|
|
back to all reviews...
|
|
check out more places in lebanon...
|
beirut: general info
· city links
· history
things to do
· hostels
· tours
· read reviews
|
|
|
BEIRUT
Calling Code: +961
The Lebanese have always known how to party. Once known as the Paris of the East, Beirut was long considered
the most liberal and laissez-faire city in the Levant. In the 1960s and early 1970s, Marilyn Monroe and Ava Gardner used
to arrive on their yachts to wine and dine and bathe along the picturesque seafronts of Beirut and Byblos.
Then, between 1975 and 1990, civil war struck and swept away the tourists. It has taken a long time for the dust to settle, but finally
Beirut is reclaiming its place on the holiday map.
As it should. It is a meeting point of cultures: at the western edge of the Arab world and the eastern edge of Europe. The souks,
ornate mosques and busy Arab street scenes still remain at the heart of the city, while the modern architecture and beach resorts,
flash cars and clubs - to say nothing of the race tracks and rooftop restaurants - are a match for the attractions of any other
Mediterranean destination.
Not far away lie the beaches of Byblos and the exclusive ski slopes of Faraya. For those looking for culture, the Phoenician and
Roman ruins of Baalbek, Tyre and Sidon are within easy reach.
Lebanon's history of invasion and occupation, trade and tourism, war and reconstruction has thrown up a series of juxtapositions -
and diverse religious and political factions, incorporating Sunnis, Shias, Druze, Maronites and Orthodox Christians - in this
meeting place of east and west.
If there's a place you've stayed or something you've done, but we haven't listed, review it for us!
|
|
|
|
|
Hostels