Entry requirements | Organizing your trip | Visiting | Eating | Paying | Speaking |

Entry requirements

Passport and visa service

Website for information about visas for Lebanon
Website for travelling in Lebanon

Diplomatic representations

Website for embassies abroad

For more information

Embassy of Liban in Greece
6, 25 Martiou str
154 52 PPsychico
Phone: 2106755873, 2106755612
Fax:2106755612
grlibemb@otenet.gr

Organizing your trip

Means of transport recommended in town

Recommendation

Buses and taxis are the two main means of transport used in Beirut.
Buses are cheap and can be recognised by their colours: white and red. However, they are not regular and there are few of them. There is no existing route map and their itinerary is on a sign stuck to the buses' rear window.
Taxis can be recognised by their red number plates and the yellow light on their roof. Drivers understand French better than the English language however it is advised to show an address written on a piece of paper in Arabic. As they have no meters you have to negotiate the fare before you get in. There is a taxi service which can be shared by 5 people, the Lebanese call it "Services".

Maps of urban networks

Maporama
Mapblast
UT Library on line

Means of transport recommended in the rest of the country

Recommendation

Lebanon is a small country. Three hours are enough to cross it from end to end. To get around, there are bus lines leaving from the bus station in Beirut (Charles Helou stop). The most comfortable bus line is Adhab. From the Cola roundabout, you can catch a bus to Saida, Chtaura, Masna and Damas.
Shared taxis can also serve all cities in the country. To go to the South you may take them from the Cola roundabout. For Northern cities, you should go to the Dora roundabout.

Rail companies

Flight from Greece

No aircraft company operates direct air connection from Athens to Beirut. Different companies like Cyprus Airways and Alitalia operate regular flights from Athens to Beirut. To find out air connections from Greece to Lebanon click here

Traveling by yourself

Recommendation

Roads are generally in good condition. Petrol stations are easy to find. In the event of an accident, it is advised to stay with the vehicle and call the company representative that insures the vehicle. If the car comes from abroad, you may ask the concerned insurance company for a local correspondent in order to get contact details of their company representative.

Road maps

Road map of Lebanon
Lebanon Tourism Office

Find an itinerary

Itineraries in Lebanon

Visiting

Different forms of tourism

Historical

- Baalbeck's temples are fascinating. They dominate the Bekaaa. By their huge size they illustrate Roman power;
- In the capital Beirut modernism and tradition meet. The 5 columns group discovered in 1963, is located left from the St George Maronite Cathedral;
- The port of Sidon (Saida) located 48 km south of Beirut is a notable site as it has been an attractive trading center since Phoenician times;
- Byblos is among the most ancient cities in the world.

Cultural

There are three international festivals,in Byblos, Baalbeck and Beiteddine, where famous artists promote Lebanon's diversity.

Nature

Lebanon's diversity and topography give it a unique ecosystem. For 10 years, particular attention has been paid to endangered species. Lebanon has 20 natural reserves. One of them, Al Shouf cedar reserve, with its 6 magnificent cedar groves.

Religious

This type of tourism is not very common.

Thermal

This type of tourism is not very common.

Beach

The country has 225 km of Mediterranean coast. The beaches are sandy or rocky. You may explore the fauna and flora of this coast in the Palm Islands Park. You can also explore ancient Roman remains in Tyr. Diving and other underwater sports are available.

Winter sports

Lebanon has 6 ski resorts where you can ski, cross country ski and walk with showshoes.

Outdoor activities

You can go diving, snorkeling and do other water sports. Lebanon's mountainous relief is great for hiking, trekking and mountain biking. You can also go paragliding.

Shopping

Lebanon has many luxury boutiques concentrated in the regions of Achrafieh, Hamra, Kaslik, Verdun and in the City Center. A crafts department store, sponsored by the Ministry of Culture, is located at the end of the coast road in Beirut. Beirut has a large carpet market.

Tourism organizations

Ministry of Tourism
Lebanon's Tourism Office

Eating

Food specialties

Lebanese cuisine is one of the most renowned in the world. The specials are mezze with tabbouleh (a chopped parsley salad with bulghur wheat, tomatoes and onions), baba ghannouj (eggplant puree often decorated with pomegranate seeds), hummus (chick pea puree with sesame oil), kibbeh (fresh mutton or veal meat, beaten with bulghur wheat, seasoned and served raw, fried or grilled)...
Other Lebanese specials are stuffed vegetables (eggplant, zucchini, vine leaves).
Lebanese cakes are delicious and very sweet. Most famous is osmaliyeh, it looks like vermicelli stuffed with creamy cheese and topped with syrop.

Drinks

Coffee is an integral part of Lebanese hospitality. Wine production in Lebanon goes back to Phoenician times. The three most famous great wines are: Ksara, Musar and Kefraya. Finally, Arak, an alcohol and distilled grape based drink with aniseed from Damas.

Dietary restrictions

Culinary restrictions vary with the religion of each community.

Paying

Domestic currency

Lebanese Pound

ISO Code

LBP

To obtain domestic currency

You can buy Lebanese pounds before going to Lebanon. Bureaus de change are numerous and change most foreign currencies. There are also many ATMs which take Visa, Mastercard, American Express, JCB (japanese payment card).

Possible means of payment

Payment by credit card is more and more common in the country.

Exchange rate on

Automatic Teller Machines (ATM)

To find out the locations of ATMs in in Lebanon, click on the link to your credit card: Visa, Mastercard or American Express

Speaking

Official language

Arabic

Other languages spoken

English and French are spoken by a large part of the population. Armenian 6% and Kurdish 1%.

Business language

French and Arabic

Getting some knowledge

The arabic lebanese and abcleb websites allow you to get some notions of Lebanese Arabic.

Free translation tools

Free translation - Free English-Arabic-English translation of texts and web pages
Tarjem - Free Arabic-English-Arabic dictionary
Babel Fish - Free Greek-French-Greek translator
Translated - Free Greek-Arabic-Greek translator
TV5 - Free Greek-Arabic-Greek translator
lexicool - Free Greek-Arabic-Greek dictionary

We can translate your foreign-language documents.

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Last updates: May 2012