Beirut

Join the Hipporoller Challenge

Help the Travel Guide reach 20,000,000 characters and we'll donate 63 hipporollers worth over $6000. Read more.

Quick Facts

[edit]

Coordinates

• Latitude: 33.887189
• Longitude: 35.513404

On Travellerspoint

• 2 Beirut Apartments
• 2 Beirut Guesthouses
• 4 Beirut Hotels

Contributors

• Utrecht (76%)
  from http://utrecht.travellerspoint.com
• Peter (24%)
  from My Shout

Help contribute to this article to share the ad revenue.

Introduction

Bread in Beirut

© All Rights Reserved Mahdis

It was called the Paris of the east for a long time, until the civil war started in 1975 when 27 Palestinian civilians where killed by an attack on a bus. After the civil war which ended early during the 90's of the last century, Beirut struggled back to become one of the most pleasant places to live in the Middle East, settled along the Mediterranean coastline. Wandering along the Corniche, watching and being watched, is a pleasant activity at first light or in the late afternoon when the sun goes down again. Another attraction near, or actually in the sea, are the famous Pigeon rocks, which lie immediately east of the city. You will feel like being in a modern western city when drinking a beer on of the terraces in the centre of Beirut. But just a kilometre further away you will still be struck by some buildings destructed by the civil war, on both sides of the famous Green Line, which was the dividing line between Muslims and Christians. Unfortunately, since early 2006 things have gone bad in Lebanon again and this has meant few travellers find there ways to Beirut these days.

Neighbourhoods

Sights and Activities

Events and Festivals

Weather

Beirut has a typical Mediterranean climate with generally warm, dry and sunny summers and relatively mild but wet winters. Average days in summer (June - September) are between 28 and 32 degrees Celcius, while nights average around 23 degrees Celcius. With winds blowing from the desert to the east and south, temperatures in May and June can rise to over 40 degrees! December to March is winter, with temperatures between 16 and 19 degrees Celcius during the day, and between 11 and 13 degrees at night on average. June to September has hardly any rain at all, while November to February is the wettest time of year, with 130 to 190 mm of rain a month, spread out over 12 to 15 days each month.

Getting There

By Plane

All international flights arrive at the Beirut Rafic Hariri International Airport (BEY). There are direct flights to a wide range of cities in the Middle East, Asia and Europe. The main carriers are local Middle East airlines, Air France^[1], KLM^[2], Lufthansa^[3] and British Airways. KLM and Air France have direct flights to Amsterdam and Paris respectively. Also, Gulf Air^[4] and Emirates^[5] have good connections with Lebanon and through connections to Australia.

By Train

By Car

By Bus

By Boat

Getting Around

By Car

By Public Transport

By Foot

By Bike

Eat

Drink

Sleep

Budget

Mid-Range

Upscale

Work

Learn

Keep Connected

Internet

Phone

Post