Seven Days through Lebanon's Mountains and Coast
From Beirut's Corniche to the Cedars of the Gods
Trip Overview
Seven days of Lebanon will slap you awake with Mediterranean sunsets over harbors older than Rome, muezzin calls ricocheting through Ottoman lanes, cedar resin drifting down from mountain villages, and tabbouleh so fresh it bites back under fig shade. You'll swing from Beirut's electric nights to the hush of Qadisha Valley, touching Phoenician ports, Crusader keeps, and Druze villages perched on ridgelines. Urban buzz, mountain trails, and lazy coast days trade places without warning.
Pace
Moderate
Daily Budget
$80-120 per day
Best Seasons
April through October for coastal access, May-September for mountain hiking
Ideal For
Culture seekers, History enthusiasts, Food lovers, Photographers, Moderate hikers
Day-by-Day Itinerary
A complete plan for every day of your trip
1
Beirut's Beating Heart
Beirut
Hit Beirut head-on: Roman, Ottoman, French, and twenty-first-century layers stacked like shuffled decks.
Morning
National Museum of Beirut
Walk the timeline from Bronze Age sarcophagi to Ottoman tiles while dust and cool marble scent the air. Phoenician gold glints under soft spots and Roman necklaces lie in glass, still curved for patrician throats.
Buy tickets on arrival, opens 9 AM
Lunch
Tawlet Ammiq in Mar Mikhael
Afternoon
Downtown Beirut walking tour
Roman colonnades run beside pock-marked French Mandate façades. The Mohammad Al-Amin Mosque's blue domes mirror themselves in the souks' polished stone. Church bells and the muezzin trade places overhead.
Join the 2 PM walking tour from Beirut Souks
Evening
Gemmayzeh bar crawl
Start at Anise for arak cocktails, then Bar Three for craft gin
Where to Stay Tonight
Hamra district (Hotel Albergo or similar boutique property)
Central location with rooftop views of both sea and mountains
See all Lebanon accommodation options →Swap dollars to Lebanese pounds at the exchange booths along Hamra, rates beat every bank counter.
Day 1 Budget: $110
2
Byblos and Batroun's Coastal Charms
Byblos and Batroun
Ancient ports where Phoenician traders once docked, now serving the day's catch
Morning
Byblos archaeological site
Crusader walls butt against Phoenician ramparts above fishermen patching nets in the salt wind. Morning sun warms stones that have soaked up 7,000 years of spray.
Lunch
Pepe Abed Fishing Club
Afternoon
Batroun old souks and Phoenician wall
Thread sandstone lanes where lemons tumble over garden walls. Your palm cools against 2,500-year-old blocks, then lemonade the color of sunset waits at Colonel Brewery.
Evening
Dinner at Chez Maguy
Sea-to-table dining on the rocks, waves crashing below
Where to Stay Tonight
Batroun old town (Beit el Batroun guesthouse)
Traditional stone house with sea views and homemade breakfast
See all Lebanon accommodation options →Ignore the souvenir rows, the best soap and crafts hide in the tiny atelier across from St. Stephan's Cathedral.
Day 2 Budget: $95
3
Cedars and Cedars
Cedars of God and Bcharre
Journey to the ancient cedar forests that built Solomon's Temple
Morning
Cedars of God reserve
Stand beneath cedars pushing 2,000 years; resin bites the thin mountain air. Furrowed bark channels sunlight into cathedral shadows on the forest floor.
Arrive before 10 AM to avoid tour buses
Lunch
Masa at the Cedars
Afternoon
Gibran Museum and Bcharre village
Enter the hermitage-turned-museum where Kahlil Gibran painted his haunted portraits. Stone houses grip cliff edges. Church bells ring across the plunging Qadisha Valley.
Evening
Sunset at Qadisha Valley viewpoint
Watch shadows creep across the holy valley from Hotel Chbat's terrace
Where to Stay Tonight
Bcharre village (L'Auberge des Cedres)
Stone lodge with valley views and wood-burning stoves for cool nights
See all Lebanon accommodation options →Grab fresh labneh rolled in cheesecloth from the dairy opposite the museum, tomorrow's breakfast sorted.
Day 3 Budget: $75
4
Qadisha's Sacred Valley
Qadisha Valley
Drop into Lebanon's holiest valley where hermits once hacked caves into living rock.
Morning
Qadisha Valley hike from Bcharre to Hawqa
Pick a narrow path scented with wild thyme, waterfalls misting your face. Mar Lichaa monastery clings to sheer stone while monks' chants leak from invisible chapels.
Hire local guide Hassan from Bcharre main square
Lunch
Monastery guesthouse at Mar Lichaa
Afternoon
Quadisha Grotto exploration
Step into caverns where stalactites glitter like frozen falls and your voice ricochets through the dark. Cool air and dripstone sculptures feel like another planet.
