Things to see and do Beirut

On foot or by car, you'll soon realize that to get to Raouché, it's uphill! But the result is well worth the effort... This district has acquired its reputation thanks to the vicinity of the famous Pigeon Cave, islands of limestone shaped by erosion. This rock, which appears on the majority of tourist photos of Beirut, rises to 46 m in height. Local legend has it that Raouché's ratchet is the sea monster that chased Andromeda, transformed into stone by Perseus thanks to the head of Medusa. It is one of the main natural attractions of the city. A natural staircase on the rock leads to the top.

From the ledge, there is a remarkable view of the site.

Below the Pigeon Cave, it is possible to go down to the seafront and get a beautiful view of the site. You can also see a small port that still has a few fishermen. This port was affected by an oil spill following the July 2006 war and the bombing of the Jiyé power station. To the south of the pigeon cave is the cape of El Delie, one of the few areas of the Corniche that has escaped urbanisation. Much appreciated by the Beirut people who come to swim there, El Delie is today threatened by real estate projects; a citizen's collective has been set up to save it.

A few meters after the Pigeon Cave, the Shams building, with its multicolored facade, symbolizes the Raouché of the 1950s. It was designed by the architect Joseph Philippe Karam.

The feet in the water, the Saint-Georges Yacht Club welcomed a prestigious clientele before the war. It is said that it was on the shores of his cove that the Lebanese parliamentarians were preparing the presidential election, so much so that the Speaker of the House complained about the absenteeism of members who were more voluntarily quorum on water than in his Chamber. Today, the Saint-Georges Yacht Club is one of the city's most famous private beaches. It is an experience to bathe under the abandoned carcass of the hotel!

Adjacent to the Marina du Saint-Georges, Zaitunay Bay is a residential and tourist complex that includes some twenty restaurants and cafés. Inaugurated at the end of 2011, it was built on the former Normandy embankment, named after the Normandy hotel that was once nearby. During the civil war, this region was a vast dump site housing more than 5 million ^{m3 of} garbage and debris. After years of treatment and cleaning, 18 hectares have been developed by Solidere, the company responsible for rebuilding the city centre. Today, Zaitunay Bay offers a pleasant pedestrian walk, a very good selection of restaurants and cafés, as well as a very high-end hotel, the Beirut Yatch Club.

With Nakhal, Tania is a safe value. Tourist tours from US $ 60. Several destinations: Baalbek-Anjar-Ksara, Kadisha Valley, Jeita-Byblos-Tyr, Beiteddine-Saida-Tyre. Departure from Sodeco or Hamra from 7 h 30 or 7 h 45. No circuit on Beirut.

Behind the racecourse and the National Museum, surrounded by a large wall, stands the pine forest, planted by Amir Fakhreddine. The "dream pine forest", described by Lamartine during his trip to the East, is now trying to survive as best it can in the midst of dust and pollution. A joint programme led by the Ile-de-France region and the city of Beirut made it possible to redevelop it in 1995. Long reserved for Westerners and people with a permit, the pine forest is at the heart of a legal imbroglio as only Lebanon is capable of creating. After a struggle of several years, a group of inhabitants had succeeded in opening the park to all in 2016. The end of an absurd discrimination, but above all an important victory for the health of Beirut's inhabitants: the number of green spaces in Beirut is limited to a ratio of 0.8 square meters per inhabitant (when the WHO recommends 9...). And then in 2017, the municipality decides to close the pine wood again: a parasite would attack the trees and the authorities fear a contagion. If the epidemic was real, this decision could have hidden real estate embezzlement: building permits were given in protected areas of the park. This rekindled the anger of the inhabitants, who regularly organized sit-ins and demonstrations to safeguard the green lung of the Lebanese capital. The trees have since been treated, and the park is finally open to the public. Perfect for a stroll in the footsteps of Lamartine.

