Deir el Qamar - Beiteddine Palace - Chouf Cedars From Beirut
Description
Hotel Pickup: Between 8:00 AM – 8:30 AM Begin the day with a visit to Deir Al Qamar (“Monastery of the Moon”), a historic village located southeast of Beirut in south-central Lebanon. This beautifully restored town preserves its centuries-old character, featuring feudal architecture, traditional stepped streets, and walled gardens. Duration: 45 minutes Continue to the magnificent Beiteddine Palace Complex, Lebanon’s finest example of 19th-century architecture, built by Prince Bashir. Explore the palace’s golden stone walls, suspended gardens, and elegant courtyard fountains, then enjoy panoramic views of the complex from Deir Al Qamar village. Duration: 1 hour 30 minutes Lunch Stop: Enjoy lunch at a local restaurant. Duration: 1 hour The final stop is the Shouf Cedars Forest Reserve, where you will have time to walk, hike, and explore the ancient cedar trees in this protected natural reserve. Return to Beirut: Estimated arrival between 4:30 PM – 4:45 PM
Tour Options
Itinerary
Deir al-Qamar, meaning "Monastery of the Moon" is a city south-east of Beirut in south-central Lebanon. It is located five kilometres outside of Beiteddine in the Chouf District of the Mount Lebanon Governorate at 800 m of average altitude.
We will Start out at Deir Al Qamar “Monastery of the Moon” a village located south-east of Beirut in south-central Lebanon,it’s a unique Lebanese town restored and maintained in centuries-old style, preserving feudal architecture, old stepped streets, and walled gardens. Then Beiteddine palace complex, Lebanon’s best example of 19th century architecture. Built by Prince Bashir, the palace is now used as a summer retreat for the president of the Lebanese Republic, and as a backdrop for many movie sets. Explore the golden walls, suspended gardens, and courtyard fountains, then enjoy a spectacular view of the complex from the village of Deir Al Qamar.
Discover Shouf Cedar Nature Reserve is a nature reserve in the Chouf District of Lebanon. It is located on the slopes of Barouk mountain and has an area of 550 km2 (210 sq mi), nearly 5.3% of the Lebanese territory. The reserve contains the Lebanon cedar forests of Barouk, Maaser el Shouf and Ain Zhalta-Bmohray. It is an Important Bird Area (IBA) and Eco-tourism area. It hosts 32 species of wild mammals, 200 species of birds, and 500 species of plants.
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
Kindly Free Pickup is Provided From Your Location in Beirut: Please Provide us with your hotel / Airbnb / Personal Home Address for Pickup & Drop off provide a pick up address
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Specialized infant seats are available
- Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
- Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
Reviews(11)
It was a lovely day. The driver was on time and was very polite and respectful. The tour was successful and the places we visited were nice
- we didn't actually walk in cedar forest - he told me he'd pay for entrance and I paid him later. Then he tried to claim I owed him $35, despite entrance only being $15 - tour was rushed
Some friends recommended we visit the Chouf area, and we’re so glad we took their advice. The Cedars Forest was absolutely stunning peaceful, scenic, and full of history. We even saw one of the oldest trees, said to be over 3,000 years old, which was really special. Overall, a relaxing and memorable trip. Would definitely recommend!
Thank you so much Ali for the amazing rides around Lebanon! The views were stunning and the whole experience was relaxing and enjoyable. You were very professional and friendly, which made it even better. I highly recommend this experience to anyone visiting Beirut!
Our guide Ali was extremely nice and helpful. He made wifi available in the mini-van, he got us coffee and water in the morning, and made sure we had everything we needed throughout the day. This tour is self-guided so I would definitely recommend researching the history of the places before going.
This is by far the best trip i’ve ever had! The car is clean, in time, and comfortable. The program was really fun and full of interesting places. Lastly, Khalil was the superstar of the trip! He is flexible, nice, very helpful and considerate. He made sure we were all happy and comfortable. He took us to a very nice restaurant by a waterfall view. I’d recommend Khalil and this trip to any friend visiting Beirut any time soon. Thank you guys and thank you Khalil for everything 💜
The tour contains three really different parts: the village of Deir el Qamar has a beautiful square and a large number of well-restored buildings. It has a beautiful small center and is nice to walk through and visit a church. The Beiteddine Palace is a gem: a beautiful large complex with luxurious harem and living areas. Sometimes there are exhibitions of modern art and if you are lucky you can see the mosaics. The Chouf cedar forest has multiple entrances. The entrance fee is 10 euros, which is relatively expensive. The marked circular walk is 45 minutes and is nice because you also see some nature after many cities. We had a private tour and that gave us some more options along the way thanks to guide/driver Robin. There is also time for snacks and drinks. It's not a sensational tour but worth it.
We were so happy when we saw that Ziyad was out driver again! He knows so much about the places that he's literally a great guide as well and, not to mention, a very fun companion. All 3 places on the tour are incredible, and definitely worth visiting.
Visit the unforgettable Deir el Qamar village, do not miss the narrow streets, municipality and all the beautiful monuments in the city
