- Important points
- Choosing wings
- Lebanon Accommodation
- Transport subtleties
- Nightingales are not fed with fables
- Useful details
- The perfect trip to Lebanon
For more than two thousand years, the crowns of magnificent trees, which have become a symbol of a small Middle Eastern state, have been rustling over the famous Valley of the Cedars. The Lebanese cedar proudly adorns the country's flag, and from its wood, as the locals claim, Noah once built an ark and saved the animals from the flood. On a trip to Lebanon, you will see many archaic ruins and imposing buildings from the times of Ancient Rome, the scale of which is unmatched anywhere else in the world. You will love Beirut, which has preserved, despite all the vicissitudes of the last turbulent decades, the true charm of an oriental city that does not shy away from European grace and gloss. You will appreciate the Arabian charm of the multi-kilometer bazaars of Tripoli, traditionally famous for its sweets, and feel the spirit of millennia sweeping over ancient Byblos in an instant.
Important points
- A citizen of the Russian Federation who is going to travel in Lebanon as a tourist without staying in the country for more than 30 days will not need a visa. Border guards may ask questions only to young and single women. They should get a visa in advance in order to be guaranteed to get into the country. Nor will they be allowed entry to those who have a stamp on their visit to Israel in their passports.
- Dollars and Euros are equally popular for currency exchange in Lebanon. The most reliable way to exchange them for Lebanese pounds is at bank branches.
- Credit cards are accepted everywhere only in the capital and large cities. In the provinces, it is worth carrying cash with you.
Choosing wings
A direct flight from the capital of Russia to Beirut is not cheap and takes about 4 hours, but you can fly cheaper with transfers:
- The cheapest tickets are offered by the Turkish low-cost airline Pegasus Airlines. The flight with them through Istanbul will take about 5 hours and will cost $ 260.
- Their older comrades, Turkish Airlines, sell tickets for the Moscow - Beirut flight via Istanbul for $ 300.
- About $ 300 costs a flight by Greek airlines Aegean Airlines through Athens. You will have to spend almost 6 hours in the sky.
Lebanon Accommodation
There are many hotels in Beirut, including the "five" with world names, and authentic Middle Eastern hotels, and inexpensive hostels. In the provinces, the situation is somewhat different, and it is better to look for and book a hotel with a minimum set of comfortable options for you in advance.
The cost of living in a 5 * metropolitan hotel starts from $ 70 per day. Hotels in global chains are more expensive, and a night in a Marriott, Radisson or Holiday Inn will cost $ 100 -150, as elsewhere in the world.
Starless hotels are ready to accommodate a tourist for $ 30 -40 $, guaranteeing laconic equipment and amenities, shared bathroom, air conditioning and free parking and wireless internet.
Transport subtleties
Car rental in Lebanon is very popular with foreign tourists. The roads in the country are in fair condition and the signs are duplicated in French. If you are not confident in your abilities and fear unfamiliar driving conditions, hire a taxi car. In Lebanon it is cheaper than renting a car with a driver.
The small country cannot boast of domestic flights or railways. And why, because Lebanon can be crossed by car in just 3-4 hours.
Buses connecting popular tourist cities are privately owned and offer increased comfort. They are air conditioned and equipped with dry closets. For shorter distances, you can get around with the help of municipal buses - not very convenient, but very cheap. Local "minibuses" carry passengers along the city streets.
Nightingales are not fed with fables
Lebanese cuisine is one of the brightest and most interesting in the region, although it can be attributed to the Middle Eastern in general. Its formation was greatly influenced not only by the Arab and Turkish culinary traditions, but also by the European colonial culture. There are many restaurants in the country that even the French speak of with respect, but the prices in such places are almost close to those in Paris.
For the cheapest bites, you can find street vendors offering shawarma and barbecues, charcoal-grilled vegetables, cheese pies and traditional Middle Eastern hummus and falafel. A quick lunch at such a street cafe will cost $ 6-7.
In a cafe with tables and waiters, you will pay twice as much for the same, but enjoy the gallant service and clean tablecloths. After your meal, order a hookah. In the east, they know a lot about this, and all the pleasure will cost no more than $ 6.
French-style restaurants have on the menu real Parisian delicacies and wines with many zeros in Lebanese pounds on the price tag. Having dined together in such an establishment and ordering salads, wine and hot dishes, you will see at least $ 40 -50 $ in the check.
Lebanon also has some of the world's most popular food service chains, including McDonald's and Burger King. Lunch at such a "restaurant" will cost you $ 6-7, but the Lebanese cedars that surround the establishment will make a very disapproving noise.
Useful details
- Most of the urban population of Lebanon speaks three languages, and therefore there are no problems with communication among English- and French-speaking tourists.
- When traveling to the northeastern part of the country, check the weather forecast. Dust storms often occur here.
- The cost of sightseeing guide services is approximately $ 20. If you understand English or French, please use their services. Enjoy extraordinary pleasure.
- When driving your rental car, keep in mind that parking near Lebanon's most famous landmarks is usually paid. The price of the issue is about $ 1.5.
- Drink only bottled water. The cost of a standard "polorashka" is $ 1.5 -1.8.
The perfect trip to Lebanon
The subtropical Mediterranean climate provides the western part of the country with a cedar on the flag, hot weather in summer and warm and humid in winter. On the coast in July-August it can be up to + 35 ° С, and in January - no more than + 15 ° С. In the rest of Lebanon, in summer it is slightly cooler - up to + 26 ° С, and in winter mercury columns often drop to + 10 ° С and even lower. There is snow in the mountains in January and February and the "high" season begins in local ski resorts.
A beach holiday on the Mediterranean coast is especially comfortable in June and September. Mid and late summer in Lebanon is hot in every sense. Firstly, in combination with humidity, temperatures above + 30 ° C are not very comfortable to tolerate, and secondly, at this time of the year, the beach resorts of Lebanon become overcrowded due to the local youth rushing into the holidays.
The excursion program, which usually includes a visit to the Bekaa with the legendary Baalbek and the sacred valley of Kadisha, is best planned in autumn or mid-spring. In the off-season, the air temperature does not exceed + 22 ° С and the too scorching sun will not interfere with sightseeing. Migratory birds also arrive in the Palm Islands Reserve in autumn and spring, and hundreds of naturalists come to Lebanon to observe them during these seasons.
