Discussion
Places to see by day:
- Beirut Souks (high-end boutiques & new district) and the rest of Downtown Solidaire area (many cafes, ancient churches, mosques, government buildings, and little shops)
- Hamra mainstreet (one of the oldest busiest streets with small shops & cafes)
- Raouche sea-side corniche (the famous pigeon rocks are seen in the Mediterranean Sea)
In the evening:
- Gemmayze (a prominent pub-street)
- Hamra area (several small pubs scattered, mostly university students)
- Monot street (some bars)
- Momo at the Souks (modern lounge bar in the Beirut Souks)
- Buddha Bar (Downtown, Riad El-Solh St.)
- Uruguay street bars (several small new trendy bars in Downtown)
- Music Hall (large venue that serves dinner and alcohol, multicultural performances on a stage)
- Mandaloun club (Mar Mikhael St.)
Hotel
http://www.campbellgrayhotels.com/le-gray-beirut.h...
Restaurants most representative of tasty Lebanese cuisine in Beirut:
- Em Cherif (Monot area, behind Yabani sushi restaurant.. a set menu with a huge variety, every dish is so unique.
- Borj al-Hamam (Movenpick Hotel, Rouche)
- Leila cafe (found in Gemmayze, ABC mall Achrafiyeh, & Verdun street)
- Cafe Le Blanc (ABC mall Achrafiyeh & Hamra street)
- Beirut Souks (high-end boutiques & new district) and the rest of Downtown Solidaire area (many cafes, ancient churches, mosques, government buildings, and little shops)
- Hamra mainstreet (one of the oldest busiest streets with small shops & cafes)
- Raouche sea-side corniche (the famous pigeon rocks are seen in the Mediterranean Sea)
In the evening:
- Gemmayze (a prominent pub-street)
- Hamra area (several small pubs scattered, mostly university students)
- Monot street (some bars)
- Momo at the Souks (modern lounge bar in the Beirut Souks)
- Buddha Bar (Downtown, Riad El-Solh St.)
- Uruguay street bars (several small new trendy bars in Downtown)
- Music Hall (large venue that serves dinner and alcohol, multicultural performances on a stage)
- Mandaloun club (Mar Mikhael St.)
Hotel
http://www.campbellgrayhotels.com/le-gray-beirut.h...
Restaurants most representative of tasty Lebanese cuisine in Beirut:
- Em Cherif (Monot area, behind Yabani sushi restaurant.. a set menu with a huge variety, every dish is so unique.
- Borj al-Hamam (Movenpick Hotel, Rouche)
- Leila cafe (found in Gemmayze, ABC mall Achrafiyeh, & Verdun street)
- Cafe Le Blanc (ABC mall Achrafiyeh & Hamra street)
Edited by 6th Gear on Monday 30th April 17:57
If you are coming from Dubai I wouldn't bother with any of the Malls in Beirut..compared to Dubai it's not really a shopping place and nothing is particularly cheap. Beirut is about atmosphere and the feel of the place. Be sure to see the re-built area which has been done to a very high standard but it's almost like a town within a town. To get a better feeling of Lebanon I would start in Hamra and just walk; try the streets in Achrafieh and Sursock as well. You have the sea on one side and even if you get lost taxis are everywhere and cheap. It's completely safe at night. Forget about Pigeon Rocks.
If you have time go to Byblos for lunch in the harbour and a walk around the old town afterwards - it will take you a bit more than 1 hour from Beirut. If you have even more time (a day) - take a trip across the mountains and up the Bekaa valley to Baalbeck. Have tea in the Palmyra hotel there (be sure to have the jam) but even better to stay the night.
Food - Lebanese food is fantastic but personally I would stay out of the big hotels. There are some really good traditional Lebanese restaurants in Hamra. You should definitely have lunch at Le Chef in Gemayze (pronounced jemaisie)which is a Lebanese institution and unchanged for decades - when I was last there in February a Turkish TV crew were filming a travelogue. Authentic Lebanese cooking and cheap as chips. Be sure to drink Lebanese wines but if you can manage it don't go for the cheapest bottles. Chateau Musar is the best known but unreliable in Beirut in my experience. For reds I would try Chateau Ksara and Kefraya and the Ksara Blanc de Blancs is a reliable white.
