Things to Do in Beirut Today

October 29, 2026

Check the advisories first (position as of October 2026). Washington tells its citizens not to travel to Lebanon, pointing to armed conflict, terrorism, unrest, kidnapping, landmines and crime, and says it can do very little for Americans in trouble there. London’s FCDO advises against all travel to South Lebanon and Nabatiyeh, much of the Beqaa and Baalbek-Hermel, parts of Beirut’s southern suburbs, northern Akkar and the Palestinian camps. Strikes can land without warning. Open gov.uk and travel.state.gov before you book anything, and note that insurance may not pay out if you travel against official advice.

Beirut has a short list of dependable activities, and most of them cost little. This page covers what is real and open, and it is blunt about where the list stops. The city has no zoo, no aquarium and no sightseeing bus, so build the plan around the walking and museum options below.

The shortlist

Activity	Cost	Best for
Corniche walk, Manara to Raouche	Free	Sunset, people watching
Hamra cafes and the AUB campus	Free to stroll	A slow afternoon
AUB Archaeological Museum	Check before you go	History fans
Bike hire near Zaitunay Bay	About $5 an hour, reported	Short waterfront rides
Skiing at Mzaar	About $35 weekday, $60 weekend (2024 listing)	Winter only

An evening on the Corniche

The seafront promenade runs from the Manara lighthouse out to the Pigeon Rocks at Raouche. It is free, open around the clock and several kilometres long. Joggers, fishing families and couples with coffee share it at dusk. Go in the last hour before sunset, when the stacks at Raouche turn orange. The Pigeon Rocks are a viewpoint only: they are not a place for diving or snorkelling, and the Mediterranean here has no reefs to dive.

Hamra and the university

Hamra is the bookshop and cafe district of west Beirut, and the leafy campus of the American University of Beirut sits beside it. The AUB Archaeological Museum, founded in 1868, is on the campus. Opening times and any entry fee are not confirmed, so ask at the gate or check the university site before you walk over.

Pedal power, with care

Bike hire has been reported near Zaitunay Bay at about $5 an hour, but treat that as a rough guide rather than a price list. Beirut traffic is dense and drivers do not expect cyclists, so keep to the waterfront.

Snow in winter

Mzaar Kfardebian, in the mountains of Mount Lebanon, is the main ski area. Lifts run in winter, roughly December into early April, when snow allows. The last prices seen were about $35 on a weekday and $60 at a weekend for an adult. Because it lies in the mountains, check the road conditions and the advisory map before heading up.

Hiking: proceed with caution

The Lebanon Mountain Trail has day sections, and the Barouk to Maaser stretch lies in the Chouf, partly inside an area where the FCDO advises against all but essential travel. Operators and prices are unconfirmed, so this page names none. Treat hiking as something to research against the current map, not as a casual add-on.

What to skip

Avoid the water at Ramlet el-Baida, the city’s public sandy beach, because of pollution from sewage outfalls. Beach clubs and coastal towns north of the city are the usual alternatives, and water quality varies. Lebanon has no metro and no passenger train, so you move by shared taxi, a ride-hailing app such as Careem, or on foot.

Money

Many prices are quoted in US dollars, and the pound trades at about 89,500 LBP to the dollar. Bring crisp notes printed in 2013 or later, as torn or older bills are refused. Cards and ATMs are unreliable.

For a guided city outing inside central Beirut, GetYourGuide lets you compare options.