Destination: Syria

LONELY PLANET'S OFFICIAL ITINERARY INFORMATION

Itinerary: Southern Hiatus

FIVE DAYS / SOUTH LEBANON

The less-travelled south is great for those wanting to get away from the tourist trail in Lebanon. After a straight run down the coast, from Tyre you can take a (long) day trip to areas that were, until recently, under Israeli occupation. There’s better accommodation in Tyre than in Sidon, so you can shorten the trip by doing Sidon in one full day.



Military checkpoints, land mines, giant posters of martyrs and streets lined with Hezbollah flags might have you thinking you’re in a war zone, but southern Lebanon is the most hospitable part of the country. Say ‘salaam ’alaykum’ to someone in the South and you’ll not only get a warm Arabic greeting in response but an enormous twinkle-eyed smile. And while the South has been slower to recover than the rest of Lebanon, there’s still plenty to see.

From Beirut travel down the coast, through banana plantations and citrus orchards, to Sidon. Spend a couple of days exploring its labyrinthine souq, the beautifully restored Khan al-Franj, Sea Castle, stunning Musée Du Savon and dining at an Ottoman palace khan restaurant at the seafront. You can also explore the Phoenician Temple of Echmoun ruins, near Sidon.

Head further south to Tyre, a World Heritage Site, to see ancient ruins and the world’s largest, best-preserved Roman hippodrome. Visit Tyre’s picturesque fishing harbour, the atmospheric old souq and lovely beaches. From Tyre do a day trip into Hezbollah territory. Fought over for the past 1000 years, Beaufort Castle was occupied by the Israelis for over 20 years, and has commanding views of Israel and Syria. A visit to the notorious Al-Khiam Detention Camp, now a Hezbollah-run museum, is a sobering experience, but an absolute must. Then head to the border town of Kfar Kila to Fatima Gate, the well-known wartime border crossing. Then it’s back to Beirut.