Lebanon

Mitch Buchannon

Hey Guys,

Im hoping to head to the Lebanon in September with 3 mates. I thought I'd post here as most people I ask seem to all say the same thing................. " :eek: Why would you want to go there ? " and my usual response is "Because its there"

We're all very well travelled so Im sure nothing can/will surprise us at this stage. I have done a fair bit of research (as have the others) but I was wondering if any of my fellow boardsies have been. Have you any experiences of Lebanon or tips for travelling in that neck of the woods ?

Thanks a mill,

dory

My Arabic teacher was from there. He said its great and very safe, meant to have cool skiing in the winter. Im sure someone here will have first hand experience.

Richard Roma

It's a small country so you're best basing yourself in Beirut and doing daytrips to Byblos/Baalback tc. 5 days would probably be plenty.
There's nohing to see in Beirut itself.
Hostels in Beirut have a habit of 'forgetting about' reservations and then giving rooms to the first people who show up with cash. It's worth being aware of that. Either book by telephone or turn up early in the morning

Donkeygonads

I did a week in Lebanon back in May ......3-4 day trips will see most of it, the nightlife is excellent. ...... Lebanese women are stunning but hard work, (they don't do one night stand's:mad:) .... plus their religion is another factor ....... Watch out for the Taxi's from the airport ...... they will charge $40 .....yet the city centre is 10 min away.....bargain down to $20-25 if you can ....... and any local taxi rides.....always bargain hard before you get in . Beriut is an urban sprawl of tower blocks with limited beach areas but once you get out into the countryside, it is stunning !! You dont pay for a tourist visa upon arrival if you are Irish..... If you have an Israeli stamp on your passport you will be refused entry !!! People are welcoming to tourists.... and I had no secutiry issues ....... Interesting place and weather should be excellent ! ENJOY

kraggy

Donkeygonads wrote: »

I did a week in Lebanon back in May ......3-4 day trips will see most of it, the nightlife is excellent. ...... Lebanese women are stunning but hard work, (they don't do one night stand's:mad:) .... plus their religion is another factor ....... Watch out for the Taxi's from the airport ...... they will charge $40 .....yet the city centre is 10 min away.....bargain down to $20-25 if you can ....... and any local taxi rides.....always bargain hard before you get in . Beriut is an urban sprawl of tower blocks with limited beach areas but once you get out into the countryside, it is stunning !! You dont pay for a tourist visa upon arrival if you are Irish..... If you have an Israeli stamp on your passport you will be refused entry !!! People are welcoming to tourists.... and I had no secutiry issues ....... Interesting place and weather should be excellent ! ENJOY

How expensive or cheap is it? e.g. pint, meal, bottle of water etc?

Thanks.

Donkeygonads

it is a little bit cheaper than home ... bottle of beer $4 ish ..... meals average price..... some nightclubs are expensive so check before you go in .... the locals really pride themselves on looking suave when they go anywhere ..... so dont head out at night in flip flops and safari pants.....otherwise you'll get frowned upon.. !! Gerrmazee is the main bar area in Beirut .....plenty of small, cocktail type bars.... different music , crowds in each..... Lebanese women are quite reserved ...... so dont expect Temple Bar style shenanigan's at 3am !!!! Mono street is another bar area ..... good for the soccer games.

adrian522

Pricewise I think central Beirut is very expensive compared to the rest of the region outside of that not too bad.

Excellent food and easy to travel around.

Check out Tripoli whilie youre there.

If you have time I'd go to Syria also , much cheaper and filled with history.

Anyway PM me if you want any more info,

RATM

As others said 4-5 days is enough to see the Leb. OP why not take 2-3 weeks in total if you are going all the way to the Middle East? Syria is next door and dirt cheap and Jordan is only down the road and has some superb tourist sites and activities.

kraggy

RATM wrote: »

As others said 4-5 days is enough to see the Leb. OP why not take 2-3 weeks in total if you are going all the way to the Middle East? Syria is next door and dirt cheap and Jordan is only down the road and has some superb tourist sites and activities.

Which of the SE Asian/SA countries would you compare Syria to RATM?

And what would be the cheapest way to fly there?

killbillvol2

RATM wrote: »

As others said 4-5 days is enough to see the Leb. OP why not take 2-3 weeks in total if you are going all the way to the Middle East? Syria is next door and dirt cheap and Jordan is only down the road and has some superb tourist sites and activities.

Is it relatively easy to travel from Lebanon into Syria? Just looking at flights and it's a lot cheaper to fly to Beirut than to Damascus.

adrian522

Yeah, really straight forward by bus (though I did it in reverse)