Small Group Tour to Jeita Grotto, Harissa & Byblos with Pickup & Dropoff

Jeita Grotto - Begin your day with a cheerful morning pickup from your Beirut hotel at 08:30am. Spend approximately 1.5 hours exploring the renowned JEITA GROTTOS, a network of two interconnected karstic limestone caves stretching nearly 10 kilometers. Then, proceed to your next significant destination.

Harissa - Continue your journey to HARISSA to visit the remarkable Virgin Mary Statue, traveling by car through the mountains.

The Shrine of Our Lady of Lebanon - Explore the panoramic views of JOUNIEH bay and the stunning scenery surrounding the Virgin Mary Statue in HARISSA.

Téléferique Harissa - Enjoy a ride on the main cable car from Harissa to Jounieh. If the cable car is closed, the journey will continue by car.

Teleferique du Liban - Your experienced driver will be waiting to take you to your next important stop, Byblos.

Byblos - Embark on a 1.5-hour tour of the UNESCO World Heritage Site of BYBLOS, one of the world’s oldest continuously inhabited cities.

Byblos Port - Stroll along the Marina, leading to the castle and the souk.

Byblos Castle - Optionally, visit the Crusader castle in Byblos, known as the castle of Gibelet, adjacent to the Phoenician archaeological site with the ruins of the Temple of Baalat Gebal and the Temple of the Obelisks.

Old Souk - Wander through the old souk of Byblos, an ancient market where you can purchase antiques, souvenirs, local crafts, and various other items from numerous local shops.

Byblos Port - Conclude your visit with a meal at a traditional restaurant, enjoying Mediterranean Lebanese cuisine at the port of Byblos. After lunch, your experienced driver will return you to Beirut and drop you off at your location.

Small Group Tour to Saidon, Maghdoushi & Tyre with Pickup & Dropoff

Crusaders Sea Castle - Start your day with a cheerful morning pickup from your Beirut hotel at 8:15 am for a day tour. Explore the ancient Phoenician city of Sidon, which has held significant religious, political, and commercial importance since 4000 B.C. Your first stop in Sidon will be the Crusaders Sea Castle.

Sidon Souks - Next, visit the old Souks (markets) stretching between the Sea Castle and the Land Castle (“St. Louis” Castle). These markets have preserved their beautiful buildings and commercial role. Observe repair processes and small crafts shops. The old Souk features vaulted alleys that are 14 kilometers long. Near the Sea Castle is the picturesque vaulted souk of Sidon, where workmen still practice their trades. At the edge of the souk is a traditional coffee house where men gather to smoke the narguileh (water pipe) and drink Turkish coffee. Fishermen sell their latest catch at the market near the souk’s entrance. Enter el-Shakiriyya market to find Debbaneh Palace, with a roofed narrow stairway leading to the internal yard of this old building, constructed in 1721, which has maintained its Ottoman Arab architectural features.

Musee du Savon - Visit a museum that traces the history of soap making in the region, its development, and manufacturing techniques. Watch a demonstration of traditional olive oil soap making and learn about the history of “hammam” (bath) traditions. The museum also features artifacts found during onsite excavation, including clay pipe heads from the 17th to 19th centuries and pottery fragments. The museum building itself is an old soap factory dating back to the 17th century, with parts believed to date back to the 13th century.

The Great al-Omari Mosque - Visit the Great Mosque, formerly the Church of St. John of the Hospitalers. The four walls of this rectangular building, recently restored to their natural beauty, date back to the 13th century. Originally a fortress-like Crusader compound with its own chapel, it remains an imposing structure, especially when viewed from the seaside.

Khan al-Franj - Explore the Khan El Franj, one of the many khans built by Fakhredine II for merchants and goods. This typical khan features a large rectangular courtyard with a central fountain surrounded by covered galleries. In the 19th century, it was the center of economic activity for the city and also housed the French consulate.

Our Lady of Mantara - After visiting Khan al Franj, head to the village of Maghdoucheh to visit Our Lady of Awaiting, a Melkite Greek Catholic Marian shrine and cave discovered in 1721. Walk through the shrine, which includes a tower crowned with the statue of the Virgin and Child, a cathedral, a cemetery, and a sacred cave believed to be where the Virgin Mary rested while waiting for Jesus.

Tyre Beach - After visiting Maghdoushi, head to Tyre to explore the old port.

Tyre - Walk from the port through the old streets to the other side of Tyre to explore the old traditional beach houses.

Roman Hippodrome - Visit the UNESCO World Heritage Site in Tyre, dating back to the 2nd century C.E. The Roman hippodrome is one of the largest and best-preserved of its kind in the Roman world. Walk through the 480-meter-long and 90-meter-wide horseshoe-shaped structure, which seated twenty thousand spectators who gathered to watch chariot racing.

