Beirut, the city of contrasts, where the jacaranda flowers and oleander fill the streets and gardens of old, crumbling French-style villas, where one shop window glitters with ancient Roman glass and priceless ancient art pieces and the next doorway is riddled with bullet holes, relics of the 2006 civil war.
The ruins of the ancient Roman Baths in Beirut, Lebanon
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Rising like the proverbial phoenix, Beirut is vibrant and exciting, soulful and complex yet welcoming and cosmopolitan. When you hit Beirut and the bars of Gemmayzeh, you feel the pulse of the city, and it’s racing. Stay up late – there are more drinking hot spots and clubs tucked away like precious gems across the city. Any of the coloured steps that lead from the main Gemmayzeh drag will take you to a new flight of fun, a new level of sophisticated engagement with one of the most vibrant cities you can visit.
View of one of the streets in Gemmayze district of Beirut, Lebanon
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A frisson of the past walks with you everywhere in Beirut. Along the Corniche, The Saint-George was the first beach club to open on the coast of Beirut in the 1930s, and its attached hotel played host to glamorous visitors including Brigitte Bardot, Peter O’Toole (during breaks from filming Lawrence of Arabia in Jordan) and Egypt’s King Farouk. The action has moved on now, past Madame Bleu and the beach clubs filled with fashionable Lebanese in chic swimwear and shades taking in the Mediterranean glitter and the golden sun.
Etoile square and mosque Al Amin
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From Clemenceau, with the flowers tumbling from courtyards gated with ornate French filigree, to the Zaha Hadid-designed American University building, on to the glamour of downtown: high-end shops and classy cocktails at rooftop bars of hotels such as Le Grey and the Four Seasons. The architecture is cutting edge and the message is clear – the party started here. That it stopped and started many times is still clearly visible in the bullet-scarred doorways and the bombed-out Egg cinema building, a relic of the 1960s. Nearby is the ancient Roman Forum, intact and tucked next to a shiny new mosque. In Badaro, there are museums and cafés leading to the district’s boutiques and small antiques shops. Hamra is alive with chat and lively lounges, and then Achrafieh and Gemmayzeh ramp up the party with more bars and villas glinting with enticing lights, fashion and food.
Beirut classical architectural detail with the Al-Amine mosque in the distance
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This is a sybaritic city, one that feeds the senses as much as the intellect. In Beirut, it’s impossible not to involve oneself in the history, the conversation, the bar scene, the embroidering of present with past, quite literally mending damage where cracks have been visible. It’s full of bustle and noise, but there is always a cosy lounge, or a bench under the shade of a jacaranda tree on which to sit and take in this extraordinary region.
The best hotels in Beirut
The best things to do in Beirut
MIM MUSEUM
Who knew that a museum devoted to rocks and fossils could be so compelling? Anyone who has come across Michael Suleiman, the debonair international owner with more than a touch of Indiana Jones in his vision for this surprising little gem, will know that rocks rock. Founded only seven years ago, but constantly in the top five listings for Beirut, the combination of state-of-the-art technology and top-quality crystals, put together by a man whose heart is clearly made of gemstones, is astounding. ‘I love to hear of death or divorce in the world of collectors,’ he deadpans, ‘and I will go into battle for the best in the world. I have the best in the world of everything here.’ He points to a splash of solid gold that looks like an angel in flight: ‘It’s natural, someone found it in a rock.’
Address: Mim Museum, Université Saint-Joseph Campus de L’innovation et du Sport, Beirut
Telephone: +961 1 421 672
SPORTING CLUB BEACH
Cocktails, sun loungers and miles of pools, terraces and vistas across the Mediterranean. This old-fashioned tiled beach club is dramatically tucked between some vertiginous rocks and the sea, which sweeps an aquamarine dazzle around the white-painted walls and concrete jetty. Have lunch or just a bottle of rosé, nuts and carrot sticks spritzed with lemon juice. The chat is international, everyone talks in two or three languages, and the bikinis are fashion-forward. Think Roxy Music’s Country Life album cover, this is Beirut like we are back in the 1970s and the fun has never stopped.
