Beirut

One of the most vibrant and fascinating cities in the Middle East, the Lebanese capital once known as the ‘Paris of the East’, was, until the early ’90s, more synonymous with war and conflict. Since then, an enormous reconstruction programme has restored the many beautiful Ottoman and French Mandate period buildings to their full glory. The sophisticated cafes, fine restaurants, and nightclubs are open again, and the city is once more one of the leading commercial and business centres in the Middle East.

The downtown area around Place d’Etolie, formerly split in two by warring Christian and Muslim factions along the infamous Green Line, has undergone a multi-million-dollar restoration programme and is now one of the most attractive areas in Beirut. It can be visited as part of a historic walking tour. The superb collections of the National Museum, which miraculously survived the civil war, contain artefacts from pre-history to the Mamluk period.

One of the most recognisable Beirut landmarks is the natural off-shore rock arches of Pigeon Rocks. Together with the Corniche boardwalk, these are popular places for locals to come and watch the sunset, listen to music, and smoke water pipes. The attractive streets of the East Beirut suburb of Achrafiye are lined with beautiful old buildings, noted for their cafés and antique shops. The area is home to the Robert Mouawad Private Museum, a Lebanese-Italianate architectural masterpiece. It is one of the city’s trendiest spots for nightlife and clubbing.

Due to the quality of the capital’s accommodation, and its central position within a comparatively small country, Beirut can be used as a convenient base for exploring the entire country.