Al-Bass Archaeological Site - Explore the Al-Bass site, home to a Byzantine road, a second-century triumphal arch, a Roman road with an aqueduct, and the remains of a second-century structure.

Tyre - Enjoy a meal at a traditional fast food restaurant before returning to Beirut, where you will be dropped off at your hotel.

Small Group Tour to Anjar, Baalbeck with Pickup & Dropoff

Anjar - Begin your day with a cheerful morning pickup from your Beirut hotel at 8:30am. Explore the Bekaa Valley, Lebanon’s most important farming region, and see the green fields on both sides of the road to Baalbek. The valley is situated between Mount Lebanon to the west and the Anti-Lebanon mountains to the east, stretching 120 kilometers long and 16 kilometers wide on average. The city of Anjar was founded by Caliph Walid I at the beginning of the 8th century. The ruins reveal a very regular layout, reminiscent of ancient palace-cities, and are a unique testimony to city planning under the Umayyads.

Umayyad Ruins of Aanjar - The Umayyad Ruins of Aanjar provide an outstanding example of the Umayyad civilization and an inland commercial center at the crossroads of two important routes: one from Beirut to Damascus and the other crossing the Bekaa from Homs to Tiberiade. Discovered by archaeologists in the late 1940s, the ruins include the walls of the Umayyad palace, harems, a mosque, the great palace of the Caliph, thermal baths, and many pillars featuring elements of Roman architectural style.

Sayyida Khawla Shrine - Visit the Mosque of Sayeda Khawla in Baalbek, erected on the site where Sayyida Khawla, the daughter of Imam al-Hussein and the granddaughter of the Prophet Muhammad, is believed to be buried. It is said that when the caravan of captives from Karbala passed through Baalbek, Sayyida Khawla passed away and was buried there.

Hajar al-Hibla - See the Stone of the Pregnant Woman, a worked Roman monolith in Baalbek. Along with another ancient stone block nearby, it is among the largest monoliths ever quarried. These building blocks were likely intended for the nearby Roman temple complex and are characterized by their monolithic gigantism, unparalleled in antiquity.

Baalbeck - Visit the Baalbek temple complex, home to two of the largest and grandest Roman temple ruins: the Temple of Bacchus and the Temple of Jupiter. Inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1984, this Phoenician city, known as Heliopolis during the Hellenistic period, retained its religious function during Roman times. The sanctuary of the Heliopolitan Jupiter attracted thousands of pilgrims. Baalbek’s colossal structures are among the finest examples of Imperial Roman architecture at its peak.

Temples of Baalbek - Located at the foot of the southwest slope of Anti-Lebanon, bordering the fertile plain of the Bekaa at an altitude of 1150 meters, the temples of Baalbek reached their peak during Roman times. Built over more than two centuries, these colossal constructions are among the most famous sanctuaries of the Roman world and a model of Imperial Roman architecture. Pilgrims flocked to the sanctuary to venerate the three deities known as the Romanized Triad of Heliopolis, an essentially Phoenician cult (Jupiter, Venus, and Bacchus).

Temples of Baalbek - The Roman ruins of Baalbek, Lebanon’s greatest Roman treasure, are considered among the wonders of the ancient world. The largest and most noble Roman temples ever built, they are also among the best preserved.

Temple of Bacchus - Part of the Baalbek temple complex in the Bekaa Valley, the Temple of Bacchus is one of the best-preserved and grandest Roman temple ruins. Its fine ornamentation dates back to the second century CE. The temple complex is an outstanding archaeological and artistic site of Imperial Roman Architecture and was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1984.

Temple of Jupiter - The Temple of Jupiter, the largest Roman temple, is situated at the Baalbek complex in Heliopolis. Serving as an oracle, it was dedicated to Jupiter Heliopolitanus. Construction likely began around 16 BC and was nearly complete by AD 60. Located at the western end of the Great Court of Roman Heliopolis, the temple stands on a broad stone platform raised 7 meters above the foundation’s huge stones, three of which are among the heaviest blocks ever used in construction. The columns, 30 meters high with a diameter of nearly 2.5 meters, are the largest in the classical world. It took three centuries to complete this colossal temple complex.

Baalbeck - Conclude your day with a meal at a traditional restaurant, offering fresh meat, chicken, vegetarian, and snack options. Your tour ends with a return to your hotel.

• Hotel Pick-up & Drop-off
• Experienced English-speaking Local Group Leader
• Brief Explanation about each Site
• In-vehicle air conditioning
• Fuel surcharges included

• Gratuities