5 Nights Lebanon Vacation Package
Overview
Enjoy a blend of nature and history on this convenient 6-day tour from Beirut to east bekaa, north and south of Lebanon. Receive the comfort and personalized service of a small group tour in an air-conditioned vehicle, so you can enjoy the journey. Explore the history of Lebanon, indulge in it's culture and enjoy the natural beauty landscape by visiting the hidden gems of this mysterious country. You'll get a full attention from your tour guide as he'll answer all your questions to get a full knowledge of the tour area.
Inclusions
- Joining 4 Small Group Tours
- Accommodation for 5 Nights in Beirut city hotel
- Round Trip Airport Transfers
- Hotel Pick up & Drop off
- 5x Breakfast
- 4x Lunch
- Accommodation included: 5 nights
- Entry/Admission - Temples of Baalbek
- Entry/Admission - Temple of Jupiter
- Entry/Admission - Umayyad Ruins of Aanjar
- Entry/Admission - Gibran Museum
- Entry/Admission - Tyre Hippodrome
- Entry/Admission - Tyre Cemetery
- Entry/Admission - Temple of Venus
- Entry/Admission - Jeita Grotto
- Entry/Admission - Al-Bass Archaeological Site
- Entry/Admission - The Cedars of God
- Entry/Admission - Soap Museum - Saida
- Entry/Admission - Debbane Palace
- Entry/Admission - Téléferique Harissa
- Entry/Admission - Sidon Sea Castle
- Entry/Admission - Byblos Castle
- Entry/Admission - Chateau Ksara
- Entry/Admission - Temple of Bacchus
What to expect
Itinerary
Day 1: Arrival day: Airport Pick-up
Stop At: Beirut Rafic Hariri International Airport, Beirut, Lebanon
Welcome to Beirut, our professional driver will transfer you to your hotel in Beirut. Relax and get ready for your tour the next day!
Duration: 15 minutes
Stop At: Beirut, Beirut
Welcome to Beirut, our professional driver will transfer you to your hotel in Beirut. Relax and get ready for your tour on the next day!
Duration: 20 minutes
No meals included on this day.
Accommodation included: Overnight at Beirut city hotel
Day 2: Jeita Grotto, Harissa & Byblos
Stop At: Jeita Grotto, Valley of the Dog River, Jitta Lebanon
The Jeita Grotto, a system of two separate, but interconnected, karstic limestone caves which have formed over millions of years, is the longest cave complex in the Middle East. It is located 300 metres above sea level and has a height difference of 305 metres.
The Jeita upper cave has an overall length of 2, 130 metres and contains a great concentration of a variety of crystallized formations such as stalactites, stalagmites, columns, mushrooms, ponds, curtains and draperies.
The lower gallery which has an overall length of 6, 200 metres is located 60 metres below the upper gallery. It is traversed by a smooth underwater river and a lake.
Duration: 1 hour 30 minutes
Stop At: The Shrine of Our Lady of Lebanon, Keserwan, Harissa Lebanon
The shrine of our Lady of Lebanon is one of the most important shrines in the world honoring the Virgin Mary and located in Harissa, a key Christian pilgrimage site in Lebanon.
The shrine is highlighted by a huge, 15-ton bronze statue of the Immaculate Conception, Mother of God. It is 8.5 m high and has a diameter of five meters. The Virgin Mary stretches her hands towards Beirut overlooking the Bay of Jounieh in one of the most attractive panoramic views in the world.
Duration: 30 minutes
Stop At: Churches of Harissa, Harissa, Jounieh Lebanon
Harissa is a key Christian pilgrimage site with a shrine dedicated to Our Lady of Lebanon
The pilgrimage site is a large, 15-ton bronze and a painted white statue of Virgin Mary, known as Our Lady of Lebanon or Notre Dame du Liban, with her arms, stretched. The statue was made at the end of the 19th century and inaugurated in 1908. Inside the statue's base, there is a small chapel.
As well, A huge cathedral built of concrete and glass stands adjacent to the statue.
Among other churches of various Christian denominations in the vicinity of Harissa are the Byzantine-style, Melkite Greek Catholic basilica of St. Paul, located south of the statue and built between 1948 and 1998, the Apostolic Nunciature (Papal Embassy), as well as the residences of four patriarchs of Eastern Catholic Churches
Duration: 15 minutes
Stop At: Téléferique Harissa, XMJ2+RR2, Harissa, Lebanon
The Telepherique is One of The oldest and most visited tourist attractions in Lebanon
It is a gondola lift system located in Jounieh, a city in Lebanon, 16 km north of Beirut that transports passengers above the pine-forested steep mountain, to an altitude of 650 meters, arriving at Our Lady of Lebanon shrine in Harissa offering breathtaking views of the bay of Jounieh and the surrounding city.
Duration: 20 minutes
Stop At: Byblos, Byblos, Mount Lebanon Governorate
Byblos, one of the oldest Phoenician cities. Inhabited since Neolithic times, it has been closely linked to the legends and history of the Mediterranean region for thousands of years. Byblos is also directly associated with the history and diffusion of the Phoenician alphabet.
