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
Three destinations that cover Lebanon's mountain and coastal history in a single private day — combining the Chouf Mountains in the morning with Sidon's Phoenician-to-Ottoman layers in the afternoon. The combination is less obvious than the standard Chouf-only or Sidon-only day trip, and that is precisely what makes it worth booking.
Beiteddine Palace — the most significant 19th-century palace in Lebanon, today the official summer residence of the Lebanese President, with a Byzantine mosaic museum beneath it that most visitors miss entirely. 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. Sidon — a 13th-century Crusader sea castle, a living medieval souk, the world's only olive oil soap museum, and a Silk Road caravanserai. Private vehicle and knowledgeable driver throughout. Your pace, no group schedule. Tickets payable on site.
What's included
Beiteddine Palace including Byzantine mosaic museum
Knowledgeable English-speaking driver
Private air-conditioned vehicle exclusively for your group
Soap Museum — world's only olive oil soap museum
Hotel pickup and drop-off in Beirut
Sidon Old Souks walk
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 driver meets the group at your Beirut hotel and heads southeast into the Chouf Mountains 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 in an underground museum that most visitors walk straight past. Today the official summer residence of the Lebanese President. Your driver covers the full story of Beiteddine and Emir Bashir throughout the visit.
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 unchanged for centuries. Your driver covers the dynastic and political history of this remarkable village.
Fakhreddine's Mosque
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 view. The vehicle waits whenever the group is ready to move.
Deir el Qamar
1h
Lunch in Deir el Qamar — optional
Lebanese mountain mezze at a local restaurant — grilled meats, fresh bread, Chouf valley views. Optional and at your own expense. Your driver recommends the best spots. Worth the stop before heading to the coast.
Crusaders Sea Castle
30m · Admission ticket not included
Sidon Sea Castle — Crusader fortress on the water
A 13th-century Crusader fortress on a small island off the coast, connected to shore by a stone causeway with open sea on both sides. Phoenician traders were using this harbour 3,000 years before the Crusaders built here. Your driver covers the full layered history from the castle ramparts.
Sidon Souks
1h
Sidon Old Souks — not renovated, not curated, just real
Stone-vaulted alleyways where spice merchants, goldsmiths, and artisan workshops have traded continuously for centuries. Your driver points out what makes Sidon's market different from every other souk in Lebanon. At your own pace — the vehicle is waiting.
30m · Admission ticket not included
Soap Museum — the only olive oil soap museum on earth
The world's only museum dedicated to olive oil soap — telling the complete story of a craft Sidon has practiced for over a thousand years. Housed in a beautifully restored khan in the old city. A stop that most travelers did not know they wanted until they are inside it.
Khan al-Franj
15m
Khan el Franj — the Silk Road caravanserai
A 17th-century caravanserai built by Emir Fakhreddine II for European Silk Road merchants — arcaded courtyards, vaulted galleries, carved stone facades. One of the finest Ottoman buildings in Lebanon and a fitting close to a day that covered Lebanese mountain and coastal history from the same century.
Beirut
Pass by
Return to Beirut — approx. 6:00–7:00 PM
Drop-off at your Beirut hotel. A presidential palace, Lebanon's first capital, and Sidon's Phoenician-to-Ottoman layers — mountain and coast covered privately in a single day. Done properly.
Meeting and pickup
Pickup details
Complimentary pickup is provided 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.