Address: Ra’s Bayrut, Beirut, Lebanon
Telephone: +961 1 742 200BYBLOS, UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE SITE
Take a trip up the coast and back in time to Byblos. Billed as the first Phoenician city and with records going back to 5,000 BC, it is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world and is a Unesco World Heritage site. It is also an old haunt of the stars – Marlon Brando and Frank Sinatra were often to be found at Pepe’s the upmarket fish restaurant on the harbor. The walls here are now peppered with glamorous black and white photographs of Hollywood greats, such as Brigitte Bardot in her bikini, fishing ancient treasures out of the water. The ancient port sits beneath crusader castle ramparts, there are sandy beaches backed by the mountains, Phoenician and Roman ruins, and it’s a pull for the fashionable Lebanese with space for yachts and speedboats, giving it a uniquely suave feel – the South of France meets Ancient Rome.
Address: Chez Pepe’s, Byblos, Lebanon
Telephone: +961 9 540 213SURSOCK MUSEUM
In the swanky Achrafieh district of Beirut, there is many a marvellous mansion, veiled by gardenia and jacaranda, orange blossom and oleander, but none more startling than the Venetian/Ottoman-style palace that is the Sursock mansion. Old and new architectural gems are jammed into this fancy area, where glitzy skyscrapers soar next to the elegant filigree ironwork of old villas and the dusty gunshot-peppered walls of buildings damaged in the civil war. Here, the Sursock Palace is the belle of the ball. Lebanese aristocratic art collector Nicolas Ibrahim Sursock left his gorgeous 1950s mansion to the city, to give Beirut an internationally important contemporary art museum. Recently reopened after a seven-year refurbishment, the international A-list make a beeline here to see great art displayed in the original rooms, which feature hand-carved 16th-century panels from Damascus, and four new subterranean floors. Be seen here and make time to sit in the garden for long enough to absorb the decadence of this mansion. The 2018 Reith Lectures were broadcast from here, and there is always something internationally important going on behind the gracious white walls of the Sursock.
Address: Sursock Museum, Greek Orthodox Archbishopric Street, Ashrafieh, Beirut, Lebanon
Telephone: + 961 1 202 001
Website: sursock.museumTHE BEST BARS & RESTAURANTS IN BEIRUT
The Lebanese eat late and restaurants and bars start to buzz from 9pm onwards. Hamra and Mar Mikhael are the best areas for pre- and post-dinner drinks, and you can stay out late partying in every venue from a hole-in-the-wall or a mirror-lined palace to a soaring rooftop bar among the clouds.
SALON BEYROUTH
This restaurant, cocktail and whisky bar in Hamra has live music from 9pm on Wednesday and Saturday, when they sweep back the tables to open up a dancefloor. The traditional Lebanese food is fresh, the baked aubergine, tahini, cauliflower, the roast chicken; utterly delicious. A great place for drinks and snacks, or a whole dinner rolled out in chilled elegance, the atmosphere is seriously laid-back.
Address: Salon Beyrouth, Mohammad Abdul Baki Street, Beirut, Lebanon
Telephone: +961 1 739 317
Website: salonbeyrouth.comANISE
A glamorous hole-in-the-wall on Mar Mikhael’s trendy Alexander Fleming Street that specialises in great cocktails and also Arak, the Lebanese national tipple. Mood lighting, jazz playing, happy hour before 9pm and mixologists with crisp white shirts and ties; there’s more than a hint of James Bond channelled here. Expect an irresistible and intriguing range of cocktails and, potentially, a bad headache in the morning.
GRUEN EATERY
Located in Clemenceau, this joint is Californian in style with Lebanese ingredients and was founded by Nayla Audi, of Oslo ice cream fame, and Maria Ousseimi. There are wonderful prawns heaped on steamed vegetables, salads, lentil dishes and fabulous pizza. A terrace, groovy clientele and, of course, some serious ice creams, including a macaroon ice-cream sandwich, make this a great place to spend a leisurely lunch.
Address: Gruen Eatery, Gefinor Center, Beirut
Telephone: +961 (0)1-737 344IRIS
Located in Martyrs’ Square, Iris is an open-air bar that ticks all the boxes – sea views, spacious and super-fun. There are well-known DJs and live music, which creates the best atmosphere for delicious sunset cocktails. Try a Bella Rosa (champagne, Aperol and mint) and let the sparkle enter your soul.
Address: Iris, An Nahar Building, Martyrs’ Square, Beirut 00-000 Beirut, Lebanon
Telephone: +9613 090 936CAPITOLE
A snazzy bar with a rooftop view of the city, including the mosque and downtown, this atmospheric venue is always packed out. Inventive cocktails, exceptional music, sophisticated lighting – order food and stay late. Choose small plates with fresh tastes – from beef carpaccio with truffle oil to squid and lemon salad. Don’t pass up the chance to make memories here.
