If you’re looking for good bars and restaurants at بيروت, Lebanon, you will be often pointed towards the Armenian quarter in the primarily Christian part of the city. This region of Beirut is easy to find as the road is also called Armenia and the bars and restaurants are lined up at this road are can be found close to it. Sometimes it is referenced to as Mar Mikhael but that is only half the truth; this interesting area partially also belongs to the city quarters Geitawi and Qobayat.
Continue reading “Armenian quarter”Souk
If you expect to find a traditional market (souk) at بيروت, Lebanon, you will be pretty much disappointed. The shopping mall Beirut Souks has taken over some structures of ancient markets and you can see some ruins of the old market between the houses but it is really a modern shopping mall. Nevertheless, it might be useful to get here as you’ve got everything in place: coffee bars, restaurants, shops and also a tiny post office a little bit hidden.
Continue reading “Souk”Place de l‘Etoile
The Sāhat an-Nadschma or Place de l’Etoile of بيروت, Lebanon, is an important square in the centre of the city. Different roads lead to it in a star-shaped way and next to it you can find the parliament, the archaeological museum and the Saint George church (a Greek orthodox cathedral). In the middle of the square, you can find an ancient clocktower from the 1930s. The area was once filled with bars and coffee bars that were destroyed during the Lebanese civil war.
Continue reading “Place de l‘Etoile”Martyrs‘ square
It is the central square of بيروت, Lebanon, and has played an important role in Lebanese history different times: the Martyrs’ square. It was formerly an open square next to the city walls and it is therefore close to the old city centre. It leads down to the harbour and the two most iconic buildings next to it are the Mohammad Al-Amin mosque and the ‘egg‘ – a cinema with a special architecture that remained unfinished due to the Lebanese civil war. Martyrs’ square is a place often chosen for public events, protests and protest camps.
Continue reading “Martyrs‘ square”Mohammad Al-Amin Mosque
It is a house of prayer you can’t miss when visiting the بيروت, Lebanon. The Mohammad Al-Amin Mosque is a Sunni mosque located next to the city centre and the Martyrs’ square. It is a rather new mosque; its foundation stone with laid in 2003 by prime minister Rafik Hariri and it was opened in 2008 by one of his sons. It is well visible because of its four minarets and the 42 meters high cupola coloured in blue.
Continue reading “Mohammad Al-Amin Mosque”National museum
The national museum was the first point of interest I visited when coming to بيروت, Lebanon. Having seen nothing of the city before I was really surprised how modern and well designed this museum of archaeology is. The museum was founded after World War II and contains around 100,000 items from excavations in Lebanon. Highly decorated sarcophagi, fantastic mosaics, ancient coins, statues and also some mummies can be found in the exhibition – with items also dating back to the bronze age.
Continue reading “National museum”Coral Beach Hotel and Resort
The Coral Beach Hotel is a nice hotel in the South of بيروت, Lebanon. It is very recommendable especially in summer – with a wonderful pool between the buildings and access to the Mediterranean sea, even as there is no beach. It formerly belonged to the Sheraton group and has large rooms and a good restaurant. The location of the hotel is the big advantage in summer, but also a big disadvantage as you always need to take a taxi to access the city centre. It is a ten minutes taxi ride from there to the city and also to the airport.
Continue reading “Coral Beach Hotel and Resort”Rafic Hariri International Airport
The Rafic Hariri International Airport (BEY) at بيروت is the most important gateway to Lebanon. It is a smaller but well-working airport located 9 kilometres south of the city centre. The airport has just one terminal but three runways and was renovated in 2019 – the old terminal is still standing and looking like a ruin. The airport was named after former prime minister Rafic Hariri after he was assassinated in 2005. It is also the home base of Middle East Airlines (MEA) which is said to be a good airline with well-trained staff.
Continue reading “Rafic Hariri International Airport”İstanbul Havalimanı
It is the new, vast and shiny airport of Turkeys capital city: the İstanbul Havalimanı. It replaced the old Atatürk International Airport in April 2019 and has three terminals and four runways. The airport is modern, beautiful and flights often arrive after a nice loop over Karadeniz. Disadvantages are that the airport is very large so that you’ll have to walk very long distances and that it is much further away from the city centre than the old one.
Continue reading “İstanbul Havalimanı”Gläserne Stadt
The Gläserne Stadt (vitreous city) is a beautiful artwork that was hidden in the underground: it was created in 1968 by artist Dieter von Andrian for the one and only underground tramway stop of Kassel, Germany – located underneath the main railway station (Hauptbahnhof, now Kulturbahnhof). It is 14 meters long and 2.5 meters high and shows a detailed map of Kassel, from the Unterneustadt, the river Fulda and the Karlsaue up to the Bergpark. You can easily spot the Königsplatz and the Wilhelmshöher Allee as the main (but broken) axis through the city. The artwork is illuminated in the evening, and it is most beautiful to visit it in the evening hours.
Continue reading “Gläserne Stadt”