Duration: 2 hours
Stop At: Byblos Castle, Byblos Lebanon
Byblos Castle, a restored 12th-century Crusader castle surrounded by a 10m-wide dry moat is located just inside the Byblos' atmospheric archaeological site that contains the ruins of the Temple of Baalat Gebal and the Temple of the Obelisks.
It's an impressive building that offers an excellent perspective over the ruins from the top of its foursquare keep. A series of Bronze Age dwellings is clearly visible below the walls as you look towards the sea. Inside the castle, there's a small museum and a room with information panels outlining the city's history.
Duration: 1 hour
Stop At: Old Souk, Byblos Lebanon
Byblos old souk is an old market where tourists can shop for souvenirs and antiques, or simply stroll along the old cobblestone streets and enjoy the architecture.
Duration: 10 minutes
Stop At: Byblos Port, Byblos Lebanon
Byblos Port is an ancient port in Byblos and is believed by the Lebanese to be the oldest port in the world. Around 3000 BC, Byblos Port was the most important timber shipping center in the eastern Mediterranean
Duration: 10 minutes
Meals included:
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Accommodation included: Overnight at Beirut city hotel
Day 3: Baalbek, Anjar & Chateau Ksara
Stop At: Baalbek, Lebanon
Baalbek, is home to the Baalbek temple complex which includes two of the largest and grandest Roman temple ruins: the Temple of Bacchus and the Temple of Jupiter. It was inscribed in 1984 as an UNESCO World Heritage site.
This Phoenician city, where a triad of deities was worshipped, was known as Heliopolis during the Hellenistic period. It retained its religious function during Roman times, when the sanctuary of the Heliopolitan Jupiter attracted thousands of pilgrims. Baalbek, with its colossal structures, is one of the finest examples of Imperial Roman architecture at its apogee.
Duration: 2 hours
Stop At: Temples of Baalbek, Baalbeck Lebanon
The complex of temples at Baalbek is located at the foot of the south-west slope of Anti-Lebanon, bordering the fertile plain of the Bekaa at an altitude of 1150 m. The city of Baalbek reached its apogee during Roman times. Its colossal constructions built over a period of more than two centuries, make it one of the most famous sanctuaries of the Roman world and a model of Imperial Roman architecture. Pilgrims thronged to the sanctuary to venerate the three deities, known under the name of the Romanized Triad of Heliopolis, an essentially Phoenician cult (Jupiter, Venus and Bacchus).
Duration: 1 hour 30 minutes
Stop At: Temples of Baalbek, Baalbeck Lebanon
Baalbeck roman ruins, Lebanon's greatest Roman treasure, can be counted among the wonders of the ancient world. The largest and most noble Roman temples ever built, they are also among the best preserved.
Duration: 1 hour 30 minutes
Stop At: Temple of Jupiter, 2643+MGG, Baalbek, Lebanon
The Temple of Jupiter is a colossal Roman temple, the largest of the Roman world, situated at the Baalbek complex in Heliopolis. The temple served as an oracle and was dedicated to Jupiter Heliopolitanus.
It is not known who designed the temple, nor exactly when it was constructed. Work probably began around 16 BC and was nearly complete by about ad 60. It is situated at the western end of the Great Court of Roman Heliopolis, on a broad platform of stone raised another 7 m (23 ft) above the huge stones of the foundation, three of which are among the heaviest blocks ever used in a construction.
It was the biggest temple dedicated to Jupiter in all the Roman empire. The columns were 30 meters high with a diameter of nearly 2.5 meters: the biggest in the classical world. It took three centuries to create this colossal temple complex.
Duration: 30 minutes
Stop At: Temple of Bacchus, 2643+CG9, Baalbek, Lebanon
The Temple of Bacchus is part of the Baalbek temple complex located in the Bekaa Valley, Lebanon. The temple complex is considered an outstanding archaeological and artistic site of Imperial Roman Architecture and was inscribed as an UNESCO World Heritage site in 1984. The Temple of Bacchus is one of the best preserved and grandest Roman temple ruins; its age is unknown, but Its fine ornamentation can be dated to the second century CE.
Duration: 30 minutes
Stop At: Temple of Venus, 2644+9GR, Baalbek, Lebanon
The Temple of Venus was built in the third century. Built on a horseshoe-shaped platform, it consists of a circular shrine with a square entrance that is almost as big. The outer façade of the shrine is graced by five niches, which means that there is not a single square wall. In the niches are representations of doves and shells, which has been taken as evidence that the shrine was dedicated to Venus.
Duration: 30 minutes
Pass By: Sayyida Khawla Shrine, Baalbeck Lebanon
The Mosque of sayeda Khawla in Baalbek, Lebanon is erected on the site where Sayyida Khawla, the daughter of Imam al-Hussein, the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad, is believed to have been buried. People of Baalbek believe that when the caravan of captives of Karbala passed Baalbek, The daughter of Imam al-Hussein, called Khawla passed away and was buried there.