L.F. (former resident and regular visitor)
If you have time go to Byblos for lunch in the harbour and a walk around the old town afterwards - it will take you a bit more than 1 hour from Beirut. If you have even more time (a day) - take a trip across the mountains and up the Bekaa valley to Baalbeck. Have tea in the Palmyra hotel there (be sure to have the jam) but even better to stay the night.
Food - Lebanese food is fantastic but personally I would stay out of the big hotels. There are some really good traditional Lebanese restaurants in Hamra. You should definitely have lunch at Le Chef in Gemayze (pronounced jemaisie)which is a Lebanese institution and unchanged for decades - when I was last there in February a Turkish TV crew were filming a travelogue. Authentic Lebanese cooking and cheap as chips. Be sure to drink Lebanese wines but if you can manage it don't go for the cheapest bottles. Chateau Musar is the best known but unreliable in Beirut in my experience. For reds I would try Chateau Ksara and Kefraya and the Ksara Blanc de Blancs is a reliable white.
L.F. (former resident and regular visitor)
All the advice is good, will add,
La Plage for the day time, if you fancy a fun time at a non stop pool party (it should be warm enough and open)
Music Hall is brilliant...you must go there
The areas mentioend are great, you will feel very safe and welcome
Restaurants that I really enjoyed in summer were
Frida Frida a fusion Lebanese and Mexican
Al Mayass Al Mayass Armenian cuisine at its finest
Both of these are in pretty cool places! Wines listed above are very nice as well (Ksara Rose is very nice), you could even do a tour of one of the distilleries as well...
I had some pictures on a different post in the middle east section...
Beirut
Enjoy
La Plage for the day time, if you fancy a fun time at a non stop pool party (it should be warm enough and open)
Music Hall is brilliant...you must go there
The areas mentioend are great, you will feel very safe and welcome
Restaurants that I really enjoyed in summer were
Frida Frida a fusion Lebanese and Mexican
Al Mayass Al Mayass Armenian cuisine at its finest
Both of these are in pretty cool places! Wines listed above are very nice as well (Ksara Rose is very nice), you could even do a tour of one of the distilleries as well...
I had some pictures on a different post in the middle east section...
Beirut
Enjoy
Just a quick note to thank everyone for their recommendations. Had an ace time.
Stayed at the 35 Rooms hotel in Hamra, which was cheap and pretty nice, although the breakfast was rubbish. Spent two days just stomping about - covered about 10 miles each day. It's a fascinating place to explore, SO many bullet holes! The National Museum was very cool and the nightlife in both Hamra and Gemayze was excellent. February 30 in Hamra is particularly cool.
Also spent a day going to the Jeita Grotto (incredible, but annoying that you can't take your camera in) and Byblos, which is really something.
The main thing I'll take away however is the enormous variety of cars there, many of which I'd not seen examples of in decades. I even wrote an article about it. Full gallery at the bottom of this link.
http://www.crankandpiston.com/on-the-road/the-cars...
Stayed at the 35 Rooms hotel in Hamra, which was cheap and pretty nice, although the breakfast was rubbish. Spent two days just stomping about - covered about 10 miles each day. It's a fascinating place to explore, SO many bullet holes! The National Museum was very cool and the nightlife in both Hamra and Gemayze was excellent. February 30 in Hamra is particularly cool.
Also spent a day going to the Jeita Grotto (incredible, but annoying that you can't take your camera in) and Byblos, which is really something.
The main thing I'll take away however is the enormous variety of cars there, many of which I'd not seen examples of in decades. I even wrote an article about it. Full gallery at the bottom of this link.
http://www.crankandpiston.com/on-the-road/the-cars...
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