BEIRUT

© Ben Lowes, Raouche Rocks, Beirut

© Ben Lowes, Raouche Rocks, Beirut

Beirut is the capital and largest city of Lebanon. No recent population census has been conducted, but 2007 estimates ranged from slightly more than 1 million to 2.2 million as part of Greater Beirut. Located on a peninsula at the midpoint of Lebanon's Mediterranean coast, Beirut is the country's largest and main seaport.

It is one of the oldest cities in the world, having been inhabited for more than 5,000 years. The first historical mention of Beirut is found in the Amarna letters from the New Kingdom of Egypt, which date to the 15th century BC.

Beirut is Lebanon's seat of government and plays a central role in the Lebanese economy, with most banks and corporations based in its Central District, Badaro, Rue Verdun, Hamra, Ryad el Soloh street, and Achrafieh. Following the destructive Lebanese Civil War, Beirut's cultural landscape underwent major reconstruction. Identified and graded for accountancy, advertising, banking, finance and law, Beirut is ranked as a Beta World City by the Globalization and World Cities Research Network.

WHAT IS IT FAMOUS FOR?

One of the things Beirut is famous for is its nightlife scene which is wild and hard to beat. The diversity of options continues to surprise even the most liver-hardened locals.

  • Hotels

  • Restaurants

  • Attractions

  • Nightlife

© Ben Lowes, Downtown, Beirut

© Ben Lowes, Downtown, Beirut

when to visit

The best time to visit Beirut is during the autumn season when the temperatures remain moderate. Summers are warm with temperatures reaching 35 degrees Celsius, and they embrace the peak season for tourists because of the festivals that take place in Lebanon during this time.

© Ben Lowes, Downtown, Beirut

© Ben Lowes, Downtown, Beirut

TOP 5 HOTELS IN BEIRUT

Accommodation in Beirut caters to all tastes and budget options. For a long while, a stay in Beirut meant choosing one of the many five-star seafront complexes or a hotel in Hamra. Following a recent and welcomed wave of boutique hotels opening their doors, there are plenty of options for accommodation in Beirut featuring anything from old-school charm to rooftop pools and plenty of character.

1 le grey beirut

© Ben Lowes, Le Grey, Beirut

© Ben Lowes, Le Grey, Beirut

Le Gray, the home of understated luxury nestled in the heart of downtown Beirut - perfectly located for both business and leisure, featuring state of the art facilities, meeting rooms and suites.

Guests are greeted with breath-taking views of beautiful Beirut from fifth floor terraces and facilities include 103 rooms and suites designed with relaxation and comfort in mind. Blending inspiring interior design with sophistication, this hotel boasts an outdoor heated rooftop infinity pool, a plethora of restaurants and bars including an opulent cigar lounge, a large atrium with a spiral staircase, and a rooftop terrace and bar offering 360 views of the city.

The hotel offers some of the city’s best views combined with an authentic service, all within luxury 5 star surroundings.

3 four seasons

2 Intercontinental phoenicia

Photo by: IHG, Intercontinental Phoenicia, Beirut

Photo by: IHG, Intercontinental Phoenicia, Beirut

The Intercontinental Phoenicia Hotel is a city landmark with sophisticated conference facilities and world-class service. Decorated with contemporary art, this historic building features a spa and neoclassical pool with views of Zaitunay Bay. Their huge ballroom and private meeting spaces are ideal for business, events and weddings. Dining venues include an Italian eatery with a terrace and the Cascade Lounge with its striking central fountain. Chic residence suites offer everything you need for a longer stay.

Photo by: Four Seasons, Beirut

Photo by: Four Seasons, Beirut

At the Four Seasons Hotel you are introduced to the people and places that make Beirut's stylish and friendly city tick. From the Hotel’s downtown location, you can set out to explore the capital’s bustling markets, admire ancient ruins, bask in the sun along their Mediterranean coastline and discover the natural wonders that lay within the snow-capped Lebanese Mountains just a short drive away. Even better, simply take it all in from their 26th-floor rooftop, offering one of the best views in the entire city.

5 kempinski summerland hotel

4 hotel albergo

Photo by: Hotel Albergo, Beirut

Photo by: Hotel Albergo, Beirut

Hotel Albergo’s 33 suites are all individually designed in an applied Lebanese-oriental style. Boudoir-style suites, vast and luminous, furnished with unique antique-hunted pieces, a traveler’s treasure collected through passing years in the Orient and the West, each bearing its own tone. Bathrooms feature salt from the dead sea, handmade local soaps and Molton Brown bath amenities.

