Private Tour: Beiteddine Palace, Deir El Qamar and Sidon
Mount Lebanon Governorate
About
Unlock the treasures of Lebanon's past and present with our bespoke Private Car Tour to Beit El Din, Deir El Qamar, and Sidon. Departing from Beirut in the comfort of your own private car, embark on a journey through time and tradition with our expert driver. Begin your adventure at the magnificent Beit El Din Palace, a marvel of Ottoman architecture nestled amidst the lush landscapes of the Chouf Mountains. Explore the cobblestone streets and ancient landmarks of Deir El Qamar, a charming village steeped in history and heritage. Then, venture south to Sidon, where the echoes of Phoenician civilization resonate in its bustling markets and archaeological sites. With personalized attention and...
Highlights
8 hours
Offered in Arabic (العربية) & English
Free Cancellation
Mobile Ticket
8 hours
Offered in Arabic (العربية) & English
Free Cancellation
Mobile Ticket
What's Included
Private transportation
Tour Leader
Hotel Pick up & Drop off
Air-conditioned vehicle
Lunch
Gratuities
Important Information
•
Specialized infant seats are available
•
Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Cancellation policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
•
For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
•
Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.
•
If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
•
This experience requires a minimum number of travelers. If it’s canceled because the minimum isn’t met, you’ll be offered a different date/experience or a full refund.
•
Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.
Become our Lokal Curator
Are you ready to turn your hobbies into a business?
Beiteddine Palace or ‘House of Faith’ is a 19th-century palace in Beiteddine, Lebanon. It hosts the annual Beiteddine Festival and the Beiteddine Palace Museum.
Emir Bashir Chehab II, who later became the ruler of the Mount Lebanon Emirate, built the palace between 1788 and 1818. After 1840, the palace was used by the Ottomans as a government building. During the French Mandate it served as a local administrative office.
In 1943, the palace was declared the president's official summer residence. During the Lebanese Civil War it was heavily damaged. Parts of the palace are today open to the public while the rest is still the president's summer residence.
1 hour and 30 minutes
2
Deir el Qamar
Deir al-Qamar, meaning "Monastery of the Moon" is a village located south-east of Beirut and five kilometres outside of Beiteddine palace in the Chouf District of the Mount Lebanon.
Deir El Qamar was the first village in Lebanon to have a municipality in 1864, and it is the birthplace of many well known personalities, such as artists, writers, and politicians. People from all religious backgrounds lived there and the town had a mosque, synagogue and Christian churches.
In the year 1860, Deir al-Qamar was destroyed during the civil war between Druze and Christians during which the town was set ablaze. Napoleon III sent a French contingent to rebuild it, recalling France ancient role as protector of the Christians in the Ottoman Empire as established by a treaty in 1523.
In 1864, Deir el-Qamar elected the first municipality in the Arab provinces of the Ottoman Empire.
The village retains a remarkable picturesque appearance with typical stone houses with red tile roofs.
30 minutes
3
Fakhreddine's Mosque
Fakhreddine Mosque with its octagonal minaret is a mosque in Deir el Qamar, Lebanon. Built in 1493 and restored in the sixteenth century by Fakhreddine 1st, it is the oldest mosque in Mount Lebanon.
15 minutes
4
Saydet El Talle Church
The Church of Saidet et Tallé and translated as Our Lady of the Hill is one of the most important historical and religious sites in Deir el Qamar and dates to the 15th century.
Monk Nicolas Smisaati built a church on the site over the ruins of an old Phoenician temple dedicated to the goddess Astarte that was later destroyed by an earthquake in 859.
According to the Maronite Heritage web site, "the legend says that there was a Druze Emir in Baakline looking at the hill of Dar El Kamar. He saw a light coming out of the hill so he gathered his soldiers and ordered them to go in the morning and dig in the land. He said to them: 'If you find an Islamic symbol, build a mosque. If you find a Christian symbol, build a church."
In the morning, the soldiers went and found a rock with a cross on it and under the cross there was the moon and venus. That was the sign that in the distant past there was a temple dedicated to the moon and venus and later it became a church.
15 minutes
5
Sidon
Sidon, one of the oldest Phoenician cities, was founded in the 3rd millennium BC and became prosperous in the 2nd. Sidon was famous for its purple dyes and glassware and Jesus visited it. During the Crusades, Sidon changed hands several times and was destroyed and rebuilt.
2 hours
6
Crusaders Sea Castle
The Sidon Sea Castle was built by the crusaders in the thirteenth century on a small island, connected to the mainland by a causeway, as a fortress of the holy land. It is one of the most prominent historical sites in the port city of Sidon, Lebanon. The castle was largely destroyed by the Mamluks in 1291 and was later restored by Fakhr el-Dine Maan II in the early 17th century.
Old prints of the fortress show it to be one of great beauty, but little remains of the embellishments that once decorated its ramparts.
30 minutes
7
Khan al-Franj
Khan al-Franj is one of Sidon’s main attractions. It was built in the beginning of the 17th century by Emir Fakhreddine II to be a hotel for ambassadors and a center for commercial exchange between Lebanon and France.
The hotel soon became a center for literature, religion, history, industry and diplomacy. It became a home for culture and civilization.
This is a typical khan with a large rectangular courtyard and a central fountain surrounded by covered galleries.
15 minutes
8
Sidon Souks
The souk of Sidon is the center of all the commercial activities of retail, as well as craft industry.
The souk is a maze of narrow alleyways with small kiosks, shops and cafes, street merchant, butchers, grocers, shoe-makers, tailors and jewelers.
15 minutes
Items | Private Tour: Beiteddine Palace, Deir El Qamar and Sidon
Private Tour: Beiteddine Palace, Deir El Qamar and Sidon
Mount Lebanon Governorate
Select Date & Travelers
From
$100.00
Price varies by group size
About
Unlock the treasures of Lebanon's past and present with our bespoke Private Car Tour to Beit El Din, Deir El Qamar, and Sidon. Departing from Beirut in the comfort of your own private car, embark on a journey through time and tradition with our expert driver. Begin your adventure at the magnificent Beit El Din Palace, a marvel of Ottoman architecture nestled amidst the lush landscapes of the Chouf Mountains. Explore the cobblestone streets and ancient landmarks of Deir El Qamar, a charming village steeped in history and heritage. Then, venture south to Sidon, where the echoes of Phoenician civilization resonate in its bustling markets and archaeological sites. With personalized attention and...