Bekaa Valley tour from Beirut: Anjar, Baalbek & Ksara

Three completely different chapters of the same valley, connected by one guide who makes them cohere.

A guided small-group tour of the Bekaa Valley from Beirut covering Anjar, Baalbek and Chateau Ksara, with hotel pickup, lunch at a local restaurant, and entry to the archaeological sites: the guide connects the Umayyad city, the Roman temples and the ancient wine caves into one coherent story instead of three separate stops. You choose at checkout whether to add lunch and tickets or book the guided tour alone. Gratuities are optional.

Step-by-step itinerary

Stops and time spent at each

1. Anjar45m · entry included
2. Baalbek1h 30m · entry included
3. Chateau Ksara1h

Explore Bekaa Valley's historic sites

• Hotel pickup in Beirut at 8:30 AM
• Drive to Anjar Umayyad city
• Visit Anjar archaeological site
• See Stone of the Pregnant Woman
• Tour Baalbek Temple Complex
• Enjoy included lunch in Zahle or Baalbek
• Visit Chateau Ksara winery and caves
• Return to Beirut hotel around 6:00–7:00 PM

The experience

Hotel pickup happens at 8:30 AM, and the drive east over the Lebanese mountains takes about an hour to reach Anjar. Most tour groups skip it entirely: a complete Umayyad palatial city built in the early 8th century by Caliph Walid I and abandoned within decades, never reoccupied. Colonnaded streets, a palace with over 40 towers, a mosque, bathhouses: all still standing, and the only surviving example of its kind in the entire Levant. Your guide explains why the buses are wrong to pass it by, and what the layout tells you about how the city actually functioned before it was abandoned.

The drive to Baalbek passes the Stone of the Pregnant Woman: a single limestone block 21 metres long, weighing 1,000 tonnes, cut 2,000 years ago and still lying in the quarry where it was abandoned. Standing next to it recalibrates your sense of scale before you reach the temple complex. Baalbek itself is where the guide earns the booking: the Temple of Jupiter sits on Trilithon stones each weighing over 800 tonnes. The largest dressed stones in human history. The Temple of Bacchus, larger than the Parthenon and almost entirely intact, is the best-preserved Roman temple on earth. The Temple of Venus completes a complex that took three centuries to build. Without context, the site is overwhelming. With the right guide, every column and courtyard makes sense.

Lunch is included in two of the three options: Lebanese mezze and grilled meats either in Baalbek or at the riverside restaurant terraces of Zahle, Lebanon's most celebrated food destination, depending on timing and group preference. The afternoon continues at Chateau Ksara, founded by Jesuit monks in 1857 above 2 kilometres of Roman cave cellars. The cave tour comes first (ancient tunnels at a naturally constant temperature year-round), then a tasting of Ksara's wines. Your guide connects the dots between the morning temples and the afternoon caves, making the winery feel like a continuation of Baalbek rather than a separate stop. Drop-off at your Beirut hotel happens around 6:00–7:00 PM.

What’s included

• Hotel pickup and drop-off in Beirut.
• air-conditioned vehicle.
• full guided exploration of Baalbek and Anjar with a professional expert guide in English.
• lunch at a local restaurant (included in two of the three options).
• entry to Anjar and Baalbek (included in the "Guided Tour + Lunch + Tickets" option).
• cave tour and wine tasting at Chateau Ksara.

Options for this experience

3 options

Guided tour, lunch not includedGuide in English · 08:30Lunch and tickets not included: this option does not cover lunch or tickets, so those costs are paid by you. Guided tour: a guided visit to Anjar and the Baalbek Temples. Pickup is included.

Guided tour with lunchGuide in English · 08:30Tickets not included: this option does not cover admission tickets, so that cost is paid by you. Lunch is included in the tour price. Guided tour: a guided visit to Anjar and the Baalbek Temples. Pickup is included.

Guided tour, lunch and ticketsGuide in English · 08:30Tickets included: admission to Anjar and the Temples of Baalbek is covered by the tour price. Lunch is included in the tour price. Guided tour: a guided visit of Anjar and the Baalbek Temples. Pickup is included.

You'll see the exact price of each option when you check availability.See dates and prices

Before you book

Days and timesEvery dayDeparts at 08:30

AgesAdult (13 and older) · Child (4 to 12 years) · Infant (under 4): free

GroupUp to 12

Live guideEnglish

Meeting point and pickupHotel pickup included.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.It may be canceled due to bad weather. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund.

Prices and times updated 5 days ago

Good to know

Low physical effortInfants must sit on laps

Operated by Beirut Daily Tours

Is this one for you?Book this tour if you want the Bekaa Valley explained rather than simply seen: the guide transforms three separate archaeological sites into one coherent story, which is what separates a morning of impressive stops from an afternoon that actually makes sense. Choose the "Guided Tour + Lunch + Tickets" option if you want everything arranged. Pick "Guided Tour + Lunch" or "Guided Tour Without Lunch" if you prefer to add entry tickets separately or skip the included meal.

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Top questions

Can children come?

Yes. Ticket types: Child (4 to 12 years); Infant (under 4): free.

What happens if it rains?

It may be canceled due to bad weather. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund. Free cancellation up to 24 h before the start.

What exactly is Anjar, and why do most tours skip it?

Anjar is a complete Umayyad palatial city built in the early 8th century by Caliph Walid I and abandoned within decades, never reoccupied: the only surviving example of its kind in the Levant. It has colonnaded streets, a palace with over 40 towers, a mosque and bathhouses all still standing, but most tour groups pass it by because the temples at Baalbek are more famous. Your guide explains what the layout reveals about how the city functioned before it was abandoned.

How does the guide connect three different archaeological sites into one story?

The guide covers the architectural, religious and historical layers of Baalbek in detail, then connects those same Roman civilisations to the 2-kilometre cave cellars beneath Chateau Ksara, where wine has been ageing in the same underground tunnels for over a century. The morning temples and the afternoon winery become chapters of the same narrative rather than separate stops.

What's included in the lunch, and where do you eat?

Lunch is Lebanese mezze and grilled meats, fully included in two of the three booking options. You eat either in Baalbek or at the riverside restaurant terraces of Zahle, Lebanon's most celebrated food destination, depending on timing and group preference: your guide decides based on how the morning unfolds.

Is entry to Anjar and Baalbek included in the price?

Entry to both sites is included in the "Guided Tour + Lunch + Tickets" option. If you book the "Guided Tour + Lunch" or "Guided Tour Without Lunch" options, you choose at checkout whether to add the tickets separately.

How long is the full day, and what time do you return to Beirut?

The tour runs approximately 9 hours from hotel pickup at 8:30 AM to drop-off around 6:00–7:00 PM. The drive to Anjar takes about an hour, and you spend the afternoon at Baalbek and Chateau Ksara before heading back.

What happens at Chateau Ksara after the cave tour?

After exploring the 2-kilometre Roman cave cellars at a naturally constant temperature, you taste Ksara's wines: Cabernet-Syrah blends, Blanc de Blancs and Sunset Rosé. The cave tour comes first so you understand the underground environment where the wine ages, then the tasting connects the afternoon back to the morning's exploration of Roman civilisation at Baalbek.