Beirut Audio Tours

April, May, October, and November offer the most pleasant walking conditions with temperatures of 18-25C and low rain. Summer is hot at 30-35C but with low humidity and a Mediterranean sea breeze, and many events happen in July and August. January and February bring cold rain and occasional snow visible on Mount Sannine above the city.

Taxis and ride-hailing apps including Uber operate in Beirut and are cheap by Western standards. The walking distances between main areas like Hamra, Gemmayzeh, and the downtown Solidere district are significant, so taxis are useful for transit. Service taxis, shared taxis that follow fixed routes, are very cheap and used by locals.

Kibbeh nayyeh, a raw minced lamb dish spiced with cinnamon and onion, is one of the world's great raw meat preparations and is not for the nervous. Hummus and baba ghanouj here are in a different category from the supermarket versions most visitors know. Fattoush salad with sumac and fried bread is the right accompaniment. A meze spread at any sit-down restaurant will cover more dishes than a table of four can finish.

The port itself remains a restricted industrial zone, but the damage to the surrounding neighborhoods of Gemmayzeh and Mar Mikhael is visible while walking Rue Gouraud and the streets around it. Many buildings are still partially destroyed. The impact on the surrounding residential areas is visible and walking it is a sobering and important part of understanding contemporary Beirut.