Stop At: Stone of the Pregnant Woman, Lebanon
The Stone of the Pregnant Woman is a worked Roman monolith in Baalbek, Lebanon. Together with another ancient stone block nearby, it is among the largest monoliths ever quarried. The two building blocks were presumably intended for the nearby Roman temple complex, and are characterized by a monolithic gigantism that was unparalleled in antiquity.
Duration: 15 minutes
Stop At: Anjar, Anjar, Bekaa Governorate
The city of Anjar was founded by Caliph Walid I at the beginning of the 8th century. The ruins reveal a very regular layout, reminiscent of the palace-cities of ancient times, and are a unique testimony to city planning under the Umayyads.
Duration: 45 minutes
Stop At: Umayyad Ruins of Aanjar, Anjar Lebanon
The Umayyad Ruins of Aanjar bears outstanding witness to the Umayyad civilization and a good example of an inland commercial centre, at the crossroads of two important routes: one leading from Beirut to Damascus and the other crossing the Bekaa and leading from Homs to Tiberiade. The site of this ancient city was only discovered by archaeologists at the end of the 1940s.
The ruins of Anjar include the walls of the Umayyad palace, harems, a mosque, the great palace of the Caliph, thermal baths, and many pillars which include some elements of the Roman architectural style.
Duration: 45 minutes
Stop At: Chateau Ksara, Ksara, Zahle Lebanon
Château Ksara is a wine company in The Beqaa Valley Lebanon. Founded in 1857 by Jesuit priests, château Ksara developed the first dry wine in Lebanon. Château Ksara produces approximately 3 million bottles annually. Its wines are exported to over 40 countries.
Duration: 1 hour
Meals included:
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Accommodation included: Overnight at Beirut city hotel
Day 4: Qadisha valley, Bcharre and Cedars of God
Pass By: Qadisha Valley, 6 Km From Becharre, Bcharre Lebanon
Qadisha valley is one of the most important settlement sites of the first Christian monasteries in the world, and its monasteries, many of which of great age, are set in an extraordinarily rugged landscape.
The Qadisha Valley comprises all the caves, monasteries and cultivated terraces that are associated with the activities from a very early phase of Christianity.
Stop At: Greater Bcharre, Bsharri, Lebanon
Bcharre is the town of the only remaining and preserved original Cedars of God, and is the birthplace of the famous poet, painter and sculptor Khalil Jubran who now has a museum in the town to honor him. Moreover, Bcharre is home to the oldest skiing area, the Cedars Ski Resort and to Lebanon’s first ski lift, built in 1953.
Bcharre is sometimes called "the city of churches" as it houses some 37 churches.
Duration: 30 minutes
Stop At: Gibran Museum, Bcharre Lebanon
The Gibran Museum, formerly the Monastery of Mar Sarkis, is a biographical museum in Bcharre, Lebanon. It is dedicated to the Lebanese writer, philosopher, and artist Kahlil Gibran.
Founded in 1935, the Gibran Museum possesses 440 original paintings and drawings of Gibran and his tomb. It also includes his furniture and belongings from his studio when he lived in New York City and his private manuscripts.
Duration: 30 minutes
Stop At: The Cedars of God, Bcharre Lebanon
The Forest of the Cedars of God with its 375 trees, is the last remains of antique forests and one of the rare sites where the Cedars still grows.
It was highly prized in ancient times and was one of the most valued construction materials of great religious buildings and cited 103 times in the Bible.
The Cedar is the symbol of the country, its pride, and features prominently on the Lebanese flag.
Duration: 1 hour
Stop At: Deir Qozhaya, Qadisha Valley, Bcharre Lebanon
The Monastery of Saint Anthony the Great is situated at a height of 950 meters above sea level in the celebrated Valley of Qozhaya. The pine trees and oak trees cover the great hills surrounding it. Fruit trees of every description grow all along the valley, which extends into the Valley of Qannubin to form the great Qadisha Valley, thus bearing witness to the history of eremitic life and the quest for holiness in Lebanon.
Historians and scholars suppose that this Monastery was first built and began to be occupied by hermits at the beginning of the fourth century. It was several times looted, set on fire and razed to the ground, but there still remain vestiges dating back to the seventh century.
Duration: 1 hour
Meals included:
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Accommodation included: Overnight at Beirut city hotel
Day 5: Sidon, Tyre and Maghdouche
Stop At: Sidon, Sidon, South Governorate
Sidon, one of the oldest Phoenician cities, was founded in the 3rd millennium BC and became prosperous in the 2nd. Sidon was famous for its purple dyes and glassware and Jesus visited it. During the Crusades, Sidon changed hands several times and was destroyed and rebuilt.
Duration: 2 hours
Stop At: Sidon Sea Castle, H98C+V98, Sidon, Lebanon
The Sidon Sea Castle was built by the crusaders in the thirteenth century on a small island, connected to the mainland by a causeway, as a fortress of the holy land. It is one of the most prominent historical sites in the port city of Sidon, Lebanon. The castle was largely destroyed by the Mamluks in 1291 and was later restored by Fakhr el-Dine Maan II in the early 17th century.
