8:30 AM — Hotel pickup Your guide meets the group at your Beirut hotel. The city tour starts immediately — Pigeon Rocks is five minutes away.

Pigeon Rocks & Zaitunay Bay The limestone sea stacks off Raouche — Beirut's most photographed natural landmark — then along the seafront to Zaitunay Bay marina. Your guide sets the geographical and historical context for the city before the downtown walk begins.

Drive along the Corniche el Manara — Beirut's Mediterranean promenade, the city's democratic common ground. Drive past the Holiday Inn — its Civil War facade deliberately preserved, the most honest five seconds in Beirut.

Downtown Beirut — the guided circuit Your guide leads the group through Beirut's most essential downtown stops — all within walking distance, each with a distinct story that connects to the next. Mohammad Al-Amin Mosque · 10 min ⛪ Saint George Cathedral · 10 min Martyrs' Square · 10 min Place de l'Étoile · 10 min Beirut Souks · 10 min Roman Baths · 10 min

Beiteddine Palace — the presidential palace of Lebanon Built between 1788 and 1840 by Emir Bashir II — the ruler who unified Lebanon's mountain factions. Three interconnected courtyards with hand-cut tilework and carved cedar-wood ceilings. Beneath the palace: Lebanon's finest collection of Byzantine mosaics — floor panels of extraordinary quality that most visitors walk straight past. Today the official summer residence of the Lebanese President. Your guide covers the full story of Beiteddine and what it represents in Lebanese political and cultural history.

Deir el Qamar — Lebanon's first capital, still going Meaning "Monastery of the Moon" — a honey-stone Ottoman village that served as Lebanon's first capital under the Ma'an dynasty and remains one of the most perfectly preserved historic villages in the country. The cobblestone square is framed by 17th and 18th-century mansions. A mosque and a church stand metres apart — four centuries of coexistence in a single hillside view. Your guide explains the political and religious significance of this village to Lebanese mountain identity.

Fakhreddine Mosque & Saydet el Tallé Church The 17th-century mosque of Emir Fakhreddine II — the Druze ruler who built an empire from the Bekaa to the Sinai — and the hilltop Maronite church with panoramic views over the Chouf valleys. Same hillside, four centuries, two communities. Your guide explains why this matters in a country where coexistence is never accidental.

Lunch in Deir el Qamar — included Lebanese mountain mezze at a local Deir el Qamar restaurant — grilled meats, fresh bread, Chouf valley views. Fully included in the tour price.

Return to Beirut — approx. 5:30–6:30 PM Drop-off at your Beirut hotel. City, palace, and Lebanon's first capital — three versions of the country in one guided day.