Things to Do in Sidon

Sidon Sea Castle

Wade through the stone causeway where waves hiss against barnacled walls, then climb the castle's hexagonal tower for a pigeon's view of fishermen mending nets while radios echo from nearby cafés. Inside, vaulted halls smell of damp limestone and the narrow staircases turn so tight you'll brush shoulders with strangers like extras in a medieval film.

Khan el-Franj courtyard and soap museum

Step from the glare of the souk into a shaded caravanserai where doves flutter above a star-patterned fountain and the air is thick with laurel-oil soap curing in vaulted storerooms. The small museum lets you handle olive-stone scrubbers and watch a demo of boiling green soap paste poured onto marble to cool like thick cake batter.

Old Souk lunch crawl

Nibble warm sesame bread from the cart outside the Grand Mosque, then follow your nose to skewers of cumin-scented liver hissing on coals near the copper-smiths' lane. End with a bowl of spicy ful whose steam fogs your glasses while butchers hose down the street behind you.

Temple of Eshmun platform

A ten-minute ride north brings you to a limestone ridge smelling of pine sap and wild thyme where the Phoenician sanctuary's carved bull heads still drip water in spring. From the cliff you'll hear the Bostrenos River gurgling below and see orange groves laid out like a carpet all the way to the sea.

Sunset corniche stroll

Locals reclaim the seafront at dusk. Kids chase waves that slap against tetrapods. Old men slap dominoes on cardboard tables. Vendors roll carts of brittle peanut bars that crack like twigs when broken. The sky bruises to violet over the anchored trawlers and the air tastes of salt and diesel, a reminder this is still a working port.

Old Town alleys near Khan el-Franj. Expect morning muezzin and the smell of baking.

Corniche seafront hotels, slightly pricier but you'll fall asleep to wave slaps.

Budget guesthouses east of the souk where shared bathrooms keep costs down.

Mid-range business hotels around the stadium, handy for service taxis.

Boutique villa just north of the city for garden breakfasts and pool dips.

Overnight with local families arranged through cultural NGOs - meals included.