Beirut, Beiteddine & Deir el Qamar: Three Lebanons in one day
One morning, three completely different versions of Lebanon
A small-group guided tour from Beirut through downtown landmarks, Beiteddine Palace in the Chouf Mountains, and Deir el Qamar: Lebanon's first capital and one of the best-preserved Ottoman villages in the country. The morning covers Pigeon Rocks, the seafront, a mosque and cathedral sharing the same square, Roman baths, and the deliberately unrepaired Civil War facade of the Holiday Inn. The afternoon moves to the palace and the village, where lunch is included. One guide connects the story across all three.
Options for this experience
3 optionsStep-by-step itinerary
Explore Beirut and Chouf Mountains
- Hotel pickup in Beirut
- Visit Pigeon Rocks and Zaitunay Bay
- Drive along Corniche el Manara
- Walk downtown Beirut landmarks
- Tour Beiteddine Palace
- Explore Deir el Qamar village
- Visit Fakhreddine Mosque and Saydet el Tallé Church
- Lunch in Deir el Qamar
- Return to Beirut hotel
What’s included
- Hotel pickup and drop-off in Beirut.
- air-conditioned vehicle.
- professional expert guide in English or Arabic.
- Beirut city highlights including Pigeon Rocks, the seafront, Mohammad Al-Amin Mosque, Saint George Cathedral, Martyrs' Square, Place de l'Étoile, Beirut Souks, and Roman Baths.
- entry to Beiteddine Palace and Deir el Qamar village with the mosque, church, and historic square (depending on the option selected).
- lunch at a local restaurant in Deir el Qamar with Lebanese mountain mezze (depending on the option selected).
Times
- Tuesday and Friday 08:30
Before you book
Operated by Beirut Daily Tours
Prices and times updated today
Need assistance?Message us on WhatsApp or by emailTraveler reviews
The experience
Your guide picks you up at your Beirut hotel at 8:30 AM and starts the city tour immediately. Pigeon Rocks (the limestone sea stacks off Raouche that dominate every postcard of the city) is five minutes away. From there the route follows the Corniche el Manara, Beirut's Mediterranean promenade, to Zaitunay Bay. The guide sets the geographical and historical context before the downtown walk begins, and the seafront drive includes the Holiday Inn with its Civil War facade deliberately left unrepaired: the most honest five seconds in Beirut, according to the operator, and the thing that tells you more about this country than a week of reading.
Downtown Beirut is a guided circuit through six essential stops all within walking distance: Mohammad Al-Amin Mosque, Saint George Cathedral, Martyrs' Square, Place de l'Étoile, Beirut Souks, and Roman Baths. Each stop has a distinct story that connects to the next. The mosque and cathedral stand metres apart: a physical reminder of coexistence in a city rebuilt around the ruins of civil war. The Roman baths sit in the middle of the downtown reconstruction, a fragment of the ancient city still visible inside the modern one.
The afternoon moves to the Chouf Mountains. Beiteddine Palace was built between 1788 and 1840 by Emir Bashir II, the ruler who unified Lebanon's mountain factions. Three interconnected courtyards hold hand-cut tilework and carved cedar-wood ceilings. Beneath the palace sits Lebanon's finest collection of Byzantine mosaics: floor panels of extraordinary quality that most visitors walk straight past. The palace is now the official summer residence of the Lebanese President. From there, the route reaches Deir el Qamar, meaning "Monastery of the Moon," a honey-stone Ottoman village that served as Lebanon's first capital under the Ma'an dynasty. The cobblestone square is framed by 17th and 18th-century mansions. A mosque and a church stand metres apart on the same hillside: four centuries of coexistence visible in a single view. Lunch is included at a local restaurant in the village, with grilled meats, fresh bread, and views over the Chouf valleys. Drop-off is back at your Beirut hotel by early evening.
Is this one for you?Book the option with lunch and tickets included if this is your first day in Lebanon and you want the full story (palace, village, and city) without stopping to figure out what to eat or which sites need separate entry. The small group size means the guide can pause at each downtown stop long enough for the connections to land, rather than rushing through a list of names.
More experiences you might like
Top questions
What languages is the tour guided in?
Live guide in English and Arabic.
Can children come?
Yes. Ticket types: Child (4 to 12 years); Infant (under 4): free.
What is the Holiday Inn facade and why does the guide spend time there?
The Holiday Inn on the Corniche el Manara is a hotel whose Civil War damage was deliberately left unrepaired as a monument to the conflict. The guide uses it as a visual anchor for understanding Beirut's recent history and the deliberate choices the city has made about what to preserve and what to rebuild.
What can I see inside Beiteddine Palace?
Beiteddine Palace has three interconnected courtyards with hand-cut tilework and carved cedar-wood ceilings built between 1788 and 1840. Beneath the palace is Lebanon's finest collection of Byzantine mosaics: floor panels of extraordinary quality that sit on the ground level and are easy to miss without a guide pointing them out.
Is Deir el Qamar actually a working village or just a museum?
Deir el Qamar is still a functioning village, not a museum. It served as Lebanon's first capital under the Ma'an dynasty and remains one of the most perfectly preserved historic villages in the country, with residents living in the 17th and 18th-century mansions that frame the cobblestone square.
How does the guide explain the relationship between the mosque and church in Deir el Qamar?
The mosque and church in Deir el Qamar stand metres apart on the same hillside, and the guide explains why this coexistence matters in Lebanese mountain identity and political history: a relationship that spans four centuries and is never accidental in a country where religious communities have had to negotiate shared space.
What does the tour include for lunch?
Lunch is included in the tour price (depending on the option selected) at a local restaurant in Deir el Qamar, with Lebanese mountain mezze: grilled meats, fresh bread, and views over the Chouf valleys.
How many people are in the group?
Groups stay under twelve people, which keeps the pace manageable and allows the guide to lead a walking circuit through downtown Beirut without the group splitting up or losing the thread of the story connecting each stop.
Beirut, Beiteddine & Deir el Qamar: Three Lebanons in one day
8h · EN +1 · at your hotel
from US$ 89 per person
Next, you choose your date and number of travelers and see the final price.