Known as the Paris of middle-east, Beirut adorns a vintage charm similar to the capital of France. There are various places to visit in Beirut that will drench your sojourn memories with Lebanon vibes. The charming capital of Lebanon, embraces ancient Roman ruins, astonishing limestone caves, majestic castles, ancient churches and mosques, thrilling nightlife, resorts, serene beaches and delicious cuisines for an enthusiastic vacation.
Top 8 Places to Visit in Beirut: For Amazing Sojourn Memories
Beirut is a brimming with many charming destinations to make your vacation full of excitement and a complete bliss. Presenting you the cheery picked list of best 8 places to visit in Beirut that will make your sojourn a lifetime memory.
1. National Museum of Beirut: Majestic Artifacts
The National Museum of Beirut, is a principal museum of this ancient city. Adorning about 100,000 artifacts, that were unearthed from Lebanon and nearby places, the museum is among the best places to visit in Beirut, Lebanon. The majestic museum embraces ancient Phoenician objects, among which the most famous one is the marble sarcophagus showing a Phoenician ship. The museum attracts numerous tourists every each for its rich heritage and culture.
The underground gallery also exhibits many magnificent artifacts among which the anthropomorphic sarcophagi from the Ford collection, marble, dating back to 4th century BCE, is the most famous one. Exploring the galleries is one of the best things to do in Lebanon. Built with Lebanese ochre limestone, the museum is an architectural marvel comprising of a basement, and 2 floors and a terrace. The museum showcases collection of prehistory and Ottoman era including Bronze age, Iron age, Hellenistic period, Roman period, Byzantine period and Mamluk period.
Location: Avenue Abdallah El-Yafi
Timings: Tuesday to Sunday, 9AM to 5PM
2. Beirut Souks: Shopping Paradise
It’s always great to get back home souvenirs, from your vacations. One can’t resist to buy amazing stuff from the Beirut Souks, which is a commercial district with shops, restaurants, cafes and cinemas. The restaurants in Lebanon offers delicious cuisines that will give you a long-time taste to remember.
In Arabic, Souk means market, as the name suggests, it is Beirut’s largest and most diverse shopping and leisure area. One can shop for all kinds of clothing, furniture, jewelry, carpets, lamps and much more and the best part is a little bargaining works here, making it one of the fun places to go in Beirut.
Location: Corniche Al Nahr Emile Lahoud Avenue
Timings: Open on every Sunday
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3. Byblos: A UNESCO World Heritage Site
The Byblos is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world and adorns a UNESCO World Heritage Site tag for the same. The city is an uninterrupted settlement of a community of fisherman, dating 8000 years ago. The Byblos is brimming with archeological sites and majestic places, making it one of the best places to visit in Beirut and it’s a treat for the history buffs.
There are various cafes in Lebanon, wherein one can relax and enjoy flavorsome snacks and beverages. The ancient city adorns various places that will make your visit worthy of lifetime memories including Byblos Harbour, Saint John-Marc Cathedral, Byblos Wax Museum and Crusader Castle.
Location: 37 km from Beirut
4. Raouche: The Prime Selfie Spot
Also known as the Pigeon Rock, the Raouche, is a natural landmark, which was formed by collision of tectonic plates after a very big earthquake in 13th century. The limestone outcrops look magnificent and the one adorning an archway is the prime selfie spot making it one of the best tourist attractions of Beirut.
The Raouche is a residential and commercial neighborhood of Beirut and is famous for its deluxe restaurants offering flavorsome cuisines and cliff-side cafes that line Avenue de Paris. The locals of Rouche have a different story to tell. This place is claimed to the vast remains of a sea monster, which was killed by Greek hero Perseus to save the Andromeda Galaxy. Relish the café offerings while Beirut sightseeing is a great bliss.
Location: 4.9 Km from Beriut
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5. Baalbek: Exploring the Roman Colors
Located in the broad Al-Biga, the Baalbek is famous for its Temple of Bacchus, a Roman God and other is the Temple of Jupiter. The ancient site of Baalbek is an UNESCO World Heritage Site embracing the ancient Greek and Roman temples. The majestic beauty of these temples, reflecting historian colors and heritage beauty will take you back in time. It is among the nice places to visit in Beirut.
The temple is of the Roman God of Wine, and was built about 1800 years ago. The Baalbek temple hosts an international festival in its courtyard, known as the Baalbek International Festival, to celebrate colors of history and architecture.
