The tourism industry in Lebanon has been historically important to the local economy and remains to this day to be a major source of revenue for Lebanon. Before the Lebanese Civil War, Lebanon was widely regarded as, “The Switzerland of the Middle East.” Often being cited as a financial and business hub where visitors can experience the Levantine Mediterranean culture.

Places to visit

National Museum of Beirut

The National Museum of Beirut is the principal museum of archaeology in Lebanon. The collection was begun after World War I, and the museum was officially opened in 1942. The museum has collections totalling about 100,000 objects, most of which are antiquities and medieval finds from excavations undertaken by the Directorate General of Antiquities. About 1300 artifacts are exhibited, ranging in date from prehistoric times to the medieval Mamluk period.

Tapantí National Park

Tapantí National Park, sometimes called Orosí National Park, is a National Park in the Pacific La Amistad Conservation Area of Costa Rica located on the edge of the Talamanca Range, near Cartago. It protects forests to the north of Chirripó National Park, and also contains part of the Orosí River. The area known as Macizo de la Muerte was added to the park on January 14, 2000.

Anjar

Situated on the Beqaa plain, Aanjar is the site of the only Umayyad city in Lebanon. It was built from 705 to 715 and many well conserved ruins still remain.Surrounded by well-preserved walls, the vast city still conserves its original rectangular shape and stands between two large, perpendicular main streets serving the whole town.

Baalbeck

In the Beqaa valley, undulating in the magnificent landscape opens up the ancient city of Baalbeck. This site is categorised in UNESCO’s world cultural heritage sites, and has a high degree of preservation.

Beiteddine

One of the most precious Arabic architectural jewels is the palace of Beiteddine. This historic monument comprises of two large courtyards: the “midane”, a vast rectangular place for visitors, and a smaller one for the royal private apartments, with a magnificent fountain in its centre.

Climate

Lebanon enjoys an essential Mediterranean climate with mild, rainy winters and longer warm summers. The country is rain free between June and October. Visitors can count on 300 sunny days every year. However, mountains are cold and snowy in winter. Average annual rainfall is about 1,000 mm in Beirut (40 inches), but much higher in the mountains.Warm clothes are essential in the winter. Lowest temperature may be as low as -4ºC in the mountains, and 10ºC on the coast.