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| Byblos Lebanon |
Airport immigration is quick and easy, have you hotel arrange for airport pickup to avoid any taxi scams. Airport to downtown the cost for a taxi is about USD 15. The ride is less then half an hour.
Safety: I found Lebanon to be very safe and did not have any issues at all.
Stay: I stayed at a hotel close to downtown, awesome location, close to several eating places, walking distance to Beirut souk and tourist attractions. The cost was USD 35 a night. Check booking.com for some great hotel deals.
Food: Lebanon is one of the best countries for awesome cuisine. Here is my recommendation 'Le Chef', Gouraud Street, Beirut. Tabbouleh salad there is amazing, I paid under USD 10 for a beer, fresh bread, olive oil, Salad and a main dish. Mar Mikhael and hamra street are another great location for food and clubs.
Transportation: I used minibuses to travel outside of Beirut, and within Beirut did a lot of walking and used shared cabs.
Money: 1 USD equals to 1500 Lebanese pound at the time of writing this post, there are ATM's everywhere. I use XE app on my smart phone for currency conversion.
Language: Most people will speak some English, I used google translate twice.
Travel Guide book - check out Bradt's Lebanon.
One of the first things that every traveler will want to do when they arrive in Lebanon is visit the National Museum of Beirut. Inside, there are archaeological artifacts that share the history of the country and the people that have lived there over the years. The two most popular exhibits are the Phoenician gilded bronze figures that were found buried near the Obelisk Temple at Byblos and the Phoenician marble statues of baby boys from the 6th century.
After seeing those exhibits, everyone will be ready to venture over to the Byblos Castle, which was constructed during the 12th century by the Crusaders. This castle was constructed, dismantled, and reconstructed, a couple times, which makes it a unique piece of history that is thankfully still standing.
Byblos
One of the oldest inhabited cities in the world. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. From Beirut, I took a minibus, paid the bus driver 2000 Lebanese pound one way or $1.50 USD. The minibus dropped me on side of a main highway, from there I walked through open-air bars, souvenir shops, and outdoor cafes to the historical sites. From Beirut to Byblos it took about half an hour by Minibus.
The entrance fee to the main historical site is 6 or 8 thousand Lebanese pound, I cannot remember. The whole Complex and the museum is worth visiting, it dates back to 8000 BC.
Pottery found in Byblos from 3000 BC - 1600 BC
Beirut can seen by walking to most places, I did take the cab twice to Cola bus station to take the mini bus to Baalbek and back to downtown. The cost of the shared cab was 3000 Lebanese pound or $2 USD.
If you anywhere close to downtown you cannot miss the above Mosque and church.
I visited Beirut during Christmas Holidays, the whole Downtown Beirut was decorated with lights and Christmas decorations. Beirut Souq, was all decorated. Now this is nota traditional middle eastern Souq, its very modern with all the designer brand name one can think of.
People in Beirut are very friendly. One does see some army presence in Beirut due to close proximity to Syria, overall its very safe.
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