Damascus & Beirut

(7 Days - Departs Daily on a Private Basis)
Damascus, Bosra, Beirut, Byblos, Baalbek

Damascus, Syria and Beirut, Lebanon are two of the most fascinating and exciting cities in the Middle East. Enjoy flexible, comprehensive touring of them with your expert, private guides. Accommodation will be at the top luxury hotels in each destination.

Begin in the fabled city of Damascus, one of the world’s oldest continually inhabited cities. Its densely layered cityscape, chaotic souks, and rich cuisine are testament to the numerous invaders that have occupied the city over millennia. In addition to touring well-known attractions and areas such as the magnificent Umayyad Mosque, the Azem Palace, the main souk and the street called Straight, also see fascinating but lesser-known mosques, madrassas, churches, markets, specialty shops, and beits (elaborately decorated old Damascene houses). Also visit the excellent National Museum, the country’s most important.

One day, take an excursion to the ancient city of Bosra. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, Bosra contains multiple layers of architectural history, including Nabataean, Roman, Byzantine and Islamic ruins. The highlight is its extremely well preserved black-basalt Roman theater.

Continue to Beirut. Drive through the beautiful Chouf Mountains en route to your hotel, passing a number of charming Druze villages and cedar forests. Stop to explore the spectacular Beiteddine Palace, an early 19th-century palace built high on a mountain overlooking a lovely valley, and filled with gorgeous furnishings, stained glass windows, intricately carved wood walls and ceilings, and Byzantine mosaics.

Arrive in Beirut, one of the most exciting cities in the Middle East. Although it’s been damaged and rebuilt several times Beirut remains a highly sophisticated city, with excellent restaurants, nightlife and cultural pursuits. During flexible private touring with your expert guide, explore the most interesting neighborhoods, museums and monuments and learn the varied, complex history of this fascinating city. See the newly refurbished Downtown, an area full of Roman ruins, Art Deco buildings, galleries, shops, churches, mosques and a synagogue. Explore other neighborhoods renowned for their contemporary art galleries, upscale boutiques and restaurants, varied architecture and gorgeous old mansions. Also visit some of Beirut’s superb museums, such as the National Museum with its impressive collection of archaeological artifacts; the Cilicia Museum, a fascinating collection of Armenian cultural and religious items; or the Robert Mouawad Museum, a truly stunning private collection of objets d’art housed in a beautiful mansion.

Also visit Byblos, a delightful Mediterranean town to the north of Beirut. In its halcyon days in the ’60s, Byblos was a hub for the international jet set who would arrive in their private yachts; these days, it’s a popular place for chic Beirutis to spend a fun evening or weekend. Stroll the lovely bougainvillea-lined streets, explore the shops and cafes in the souk, visit the interesting Roman ruins and perhaps enjoy a delicious seafood meal at one of the restaurants fronting Byblos’s very picturesque harbor.

One day, enjoy an excursion to the beautiful Bekaa Valley to see the Roman ruins of Baalbek, the most important archaeological site in Lebanon and a UNESCO-designated World Heritage Site. On route back to your hotel, stop at the Chateau Ksara, Lebanon’s oldest and best-known winery, for a tasting of some of its esteemed red and white wines, if desired.