Tripoli & Batroun tour: Souks, fortress, sweets palace

A 500-year-old open-air market still runs the way it did centuries ago.

A six to seven hour private tour of Tripoli and Batroun from Beirut, with hotel pickup and a live guide in English, French or Arabic. You walk the old souks where craftsmen, pastry makers and fishermen work in the heart of the city, visit the Crusader fortress that overlooks it, taste sweets at a family factory dating to 1881, then travel to the Phoenician coastal town of Batroun to see the old walls, churches and port.

Step-by-step itinerary

Explore Tripoli and visit Batroun

• Visit Crusader fortress in Tripoli
• Tour old souks and craftsmen shops
• Enjoy sweets at the sweets palace
• Drive to Phoenician town of Batroun
• Explore Batroun old streets and walls

The experience

Six to seven hours takes you through Tripoli's souks first: the warren of small shops where traditional craftsmen, dressmakers, carpenters and pastry makers still work in a 500-year-old open-air market. The guide walks you through, naming the trades and the families who have held the same stalls for generations. Uptown sits the Crusader fortress, built between 1103 and 1104, burned in 1297 and partly rebuilt by a Mamluk emir. It still stands with its three gateways (one Ottoman, one Mamluk, one Crusader), and a small museum inside.

The sweets palace is a working factory that opened in 1881. A chef is there to explain the flavors: not only baklava, but a range of pastry arts and oriental sweets made on-site. You taste as you go. After Tripoli, the tour moves to Batroun, a small Phoenician coastal town with old streets, Phoenician wall defenses, churches, a beach and a working port: the kind of place tourists find lovely and locals still live in.

What’s included

• Hotel pickup and drop-off.
• a driver and guide who speaks English, French or Arabic.
• local taxes and fuel surcharge.

Before you book

Days and timesEvery dayDeparts at 09:00

Book up to4h before

AgesAdult (4 to 90 years) · Child (under 4)

GroupPrivate

Live guideEnglish, French and Arabic

Audio guideEnglish

Meeting point and pickupHotel pickup included.You can choose from 17 pickup points.

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

Prices and times updated today

Good to know

Moderate physical levelInfant seats available

Operated by DAVE LEBANON DMC

Is this one for you?Book this tour if you want to move through a working city (the souks, the fortress, the sweets factory) rather than sit in a museum. The six to seven hour pace fits both Tripoli and Batroun into one morning or afternoon, and the guide is there to explain what you are standing in front of, not to narrate from a distance.

Traveler reviews

4.96★★★★★★★★★★

51 verified traveler reviews

5 ★50

4 ★0

3 ★1

2 ★0

1 ★0

Read all the reviews ›

Top questions

What languages is the guide in?

Live guide in English, French and Arabic.

Can children come?

Yes. Ticket types: Child (under 4).

What exactly is in Tripoli's old souks that makes them worth a morning?

The souks are a 500-year-old open-air market where craftsmen, dressmakers, carpenters, painters, fishermen and pastry makers still work in small shops. It is the working heart of the city, not a museum version of one.

Can I taste the sweets at the palace, or just look at them?

You taste them. The sweets palace has been a working factory since 1881, and the chef explains the flavors and the pastry arts as you sample a range of oriental sweets and baklava.

What is the Crusader fortress like inside?

The fortress was built in 1103–1104 and partly rebuilt after a fire in 1297. It has three gateways (Ottoman, Mamluk and Crusader), information panels and a small museum. It is still used by the Lebanese military and remains an impressive structure.

Is lunch included in this tour?

Lunch is optional depending on which option you choose at checkout. Ask when you book if you want a meal included.