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Yossarian
15-11-2004, 16:16
I've got some mates who are heading to Beirut for New Year, I don't think I'm going to make it this time around but I've been hearing a lot of good things about the place and fancy a visit someday, maybe as part of a longer trip through the Lebanon and Syria. Anyone been?
Rua
16-11-2004, 02:09
It's brilliant - go.

And visit Syria as well - even better.
rennie
16-11-2004, 09:31
YES- me!!!!! :)

Beirut is a truly great city- a city of contradictions but nevertheless it's got lots of energy- when u thinking of going Yoss? n what are you mainly interested in seeing?

ive herd a lot of visitors to teh region bypassing beirut because it's too westernised n doesn't conform to the "ideal" that people have of a traditional arab society/city. which is utter bollock IMO cos the beauty of beirut is that it is special.

let me know if u need any tips on what to do, where to go etc. i can do syria as well!
Yossarian
24-11-2004, 14:56
Cheers reNnIe - next time I see you in the pub I'll have to ask you some more questions about the place - at the minute I haven't got any specific plans, just a vague hope to get out in that direction some time over the next year or two but the more I hear about it the more appealing it sounds.
Barking_Mad
10-12-2004, 19:39
Friend of mine recently went to Lebanon - said it was superb.
CyberRose
10-03-2005, 15:54
I'd love to go to Beirut too and maybe Damascus one day but the only thing is (and I know this is gonna sound awful) but how safe is it for Westerners to go to these two cities? I would imagine Beirut would be no problem but how bout Damascus?
LDR
10-03-2005, 16:34
I'm playing to go in the next few months so once I get back I'll tell you all about it. :)
nanoespresso
10-03-2005, 16:37
Damascus is perfectly safe for foreigners and far nicer than Beirut, I think.

I haven't visited it in the last year, but a lot of my friends have and some are living there now and are experiencing no problems.

You'd have more to fear of being suspected of being a terrorist by the Americans than hostility from the Syrians - though I don't know any Americans who have been there recently.
CyberRose
10-03-2005, 19:00
Actually, whats the best way of going about traveling to Beirut? Are there any travel agents that do package holidays there (as package holidays tend to be cheaper) or is it best to do the flights and hotel separate? What did the people who have been before do?
nanoespresso
10-03-2005, 20:46
Don't know about travel agents, but trips to Lebanon and Syria are dead easy to arrange.

If I were you, I would get a flight to either Amman or Damascus. These flights tend to be cheaper than to Beirut directly.

If you fly to Amman, you can tour around Jordan for a few days before taking a shared cab to Damascus. It's only a four hour journey between the two.

Once in Damascus, you can take another shared taxi to Beirut. Again, it's only a couple of hours. I don't remember the exact prices, but it's not much.

Hotels are dirt cheap in Syria and Lebanon, so there's no need to book in advance. There are cheap hostel type places, where you can stay for a couple of dollars a night and you can actually get a pretty decent mid-range place for about 10 dollars a night, so just book a flight and go!

If you want to only visit Lebanon, MEA often do good deals on flights to Beirut, so have a look at them.
rennie
11-03-2005, 13:15
Damascus is perfectly safe for foreigners and far nicer than Beirut, I think.

I haven't visited it in the last year, but a lot of my friends have and some are living there now and are experiencing no problems.

You'd have more to fear of being suspected of being a terrorist by the Americans than hostility from the Syrians - though I don't know any Americans who have been there recently.

but Beirut's lovely as well!!!! if slightly more "modern" and developped yet still choatic. there's no sea in Damascus!
CyberRose
11-03-2005, 15:11
One more question!

How far would £500 go towards paying for this trip? (Thats the amount I'm expecting back from the tax man next month! Hurrah!)
CyberRose
11-03-2005, 16:25
Maybe getting a taxi between Damascus and Beirut wont be so easy after all!!

Link (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/from_our_own_correspondent/4316417.stm)
Rua
11-03-2005, 22:38
Well, you'd have a great story to tell your grandkids!

The flight is the most expensive part of the trip. If you can get a cheap enough flight, 500 GBP should be plenty for a short trip.
You get nearly a hundred Syrian pounds for a British pound and if you are eating and staying in cheapish places, you wouldn't be spending much more than a British pound or two for a place to stay or a good meal.

Syria is cheaper than Lebanon though, and if you want to see the sea, just take the train to Lattakia or Tartous.
Rua
11-03-2005, 22:39
If your heart is set on Lebanon rather than Syria, make sure you head down to the south.

It's one of my favourite parts of the country.
Idris2002
12-03-2005, 12:09
Ever since your time in IRISHBATT, right?
slaar
15-09-2005, 12:45
Just back from a fortnight in Beirut, Tyr, Damascus and Aleppo. Absolutely superb, had an incredible time.
rennie
16-09-2005, 10:07
glad u enjoyed it! we spent a week in Beirut/Mount Lebanon last month n I forgot how much I missed the place.