8
Private Car with Great Chauffeur Mike.
We rented a private car. It came with a great Chauffeur Mike. Very professional person. Good car. On time courteous and friendly person! Thanks. Big Up to Mike.
Private Beiteddine, Barouk Cedars & Deir el Qamar | Chouf Tour
+11 photos
At a glance
- Duration
- 8 hours
- Price from
- $100 / person
- Location
- Beirut, Lebanon
- Rating
- 5.0 / 5 · 1 reviews
- Languages
- AR, EN
- Group
- Private
- Cancellation
- Free cancellation up to 24 hours before
- Hotel pickup
- Available
- Confirmation
- Instant
- Ticket
- Mobile or paper ticket accepted
- Operator
- Lebanon Tours & travels
Description
The Chouf Mountains hold three of Lebanon's most rewarding experiences within a single mountain range — and this private full-day tour from Beirut brings them all together in one beautifully paced day. A 19th-century palace of extraordinary grandeur. An ancient cedar forest within Lebanon's largest UNESCO-recognised biosphere reserve. And the perfectly preserved Ottoman village that was once Lebanon's first capital. Begin at Beiteddine Palace — one of the finest palaces in the Arab world, built by Emir Bashir II with grand courtyards, carved cedar ceilings, and an underground Byzantine mosaic museum. Continue to the Barouk Cedar Forest — ancient cedar trees walked through at your own pace in an hour of mountain stillness. End the afternoon in Deir el Qamar — a honey-stone village where a mosque, a church, and centuries of quiet coexistence share the same cobblestone square.
Schedule & prices
- Runs
- Tue, Wed, Thu, Fri, Sat, and Sun
- Start times
- 9:00 AM
- Next available
- Thu, Oct 8
- Adult
- $100
Prices are per person when two book together; a solo traveller pays $200.
Larger groups pay less per person.
From the operator’s live schedule on Viator, checked Oct 7.
Tour Options
Itinerary
Beirut
9:00 AM — Departure from Beirut Your knowledgeable English-speaking driver collects you from your Beirut hotel and heads southeast into the Chouf Mountains — pine-forested ridges climbing above the coastal plain as you wind upward toward Beiteddine.
Arrive at one of the most magnificent palaces in the Arab world — built between 1788 and 1840 by Emir Bashir II, the powerful ruler who unified Lebanon's mountain communities under a single authority for the first time in centuries. Three grand interconnected courtyards decorated with hand-cut geometric tilework, carved cedar-wood ceilings, and elaborately painted reception halls reveal the extraordinary ambition and craftsmanship of this Chouf mountain retreat. Beneath the palace, an underground museum preserves Lebanon's finest collection of Byzantine mosaics — floor panels of extraordinary colour and detail recovered from archaeological sites across the country. Today the palace serves as the official summer residence of the Lebanese President. Your driver shares the full story of Emir Bashir and the palace he built to endure.
Barouk Cedar
Drive to the Barouk Cedar Forest — one of the most accessible and most rewarding sections of the Shouf Biosphere Reserve, Lebanon's largest nature reserve and a UNESCO-recognised landscape of exceptional ecological significance. The Barouk grove sits at high altitude within the reserve and protects ancient cedar trees descended from the vast forests that once covered these mountains — the same trees whose timber built Phoenician ships, Solomon's Temple, and the palaces of Egypt. An hour among these ancient trunks — walking the marked paths through the grove at your own pace, the mountain air cool and clear, the silence of a protected forest around you — is one of the most quietly restorative experiences in the entire Chouf. Your driver shares the story of the reserve and the conservation efforts that saved these trees as you explore.
Deir el Qamar
Drive to Deir el Qamar — meaning "Monastery of the Moon" — one of the most enchanting and best-preserved villages in Lebanon and the country's first capital under the Ma'an dynasty. The central square is framed by honey-stone mansions dating to the 17th and 18th centuries, a Druze palace, and public buildings that speak to the village's former political importance. After the imperial grandeur of Beiteddine and the natural solitude of the cedar forest, Deir el Qamar offers something quieter and equally moving — a village that has simply endured, its mosque and church standing together in the same square for centuries.
Fakhreddine's Mosque
Fakhreddine Mosque & Saydet el Tallé Church Visit the 17th-century mosque built by Fakhreddine II — the visionary Druze emir considered one of the founding fathers of modern Lebanon — before climbing to the hilltop Maronite church with sweeping views over the Chouf valleys below. Two places of worship, metres apart, sharing the same hillside for centuries — a moment that captures the essential spirit of Deir el Qamar and of Lebanon itself.
Deir el Qamar
Lunch in Deir el Qamar — optional Settle into one of Deir el Qamar's traditional mountain restaurants for a Lebanese lunch — stone-vaulted dining rooms and shaded terraces serving generous mezze spreads, grilled meats, and fresh mountain bread with Chouf valley views. After a morning in a presidential palace and an afternoon in an ancient cedar forest, lunch here feels like exactly the right conclusion to a day in the Chouf Mountains.
Beirut
Return to Beirut — approx. 5:30–6:00 PM Mountain drive back to Beirut with drop-off at your hotel — completing a full day in the Chouf that moved from a presidential palace to an ancient cedar forest to Lebanon's first capital, entirely at your own pace.
What's included
Included
Private transportation
Tour Leader
Hotel Pick up & Drop off
Air-conditioned vehicle
Not included
Lunch
Gratuities
Pickup Locations & Times
We pickup all travelers from any Hotel, Airbnb or Residence in Beirut.
Traveller Ratings
Reviews collected by Viator and Tripadvisor
5.0
1 reviews
How it compares in Beirut
- Starting price $100 is close to the typical $100 for tours of similar length in Beirut
Excurgo comparison of 438 Viator tours, recalculated daily.
Important Information
- Specialized infant seats are available
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Cancellation
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
1+ days before100% refund
0–1 days before0% refund
Frequently asked questions
How long does this tour take?
Private Beiteddine, Barouk Cedars & Deir el Qamar | Chouf Tour lasts about 8 hours. The itinerary has 7 stops.
How much does this tour cost?
Prices start at $100 per person for this Beirut experience, booked through Viator with the price shown before checkout. That is the per-person price when two book together; a solo traveller pays $200. There is 1 booking option, so the final price depends on the option you choose.
What days does this tour run?
According to the operator’s current schedule, it runs on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays, starting at 9:00 AM.
Can I cancel this tour for free?
Yes. Cancel at least 1 day before the start for a full refund. Later cancellations are non-refundable.
Is hotel pickup included?
Yes, pickup is offered. We pickup all travelers from any Hotel, Airbnb or Residence in Beirut. Pickup points include The View - Saint Georges Hotel, Hildon Hotel Beirut.
What languages is this tour offered in?
The experience is available in AR, EN.
Is this a private or a group tour?
It is a private experience: only your party takes part. Up to 9 travellers can book together.
Is the tour suitable for children?
Specialized infant seats are available
Will my booking be confirmed immediately?
Yes, bookings are confirmed instantly.
Is this tour worth it?
Travellers rate it 5.0 out of 5 across 1 reviews on Viator and Tripadvisor; it is run by Lebanon Tours & travels.
Reviews(1)
Reviews collected by Viator and Tripadvisor
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