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Offered languages
- English
Looking for a wonderful Chouf Mountains experience that leaves your evening completely free? This comfortable six-hour private tour from Beirut visits three of the most impressive and most enjoyable attractions in the Lebanese mountains — and has you back at your hotel by mid-afternoon.
Beiteddine Palace is one of the finest 19th-century palaces in the Arab world — beautifully decorated courtyards, carved cedar ceilings, and an underground Byzantine mosaic museum that surprises and delights every visitor. Moussa Castle is the stop that nobody expects and everybody loves — a real medieval fortress hand-built stone by stone by one extraordinary Lebanese man, filled with charming life-size wax figures. And Deir el Qamar — Lebanon's first capital — is a honey-stone village of cobblestone squares, a mosque and church side by side, and lovely mountain views. All three within a short, comfortable drive of each other — and with an optional mountain lunch in Deir el Qamar before heading home.
What's Included
Meeting and pickup
We pick-up travelers from any Hotel, Residence or Airbnb in Beirut.
Itinerary
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Beirut (Pass by)
9:00 AM — Pickup from your Beirut hotel Your friendly driver meets you at your hotel and heads southeast into the beautiful Chouf Mountains — a scenic and comfortable drive of about 45 minutes through pine-forested ridges rising above the Lebanese coast.
Admission ticket free -
1
Beiteddine Palace — the jewel of the Chouf Mountains Arrive at one of the most beautiful and most visited palaces in Lebanon — built between 1788 and 1840 by Emir Bashir II, the ruler who unified Lebanon's mountain communities and whose legacy is beautifully preserved in every detail of this magnificent building. Beautifully decorated courtyards with hand-cut tilework and elaborately carved cedar-wood ceilings create a wonderfully immersive experience. Do not miss the underground Byzantine mosaic museum beneath the palace — one of Lebanon's most impressive hidden treasures that visitors always wish they had more time to explore. Today serving as the Lebanese President's official summer residence.
1 hour • Admission ticket not included -
2Moussa Castle
Moussa Castle — the most surprising stop in the Chouf Just minutes from Beiteddine is an attraction that puts a smile on the face of virtually every visitor — and that children in particular absolutely adore. Moussa Castle is a genuine full-scale medieval fortress built entirely by one man — Moussa Maamari — who spent sixty years constructing it stone by stone after a teacher humiliated him as a schoolboy. Inside, hundreds of life-size wax figures fill the rooms and corridors depicting scenes from Lebanese history, traditional village life, and colourful Ottoman-era tales. A wonderfully entertaining and genuinely unique visit that the whole family will be talking about long after they return home.
1 hour • Admission ticket not included -
3Deir el Qamar
Deir el Qamar — Lebanon's first and most charming capital A short drive brings you to Deir el Qamar — meaning "Monastery of the Moon" — one of Lebanon's most beloved and most photographed villages, and the country's first capital under the Ma'an dynasty. The beautifully preserved cobblestone central square is framed by honey-stone mansions dating to the 17th and 18th centuries. A mosque and a church stand just steps from each other — a heartwarming reminder of the tolerant and harmonious spirit that has defined this special village for centuries.
30 minutes • Admission ticket free -
4Saydet El Talle Church
Fakhreddine Mosque & Saydet el Tallé Church A lovely visit to the elegant 17th-century mosque of Fakhreddine II — one of Lebanon's most celebrated historical figures — and the charming hilltop church of Saydet el Tallé with its beautiful panoramic views over the Chouf valleys below. A mosque and a church sharing the same hillside for four centuries — a simple and touching expression of everything that makes Deir el Qamar so special.
30 minutes • Admission ticket free -
5Deir el Qamar
Lunch in Deir el Qamar — optional A wonderful optional lunch at one of Deir el Qamar's welcoming mountain restaurants — generous Lebanese mezze, grilled meats, fresh bread, and lovely Chouf valley views. A relaxing and thoroughly enjoyable way to complete your Chouf mountain morning before the comfortable drive back to Beirut.
1 hour • Admission ticket free -
Beirut (Pass by)
Return to Beirut — approx. 3:30–4:30 PM Your driver brings you comfortably back to Beirut with drop-off at your hotel — completing a wonderful Chouf morning with the whole afternoon and evening ahead of you to enjoy at your own pace.
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.
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
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