Free cancellationFull refund up to 24 hours before
Instant confirmationYour booking is confirmed right away
TicketMobile or paper ticket accepted
LanguagesArabic, English
Private tourOnly your group will participate
Pickup offeredSee the meeting and pickup details below
Overview
The Chouf Mountains in half a day — three stops that cover a 19th-century presidential palace, the most surprising man-made attraction in Lebanon, and the country's first capital. Private vehicle, professional guide, back by mid-afternoon with the rest of the day free. This is the itinerary that repeatedly surprises travelers who book it thinking Beiteddine is the highlight and leave talking about Moussa Castle.
Beiteddine Palace — built between 1788 and 1840 by Emir Bashir II, today the official summer residence of the Lebanese President, with a Byzantine mosaic museum beneath it that most visitors walk straight past. Moussa Castle — a full-scale medieval fortress built stone by stone over sixty years by a single Lebanese man, filled with hundreds of life-size wax figures depicting Lebanese history. Deir el Qamar — Lebanon's first capital, a honey-stone Ottoman village where a mosque and a church have shared the same hillside for four centuries. Entrance tickets payable on site.
What's included
Knowledgeable English-speaking driver
Private air-conditioned vehicle exclusively for your group
Hotel pickup and drop-off in Beirut
Moussa Castle visit
Deir el Qamar village — mosque, church & historic square
Lunch in Deir el Qamar (optional — at own expense)
Gratuities (optional)
What to expect
Beirut
Pass by
9:00 AM — Hotel pickup
Your guide meets the group at your Beirut hotel and heads southeast into the Chouf Mountains — pine-forested ridges rising above the Lebanese coast as you climb toward Beiteddine.
1h · Admission ticket not included
Beiteddine Palace — the presidential palace of Lebanon
Built between 1788 and 1840 by Emir Bashir II — the ruler who unified Lebanon's mountain communities. Three interconnected courtyards with hand-cut geometric tilework and elaborately carved cedar-wood ceilings. Beneath the palace: Lebanon's finest collection of Byzantine mosaics — floor panels of extraordinary colour and detail in an underground museum that the majority of visitors walk straight past. Your guide makes sure you do not. Today the official summer residence of the Lebanese President — a building that is simultaneously a historic monument, a political statement, and an architectural masterpiece
Moussa Castle
30m · Admission ticket not included
Moussa Castle — one man, sixty years, a full-scale medieval fortress
Just minutes from Beiteddine — and completely unlike anything else you will see in Lebanon. Moussa Maamari spent sixty years building a full-scale medieval castle by hand after a teacher mocked him as a schoolboy. The result is a multi-storey fortress filled with hundreds of life-size wax figures depicting scenes from Lebanese history, village life, and Ottoman-era traditions. An entirely unexpected and genuinely delightful stop. Your guide shares the full story of Moussa — one of the most remarkable acts of personal determination in Lebanese cultural history — and the one stop that travelers consistently say they did not expect to enjoy as much as they did.
Deir el Qamar
30m
Deir el Qamar — Lebanon's first capital
Meaning "Monastery of the Moon" — a honey-stone Ottoman village that served as Lebanon's first capital under the Ma'an dynasty, one of the most perfectly preserved historic villages in the country. The cobblestone central square is framed by 17th and 18th-century mansions. Your guide explains the political and dynastic history of this village and its enduring significance to Lebanese mountain culture.
Saydet El Talle Church
15m
Fakhreddine Mosque & Saydet el Tallé Church
The 17th-century mosque of Emir Fakhreddine II — the Druze ruler who built an empire from the Bekaa to the Sinai — and the hilltop Maronite church with panoramic views over the Chouf valleys. A mosque and a church metres apart, four centuries of coexistence in a single hillside view. Your guide explains why this particular image matters so much to Lebanese identity — and what coexistence looks like when it actually works.
Deir el Qamar
1h
Lunch in Deir el Qamar — optional
Lebanese mountain mezze at a local Deir el Qamar restaurant — grilled meats, fresh bread, Chouf valley views. Optional and at your own expense. Your guide recommends the best local options.
Beirut
Pass by
Return to Beirut — approx. 3:30–4:30 PM
Drop-off at your Beirut hotel. A presidential palace, the most surprising man-made stop in Lebanon, and the country's first capital — the Chouf done properly, back by mid-afternoon.
Meeting and pickup
Pickup details
Free pickup is available from any hotel, Airbnb, or residence in Beirut.
Additional information
Specialized infant seats are available
Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Cancellation policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