Address: Capitole, Asseily Building, Riad El Solh Square, downtown Beirut, Lebanon
Telephone:+961 1 999 339
Website: capitolebeirut.comHOTEL ALBERGO
The hotel’s Panoramic rooftop restaurant is a jewel, with wicker chairs, a bower of flowers and palms on the terrace for a cocktail, alongside the beauty of Persian rugs and Ottoman chandeliers as well as discreet service executed with flourish. Hand-painted glass, mother-of-pearl inlaid tables and some of the best food in Beirut is to be had here in surroundings that wrap you in delightful luxury and excellence.
Address: Hotel Albergo, 137 Rue Abdel Wahab El Inglizi, Beirut
Telephone: +961 (0) 1 33 97 97
Website: albergobeirut.comBARON
This tiny restaurant on the main drag in Mar Mikhael packs a big punch. It serves a stream of small plates, mezze-style, which change with the whims of the talented chef/owner Athanasios Kargatzidis and the available produce of the season. Expect foodie food in a minimal-chic venue with the chef’s kitchen on show. Stay a while for dinner and drinks and enjoy being part of the hip scene. The staff are understated but knowledgeable and the vibe is unflustered yet passionate about the tastes coming though. Don’t miss it.
CASABLANCA
In a former villa overlooking the Corniche, experience old-school Beirut, with good seafood, French cooking and an atmosphere that is hard to beat. Casablanca is quaint and individual – its understated entrance rolls out into a beautiful restaurant with highly decorated ceilings, high-end food and exceptionally good service. A great choice for a date or a special occasion.
Address: Casablanca, Rue Dar el Mreisseh, Ain el Mreisseh Qaddoura Building, Beirut, Lebanon
Telephone: +961 1 369 334THE BEST SHOPS IN BEIRUT
VANINA
A store with a story, the Vanina brand began as jewellery and has developed into fashion and accessories and increasingly the whole lifestyle, all designed and made in Lebanon and created by childhood friends Tatiana Fayad and Joanne Hayek. Come check out the design in the flagship store in Gemmayzeh, where playful excellence is the order of the day. The jewellery is really great and the ethos of suParisstainability, local community involvement and a true connection to the art of craft brings this store to the forefront of the movement for activism in fashion. Vanina is stocked in cities from London to Paris, across the Middle East, the Americas and all the way to Japan and Australia.
Address: Vanina, 527 Gouraud Street, Gemmayzeh
Telephone: +961 1 448173; +961 1 447449
Website: vanina.meLE66 CHAMPS-ELYSEES CONCEPT STORE
This concrete and glass downtown boutique of smouldering haven of fashion cool. Check out the curated rails of international cutting-edge designer pieces. Istanbul’s Lug Von Siga offers a bohemian feel, while Italian brand Costume National provides achingly cool shapes and textures for a 21st-century look. Fine art, sports accessories, music and lighting can all be browsed as well in this great space.
Address:Le66 Champs-Elysees, 151 Foch Street, downtown Beirut, Lebanon
Telephone: +961 1 985 470BLAK&CO LIVING DESIGN
Beirut is famous for the innovative and elegant taste and style of the city and its inhabitants. Blak&Co is a one-stop shop for cool decor, where an Italian glass floor light or marble table will bring all the texture, colour and chic your home needs. Stock can include De La Spada, Matthew Hilton and Studioilse, along with individual pieces from the 1950s onwards, the pared-back sophistication of the stock in this shop is hypnotically desirable.
Address: Blak&Co Living Design, Mar Mitr Street, Achrafieh, Beirut, Lebanon
Telephone: +961 3 615 747
Website: blakandco.comORIENT 499
This stylish downtown boutique outfit is a must – stocking everything from silk kaftans to cushions, throws, carpets and funky contemporary furniture, it will have you reaching for a second suitcase to pack up all your booty. Scents, artefacts, the whole souk, in fact, exists in this gorgeous store, where antique pieces pile high with fern artefacts to make a whole home vibe that is unmistakably Beirut in its concept.
Address: Orient 499, 499 Omar Daouk Street, Beirut, Lebanon
Telephone: +961 1 369 499
Website: orient499.comKeep scrolling to see more pictures of the best things to do in Beirut
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