Old prints of the fortress show it to be one of great beauty, but little remains of the embellishments that once decorated its ramparts.
Duration: 30 minutes
Stop At: Khan al-Franj, Sidon Lebanon
Khan al-Franj is one of Sidon’s main attractions. It was built in the beginning of the 17th century by Emir Fakhreddine II to be a hotel for ambassadors and a center for commercial exchange between Lebanon and France.
The hotel soon became a center for literature, religion, history, industry and diplomacy. It became a home for culture and civilization.
This is a typical khan with a large rectangular courtyard and a central fountain surrounded by covered galleries.
Duration: 15 minutes
Stop At: Soap Museum - Saida, Al Moutran Str., Haret Audi, Old Town Saida, صيدا، Lebanon
The Soap Museum is a museum in Sidon specialized in Levantine soaps
The soap workshop was originally built in Sidon by the Hammoud family in the 17th century.
The Soap Museum traces the history of soap making in the region, its development and manufacturing techniques. Visitors can see a demonstration of how traditional olive oil soaps are made and learn about the history of the "hammam" (bath) traditions.
A historical section of the museum introduces artifacts which were found during onsite excavation and which include remains of clay pipe heads dating from the 17th to 19th century as well as pottery fragments. The Museum building is an old soap factory built in the 17th century, although containing parts thought to date back to the 13th century.
Duration: 30 minutes
Stop At: Debbane Palace, Old Souks, Sidon Lebanon
The Debbane Palace was Built in the Old City of Sidon in the 18th century and It is now the last house of the Ottoman period remaining in a city that has since given way to traffic and glass storefronts. Approached from a narrow stairwell in the crowded Souq, the palace is built literally on top of the markets below. Inside it contains an entire world of reception rooms, stained-glass windows, rare mosaic tiles and centuries-old stables.
the Debbane Palace marks the only example of an Ottoman palace within the city walls of urban Lebanon
Duration: 15 minutes
Stop At: Basilica of Our Lady of Mantara - بازيليك سيدة المنطرة, G9GJ+VCX, Maghdoucheh, Lebanon
Our Lady of Awaiting, also known as Our Lady of Mantara, is a Melkite Greek Catholic shrine in Maghdouché, Lebanon, discovered on 8 September 1721 by a young shepherd. The shrine consists of a tower crowned with the statue of the Virgin and Child, a cathedral, a cemetery and a sacred cave believed to be the one where the Virgin Mary rested while she waited for Jesus.
Duration: 30 minutes
Stop At: Tyre, Tyre, South Governorate
Tyre is an ancient Phoenician port city and It is the home of Elissar, the Phoenician princess who founded Carthage. It was once famous across the world for its purple dye made from murex sea snails. Two main archaeological sites – “Al-Bass” and “Al-Mina” – are testimony to its historical significance. It has a wonderful seaside location and It's a popular holiday destination with excellent and cleanest beaches
The town's foundations date back to approximately 2750 BC, after which it was ruled by the Egyptians and then the famous King Hiram, under whom it prospered. Later colonized variously by the Assyrians, Neo-Babylonians, Greeks, Seleucids, Romans, Byzantines, Arabs, Crusaders, Mamluks and Ottomans.
Duration: 2 hours
Stop At: Al-Bass Archaeological Site, Byzantine Road, Sur Lebanon
Al Bass Archaeological Site is the largest and the best-preserved example of a Roman Hippodrome. The sector of Tyre El Bass, constituting the principal entrance of the town in antique times, comprises the remains of the necropolis, on either side of a wide monumental causeway dominated by a Roman triumphal arch dating from the 2nd century AD. Among the other vestiges are an aqueduct and the hippodrome of the 2nd century, one of the largest of the Roman world. site contain a Necropolis with several hundred well-preserved sarcophagi, an intact Roman road, an aqueduct and a monumental arch.
Duration: 1 hour
Stop At: Tyre Hippodrome, Tyre Lebanon
The Tyre Hippodrome is a UNESCO World Heritage site of the city of Tyre in south Lebanon dating back to the Second century A.D
The place is considered to be one of the largest and best preserved Roman hippodromes of its type in the Roman world.
Duration: 1 hour
Stop At: Tyre Cemetery, 76C5+VVP, Tyre, Lebanon
Discovered in 1962, the necropolis consists of hundreds of stone and marble sarcophagi from the Roman and Byzantine eras.
Several of them have Greek inscriptions or the names of those buried there, or their trade such as “wealthy purple dye manufacturer. Others whose sides and covers are decorated with frescoes and bas-reliefs of works from Homer and others.
Duration: 1 hour
Pass By: Ruins of Tyre : The Egyptian Port, 75CW+2P3, Tyre, Lebanon
Tyre used to have two harbors: the Sidonian in the north and the Egyptian harbor in the south. Today, the port of Tyre is a busy fisherman's port and the remains of a 750 meter long mole can still be seen, and it is easy to recognize the remains of some ancient buildings in the water.