Photo by: Kempinski, Beirut

Photo by: Kempinski, Beirut

The Kempinski Summerland Hotel & Resort, is an exclusive five-star luxury hotel and beach resort in Beirut. It hosts its own private beach and marina, a labyrinth of pools with pool-bars and private Jacuzzi bungalows. It is an ideal getaway for creating memories worth a lifetime. Complete with 153 rooms and suites elegantly designed with breathtaking views, a refined Cigar and Single Malt lounge, and substantial outdoor garden venues.

© Ben Lowes, Beirut

© Ben Lowes, Beirut

TOP 5 RESTAURANTS IN BEIRUT

Beirut is one of the oldest cities in the world. It has established a dining scene that draws on its ancient history. Beirut’s position on a peninsula in the Mediterranean Sea allows for fresh seafood to serve as a staple in local dishes, flavored with regional spices for distinct Lebanese flair, though the seaport has also created a way to introduce international cuisine to the city. Today’s Lebanese cuisine features traditional ingredients like Middle Eastern herbs, garlic, lemon juice and olive oil.

1 Cyrano

Photo by: SoBeirut, Cyrano, Beirut

Photo by: SoBeirut, Cyrano, Beirut

Located directly on the main street of Gouraud in Gemmayzeh, Cyrano offers two choices of seating, whether on the outdoor terrace or indoor. This Italian restaurant is one of best in Beirut and serves a variety of delicious pizzas, toasts, salads etc and an even more interesting section of wines. Enjoy the city vibes with the friendly staff at Cyrano.

3 Samakati

2 Butcher’s BBQ

Photo by: Butchers BBQ, Beirut

Photo by: Butchers BBQ, Beirut

Butcher's BBQ was the first genuine barbecue joint in Beirut, offering slow-smoked food, homemade sauces & infused cocktails. It is the Crème De La Crème of BBQ restaurants in Lebanon’s party capital and serves a variety of delicious barbecued meats, mouth-watering sides and serves a full bar. It is the perfect haunt to hit up before a bit night on the town - be careful not to get the meat sweats!

4 Em Sherif

Photo by: Beirut Circle, Samakati, Beirut

Photo by: Beirut Circle, Samakati, Beirut

Samakati offers delicious, affordable Lebanese traditional seafood, sandwiches and other regional favorites based on recipes that their in-house chef has adapted. They have secured a popular location in Mar Mikhael, which is within easy walking distance of the local clubs and pubs in the area.


5 Liza

Photo by: Em Sherif, Beirut

Photo by: Em Sherif, Beirut

Em Sherif is a fine-dining Oriental restaurant that offers unique, authentic Oriental cuisine alongside live entertainment. It is characterized by its homey atmosphere where guests are offered whatever is cooked-up daily. It is distinguished by its daily dish that promises to surprise clients’ palettes and serves a
wide variety of mezze food which, combined with its refined service and elegant decoration, makes it a hit for any city visit to Beirut.




Photo by: TripAdvisor, Liza, Beirut

Photo by: TripAdvisor, Liza, Beirut

Having won accolades for her namesake Paris eatery, restaurateur Liza Asseily is now offering her upscale Middle Eastern cuisine in the city that inspired it. Her new outpost, called Liza Beirut, is set in the Lebanese capital’s stylish Achrafieh neighborhood, where it occupies the second floor of a 19th-century palace. Devised by designer Maria Ousseimi, the decor of the light-filled 5,400-square-foot space provides the same local zest as the food—filigreed window partitions join wallpapers patterned with lush banana leaves and the country’s former currency, forming a chic backdrop for the smart contemporary furnishings

© Ben Lowes, Beirut

© Ben Lowes, Beirut

TOP 5 ATTRACTIONS IN BEIRUT

No matter where you are in Beirut, Lebanon’s capital, you’ll feel like you’ve been dropped in the centre of the action – whether that be in the glamorous environs of Saudi-funded Downtown, the bustling streets of Hamra or the oh-so-hip bars of Mar Mikhael. Whatever it is that you’re looking for, rest safe in the knowledge that the city’s got your back: it’s a place that caters to all appetites, serving up everything from remnants of prehistoric settlements to all-night parties. History, hedonism, and a whole lot of hummus: Beirut’s got a treat in store for you.

1 JEITA GROTTO

Photo: Lonely Planet, Jeita Grotto, Beirut

Photo: Lonely Planet, Jeita Grotto, Beirut

The Jeita Grotto is a system of two separate, but interconnected, karstic limestone caves spanning an overall length of nearly 9 kilometres. The caves are situated in the Nahr al-Kalb valley within the locality of Jeita, 18 kilometres north of the Lebanese capital Beirut.

