An Adventure Mom's guide to a 3-day warp speed exploration of Beirut, Lebanon with a tag-a-long preschooler.
Lebanon is NOT a country that would have made my bucket list 2 years ago. Not a chance. My skewed perception told me that Lebanon was unsafe, risky, dangerous and not a place for a kiddo. But after a few years in Dubai, and the repetitive and insistent "Beirut is my FAVORITE city in the world - you just HAVE to go," we said screw it, let's check this place out and booked a flight.
I left Lebanon feeling embarrassed and slightly ashamed of my prior judgement and with a deep understanding that all those echoes of "the best country ever" were based in truth. The people, the FOOD, the adventures, the nature and the history ... can one country truly have it all? Whew, when can we go back? Ya'll know we are borderline obsessed with ancient history and rocks (I'm not even self-conscious about this anymore - rocks are cool) and Lebanon is simply the ultimate playground for adults and kids.
What to see?
We had 3 full days to explore and broke them into 3 long day trips.
Day 1: Pigeon's Rock, Jeitta Grotto, Harissa Cable Car, Byblos
Day 2: Baalbek, Stone of the Pregnant Woman, Anjar Castle, Ksara winery
Day 3: Baatara Gorge Waterfall, Batroun (go to Colonel reef brewery for a magical lunch)
DON'T MISS A SINGLE ONE OF THESE SPOTS. NOT A SINGLE ONE.
GOOGLE EACH AND GO.
Obviously, we didn't get to experience the Beirut nightlife because our kid falls asleep at 7:30pm and can't hang but our paths did collide with all the cool kids at 6:30am when they were ending their day and we were starting with our cool kid ... ah memories of a past life.
How to see it?
We hired a driver and honestly, thank God. The driving in Lebanon is a touch tricky and the price for a driver for 10hours/day came out to be cheaper than a rental car. In addition, having a local contact with tips and tricks of his own is priceless. There was a destination on our list that our driver just fundamentally wouldn't bring us - he said it wasn't safe for locals and certainly not tourists. Had we had our own car would we have gone? Ya, probably. And would it have been a disaster? Ya, probably. There's something to be said for putting your ego in check and hanging with a local who knows the deal. We used Advanced Car Rental +96170151510. 9/10 would recommend this driving service.
If you follow along with our travels you know that we aren't adventurous hotel goers. We stay in IHG or Hiltons - that's it. Mainly because we can pay for the rooms in points. I'm sure there are epic boutique hotels but we found the Hilton Beirut Habtoor Grand to be lovely (and the spa area is free for guests and a WONDERFUL surprise!)
Tips and Tricks
- The economy has been decimated and the lira is virtually worthless. Don't be surprised if your dinner costs over 5 million. Because of this, everywhere takes USA dollars. BRING SO MANY SMALL BILLS. No one will give you change in US dollars and a cab ride is like $5 so it's tricky to get change. Bring like $100 in $5 bills at least.
- The rolling blackouts are a thing. Our hotel lost power many times throughout the night and day but was restored almost instantaneously. The government values tourism, so the blackouts that tourists see are incredibly minimal, whereas most citizens only have power for a few hours a day. Your experience as a traveler in Lebanon is far different then as a resident.
- The food is amazing - eat as much as you can. We were able to find easy meals for H at every restaurant. The only thing we couldn't find anywhere was gummies or sweets (obviously that was a sign I didn't need anymore candy this trip).
- Americans can get a visa on arrival at the Beirut airport. The airport was wonderful and speedy at arrivals. The departures was rough. It's probably the longest we have ever waited in a security line - so give yourself extra time.
- Wake up early, beat the Beirut traffic and get to the sites early. In nearly every location we experienced NO waits and no other travelers. We literally had Baalbek to ourselves and the stray puppies - dream!
- The freedom to explore the ancient sites is ... unnerving. It feels like they should be roped off and off limits, but they aren't. I will remember eating a package of Ritz on the stairs of the Temple of Baachus while playing hide-and-seek forever. Lebanon allows the ultimate freedom to explore.
- At Jeitta Grotto, photos are not allowed but if you slip the guide a $5 he will show you all the best photo spots and you can take some EPIC videos of the boat ride.
- The weather may thwart you. We experienced freezing rain and snow and then a hour later were sweating in the sand on the beach. Be prepared to be unprepared.
The Final Score
Lebanon ranks as #2 on my personal list. Curious to see if stays there and where it ranks for you!
Comments