+31 61 055 6678 | The Hague | info@travoley.nl

0
Your Cart is Empty

Beirut

Travoley
Beirut
Weather data of this location not found.

Beirut Travel Guide

  • About Beirut
It may be a cliché but cool, cosmopolitan Beirut is indeed a city of contrasts. Possessed of some of the friendliest locals on the planet, it was also the scene of one of the Middle East’s deadliest conflicts.While you’ll find beautifully restored colonial relics and old mosques delicate-looking minarets Downtown, venture towards what was once the Green Line and you’ll find buildings still peppered with bullet holes and missing chunks of masonry.Nevertheless, while Beirut might have suffered more than most, it remains one of the most vibrant cities in the Middle East – and one of the most beautiful.Perched on the Mediterranean and backdropped by the mighty Mount Lebanon, it is also one of the few cities in which you can sunbathe and ski over the course of a single day.Its streets are a rabbit warren of shops and bars, many decorated with street vendors and nearly all choked with traffic –among them the speeding cabs manned by frantically chain-smoking drivers who have conspired to turn crossing the street into something of an extreme sport.All this and the legacy of many years of conflict have resulted in a people whose motto appears to be ‘carpe diem to the max’ and nowhere is this more apparent than in the city’s nightclubs. As a result, the student quarter of Gemayzeh never seems to shut up shop and is wonderfully busy come weekends.Although the war ended a long time ago, Beirut’s reputation remains intricately tied to its volatile past. Some Lebanese like it that way. They think it gives Beirut an edge, although explaining that to inhabitants in the city’s southern refugee camps might prove difficult.But despite the darkness, Beirut remains a symbol of hope in the frequently troubled Middle East as a place where people have managed to put their differences aside – however grudgingly – and make compromise possible.The result is an intriguing, often unpredictable, clash of old and new, conservative and liberal, east and west, secular and religious. But in short, it’s nothing short of exhilarating.
  • Beirut History
Although the recent past hasn’t done the city’s reputation any favours, Beirut’s history is a fascinating one, with conquests, triumphs and crises galore. The city’s story began more than 5,000 years ago, although its name came later when the Canaanites dubbed it Be’erot. An outpost of the ancient Phoenician world, Beirut later became part of the Roman Empire shortly after the first century began.Later invaders included the Byzantines, Crusaders, Mamluks, Ottomans and finally, the French, all of whom left a mark on the city. The Ottomans, who ruled Lebanon for the best part of 500 years, left scores of buildings, including the Grand Serail, as well as their religion and culture behind. When they departed, they left a power vacuum that was exploited by local factions but was filled by the French. It would have lasting consequences.Of all the colonisers, the French were the ones to leave the most noticeable mark on the city with its language, architecture and cuisine. After the French exited, the city boomed and became a cosmopolitan place, commonly described as the Paris of the Middle East. But the good times weren’t to last.War broke out in 1975 between Christian and Muslim factions with disastrous consequences as much of the city was devastated and the population was reduced by the thousands.Although relatively quiet post war, the city suffered sporadic outbreaks of violence in the early 1980s including the 1982 Lebanon War, when the city was occupied by an invading Israeli army, and the bombing of the French and US barracks in 1983. A lasting ceasefire signed in 1990 granted the city peace once more.However, the 2006 Israel-Lebanon War brought destruction back to the streets of the city, as did later skirmishes with Syria. Although 2008’s Doha Agreement restored calm, refugees and rising tension spilling over from the Syrian Civil War heaped more tension on the city from 2011.
  • Did you know?
Beirut was one of the first places in the Middle East to have a record store when the Baidaphon label started in 1907. The city has been destroyed and rebuilt seven times. Beirut is home to the world’s oldest law school.
  • Weather in Beirut
It’s hard not to fall in love with Beirut, whatever time of year you choose to visit.Whether in the chillier months of winter or during the sultry summer season, there’s always something to do, something to see and something to catch your eye. If beaches are your bag, schedule your trip for summer, while those arriving in January are a short drive from some of the best skiing the Middle East has to offer.Spring, with its intermittent rainfall, is the most dangerous time if walking is your raison d’etre, thanks to the slippery roads and speeding drivers.

CONTACT A TRAVEL EXPERT

1-to-1 Service | Reply within 24hrs | Expert’s Advice

Click here