Meals included:
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Accommodation included: Overnight at Beirut city hotel
Day 6: Departure day: Airport Drop-off
Stop At: Beirut, Beirut
Prepare yourself and your luggage to leave Lebanon after enjoying the three-day holiday package. We hope for you to repeat your visit and see you again in Lebanon!
Duration: 20 minutes
Stop At: Beirut Rafic Hariri International Airport, Beirut, Lebanon
After check-out at your hotel in Beirut our representative will be awaiting you and transfer you to Beirut Airport 2-3 hours before your flight departure. We wish for you to enjoy your journey and have a safe flight.
Duration: 15 minutes
Meals included:
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No accommodation included on this day.
Day 1: Arrival day: Airport Pick-up
Stop At: Beirut Rafic Hariri International Airport, Beirut, Lebanon
Welcome to Beirut, our professional driver will transfer you to your hotel in Beirut. Relax and get ready for your tour the next day!
Duration: 15 minutes
Stop At: Beirut, Beirut
Welcome to Beirut, our professional driver will transfer you to your hotel in Beirut. Relax and get ready for your tour on the next day!
Duration: 20 minutes
No meals included on this day.
Accommodation included: Overnight at Beirut city hotel
Day 2: Jeita Grotto, Harissa & Byblos
Stop At: Jeita Grotto, Valley of the Dog River, Jitta Lebanon
The Jeita Grotto, a system of two separate, but interconnected, karstic limestone caves which have formed over millions of years, is the longest cave complex in the Middle East. It is located 300 metres above sea level and has a height difference of 305 metres.
The Jeita upper cave has an overall length of 2, 130 metres and contains a great concentration of a variety of crystallized formations such as stalactites, stalagmites, columns, mushrooms, ponds, curtains and draperies.
The lower gallery which has an overall length of 6, 200 metres is located 60 metres below the upper gallery. It is traversed by a smooth underwater river and a lake.
Duration: 1 hour 30 minutes
Stop At: The Shrine of Our Lady of Lebanon, Keserwan, Harissa Lebanon
The shrine of our Lady of Lebanon is one of the most important shrines in the world honoring the Virgin Mary and located in Harissa, a key Christian pilgrimage site in Lebanon.
The shrine is highlighted by a huge, 15-ton bronze statue of the Immaculate Conception, Mother of God. It is 8.5 m high and has a diameter of five meters. The Virgin Mary stretches her hands towards Beirut overlooking the Bay of Jounieh in one of the most attractive panoramic views in the world.
Duration: 30 minutes
Stop At: Churches of Harissa, Harissa, Jounieh Lebanon
Harissa is a key Christian pilgrimage site with a shrine dedicated to Our Lady of Lebanon
The pilgrimage site is a large, 15-ton bronze and a painted white statue of Virgin Mary, known as Our Lady of Lebanon or Notre Dame du Liban, with her arms, stretched. The statue was made at the end of the 19th century and inaugurated in 1908. Inside the statue's base, there is a small chapel.
As well, A huge cathedral built of concrete and glass stands adjacent to the statue.
Among other churches of various Christian denominations in the vicinity of Harissa are the Byzantine-style, Melkite Greek Catholic basilica of St. Paul, located south of the statue and built between 1948 and 1998, the Apostolic Nunciature (Papal Embassy), as well as the residences of four patriarchs of Eastern Catholic Churches
Duration: 15 minutes
Stop At: Téléferique Harissa, XMJ2+RR2, Harissa, Lebanon
The Telepherique is One of The oldest and most visited tourist attractions in Lebanon
It is a gondola lift system located in Jounieh, a city in Lebanon, 16 km north of Beirut that transports passengers above the pine-forested steep mountain, to an altitude of 650 meters, arriving at Our Lady of Lebanon shrine in Harissa offering breathtaking views of the bay of Jounieh and the surrounding city.
Duration: 20 minutes
Stop At: Byblos, Byblos, Mount Lebanon Governorate
Byblos, one of the oldest Phoenician cities. Inhabited since Neolithic times, it has been closely linked to the legends and history of the Mediterranean region for thousands of years. Byblos is also directly associated with the history and diffusion of the Phoenician alphabet.
Duration: 2 hours
Stop At: Byblos Castle, Byblos Lebanon
Byblos Castle, a restored 12th-century Crusader castle surrounded by a 10m-wide dry moat is located just inside the Byblos' atmospheric archaeological site that contains the ruins of the Temple of Baalat Gebal and the Temple of the Obelisks.
It's an impressive building that offers an excellent perspective over the ruins from the top of its foursquare keep. A series of Bronze Age dwellings is clearly visible below the walls as you look towards the sea. Inside the castle, there's a small museum and a room with information panels outlining the city's history.
Duration: 1 hour
Stop At: Old Souk, Byblos Lebanon
Byblos old souk is an old market where tourists can shop for souvenirs and antiques, or simply stroll along the old cobblestone streets and enjoy the architecture.