3 MOHAMMAD ALAMIN MOSQUE

2 raouche rocks

© Ben Lowes, Raouche Rocks, Beirut

© Ben Lowes, Raouche Rocks, Beirut

Raouche rock, also known as Pigeon Rock is 60 meters high offshore, and 25 meters width. The name is derived from the French word "rocher" (Rock in English). Raouche Rock  It is located in the heart of Beirut coast. By its side, a Cornish 10-kilometres long called Manara. Raouche Rock is a natural landmark, it was formed after an earthquake that hit the area in the 13th century.

4 roman baths

© Ben Lowes, Mohammad Alamin Mosque, Beirut

© Ben Lowes, Mohammad Alamin Mosque, Beirut

The Mohammad Al-Amin Mosque, also referred to as the Blue Mosque, is a Sunni Muslim mosque located in downtown Beirut, Lebanon. In the 19th century, a Zawiya was built on this site. Decades of preparation to obtain sufficient land adjacent to the old Zawiya led finally to the building of the new mosque.

5 luna park

Photo: Probe Around the Globe, Roman Baths, Beirut

Photo: Probe Around the Globe, Roman Baths, Beirut

Roman Berytus are located in the middle of downtown Beirut, Lebanon between Banks Street and Capuchin Street. The remains of a Roman bath of Berytus now surrounded by government buildings were found and conserved for posterity.

Photo: Inspirock, Luna Park, Beirut

Photo: Inspirock, Luna Park, Beirut

Luna Park is an old amusement park which most Western tourists turn up their noses. Bypass the cheesy attractions and head straight for the Ferris wheel for one of the best views of Beirut you can get outside an aeroplane, this could be your favourite Beirut memory.

© Ben Lowes, Downtown, Beirut

© Ben Lowes, Downtown, Beirut

TOP 5 NIGHTCLUBS IN Beirut

Beirut’s reputation for fun has been solid for decades and you’re spoiled for choice in this city. Whether you’re looking for glitz rooftop temples to house music stilettos you’ll be able to find what you’re looking for in Beirut. Beirutis are known for their hospitality: as a visitor you’ll easily make friends wherever you end up, and you'll probably even score an invitation to Sunday lunch with the family in the village.

1 Ballroom Blitz

Photo: Scene Noise, Ballroom Blitz, Beirut

Photo: Scene Noise, Ballroom Blitz, Beirut

The Ballroom Blitz is a music venue with a robust program of live gigs, DJ sets, and workshops that transition through three rooms. Music is at the center and not simply a conducive element for a party; a club that is at both dynamic and diverse. The venue’s programming insists on a thorough hunt for emerging talent both locally and globally, alongside established names from the industry, fostering a collaborative club culture in Beirut.

3 The Gärten by Uberhaus

2 musichall starco

Photo: Music Hall Starco, Beirut

Photo: Music Hall Starco, Beirut

Described by international media as “the place where the heart of world fusion music beats”, the MusicHall is not just a theatre venue and much more than a club. In 2003, Elefteriades Productions launched the first MusicHall in Beirut, a live music stage representing a new and unique concept: very short live musical acts unveiling talents from around the world in a series of staged eclectic performances using the best technologies in sound and light equipment, in addition to refined gourmet menus.

Photo: TripAdvisor, The Garten, Beirut

Photo: TripAdvisor, The Garten, Beirut

The Gärten is located in Downtown, in the BIEL development center. Bordered by a beautiful Japanese garden on the left, and surrounded by a luscious mix of trees, The Gärten is an oasis in a city of city of urban sprawl. The 100 square meters, fully-stocked island bar, is surround by over 400 square meters of grass. Forty-five stools give you the option to grab a seat at the bar.



5 nude

4 iris

Photo: The Rooftop Guide, Iris, Beirut

Photo: The Rooftop Guide, Iris, Beirut

Heralded for its unique atmosphere, setting and ambience, Iris stands out as modish yet unconventional with a chilled vibe. It is an open-air city retreat that is extremely popular with Beirutis.

Photo: Addmind, Nude, Beirut

Photo: Addmind, Nude, Beirut

Located on Beirut’s Waterfront, this new club and lounge is open every Friday and Saturday serving up delicious cocktails and bites. Dance the night away to pop and dance favorites, and be sure to glance up at the ceiling and check out the nude doll atop.