1 Day: ANTALYA - BEIRUTMeeting at the Sun Express check-in desk at Antalya Airport international departures terminal, at 14:30. We depart for Beirut by plane at 17:45. Arrival in Beirut at 19:00 local time. Then we settle into our hotel.
2 Day: BEIRUTWe have our breakfast at the hotel, then we start our city tour with our professional Turkish guide. After a short tour with our vehicle, we are going to Solidere (Downtown), which reminds the streets of Paris with its stylish cafes, restaurants, and famous brands. Solidere, the company that undertakes the construction, repair, arrangement, and beautification works in this region, gave this region its current name, while at the same time finding various artifacts from the Roman period during the works and opening them to visit within the modern city structure today. Nejmeh Square, which is famous for its clock tower, the historical Orthodox Church in the square, the ruins of the historical Roman Bath, the buildings that were built as barracks in the Ottoman period and serve as the Prime Ministry and the Parliament today, the United Nations Building, Lebanon's The tomb of former prime minister Rafik Hariri, who played an important role in its restructuring, and the Mohamed El-Amin mosque are among the places we will see. At the end of the tour, transfer to our hotel and free time. Overnight at our hotel in Beirut.
3 Day: BEIRUTFree time after having breakfast at our hotel. Our guests can join the Jeita & Harissa & Byblos tour organized by our guide. After the tour, we return to our hotel. In the evening, we will attend the dinner where you will taste Lebanese appetizers, which will be organized with our guests who wish. After this fun dinner, we return to our hotel. Overnight at our hotel in Beirut.
Jeita & Harissa & Byblos Tour
Departure towards the Jeita caves, located on the edge of the Dog River and its valley, at the foot of the Lebanese mountains, about 30 minutes (20 km) from Beirut. Shaped by karst formations, Jeita has 2 caves, upper and lower. We start our visit with the cable car exit from the car parking area to the upper cave. The upper cave was discovered in 1958 and has a length of 2200 m, of which 750 meters are open to visitors via a walking path. The lower cave, on the other hand, housed humans in prehistoric times but was rediscovered in 1836. The tour in the lower cave is made by electric motor boats. Depart for Harissa by walking down the caves or by mini train. Our vehicle will arrive in Jounie, the neighboring country town of Beirut, with a journey of approximately 15-20 minutes. Departure to Harissa, located at an altitude of approximately 650 m, with 2 different cable cars depending on weather availability. On the hill, the 15-ton Virgin Mary statue, which was mounted on a small church in 1908, will welcome us. The great cathedral behind the statue is impressive with its architecture that looks like a cedar tree from the outside and a Phoenician ship from the inside and was chosen as a result of the competition. Our descent from the hill will be back to Jounie with our vehicle. Arrive at Byblos, the ancient port city of Phoenicia, located on the seaside, with a journey of approximately 20 minutes (18 km) from here. Although the history of the city is not known for certain, it is estimated by scientists that it dates back to 7000 years ago. During the time of Byblos, which was a large commercial port, it was a city dominated by papyrus trade in the region due to its commercial and cultural relations with ancient Egypt. For this reason, the Greeks gave the city the name Byblos, which means the holy book in Greek. It was the Phoenicians who found the first linear alphabet, which is the basis of today's modern Latin, Arabic, and Greek alphabet, and the oldest work on the alphabet was found in Byblos. Return to our hotel after this tour.
4 Day: BEKAA VALLEY - BAALBEK TEMPLES - ANJAR ARMENIAN VILLAGE - KSARA WINE CELLARAfter having breakfast at our hotel, we move towards the Bekaa valley, which is 90 km away from Beirut. We approach the Syrian Damascus gate about 2 km, visit the Umayyad trade center built in the 8th century, and then turn our route to the Baalbek Roman temples, built for the god Baal and considered the largest and most magnificent in the world. After visiting 3 different temples, we turn our route to Zahle, the 5th largest city of Lebanon. We are doing a tasting tour of the World-famous Ksara wine cellars in the Ksara district in Zahle. Then return to Beirut. Accommodation at our hotel.
Note: The tasting tour is offered as 3 different price options and is extra.
5 Day: SAİDA - CHOUF - BEYTEDDİN PALACEAfter having breakfast at the hotel, departure for a trip to Sidon (Sayda), the 3rd largest city in Lebanon and one of the port cities of the Phoenicians. You can feel yourself in the middle of a movie set as you wander through the Mamluk bazaars. These delightful bazaars, where maze-shaped, narrow stone buildings stretch out, are definitely worth seeing. At the end of our Saida tour, we will go to the Chouf Mountains, where the Durzi community predominantly lives, at an altitude of about 900 m from the sea. We will visit Deir Al Qamar (Monastery of the Moon - City of Emirs) the capital before Beirut became the capital. Deir Al Qamar has been on the UNESCO world heritage list since 1984. Afterward, we move towards our final destination, the palaces of Beyteddin. Beyteddin palaces were completed in the early 1800s by Emir Basher, the Durzi origin Emir of the period, which befits the Ottoman Empire, and the Lebanese administration was controlled from this palace for a long time. Although it was heavily damaged in the 1975-1991 civil war, it was again revised by the Durzi leader Walid Janbolad.
6 Day: BEIRUT - ANTALYAWe give free time after breakfast at the hotel. After meeting at the designated point at the designated time, we proceed to the airport and start our return journey.