Duration: 10 minutes
Stop At: Byblos Port, Byblos Lebanon
Byblos Port is an ancient port in Byblos and is believed by the Lebanese to be the oldest port in the world. Around 3000 BC, Byblos Port was the most important timber shipping center in the eastern Mediterranean
Duration: 10 minutes
Meals included:
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Accommodation included: Overnight at Beirut city hotel
Day 3: Baalbek, Anjar & Chateau Ksara
Stop At: Baalbek, Lebanon
Baalbek, is home to the Baalbek temple complex which includes two of the largest and grandest Roman temple ruins: the Temple of Bacchus and the Temple of Jupiter. It was inscribed in 1984 as an UNESCO World Heritage site.
This Phoenician city, where a triad of deities was worshipped, was known as Heliopolis during the Hellenistic period. It retained its religious function during Roman times, when the sanctuary of the Heliopolitan Jupiter attracted thousands of pilgrims. Baalbek, with its colossal structures, is one of the finest examples of Imperial Roman architecture at its apogee.
Duration: 2 hours
Stop At: Temples of Baalbek, Baalbeck Lebanon
The complex of temples at Baalbek is located at the foot of the south-west slope of Anti-Lebanon, bordering the fertile plain of the Bekaa at an altitude of 1150 m. The city of Baalbek reached its apogee during Roman times. Its colossal constructions built over a period of more than two centuries, make it one of the most famous sanctuaries of the Roman world and a model of Imperial Roman architecture. Pilgrims thronged to the sanctuary to venerate the three deities, known under the name of the Romanized Triad of Heliopolis, an essentially Phoenician cult (Jupiter, Venus and Bacchus).
Duration: 1 hour 30 minutes
Stop At: Temples of Baalbek, Baalbeck Lebanon
Baalbeck roman ruins, Lebanon's greatest Roman treasure, can be counted among the wonders of the ancient world. The largest and most noble Roman temples ever built, they are also among the best preserved.
Duration: 1 hour 30 minutes
Stop At: Temple of Jupiter, 2643+MGG, Baalbek, Lebanon
The Temple of Jupiter is a colossal Roman temple, the largest of the Roman world, situated at the Baalbek complex in Heliopolis. The temple served as an oracle and was dedicated to Jupiter Heliopolitanus.
It is not known who designed the temple, nor exactly when it was constructed. Work probably began around 16 BC and was nearly complete by about ad 60. It is situated at the western end of the Great Court of Roman Heliopolis, on a broad platform of stone raised another 7 m (23 ft) above the huge stones of the foundation, three of which are among the heaviest blocks ever used in a construction.
It was the biggest temple dedicated to Jupiter in all the Roman empire. The columns were 30 meters high with a diameter of nearly 2.5 meters: the biggest in the classical world. It took three centuries to create this colossal temple complex.
Duration: 30 minutes
Stop At: Temple of Bacchus, 2643+CG9, Baalbek, Lebanon
The Temple of Bacchus is part of the Baalbek temple complex located in the Bekaa Valley, Lebanon. The temple complex is considered an outstanding archaeological and artistic site of Imperial Roman Architecture and was inscribed as an UNESCO World Heritage site in 1984. The Temple of Bacchus is one of the best preserved and grandest Roman temple ruins; its age is unknown, but Its fine ornamentation can be dated to the second century CE.
Duration: 30 minutes
Stop At: Temple of Venus, 2644+9GR, Baalbek, Lebanon
The Temple of Venus was built in the third century. Built on a horseshoe-shaped platform, it consists of a circular shrine with a square entrance that is almost as big. The outer façade of the shrine is graced by five niches, which means that there is not a single square wall. In the niches are representations of doves and shells, which has been taken as evidence that the shrine was dedicated to Venus.
Duration: 30 minutes
Pass By: Sayyida Khawla Shrine, Baalbeck Lebanon
The Mosque of sayeda Khawla in Baalbek, Lebanon is erected on the site where Sayyida Khawla, the daughter of Imam al-Hussein, the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad, is believed to have been buried. People of Baalbek believe that when the caravan of captives of Karbala passed Baalbek, The daughter of Imam al-Hussein, called Khawla passed away and was buried there.
Stop At: Stone of the Pregnant Woman, Lebanon
The Stone of the Pregnant Woman is a worked Roman monolith in Baalbek, Lebanon. Together with another ancient stone block nearby, it is among the largest monoliths ever quarried. The two building blocks were presumably intended for the nearby Roman temple complex, and are characterized by a monolithic gigantism that was unparalleled in antiquity.
Duration: 15 minutes
Stop At: Anjar, Anjar, Bekaa Governorate
The city of Anjar was founded by Caliph Walid I at the beginning of the 8th century. The ruins reveal a very regular layout, reminiscent of the palace-cities of ancient times, and are a unique testimony to city planning under the Umayyads.
Duration: 45 minutes
Stop At: Umayyad Ruins of Aanjar, Anjar Lebanon
The Umayyad Ruins of Aanjar bears outstanding witness to the Umayyad civilization and a good example of an inland commercial centre, at the crossroads of two important routes: one leading from Beirut to Damascus and the other crossing the Bekaa and leading from Homs to Tiberiade. The site of this ancient city was only discovered by archaeologists at the end of the 1940s.
