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Tips & Traps
Insider advice from Local Friends and travelers. What to do, and what to avoid, city by city.
- TipA place or a move worth it
- TrapWhat to avoid, and how
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Insider advice from Local Friends and travelers. What to do, and what to avoid, city by city.
Join RALF to share your own tips and traps
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State electricity in Beirut is available only a few hours a day at unpredictable times, so hotels, restaurants and rentals rely on private generators. Before booking, ask whether the generator covers the whole building and the air conditioning, and treat a listing's 24/7 electricity as the host's claim until they…
Albergo is a small hotel in a quiet part of Achrafieh, close to downtown, known for Lebanese-style interiors and antiques. A night here is an experience in itself, quite different from a glass tower by the sea. Ask for a room in the older style you prefer, and use it as a calm base for Achrafieh's leafy streets and…
Every 21 June Lebanon joins Fête de la Musique, and the Institut français du Liban runs a programme that can stretch over several days. The main Beirut venue changes: in 2025 the big gathering was the National Library garden in Hamra from late afternoon, and in 2019 it was the Roman Baths. Check the programme a week…
Metro Al Madina is an underground cultural cabaret on Hamra Street, part of Al Madina Theatre, with a bar and a stage reached down a flight of stairs. Its programme mixes cabaret, plays and bands, and a recent local guide still lists it among Beirut's live venues. Check the current lineup and booking before you go…
Marash Street in Bourj Hammoud is lined with grocers selling open sacks of cumin, sumac, dried mint and Aleppo pepper, plus Aleppo soaps, dried fruit and nuts. Look for Armenian red pepper paste from Anjar, a local favourite, and ask shops how to store what you buy so it travels well. Armenia Street nearby is where…
Bourj Hammoud, Beirut's Armenian district, has small bakeries selling tahinov hatz, a thin, flaky bread with a soft tahini centre. Ask for it by that name, buy a piece or two and eat it while you walk the dense streets. The area is crowded and signage is limited, so ask locals for the nearest bakery rather than…
MIM is a private mineral museum on the Saint Joseph University campus on Damascus Street in Achrafieh, with well over a thousand specimens and a fossil section that includes a pterosaur found in Lebanon. It is closed on Mondays, so plan it for Tuesday to Sunday and confirm the hours with the museum first. It suits a…
The blue-domed Mohammad Al-Amin Mosque in Downtown welcomes visitors outside prayer times, so plan around them. Cover your shoulders and knees, and women should carry a scarf for their hair. Keep your voice low and let worshippers pass. The Maronite Cathedral of Saint George stands right next door, so you can see both…
Beit Beirut is a museum and urban cultural centre that the City of Beirut turned into a living space for the city's history since the 19th century. Beyond the museum it runs exhibitions, workshops, lectures and screenings, and in late 2025 it hosted the opening of the Beirut al-Marfa' exhibition. Check what is on…
At Ras Beirut's western edge, the Manara stretch of the Corniche gives an open sea horizon at sunset, and no ticket is needed since it is a public promenade. Arrive about an hour before sundown to claim a spot, or come in the early morning or evening for cooler air and fewer people. Access to the lighthouse itself is…
Dollars and Lebanese pounds both circulate in Beirut, so a price can be quoted in either. Before you order or hand over cash, ask which currency the price is in and which one your change will come in, since change often arrives as a mix. Cards and cash are both used and ATMs dispense dollars or pounds, so keep a few…
Ramlet al-Baida sits at the southern end of the Corniche, past the Raouche cliffs, and is open to everyone with no membership. Locals swim there in summer, since most other seafront spots are private clubs. Bring your own towel and shade, and look at the sand and water before you go in, because conditions vary. Walk…
Beirut taxis have no meters, so the fare is settled before you get in. Say where you are going, ask the price and agree it first. Shared service cars cost much less than a private taxi: call out the district, and expect the driver to refuse if it is off his route. Once the price is agreed, a nearby landmark helps him…
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