17th to 19th century as well as pottery fragments. The Museum building is an old soap factory built in the 17th century, although containing parts thought to date back to the 13th century.

5. 5

   Debbane Palace

   15 min Admission included

   The Debbane Palace was Built in the Old City of Sidon in the 18th century and It is now the last house of the Ottoman period remaining in a city that has since given way to traffic and glass storefronts. Approached from a narrow stairwell in the crowded Souq, the palace is built literally on top of the markets below. Inside it contains an entire world of reception rooms, stained-glass windows, rare mosaic tiles and centuries-old stables.

   the Debbane Palace marks the only example of an Ottoman palace within the city walls of urban Lebanon

6. 6

   Tyre

   2 hours

   Tyre is an ancient Phoenician port city and It is the home of Elissar, the Phoenician princess who founded Carthage. It was once famous across the world for its purple dye made from murex sea snails. Two main archaeological sites – “Al-Bass” and “Al-Mina” – are testimony to its historical significance. It has a wonderful seaside location and It's a popular holiday destination with excellent and cleanest beaches

   The town's foundations date back to approximately 2750 BC, after which it was ruled by the Egyptians and then the famous King Hiram, under whom it prospered. Later colonized variously by the Assyrians, Neo-Babylonians, Greeks, Seleucids, Romans, Byzantines, Arabs, Crusaders, Mamluks and Ottomans.

7. 7

   Al-Bass Archaeological Site

   one hour Admission included

   Al Bass Archaeological Site is the largest and the best-preserved example of a Roman Hippodrome. The sector of Tyre El Bass, constituting the principal entrance of the town in antique times, comprises the remains of the necropolis, on either side of a wide monumental causeway dominated by a Roman triumphal arch dating from the 2nd century AD. Among the other vestiges are an aqueduct and the hippodrome of the 2nd century, one of the largest of the Roman world. site contain a Necropolis with several hundred well-preserved sarcophagi, an intact Roman road, an aqueduct and a monumental arch.

8. 8

   Stop 8

   one hour Admission included

   Discovered in 1962, the necropolis consists of hundreds of stone and marble sarcophagi from the Roman and Byzantine eras.

   Several of them have Greek inscriptions or the names of those buried there, or their trade such as “wealthy purple dye manufacturer. Others whose sides and covers are decorated with frescoes and bas-reliefs of works from Homer and others.

9. 9

   Stop 9

   30 min

   Our Lady of Awaiting, also known as Our Lady of Mantara, is a Melkite Greek Catholic shrine in Maghdouché, Lebanon, discovered on 8 September 1721 by a young shepherd. The shrine consists of a tower crowned with the statue of the Virgin and Child, a cathedral, a cemetery and a sacred cave believed to be the one where the Virgin Mary rested while she waited for Jesus.

Overnight at a hotel in Beirut city

Day 6 · Free Day at your own pace

1. 1

   Beirut

   8 hours

   Enjoy spending your free day by relaxing at your hotel, or by going for shopping and walking in the city. You have the choice to do what you love and enjoy your last day in Beirut before your departure tomorrow!

Overnight at a hotel in Beirut city

Day 7 · Depart from Beirut, Lebanon

1. 1

   Beirut

   30 min

   Prepare yourself and your luggage for the departure. Our English speaking driver will be at your hotel two or three hours before your departure flight. Enjoy your transfer from Beirut city hotel to Beirut Airport by a private air-conditioned comfortable vehicle.

2. 2

   Stop 2

   30 min

   Our representative will assist you in luggage carrying upon arriving to Beirut Airport. Have a safe flight and enjoyable journey and hope to see you again in Lebanon for more adventures and sightseeing tours.