The ruins of Anjar include the walls of the Umayyad palace, harems, a mosque, the great palace of the Caliph, thermal baths, and many pillars which include some elements of the Roman architectural style.
Duration: 45 minutes
Stop At: Chateau Ksara, Ksara, Zahle Lebanon
Château Ksara is a wine company in The Beqaa Valley Lebanon. Founded in 1857 by Jesuit priests, château Ksara developed the first dry wine in Lebanon. Château Ksara produces approximately 3 million bottles annually. Its wines are exported to over 40 countries.
Duration: 1 hour
Meals included:
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Accommodation included: Overnight at Beirut city hotel
Day 4: Qadisha valley, Bcharre and Cedars of God
Pass By: Qadisha Valley, 6 Km From Becharre, Bcharre Lebanon
Qadisha valley is one of the most important settlement sites of the first Christian monasteries in the world, and its monasteries, many of which of great age, are set in an extraordinarily rugged landscape.
The Qadisha Valley comprises all the caves, monasteries and cultivated terraces that are associated with the activities from a very early phase of Christianity.
Stop At: Greater Bcharre, Bsharri, Lebanon
Bcharre is the town of the only remaining and preserved original Cedars of God, and is the birthplace of the famous poet, painter and sculptor Khalil Jubran who now has a museum in the town to honor him. Moreover, Bcharre is home to the oldest skiing area, the Cedars Ski Resort and to Lebanon’s first ski lift, built in 1953.
Bcharre is sometimes called "the city of churches" as it houses some 37 churches.
Duration: 30 minutes
Stop At: Gibran Museum, Bcharre Lebanon
The Gibran Museum, formerly the Monastery of Mar Sarkis, is a biographical museum in Bcharre, Lebanon. It is dedicated to the Lebanese writer, philosopher, and artist Kahlil Gibran.
Founded in 1935, the Gibran Museum possesses 440 original paintings and drawings of Gibran and his tomb. It also includes his furniture and belongings from his studio when he lived in New York City and his private manuscripts.
Duration: 30 minutes
Stop At: The Cedars of God, Bcharre Lebanon
The Forest of the Cedars of God with its 375 trees, is the last remains of antique forests and one of the rare sites where the Cedars still grows.
It was highly prized in ancient times and was one of the most valued construction materials of great religious buildings and cited 103 times in the Bible.
The Cedar is the symbol of the country, its pride, and features prominently on the Lebanese flag.
Duration: 1 hour
Stop At: Deir Qozhaya, Qadisha Valley, Bcharre Lebanon
The Monastery of Saint Anthony the Great is situated at a height of 950 meters above sea level in the celebrated Valley of Qozhaya. The pine trees and oak trees cover the great hills surrounding it. Fruit trees of every description grow all along the valley, which extends into the Valley of Qannubin to form the great Qadisha Valley, thus bearing witness to the history of eremitic life and the quest for holiness in Lebanon.
Historians and scholars suppose that this Monastery was first built and began to be occupied by hermits at the beginning of the fourth century. It was several times looted, set on fire and razed to the ground, but there still remain vestiges dating back to the seventh century.
Duration: 1 hour
Meals included:
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Accommodation included: Overnight at Beirut city hotel
Day 5: Sidon, Tyre and Maghdouche
Stop At: Sidon, Sidon, South Governorate
Sidon, one of the oldest Phoenician cities, was founded in the 3rd millennium BC and became prosperous in the 2nd. Sidon was famous for its purple dyes and glassware and Jesus visited it. During the Crusades, Sidon changed hands several times and was destroyed and rebuilt.
Duration: 2 hours
Stop At: Sidon Sea Castle, H98C+V98, Sidon, Lebanon
The Sidon Sea Castle was built by the crusaders in the thirteenth century on a small island, connected to the mainland by a causeway, as a fortress of the holy land. It is one of the most prominent historical sites in the port city of Sidon, Lebanon. The castle was largely destroyed by the Mamluks in 1291 and was later restored by Fakhr el-Dine Maan II in the early 17th century.
Old prints of the fortress show it to be one of great beauty, but little remains of the embellishments that once decorated its ramparts.
Duration: 30 minutes
Stop At: Khan al-Franj, Sidon Lebanon
Khan al-Franj is one of Sidon’s main attractions. It was built in the beginning of the 17th century by Emir Fakhreddine II to be a hotel for ambassadors and a center for commercial exchange between Lebanon and France.
The hotel soon became a center for literature, religion, history, industry and diplomacy. It became a home for culture and civilization.
This is a typical khan with a large rectangular courtyard and a central fountain surrounded by covered galleries.
Duration: 15 minutes
Stop At: Soap Museum - Saida, Al Moutran Str., Haret Audi, Old Town Saida, صيدا، Lebanon
The Soap Museum is a museum in Sidon specialized in Levantine soaps
The soap workshop was originally built in Sidon by the Hammoud family in the 17th century.
The Soap Museum traces the history of soap making in the region, its development and manufacturing techniques. Visitors can see a demonstration of how traditional olive oil soaps are made and learn about the history of the "hammam" (bath) traditions.
