Lebanon

Beirut: The City That Refuses to Sleep

Beirut is one of the most electric cities on earth. Art galleries occupy bullet-scarred buildings in Mar Mikhael, while rooftop bars in Gemmayzeh hum until dawn. The Corniche stretches along the sea for morning walkers and evening dreamers alike. Beneath the surface energy, Beirut holds a cultural depth that rewards anyone who slows down to look: Roman columns in the city centre, the Ottoman clock tower and the souk-side mosques and cathedrals sitting in genuine harmony.

A Table Loaded with the Finest Food on Earth

Lebanese cuisine is one of the great pleasures of travelling anywhere in the world, and eating it in Lebanon is something else entirely. Hummus arrives still warm and shimmering with olive oil, kibbeh is stuffed with toasted pine nuts and slow-cooked lamb, and mezze spreads fill entire tables with colour. The Bekaa Valley produces some of the oldest wine in the world, and a glass of arak over ice is the essential companion to an afternoon of conversation and small plates.

Mountains, Ruins and the Road Between

Beyond Beirut, Lebanon rewards exploration with extraordinary variety. Byblos is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities on the planet, its Phoenician, Roman and Crusader layers stacked on top of each other beside a pretty fishing harbour. The Qadisha Valley is a UNESCO World Heritage Site of cedar forests and cliff-carved monasteries. In winter, the slopes above Faraya fill with skiers who descend in the afternoon to swim in the Mediterranean. Few countries make that possible.