Evening
Return to Bcharre for mountain dinner
Abou Joseph for kibbeh nayeh and arak
Where to Stay Tonight
Bcharre village (L'Auberge des Cedres)
Already checked in, saves moving luggage down the valley
See all Lebanon accommodation options →Bring layers - 10°C difference between valley floor and village
Day 4 Budget: $80
5
Baalbek's Colossal Temples
Baalbek
Marvel at Roman engineering's greatest achievement in the Beqaa Valley
Morning
Baalbek archaeological site
Lay your hand on 1,000-ton blocks in the Temple of Jupiter, each higher than three grown men. Morning light picks out grape vines and dancing maidens carved into Bacchus temple walls.
Audio guide essential, available at entrance
Lunch
Palmyra Hotel restaurant
Afternoon
Karak Winery tour
Climb down to 19th-century cellars where oak barrels exhale Lebanese terroir. Sip Cinsault while the guide recounts how Jesuit monks launched the country's wine trade. Valley dust mingles with the sweet ferment.
Book 24 hours ahead via WhatsApp
Evening
Return to Beirut via Beqaa sunset
Stop at Taanayel for fresh saj bread and cheese
Where to Stay Tonight
Beirut Hamra (Hotel Albergo)
Return to city base before coastal finale
See all Lebanon accommodation options →Slip into Palmyra Hotel's lobby, 19th-century grandeur frozen in time, walls lined with photos of long-gone royalty.
Day 5 Budget: $120
6
Tyre's Phoenician Island
Tyre (Sour)
Walk through purple-dyed history at Lebanon's southern port
Morning
Tyre archaeological site
Walk across mosaics of Neptune's chariot while Mediterranean waves hammer the Phoenician breakwater. Salt air still carries the ghost-scent of murex dye that once colored kings' robes.
Lunch
Al Fanar restaurant on the beach
Afternoon
Tyre fishing port and old city
Dodge fishermen mending nets as diesels cough and gulls shriek. Ottoman houses with green shutters hide jasmine-scented courtyards behind narrow lanes.
Evening
Sunset drinks at Rest House beach
Watch fishing boats return while sipping Almaza beer
Where to Stay Tonight
Tyre old city (Dar Alma beach house)
Traditional house converted to boutique guesthouse directly on the water
See all Lebanon accommodation options →Pick up genuine Tyrian purple scarves at the little shop beside the fishermen's cooperative, real murex dye, not factory ink.
Day 6 Budget: $90
7
Beirut's Final Flavors
Beirut
Conclude with Lebanon's greatest culinary hits and final city views
Morning
Souk El Tayeb farmers market
Taste mountain honey heavy with thyme and warm saj slicked with goat labneh. Bekaa farmers sell tomatoes warm from the field. Cardamom coffee drifts through downtown.
Saturdays only, 9 AM-2 PM at Beirut Souks
Lunch
Em Sherif for the ultimate Lebanese feast
Afternoon
Pigeon Rocks and Corniche finale
Watch cliff divers arc into spray as the afternoon call to prayer rolls across Raouche's limestone arches. Sip fresh pomegranate juice and bank your last images of Lebanon's tug-of-war between sea and stone.
Evening
Airport departure via taxi
Allow 2 hours including traffic
Where to Stay Tonight
Departure day (Day use room at airport hotel if late flight)
Store luggage and freshen up
See all Lebanon accommodation options →Buy zaatar and sumac from Souk El Tayeb - vacuum-packed for customs
Day 7 Budget: $85
Practical Information
Everything you need to know before you go
Getting Around
Link cities with shared taxis ($10, 20 a ride) and hop local buses for short legs. Uber works in Beirut. Mountain roads demand nerves, hire local taxis out of Bcharre for Qadisha access. Rental cars are fine if you can stomach Beirut parking.
Book Ahead
Baalbek guides sell out in summer. Book Karak Winery 24 hours ahead. Beit el Batroun fills weeks early in high season. Em Sherif needs dinner reservations.
Packing Essentials
Pack light layers for wild temperature swings, modest clothes for shrines, boots for Qadisha trails, a swimsuit for Tyre, and a shawl for cool mountain nights. Bring cash, cards often bounce.
Total Budget
$650-850 for the full week including accommodation
Customize Your Trip
Adapt this itinerary to your travel style
Budget Version
Crash in Hamra hostels, live on mankoushe and falafel, ride public transport only, drop winery tours. Stick to freebies: Corniche strolls, public beaches, monastic guesthouses in Qadisha.
Luxury Upgrade
Set up at Le Gray in Beirut, hire a private driver, upgrade to Chateau Kefraya's private tasting, sleep at Al Bustan in the heights, book helicopter hops to the Cedars, and reserve tables at Liza and Mounir.
Family-Friendly
Trim the Qadisha hike to one hour, slot in Beirut Aquarium and Luna Park, pick beachfront hotels with pools in Tyre, swap Quadisha Grotto for Jeita Grotto, add the National Museum's kids' corner, and pencil extra beach hours in Batroun.
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