Things to Do in Lebanon in December
December weather, activities, events & insider tips
Low Season · Budget Friendly
December Weather in Lebanon
Temperature, rainfall and humidity at a glance
66°F (19°C)
High Temp
55°F (12°C)
Low Temp
5.6 inches (142 mm)
Rainfall
70%
Humidity
⚠ Mountain roads above 1 400 m (4 600 ft) freeze overnight. Ice forms after 16:00. Carry tyre chains. Order a 4×4 taxi. Arrive alive.
Is December Right for You?
Weigh the advantages and considerations before booking
Advantages
- + Cedar-scented mountains finally get snow caps - perfect day-trips to the Cedars without summer haze, and ski lifts at the Cedars Resort open around 20 December when the pistes hit 20 cm (8 in) depth
- + Christmas decorations explode across Beirut's Sassine Square and the Achrafieh alleyways - strings of flickering lights, plastic Santas on mopeds, Maronite church bells mixed with Fairuz carols drifting from café speakers
- + Olive-oil harvest ends in November, so December markets in Tripoli's Tal district overflow with cloudy-green, peppery new oil. Locals bring empty 1 L bottles to fill straight from the producer's churn
- + Tourist numbers drop 40 % from summer - Baalbek's Temple of Bacchus feels half-empty at 10 a.m. and hotel balconies in Byblos cost a fraction of July rates
Considerations
- − Rain arrives in theatrical bursts - Sidon's seafront road can flood ankle-deep in 15 minutes, and shared taxis refuse to splash through, so you'll wait 30-45 min until drains catch up
- − Short daylight - sun slides behind the Mediterranean by 16:45, so coastal hikes to the Pigeon Rocks need to start before 14:00 or you finish in torchlight
- − Some mountain passes above 1 400 m (4 600 ft) ice overnight. If you rent a small city car, the serpentine road to Bcharre can turn into a toboggan run without warning
Best Activities in December
Top things to do during your visit
Cedars of God half-day snow-shoe circuits
December's first snow usually sticks by mid-month, carpeting the 2 000-year-old cedars in hushed white. The air smells of resin and cold stone. Your breath clouds at -2 °C (28 °F) while you crunch across 30 cm (12 in) drifts. Mornings are crystal-clear - good for photos before afternoon cloud banks roll over Qurnat as-Sawda, Lebanon's highest peak at 3 088 m (10 131 ft).
Booking Tip: Hire registered guides from the Cedars visitor kiosk. Most operators supply snow-shoes and poles. Book the evening before - groups form fast after fresh snowfall. See current tours in the booking section below.
Beirut Christmas-street food night walks
Temperatures hover at 16 °C (61 °F) after dark - warm enough to linger outside. Follow the neon cross atop Sursock Museum to Gemmayzeh, where pop-up stalls sell ginger-spiced maamoul cookies and steaming sahlab (orchid-root pudding) dusted with cinnamon. Carols blast from 1990s speakers strung between balconies, mixing with scooter horns and the anise whiff of arak being warmed inside bars.
Booking Tip: Look for small-group culinary walks that include four tasting stops and a local drink. Licensed guides carry laminated cards explaining spices - helpful when vendors switch between Arabic and French. Check the booking widget for available evening tours.
Byblos harbour castle & souq strolls
December light is soft and sideways, good for photographing the 12th-c. Crusader castle walls against pewter seas. Fishing boats painted sky-blue creak on swell - gulls wheel overhead while you wander 6 000-year-old Phoenician streets practically alone. Souq vendors offer cups of bitter Arabic coffee to warm your hands. The scent of grilled kebabs (small fish) drifts from the quayside cafés around noon.
Booking Tip: Arrive by 09:30 to beat school groups. Audio guides are available at the castle gate. Most last 45 min and cover the Roman amphitheatre stones reused in medieval walls. See current options via the booking section.
Jeita Grotto underground boat rides
The upper galleries stay a constant 22 °C (72 °F) year-round - downright balmy when outside air is 14 °C (57 °F). December sees fewer cruise-ship contingents, so you often share a flat-bottom boat with only four others, voices echoing off 8 m (26 ft) stalactites that drip like candle wax. Outside, winter rains swell the Nahr al-Kalb river, making the lower cave's water level rise and the subterranean colours more intense.
Booking Tip: Photography is banned inside. Stash your phone in the free lockers. Boats depart every 15 min. Visit before 11:00 to avoid local school excursions. Combined tickets with the upper galleries save queueing twice - options appear in the booking widget below.
Baalbek temples sunset tours
Sun drops behind the Anti-Lebanon range around 16:30, igniting the limestone of Temple of Jupiter in honey-gold. December skies are usually clear after afternoon showers, and site guards let you linger until 17:00 - thirty minutes later than summer closing. The stone still radiates stored heat under your palm while air cools to 10 °C (50 °F), so you taste dust and history without the July furnace.
Booking Tip: Hire a site guide at the visitor centre - many are archaeology students who explain the 60-m (197-ft) long stone of the Jupiter podium. Bring a headlamp. Interior staircases to the Temple of Bacchus get dim fast after 16:45. Check current tour times in the booking section.
Where to Stay in Lebanon in December
Hand-picked hotels across price tiers for December travellers.
December Events & Festivals
What's happening during your visit
Early December
Beirut International Film Festival
Independent Arab and European cinema screens in restored Art Deco theatres like Metropolis Empire Sofil. Q&A sessions run in English, French and Arabic. Tickets sell fastest for 20:00 slots. Rainy evenings make indoor screenings even more appealing.
24 December
Christmas Eve Midnight Mass in Harissa
Pilgrims pack the Our Lady of Lebanon basilica perched 600 m (1 970 ft) above Jounieh Bay. Church bells mingle with foghorns from below. Cable cars run until 01:30 to carry worshippers back to the coast. Dress warm - wind chill drops to 7 °C (45 °F) on the plaza.
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View Lebanon Packing List →Essential Tips
Insider knowledge and common pitfalls to avoid
Insider Knowledge
Hotel balconies face east for sunrise over the snow-dusted Mount Lebanon - ask when checking in. Sunsets disappear behind cloud by 16:45
Shared taxis (service) from Cola roundabout to Tripoli cost the same in December but leave only when full - sit in front passenger seat to speed departure
Many Beirut wine bars switch to hot spiced karkade (hibiscus) in December - tastes like mulled wine without alcohol
ATMs in mountain towns (Bcharre, Ehden) run out of cash on ski-weekends - withdraw in coastal cities before heading up
Avoid These Mistakes
Booking a convertible rental - December rain and coastal wind make top-down drives miserable. Locals choose compact SUVs for mountain traction
Church calendars are irrelevant here. Maronite Christmas lands on 25 Dec, Armenian on 6 Jan. Some museums lock their doors 24-26 Dec. Plan around the closures.
Sunset at Raouche rocks is 17:30 on paper. The sun drops behind the horizon by 16:45. Show up at 15:30. Golden hour delivers the shots you want.
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