Budget and Safety Travel Tips in Lebanon

3 days solo travel in lebanon

May 18-19, 2012 Friday to Sunday

Beirut Morning City Tour

Among the 13 countries I visited so far, Lebanon is the best under rated travel destination. Due to its mix history of arabic and european invasion, definitely an interesting place. The following are some pointers I observed during my entire 3-days journey.

jeita grotto, 14th spot in 7 new wonders of nature

temple of jupiter, UNESCO heritage site in baalbek

Beirut Morning City Tour

3 days solo travel in lebanon

may 18-19, 2012 friday to sunday

beirut central night shots

how to go there;

From beirut international airport, the cheapest way is to ride a roaming van on the 2nd floor and ask driver to drop-off to central with fare of only 1,000 lbp ($0.67). If taxi, negotiate to a maximum of 30,000 lbp ($20.0) since it is only 7 kilometers away.

rawcheh rocks across mediterranean sea

rawcheh rocks across mediterranean sea

Beirut Central Night Shots

3 days solo travel in lebanon

may 18-19, 2012 friday to sunday

sidon (saida) fast tripping

After finishing the day visiting the best places upnorth, downsouth and far east, Beirut's best is its central night shots. Fortunate for me, the guesthouse I chose is only 300 meters away so walking is always the best and cheapest mean of transportation for a budget backpacker.

ottoman clock tower

ottoman clock tower

Sidon (Saida) Quick Tripping

3 days solo travel in lebanon

may 18-19, 2012 friday to sunday

jeita upper and lower grotto

how to go here:

from beirut city preferably in daora, ride any van or a bus and ask driver to drop-off to hesua almanak. Travel time is around 30 minutes, with stop-overs and fare costs 1,500 lbp(bus) / 2,000 lbp (van). Drop-off area is fly-over bridge from left going to the right. Walk upwards and wait for a taxi (no public vehicle available). Negotiate taxi fare going to jeita grotto at maximum of 10,000 lbp ($6.67), travel time of around 20 minutes.

saida's sea castle

saida's sea castle

Jeita Upper and Lower Grotto

3 days solo travel in lebanon

may 18-19, 2012 friday to sunday

baalbek temple of jupiter ruins

how to go here:

from beirut city preferably in daora, ride any van or a bus and ask driver to drop-off to hesua almanak. Travel time is around 30 minutes, with stop-overs and fare costs 1,500 lbp(bus) / 2,000 lbp (van). Drop-off area is fly-over bridge from left going to the right. Walk upwards and wait for a taxi (no public vehicle available). Negotiate taxi fare going to jeita grotto at maximum of 10,000 lbp ($6.67), travel time of around 20 minutes.

train-concept shuttle going to lower grotto, entrance fee included

cable car going to upper grotto, entrance fee included

Baalbek Temple of Jupiter Ruins

3 days solo travel in lebanon

may 18-19, 2012 friday to sunday

byblos (jbeil) archaeological site

how to go here:

from beirut city, ride any van and ask driver to drop-off to baalbek van terminal. The terminal is on the left side of the a crossing below fly-over bridge. It is just beside the road and located between airport and downtown. Travel time is around 2 hours with no stop-over. Fare costs 6,000 lbp ($4.0). Drop-off area in baalbek is almost exactly to the temple ruins because the huge roman pillars are already seen on the road.

famous 6 pillars of temple of jupiter

famous 6 pillars of temple of jupiter

Byblos (Jbeil) Archaeological Site

3 days solo travel in lebanon

may 18-19, 2012 friday to sunday

tripoli quick downtown stroll

how to go here:

from tripoli downtown terminal, ride a bus bound to beirut city and ask the driver to drop-off to byblos (biblos),jbeil is its present name. Travel time is around 30 minutes with no stop-over. Fare costs only 3,000 lbp ($2.0). Drop-off area in byblos has no marker so ensure to request to driver. If coming from beirut city, just go either from daora or charles helou bus station, all buses are crossing this town.

byblos (jbeil) archaeological sightseeing the crusaders castle

byblos (jbeil) archaeological site, roman pillars

Tripoli Quick Downtown Stroll

3-days solo travel in lebanon

may 18-19, 2012 friday to sunday

lebanon trip main page

how to go here:
from charles helou international bus station in beirut city, ride a tripoli express aircon bus for only 3,500 lbp ($2.33). travel time is around 1 hour with no stop-over to happen. the road is on the coastal side so sightseeing the mediterranean sea is inevitable. terminal is in downtown area in tripoli.

along the roads going to tripoli from beirut city

along the roads going to tripoli from beirut city

3 Days Self-guided Solo Travel in Lebanon

3rd Summer ot-ouf the-country trip for this year

June 15-17, 2012 Friday to Sunday

“I see my path, but I don’t know where it leads. Not knowing where I’m going is what inspires me to travel it.” ~ Rosalia de Castro

My 14th country to visit, 18th solo backpacking trip, 3rd visa-on-arrival (VOA) encounter and of course, usual budget do-it-yourself itinerary from arrival to departure.

Lebanon had once been called (self-proclaimed) Switzerland and Paris of the East. The name Lebanon comes from the Semitic root lbn, meaning "white", likely a reference to the snow-capped Mount Lebanon. Upon his arrival to Lebanon around 47 BC, Julius Caesar proclaimed "Lub" "Na'an", meaning "White-Land" in Semitic. Lebanon is a country with a long and rich history. Roman ruins are scattered about the country and are easily accessible. Lebanon is easily the party capital of the Middle East and possible to drive from north to south in under 3 hours. The main means of transport are service taxis, bus and car. Either Lebanese pounds or US dollars are accepted almost everywhere, and it is common to pay in dollars but receive change in pounds. Main language is Arabic and French, some also speaks English.

http://wikitravel.org/en/Lebanon 

Temple of Bacchus