BEIRUT
CITY GUIDE

The capital of the Republic of Lebanon is unique among world capitals in that it is strategically located at the crossroads of 3 continents Asia, Africa and Europe, on the coast and embraced by steeply rising mountains. With a population of more than one and the half million inhabitants; it is a fascinating city of contrast and a meeting place of East and West. "Seven times buried and seven times resurrected", the Beirut of today is the center of commerce, banking and finance for the region as a whole, as well a cultural and medical focus. It is a great business center with some hundred Lebanese Banks, countless import-export firms, arbitrage and triangular trade operations 

and free exchange market. Nowadays, the city is being rebuild to meet the international standards and many projects are being presented and implemented to rebuild and transform its infrastructure to modernized Beirut keeping its past charm of being the heart of Lebanon and the Middle East. Beirut International Airport, is the hub of air routes serving the world with many flights daily by international airlines and our National airline company, the –MEA- Middle East Airlines (Air Liban). American firms, in addition to large numbers of French, British, German, Italian and Japanese companies, maintain offices in Beirut, imparting a cosmopolitan flavor to the business and financial operations for 

which the city is the vital center of the Arab world. Among financial institutions are accredited banks, and foreign national banks have branches or representatives in Beirut-a stock exchange, free-port facilities, and an absolutely free market in the exchange of gold, silver and currency.

 A Capital of all seasons

Beirut enjoys an essentially Mediterranean climate with mild, rainy winters and long, warm summers. The temperature varies on average between 26C in summer and 19C in winter. In summer you can escape the heat and humidity of the coast by going to the mountain. In winter, you can ski in the mountains and swim an hour later in the sea.

The native language is Arabic, but nevertheless, French and English are widely spoken by the majority of the people. Newspapers, informative publications and all kind of assistance are available in all three languages: Communication is therefore definitely not a problem!
 

All visitors require passport validity and Lebanese Visa. Many Travel Agencies can handle group visas.

All ordinary personal effects are exempted from customs duty. Tourists are allowed two bottles of alcoholic beverage for personal use and 500g of tobacco (400 cigarettes or 20 cigars).

The legal tender is the Lebanese Pound (LL), called in Arabic "Lira", but US dollars are widely used. The exchange rate varies because of the free market (1$=LL1500) approximately, but Lebanon is a free currency market; visitors may import unlimited amounts of local and foreign currencies.

Monday to Saturday (Sunday is an official holiday) National holidays: January 1st (New Year) - May 1st (Labor day) - November 22nd (Independence day) Religious holidays: February 9th (St-Maroon – Good Friday) - August 15th (Assumption day) - December 25th (Christmas) - Muharram 1st (New year) – Eid el-fitr – Eid el-Adha – Prophet Mohamed’s birthday.

110/220 Volts (50 Cycles) – Best to check with hotels.
Greenwich meantime + 2 in winter and + 3 in summer

Beirut enjoys a Mediterranean weather of four very distinct seasons; mild in winter from December till the end of March, pleasant during springtime till June, hot in the summer especially in August and again pleasant in autumn from September till November. Warm woolens are recommended for the winter and lightweight clothes for the other seasons.

Most shops open daily from 09:00am to 06:00pm. Shopping in Beirut is a pleasure. Here you can buy almost anything from the four corners of the globe. Oriental and Lebanese handicrafts might be exciting such as needlework and weaving, Jezzine ware, knitted apparel, silver and gold.