Lebanon

Arabic is Lebanon's official language. French and English both appear widely on signs and menus, especially in Beirut and other tourist areas, where English is usually enough to get by. Arabic script reads right to left, so following street signs takes more attention than in Latin-script countries.

Prepaid SIM cards from Alfa or touch, Lebanon's two mobile operators, are sold at the airport and in shops across the country. Bring a passport, since registration is required. Coverage is reliable in cities but can drop in mountain villages and during the power cuts that also affect fixed-line internet.

Tap water is not reliably safe to drink; stick to bottled or filtered water, including for brushing teeth outside major hotels. Pharmacies are common in cities, marked by a green cross sign, and many pharmacists speak English or French. No vaccinations are mandatory for entry, but routine vaccines and, depending on your trip, hepatitis A and typhoid are commonly recommended; check with a travel clinic before departure.

Passport holders from many countries, including the EU, UK, US, Canada, and Australia, can get a visa on arrival. This covers stays of up to a month. Travelers whose passports show any evidence of travel to Israel, and citizens of Israel, are refused entry. Longer stays, or travelers from countries without visa-on-arrival access, need to arrange a visa through a Lebanese embassy before departure.

Visa and entry requirements change frequently. Verify current requirements with the official immigration authority or your country's embassy before travel.

Dress modestly at mosques and churches, covering shoulders and knees; women may need a headscarf at some mosques. Lebanon's Christian, Sunni, Shia, Druze, and other communities live closely together, so avoid casual comments about religion or politics. Greetings are warm, typically a handshake, or a kiss on each cheek between people who already know each other. Hospitality matters: accepting an offer of coffee or food is polite, and a host may insist you eat more than you planned. Bargaining is normal in souks and markets but not in shops with marked prices.

Lebanon observes both Christian and Muslim holidays. Banks, government offices, and some shops close around several dates through the year, and business hours often shorten during Ramadan.

Shops generally open late morning and stay open into the evening, with a quieter stretch in the early afternoon. Friday and Sunday are the main rest days for Muslim and Christian communities respectively, so some businesses close on one day rather than both.

• By shared taxi ("service"): the main way locals get around within cities and between nearby towns; flag one down and confirm the destination and fare before getting in, since routes are informal rather than fixed lines.
• By private taxi or ride-hailing app: Uber and Bolt operate in Beirut and other cities; for a regular taxi, agree on the fare in advance.
• By intercity bus and van: independent minibuses connect Beirut to Tripoli, Byblos, Sidon, Tyre, and Zahle from informal stations; there is no national passenger rail network.
• By rental car: a practical way to reach mountain towns and the Bekaa Valley; see Driving below for road conditions.

Lebanese meals are built around meze — a spread of small shared dishes eaten with flatbread, ordered together rather than as separate courses. A weekend lunch can stretch for hours, moving from cold dishes like hummus and tabbouleh to grilled meats, finished with coffee and something sweet. Breakfast is often lighter: manakish, a flatbread topped with za'atar or cheese, eaten on the way to work alongside strong Arabic coffee.

Street food is easy to find in every town: wraps of shawarma or falafel, and snacks sold from carts along The Corniche in Beirut. Bakeries sell baklava and other syrup-soaked pastries by weight. Arak, an anise spirit mixed with water and ice, is the traditional drink to accompany a meze meal, alongside wine from vineyards in the Bekaa Valley.

Most everyday eating happens at small, family-run restaurants and street stalls rather than formal dining rooms. Eating out is a normal, affordable part of daily life, not an occasional treat.

Lebanon's main draws lie along a short stretch of Mediterranean coast and the mountains just behind it.

The coast

Beirut is the natural base for a first visit, with its seafront The Corniche, the rock formations at Pigeon Rocks, and the National Museum of Beirut. A cable car from the resort town of Jounieh climbs to Our Lady of Lebanon, a hilltop shrine with wide coastal views. North along the coast, Byblos is an ancient Phoenician port with a Byblos Castle. It is considered one of the world's oldest continuously inhabited towns. Batroun is a smaller coastal town known for its old souk and beach clubs. South of the capital, Sidon keeps a 13th-century Sidon Sea Castle. Tyre has a Roman-era Tyre Hippodrome. North, Tripoli is Lebanon's second city, with a large medieval souk and the Citadel of Raymond de Saint-Gilles.

Baalbek and the Bekaa Valley

Inland, Baalbek holds Baalbeck Ruins, among the best-preserved Roman temple complexes anywhere. The surrounding Bekaa Valley, centered on Zahle, is Lebanon's wine country and its most productive farmland.

The mountains

Bcharre, high in the north, sits near the Cedars of God Forest and the cliffside monasteries of Qadisha Valley. Ski resorts operate above towns like this from December to April, within a couple of hours of the coast. In the Chouf Mountains south of Beirut, the 19th-century Beiteddine Palace and the cedar woodland around Al Shouf Cedar Nature Reserve entrance make an easy day trip from the capital.