Travel Lebanon

The City of Sidon, known locally as Sayda (Arabic: صيدا‎)

• Sidon Sea Castle (Pronounced Sigh-den) (Arabic: قلعة صيدا البحرية‎)

  • The Crusaders built Sidon’s Sea Castle as a fortress on a small island connected to the mainland by a narrow 260 ft long roadway. From the roof, there is a view across the old city and fishing harbor, there is also a mosque on the roof. A few feet down a winding staircase, there is a room loaded with cannons. This was an ideal fortress, not to mention, it’s right on the Mediterranean sea. After lasting several wars, it has been damaged and renovated several times. Roman columns were used as horizontal reinforcements on the outer walls, common when fortifications were built on or near former Roman sites. There is evidence of the old Phoenician city being buried under the sea in the area surrounding the castle. Which makes sense considering that this fortress used to be a temple to the Phoenician Hercules. 

  • Click HERE for a short video, giving you a small tour of this fortress.

 

Things to visit in Beirut (Pronounced: bay-root) (Arabic: بيروت‎)‎

• Pigeons Rock (also known as the Rock of Raouché) (Arabic: الروشة‎)

  • Raouchè rock (pigeons rock) is one of Lebanon's main tourist attractions and a famous natural landmark. So many things to do here including paragliding, parasailing, swimming, and jet skiing around and inside the raouchè cave. You can even climb the Raouchè or watch the locals leaping off the rocks (dive, belly-flop or cannonballing) into the water.  

  • Click HERE to watch a time-lapse video of a day at Pigeons Rock

• Jeita Grotto (Arabic: مغارة جعيتا‎)

  • The Jeita Grotto (Arabic: مغارة جعيتا‎) is a system of two separate, but interconnected, karstic limestone caves spanning an overall length of nearly 5.6 miles

  • Upper Grotto - An on foot visit with esthetically pleasing scenery over a distance of just under 2,300 ft from the cave’s total length of just under 7,220 ft will leave you awestruck at these magnificent limestone formations.

  • Lower Grotto - a quick boat trip of just over 1310 ft of the total length just under 25,600 ft will charm you, bringing you into a world of serenity.

  • Click HERE for a short video of the Lower Grotto

• Other Sites In Beirut

  • Mar Mikhael Stairs (pronounced zoo-k mic-al) (Arabic: سلالم مار مخايل)  See below for an image!

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In the city of Harissa (Arabic: هريسة)

• The Shrine of Our Lady of Lebanon (Arabic: سيدة لبنان‎)

  • Visit the Shrine of Our Lady Lebanon which is a French-made 13-ton statue of Mary of Nazareth. The Virgin Mary had visited Lebanon with baby Jesus, and Lebanon has had a love for her ever since.  The Shrine draws millions of faithful Christians and Muslims from all over the world.

  • Click HERE for a short video of the Lady Lebanon, from the elevated viewpoint of a drone.

 

Visit the city of Byblos (pronounced bib-loss) (Arabic: جبيل‎)

• Byblos, known locally as Jbeil (Arabic: جبيل‎)

  • Quite possibly the oldest city in the world, it has ancient buildings and artifacts dating back thousands of years. The city also contains an amazing old Arabian market, dominated with lively restaurants, pubs, and clubs that’ll keep you entertained for hours. When walking through the old streets, make sure to watch your step so you don’t trip over the beautiful cobblestone walkways.

  • Click HERE for a wonderful video showing the heart of the city full of people and color as well as local historical sites and beautiful beach scenery.

 

Sites Nearby:

• Laqlouq Mountain Range (Arabic: سلسلة جبال لقلوق)

  • Click HERE for a short video of the Laqlouq Mountains

 

While in the city of Tannourine (Arabic: تنورين)

• Baatara Gorge Waterfall (Balou’ Balaa, Cave of Three Bridges) (Arabic: بلوع بلع)

  • Known only to locals until 1952 the waterfall, has 3 natural bridges joining it from one edge to the other, offering an easy walkthrough for the adventurous tourist. In the spring, the water drops an impressive 840 feet into a natural sinkhole! Over millions of years of limestone, erosion has lead to this gorgeous scene. It is said to have been around during the age of dinosaurs around 160 million years ago! In 1999, it was classified as a nature reserve.

  • Click HERE for a very short video for a quick glimpse at the wonders of this waterfall.  

 

Other Beautiful Destinations Near By:

• Qadisha (Kadisha) Valley (Arabic: وادي قاديشا) - CLick HERE for a birdseye view of the Qadish Valley

• The Cedars of God (Arabic: ارز الله) - Click HERE for a clip of the Cedars of God

• Temple of Jupiter (Arabic: معبد كوكب المشتري)​​ - Click HERE for a glimpse of the Temple of Jupiter