Location: 85 km from Beirut
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6. Mohammad Al-Amin Mosque: The Holy Place
Also known as the blue Masjid, the Mohammad Al-Amin Mosque is a post-modern Middle East architecture marvel. The Sunni Muslim Mosque adorns a 48-meter-high blue dome and 65-meter-high minarets. The beautiful inscribed walls and majestic vibes of the holy mosque is the one of the best places to visit Beirut.
Azmi Fakhuri was the main architect for the mosque. The mosque also has multiple arches, which are couple stories high and the main stone used for the mosque was the Yellow Riyadh Stone. The beautiful interiors of the mosque adorn a charming chandelier dangling and the Ottoman era touch, will take you back in time.
Location: Martyr’s Square
Timings: Open 24 hours
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7. Roman Baths: Technology before Time
The Roman Baths were designed for bathing and relaxing during the Roman era. Comprising of swimming pools, rooms with different temperature and reading rooms, these baths were a common feature in cities for people to socialize. Among all the places to visit in Beirut, the Roman bath is must to visit. Exploring the Roman Baths will take you back in time, to give you a glimpse of Roman lifestyle and the architectural marvel that gives a huge competition to the modern era.
The antiquity of the splendid place makes it a very fascinating and one of the best tourist attractions in Beirut. There is a total of four major bath, comprising of an intricate network of lead or clay pipes and channels that were used to distribute water from the Baths to the various pools of the Roman Baths. The beautiful site garden adorns various medicinal plants and one of the baths is now used as a concert spaces.
Location: Banks and Capuchin Street
Timings: Open 24 hours
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8. Sursock Museum: Discovering Beautiful Artifacts
Embracing numerous pieces of modern and contemporary art, the Sursock Museum is among the best places to visit in Beirut. The Sursock is also known as the Nicolas Ibrahim Sursock Museum. With a collection of more than 800 artworks, museum is famous for modern art, Japanese engravings and Islamic art. One can explore beautiful paintings, graphic arts and sculptures from the 19th and 20th century.
Located in the Achrafieh, which is one of the oldest residential districts in Lebanon, the museum attracts many tourists annually from all over the world listing it in the places to visit in Beirut. The astonishing architecture of the museum depicts the Lebanese style of classical architecture.
Location: Achrafieh
Timings: 10 AM to 6 PM every day except Thursday; Thursday – 12 PM to 9 PM
Beirut is brimming with super lavish architectural marvels, ancient ruins, art galleries, holy Mosques, museums and various historical edifices making it a tourist attraction. The Lebanese food is a must to try and will give you a lifetime taste to cherish. The city is full of Roman and Greek style architecture that reflects the ancient era. So, book your Lebanon flights today and pack your fancy bags for a best vacation experience to remember for lifetime, colored with the Lebanese colors.
FAQs
Beirut is brimming with numerous fascinating places to visit for a perfect vacation experience. The best places include:
- National Museum of Beirut
- Byblos
- Raouche
- Roman Baths
- Baalbek
The best time to visit Beirut is in the end of May, during the spring season, when the weather is mild. At that time, one can relish on beaches, enjoy sightseeing, explore various art works at the museum and discover various Roman and Greek historical ruins and architectural marvels of the city.
There are a total of three airports in Beirut, Lebanon, among which the Beirut–Rafic Hariri International Airport is the main and the only operational commercial airport of Beirut.
The Roman Baths are a very famous ancient ruins in Beirut, Lebanon. The ancient Romans designed this place for bathing, relaxing and socializing. The place comprises of swimming pools connected with clay pipes and rooms with different temperatures where one could read and relax.
The Byblos is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and known to be one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, dating about 8000 years ago. Byblos embraces archeological sites and antique places, making it a treat for the history buffs.
Raouche is a natural landmark, which is supposed to be built as a result of an earthquake in the 13th century. The Raouche is a residential and commercial neighborhood of Beirut and the cliff-side cafes makes it a huge tourist attraction. The limestone outcrops and the archway looks very charming and making it a perfect picturesque and a perfect selfie point.
Baalbek is famous for its Temple of Bacchus, a Roman God and the other temple which is Temple of Jupiter. It is an ancient UNESCO World Heritage Site comprising of beautiful Greek and Roman temples. The temple is of Roman God of Wine that was built about 1800 years ago and now hosts Baalbek International Festival.
The Beirut Souks is one of the best places to go for shopping in Beirut. It is Beirut’s largest and the most diverse shopping area adorning various carpets, lamps, jewelry, clothing, restaurants, cafes, cinema and much more fun.