A historical section of the museum introduces artifacts which were found during onsite excavation and which include remains of clay pipe heads dating from the 17th to 19th century as well as pottery fragments. The Museum building is an old soap factory built in the 17th century, although containing parts thought to date back to the 13th century.
Duration: 30 minutes
Stop At: Debbane Palace, Old Souks, Sidon Lebanon
The Debbane Palace was Built in the Old City of Sidon in the 18th century and It is now the last house of the Ottoman period remaining in a city that has since given way to traffic and glass storefronts. Approached from a narrow stairwell in the crowded Souq, the palace is built literally on top of the markets below. Inside it contains an entire world of reception rooms, stained-glass windows, rare mosaic tiles and centuries-old stables.
the Debbane Palace marks the only example of an Ottoman palace within the city walls of urban Lebanon
Duration: 15 minutes
Stop At: Basilica of Our Lady of Mantara - بازيليك سيدة المنطرة, G9GJ+VCX, Maghdoucheh, Lebanon
Our Lady of Awaiting, also known as Our Lady of Mantara, is a Melkite Greek Catholic shrine in Maghdouché, Lebanon, discovered on 8 September 1721 by a young shepherd. The shrine consists of a tower crowned with the statue of the Virgin and Child, a cathedral, a cemetery and a sacred cave believed to be the one where the Virgin Mary rested while she waited for Jesus.
Duration: 30 minutes
Stop At: Tyre, Tyre, South Governorate
Tyre is an ancient Phoenician port city and It is the home of Elissar, the Phoenician princess who founded Carthage. It was once famous across the world for its purple dye made from murex sea snails. Two main archaeological sites – “Al-Bass” and “Al-Mina” – are testimony to its historical significance. It has a wonderful seaside location and It's a popular holiday destination with excellent and cleanest beaches
The town's foundations date back to approximately 2750 BC, after which it was ruled by the Egyptians and then the famous King Hiram, under whom it prospered. Later colonized variously by the Assyrians, Neo-Babylonians, Greeks, Seleucids, Romans, Byzantines, Arabs, Crusaders, Mamluks and Ottomans.
Duration: 2 hours
Stop At: Al-Bass Archaeological Site, Byzantine Road, Sur Lebanon
Al Bass Archaeological Site is the largest and the best-preserved example of a Roman Hippodrome. The sector of Tyre El Bass, constituting the principal entrance of the town in antique times, comprises the remains of the necropolis, on either side of a wide monumental causeway dominated by a Roman triumphal arch dating from the 2nd century AD. Among the other vestiges are an aqueduct and the hippodrome of the 2nd century, one of the largest of the Roman world. site contain a Necropolis with several hundred well-preserved sarcophagi, an intact Roman road, an aqueduct and a monumental arch.
Duration: 1 hour
Stop At: Tyre Hippodrome, Tyre Lebanon
The Tyre Hippodrome is a UNESCO World Heritage site of the city of Tyre in south Lebanon dating back to the Second century A.D
The place is considered to be one of the largest and best preserved Roman hippodromes of its type in the Roman world.
Duration: 1 hour
Stop At: Tyre Cemetery, 76C5+VVP, Tyre, Lebanon
Discovered in 1962, the necropolis consists of hundreds of stone and marble sarcophagi from the Roman and Byzantine eras.
Several of them have Greek inscriptions or the names of those buried there, or their trade such as “wealthy purple dye manufacturer. Others whose sides and covers are decorated with frescoes and bas-reliefs of works from Homer and others.
Duration: 1 hour
Pass By: Ruins of Tyre : The Egyptian Port, 75CW+2P3, Tyre, Lebanon
Tyre used to have two harbors: the Sidonian in the north and the Egyptian harbor in the south. Today, the port of Tyre is a busy fisherman's port and the remains of a 750 meter long mole can still be seen, and it is easy to recognize the remains of some ancient buildings in the water.
Meals included:
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Accommodation included: Overnight at Beirut city hotel
Day 6: Departure day: Airport Drop-off
Stop At: Beirut, Beirut
Prepare yourself and your luggage to leave Lebanon after enjoying the three-day holiday package. We hope for you to repeat your visit and see you again in Lebanon!
Duration: 20 minutes
Stop At: Beirut Rafic Hariri International Airport, Beirut, Lebanon
After check-out at your hotel in Beirut our representative will be awaiting you and transfer you to Beirut Airport 2-3 hours before your flight departure. We wish for you to enjoy your journey and have a safe flight.
Duration: 15 minutes
Meals included:
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No accommodation included on this day.
Additional information
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Most travelers can participate
- Face masks required for travelers in public areas
- Hand sanitizer available to travelers and staff
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 15 travelers
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Ticket delivery
You can present either a paper or an electronic voucher for this activity.
Cancellation
If you cancel at least 4 day(s) in advance of the scheduled departure, there is no cancellation fee.
If you cancel within 3 day(s) of the scheduled departure, there is a 100 percent cancellation fee.
If you cancel within 3 day(s) of the scheduled departure, there is a 100 percent cancellation fee.