Sidon, Tyre & Maghdouche tour from Beirut: Expert local guide

Walk a Roman necropolis with someone who knows every stone

A private day trip from Beirut to three sites across south Lebanon: Sidon's Crusader sea castle, medieval souk and olive oil soap museum; Tyre's Al-Bass archaeological complex with an expert local guide; and the hilltop sanctuary of Maghdouche. Hotel pickup and drop-off in Beirut, private vehicle throughout, and entry tickets payable on site. The guide joins at Tyre, where the Roman triumphal arch, colonnaded necropolis street and 20,000-seat hippodrome are explored at depth.

Step-by-step itinerary

Explore Sidon, Tyre, and Maghdouché

• 9:00 AM hotel pickup in Beirut
• Visit Sidon Sea Castle
• Explore Sidon Old Souks
• Tour the Olive Oil Soap Museum
• See Khan el Franj caravanserai
• Meet local guide at Al-Bass Archaeological Complex in Tyre
• Walk through Tyre's Roman necropolis and hippodrome
• Optional lunch in Tyre
• Visit Basilica of Our Lady of Mantara in Maghdouché
• Return to Beirut hotel by early evening

The experience

How do you see 5,000 years of Phoenician, Crusader and Roman history in a single day without losing the detail that makes it stick? This tour builds around three stops south of Beirut, each one a layer of the same coastal story. Your driver picks you up at your Beirut hotel and takes the Mediterranean highway toward Sidon, where you start with the 13th-century Crusader sea castle: a fortress on a small island connected to shore by a stone causeway with open sea on both sides. From the ramparts, the driver walks you through the full history: Phoenician traders using this harbour 3,000 years before the Crusaders built here, then the Mamluk conquest that came after. You move at your own pace through the stops.

Sidon's old souks come next: stone-vaulted alleyways where spice merchants, goldsmiths and artisan workshops have traded continuously for centuries, not curated or renovated, just functioning as they always have. Your driver navigates with local knowledge and points out what makes Sidon's market different from every other souk in Lebanon. The soap museum, the only olive oil soap museum on earth, is housed in a beautifully restored khan in the old city and tells the complete story from olive grove to finished bar. A stop most travelers did not know they wanted until they are inside it. Khan el Franj, a 17th-century caravanserai built by Emir Fakhreddine II for European merchants trading along the Silk Road, closes out Sidon with arcaded courtyards, vaulted galleries and carved stone facades.

At Tyre, an expert local guide joins you at the Al-Bass archaeological complex. Someone who has spent years studying this site and knows its Roman and Phoenician layers at a depth that visiting guides cannot match. You enter through a triumphal arch still standing after two thousand years, walk a colonnaded street flanked by ancient sarcophagi from the Roman necropolis, and reach the Tyre Hippodrome, one of the largest in the Roman world, built for 20,000 spectators on a 480-metre track with starting gates and turning posts still in place. Your guide places every structure in its full historical context. Lunch at a local Tyre restaurant (fresh Lebanese mezze and seafood with the ancient city as backdrop) is optional and at your own expense. The day closes at Maghdouche, a hilltop sanctuary where the Basilica stands above an ancient cave. Mantara means "the one who waits" in Arabic. Christian tradition holds that the Virgin Mary waited here while Jesus preached in Sidon below, a place of pilgrimage for two millennia revered equally by Christians and Muslims. Panoramic views over the southern Lebanese coast mark the end before your return to Beirut around 5:30 to 6:30 PM.

What’s included

• Knowledgeable English-speaking driver and private air-conditioned vehicle for your group throughout the day.
• hotel pickup and drop-off in Beirut.
• visits to Sidon Sea Castle, the world's only olive oil soap museum, the medieval Old Souks and Khan el Franj caravanserai.
• expert local guide at Tyre's Al-Bass archaeological complex.
• 30-minute walk through Sidon's Old Souks.
• entry to the Basilica of Our Lady of Mantara in Maghdouche.

Before you book

Days and timesEvery dayDeparts at 09:00

GroupPrivate

Live guideEnglish and Arabic

Meeting point and pickupHotel pickup included.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.

Prices and times updated 8 days ago

Good to know

Easy physical levelInfant seats available

Operated by Beirut Daily Tours

Is this one for you?The guide speaks English fluently, so you follow the full historical context at every stop without translation delays. If you read Arabic or prefer it, the guide is equally fluent in that language and can switch at any point during the day.

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Top questions

What languages is the guide in?

Live guide in English and Arabic.

What makes the Al-Bass complex in Tyre worth the trip from Beirut?

Al-Bass is a UNESCO World Heritage Site where a Roman triumphal arch, a colonnaded necropolis street lined with ancient sarcophagi, and a 20,000-seat hippodrome with original starting gates and turning posts still stand after two thousand years. An expert local guide who has spent years studying the site joins you here and places every structure in its full historical context: the kind of visit where you leave knowing what you actually saw.

What is the olive oil soap museum, and is it really the only one?

Sidon has been producing olive oil soap for over a thousand years. This museum, housed in a beautifully restored khan in the old city, is the only olive oil soap museum on earth and tells the complete story from olive grove to finished bar. A stop most travelers did not know they wanted until they are inside it.

Do I pay for entry tickets upfront, or at each site?

Entry tickets to Sidon Sea Castle, the soap museum, Khan el Franj and the Al-Bass complex are payable on site, not included in the tour price. Your driver and guide will handle the logistics at each stop.

Is lunch included, and what are the restaurant options in Tyre?

Lunch in Tyre is optional and at your own expense. Your driver recommends the best local spots serving fresh Lebanese mezze and seafood with the ancient city as backdrop. You can choose to eat or skip this stop depending on your preference and budget.

How long is the full day, and what time does the tour end?

The tour runs approximately eight hours from hotel pickup in Beirut to drop-off, with return to your hotel around 5:30 to 6:30 PM. The pace is your own at each site, so you control how long you spend at Sidon's souks, the soap museum, Khan el Franj, and Maghdouche.