A country · 68 places · 9 regions

Lebanon, all of it.

68 curated places across 9 regions — photographed, mapped, and noted with the season each is best in.

Tripoli, Lebanon · via Wikimedia Commons

The 4 biggest regions — Beirut Governorate, North Governorate, Mount Lebanon Governorate and South Governorate — read below as chapters, with 5 more waiting past them.

Chapter I · Beirut Governorate · 17 places

Beirut Governorate

A seafront promenade running several kilometres along Beirut's Mediterranean shoreline from the Pigeon Rocks sea stacks in the southwest to the port district in the northeast. The Raouché rock formations — two massive offshore limestone stacks — are the principal landmark visible from the southern section and are particularly dramatic at sunset when viewed from the clifftop cafés. The corniche serves as the main public outdoor gathering space in the city, active at all hours. The contrast between the open sea to the west and the dense urban fabric rising eastward is characteristic of Beirut's compressed geography.

Beirut Corniche

Beirut Governorate, Lebanon

✦ April to June, September to November · $

National Museum of Beirut

Beirut Governorate, Lebanon

✦ April to October · $

Mohammad Al-Amin Mosque

Beirut Governorate, Lebanon

✦ April to October · $

All 17 places in Beirut Governorate →

via Wikimedia Commons

Chapter II · North Governorate · 12 places

North Governorate

Lebanon's second city, situated on the northern coast where a medieval Mamluk old city has survived in relatively intact condition, containing the largest concentration of Mamluk architecture in the world outside Egypt. The historic souks specialize in traditional trades — soap-making, copper working, textiles — and the Great Mosque of Tripoli, originally a Crusader cathedral, preserves fabric from multiple periods. The Citadel of Raymond de Saint-Gilles, a Crusader fortification subsequently modified by the Mamluks and Ottomans, overlooks the city from a low hill. The proximity of the old city to the port and to several ancient harbours makes Tripoli a layered archaeological setting.

✦ April to June, September to November · $

Meet Tripoli, Lebanon All 12 places in North Governorate →

Chapter III · Mount Lebanon Governorate · 11 places

Mount Lebanon Governorate

A system of two interconnected limestone caves in the Nahr al-Kalb valley north of Beirut, extending nearly nine kilometres and containing some of the largest known stalactites in the world. The lower cave is accessible by boat along an underground river, while the upper cave is traversed on foot via walkways that bring visitors close to massive stalactite and stalagmite formations. The scale of some individual formations — the world's largest known stalactite at over eight metres — is difficult to appreciate from photographs. The site has been a recognized natural landmark since the 19th century when it was documented by British explorers.

Jeita Grotto

Mount Lebanon Governorate, Lebanon

✦ Year-round · $$

Chouf Cedar Reserve

Mount Lebanon Governorate, Lebanon

✦ May to October · $

Deir el Qamar

Mount Lebanon Governorate, Lebanon

✦ April to October · $

All 11 places in Mount Lebanon Governorate →

via Wikimedia Commons

Chapter IV · South Governorate · 7 places

South Governorate

A Crusader fortress built on a small island linked to the shore by a stone causeway in the old port of Sidon. Its weathered towers, reusing ancient columns, guard the entrance to the historic harbour.

✦ April to October · $

Meet Sidon Sea Castle All 7 places in South Governorate →