Tours from Beirut to Lebanon's major tourist sites

If you need something more when visiting Beirut than the usual shopping, fine dining and people watching, Varianos Travel is pleased to offer you, through its Lebanese partners, excursions to the most important tourist sites of Lebanon.  All daily tours are either half day (three to five hours) or full day (eight to eleven hours) and start from Beirut.  Pick up is from your Beirut hotel and excursions over five hours include lunch.  All tours are accompanied by a professional English speaking guide, include all entrance fees and transport is in air conditioned vehicles.  Minimum participation for operating these excursions is two persons.  Special prices apply for families with children under 12.

Baalbeck, Ksara and Anjar

See the best of the fertile Bekaa valley, sandwiched between Mount Lebanon and Mount Antilebanon.  Visit the very well preserved historic ruins of Baalbeck to view the marks that great civilizations have left in this area.  The temples of Jupiter,. Bacchus and Venus are sights that are sure to impress you.  This full day tour also includes a visit to the Ksara winery where you get to taste the very pleasant Lebanese wines and anis flavored Arak.  This day tour also includes a visit to the unique eighth century Ommayyad site of Anjar (or Aanjar).

This tour lasts about 10 hours and departs from Beirut on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays at 09:00.  Cost is CYP 29.26 (Euro 50.00) per person and includes lunch.

Jeita Grotto, Harissa, Byblos and Beirut

A comprehensive full day tour that covers the most important sites close to Beirut.  It includes a visit to the natural marvel of the Jeita Grottoes to view both caves.  A magnificent view of Jounieh can be had from the hill of Harissa which houses a Cathedral and the statue of Our Lady of Lebanon.  In Byblos, a city that claims to be the oldest continuously inhabited place in the world, you can see among others the Crusader's Castle, the Roman theater which is still used today for the renowned Byblos Festival and the Royal necropolis.  Lunch is on a nice restaurant by the old harbor, a place that brings back memories from Kyrenia.  The tour concludes with a visit to downtown Beirut's renovated Central District, better known as Solidere, and the sites within it.

This tour lasts approximately nine hours and departs from Beirut on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays at 09:00.  Cost is CYP 35.12 (Euro 60.00) per person and includes lunch.

Tyre, Sidon and Echmoun

Full day tour of South Lebanon.  Visit Sidon (Saida) with its lovely Crusader castle and explore the city's charms.  The Audi family's Soap Museum is a delightful small museum with a great souvenir shop.  From Sidon depart to the other great Phoenician city of Tyre to see the archeological site there with its famed and almost intact Hippodrome as well as the amazing necropolis.  After lunch visit the temple of Echmoun, god of life and death for the ancient Phoenicians which was built in the late 7th century B.C.

This tour lasts about 9 hours and departs from Beirut on Wednesdays and Sundays at 09:00.  Cost is CYP 28.97 (Euro 49.50) per person and includes lunch.

Tripoli and the Cedars

An excursion to North Lebanon with the first part dedicated to the city of Tripoli.  The old city of Tripoli is a world apart from Beirut with a distinctive Oriental flavor and features the Crusader castle of Saint Gilles.  Leaving Tripoli, the ascend of Mount Lebanon leads first to Bcharre (also spelled Becharre, Bcharry or Bsharii) home of Lebanon's national poet Gibran Khalil, and then the thousands year old Cedars grove at an elevation of 1800 meters.  These ancient trees are an unforgettable sight and seeing them up close makes you understand why they feature so prominently on the Lebanese flag.

This tour lasts around 11 hours and departs from Beirut on Mondays at 09:00.  Cost is CYP 25.17 (Euro 43.00) per person and includes lunch.

Qadisha valley, Bcharre and the Cedars

Same as the Tripoli and Cedars tour but instead of Tripoli you venture in the mystic Qadisha valley to visit Kozhaya monastery.  Visit also the Gibran Khalil museum at Bcharre village and  also the Cedars grove as mentioned above.

This tour lasts about 11 hours and departs from Beirut on Fridays at 09:00.  Cost is CYP 25.17 (Euro 43.00) per person and includes lunch.

Beirut city tour

Discover the capital of Lebanon with this afternoon tour.  You will see the reconstructed Solidere area with the the renovated buildings and rediscovered archeological sites, ranging from Roman, Crusader and Ottoman times.  Places of worship for different religions and denominations, situated side by side create a unique cultural mosaic.   Visit includes the Grand Serail and Beirut's National Museum which not only houses a great collection of Archeological treasures but also has an interesting story of survival through last century's troubled times.

The Beirut city tour lasts for about three hours and starts at 14:00 on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays.  Cost is CYP 10.24 (Euro 17.50) per person.  Most of this tour is on foot.

Baalbeck Express Tour

The fastest way to see Lebanon's most famous archeological site.  Visit the great temples and buildings of Baalbeck and see the very well preserved antiquities that the Greek, Roman and Byzantine civilizations have bequeathed to Lebanon.

The express tour to Baalbeck takes around five hours an costs CYP 21.65 (Euro 37.00) per person.  The tour starts at 08:30, includes a quick lunch stop and is available every Monday, Friday and Sunday.

Jeita Grottoes and Harissa

This is one of the most popular excursions we offer.  Jeita's two Grottoes are  Lebanon's most easily accessible natural miracles with  kilometers of cave available to visitors.  The upper cave is longer and you can walk inside it to enjoy looking the formations of stalactites and stalagmites and the immense empty space inside the mountain.  The lower cave is filled with water, so you will glide through it with the help of a battery powered boat.  The visit to the hill of Harissa, home of Our Lady of Lebanon statute, offers a stunning view of Jounieh and its bay.  The trip up the hill is by cable car.

This tour last for about 4 hours and costs CYP 18.72 (Euro 32.00) per person.  Time and dates the tour is offered are Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays at 09:00 and Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays at 14:00.