Things to Do in Harissa

Ride the Téléphérique from Jounieh

The cable car swings over the bay, cabin floor trembling under sandals while gulls bank beneath and the city shrinks to toy size. Halfway up, pine brushes the plexiglass. You smell hot resin meeting salt air. On busy Sundays the operator packs ten strangers inside, elbows touching, someone humming to tinny radio.

Sunset Mass at Our Lady of Lebanon

Inside the crown-shaped basilica, marble echoes every cough and whisper while stained glass throws turquoise shards across pilgrim pews. The organ's low note vibrates through stone. Climb the narrow spiral after service and taste metal railings salted by sea wind while Beirut muezzins answer across hills.

Pine-forest hike to the abandoned Beaufort Hotel

A dusty footpath ducks behind souvenir stands, leading through umbrella pines whose needles cushion steps and release vanilla tang when crushed. Cicadas drill overhead. Lower down, Jounieh clubs throb. The skeletal hotel appears suddenly, graffiti balconies good for illicit sundowners.

Street food crawl along the Harissa highway

Vendors park nose-to-tail on the uphill lane, neon 'kaak' and 'mankoushe' flickering against chrome bumpers. Tear into sesame-crusted kaak still warm, cheese stretching, while garlic paste sizzles and wild thyme scents the night breeze.

Paragliding launch above Harissa cliffs

From the take-off patch you jog downhill, launch into thermals, and soar over terraced orchards while the sea glitters like crushed glass below. Harness creaks, wind roars, and orange blossom drifts up from coastal groves as boats leave creamy wakes along the bay.

Hillside guesthouses east of the basilica. Porches hang in pine fog. Roosters crow at dawn.

Jounieh waterfront hostels, five minutes below by cable car. Cheaper. Handy for nightlife.

High-rise hotels along Maameltein strip. Mid-range towers with rooftop pools facing the bay.

Monastery lodging in nearby Daroun. Spartan cells run by Maronite brothers. Donations only.

Private short-let apartments on Harissa ridge. Families like the kitchen space.

Beach resorts at Tabarja, ten clicks north. Splurge chalets where you wake to wave hiss.