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Offered languages
- English
South Lebanon is the part of the country most visitors skip — and it is the part that consistently surprises them most when they actually go. This guided small-group day trip from Beirut covers three destinations that together span 5,000 years of Phoenician, Crusader, Roman, and sacred history — with a guide who makes every stop make sense and lunch fully included.
Sidon: a 13th-century Crusader sea castle built on an island off the coast, a medieval souk that actually still functions, the world's only olive oil soap museum, and a Silk Road caravanserai. Tyre: a UNESCO World Heritage Site where the Al-Bass archaeological complex — triumphal arch, colonnaded street, Roman hippodrome seating 20,000 — is one of the most complete Roman urban landscapes anywhere in the Mediterranean. Maghdouché: a hilltop sanctuary where the Virgin Mary is held to have waited while Jesus preached in Sidon — revered by Christians and Muslims for two millennia. Three stops, one guide, one included lunch.
What's Included
Meeting and pickup
We offer free pickup services from any hotel, Airbnb, or residence in Beirut.
Itinerary
-
Beirut (Pass by)
8:30 AM — Hotel pickup Your guide meets the group at your Beirut hotel and heads south along the Mediterranean coastal highway. Sidon is 45 minutes away.
Admission ticket free -
1Crusaders Sea Castle
Sidon Sea Castle — Crusader fortress on a Mediterranean island A 13th-century Crusader fortress on a small island just off the coast, connected to shore by a stone causeway with open sea on both sides. Phoenician traders were using this harbour 3,000 years before the Crusaders built here. Your guide covers the full layered history — Phoenician port to Crusader fortress to Mamluk conquest — from the castle ramparts.
30 minutes • Admission ticket not included -
2Sidon Souks
Sidon Old Souks — the real thing Stone-vaulted alleyways where spice merchants, goldsmiths, and artisan workshops have traded continuously for centuries. Not renovated for tourism — actually functioning, actually unchanged. Your guide points out what makes Sidon's market different from every other souk in Lebanon.
1 hour • Admission ticket free -
3
Soap Museum — the only one of its kind on earth. Sidon has been producing olive oil soap for over a thousand years — and this museum, the only one dedicated to the craft anywhere in the world, tells the complete story. Housed in a restored khan in the old city. A genuinely surprising and informative stop that most travelers did not know they wanted until they are inside it.
30 minutes • Admission ticket not included -
4Khan al-Franj
Khan el Franj — where the Silk Road met the Mediterranean A 17th-century caravanserai built by Emir Fakhreddine II for European merchants trading along the Silk Road — arcaded courtyards, vaulted galleries, carved stone facades. One of the finest Ottoman buildings in Lebanon and a fitting final image of Sidon before heading south.
15 minutes • Admission ticket free -
5Al-Bass Archaeological Site
Al-Bass Archaeological Complex — Roman Tyre at full scale Enter through a triumphal arch still standing after two thousand years. Walk a colonnaded street flanked by ancient sarcophagi from the Roman necropolis. Reach the Tyre Hippodrome — one of the largest in the Roman world, built for 20,000 spectators on a 480-metre track, starting gates and turning posts still in place. Your guide places every structure in its Roman and Phoenician context — this is the kind of site where having the right guide is the difference between a good visit and an unforgettable one.
1 hour • Admission ticket not included -
6Tyre
Lunch in Tyre — included Fresh Lebanese mezze and seafood at a local Tyre restaurant — Mediterranean right there, ancient city as backdrop. Fully included.
1 hour • Admission ticket free -
7
Basilica of Our Lady of Mantara — Mantara means "the one who waits" Christian tradition holds that the Virgin Mary waited in a cave here while Jesus preached in Sidon below. The Arabic name — Mantara, "the one who waits" — has been attached to this place for two millennia. Revered by Christians and Muslims alike. The Basilica stands above the ancient cave, panoramic views over the southern Lebanese coast below. A quiet, unexpected close to a day that started at a Crusader sea castle and covered 5,000 years of history along the way.
15 minutes • Admission ticket free -
Beirut (Pass by)
Return to Beirut — approx. 5:30–6:30 PM Drop-off at your Beirut hotel. South Lebanon done properly — Phoenician, Crusader, Roman, and sacred, all in one day.
Admission ticket free
Additional info
- Specialized infant seats are available
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Tags
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Cancellation Policy
- For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
- If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
- Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.
Rating
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
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