It offers a selection of contemporary art exhibitions. It is therefore advisable to check the opening times before visiting. The gallery also presents exhibitions in other venues, such as the Musée des Beaux-Arts de Lyon in France and the Musée Śląskie w Katowicach in Poland. Please note that the Brussels gallery is temporarily closed.

The Running House is an art gallery located in Beirut. It features exhibitions by contemporary artists, including Sean Mackaoui, a Lebanese artist specializing in collages. Mackaoui's collages are at once impertinent, poetic and critical. He uses scissors as his main tool to create his works, which are made up of newspaper clippings, advertisements and magazine cut-outs. His collages often evoke deeper meanings than the elements of which they are composed. Mackaoui is inspired by the Dada movement and pop art, and his work is often humorous, minimalist and critical. He has exhibited his work in galleries around the world, including Beirut, Madrid and Barcelona.

The Zico House ("Zico's house") is a unique place where Lebanese and international artists, actors, performers, visual artists, come here to share their creations. Created in 1999 in his family home by Moustapha Yamout, known as Zico, this art center is open to all. If some exhibit their works only for a short time, others have set up residencies here, and it is therefore possible to observe them working. Many events are also organized there, which can be discovered on their Facebook page

It offers exhibitions of contemporary art as well as photographs and old postcards from the Middle East. The gallery is housed in a warm and welcoming space, and also boasts a framing studio, winter garden and archive space. The owner, Dr Moussa Kobeissi, is a passionate collector with over 10,000 old photos and postcards. The gallery regularly organizes exhibitions by local and international artists. Past exhibitions have included oil paintings, photographs and sculptures. Galerie Zamaan is a must for art lovers in Beirut.

Espace Kettaneh Kunigk is an art gallery located in Beirut. It is an exhibition space and cultural center that showcases contemporary artists. The gallery holds regular exhibitions and presents a variety of artworks. Espace Kettaneh Kunigk is a must for art lovers in Beirut.

Opened in 1990 not far from the American university, Agial is one of the most popular contemporary art galleries in the Lebanese capital. Coming from all over the Middle East, artists of international reputation are regularly exhibited there, such as Jean Boghossian, Muatasim Al Kubaisy, or Ginane Makki Bacho. Visual artists, painters and sculptors are thus honoured, as well as some new young talents to be discovered. To celebrate Agial's 25th anniversary, a new gallery (Saleh Barakat) has been opened in the former Clemenceau cinema.

Further along the Corniche, after passing the Movempick Hotel, you can see in the distance the only real public beach in Beirut. This sandy beach is 1 km long. Although the beach is relatively well maintained and there is little plastic waste, swimming is not recommended. Ramlet el-Baida remains therefore a pleasant and friendly place where families come in large numbers to stroll. At the end of the afternoon, the young people of the district start playing football or volleyball.

In the direction of Manara, the cornice runs along the campus of the American University of Beirut, then the International College School, before arriving at the Riviera Hotel. After the Manara area with its new lighthouse, the cornice is less attractive. One follows the private beaches of the Military Bath, Long Beach and Sporting. Created in the 1930s and 1950s, these addresses are very well known, but also old. Not very welcoming, old-fashioned and with rudimentary service, some of them deserve a facelift! Founded in 1955, Le Sporting is very vintage. Manara has one of the most picturesque cafés in the city, Café Raouda. The new lighthouse adjoining the Military Bath beach has replaced the old lighthouse that can be seen between two buildings on the hill overlooking the area.

In order to guide the increasing number of boats coming to Beirut, Daoud Pasha (the first mustassarif appointed in Lebanon during the Ottoman occupation) had decided, in 1863, to entrust the construction of the lighthouse to French engineers. This old lighthouse was extinguished from 1977 to 1994, then the construction of a building below it in the early 2000s was fatal to it. Unable to light it properly, it was closed and a new lighthouse was built. At the foot of this lighthouse, one can admire the "pink house", a splendid Lebanese house. Built in 1882, it dominates the area of Ras Beirut. Although classified, the house occupies a remarkable site that attracts the attention of real estate developers.