Lebanon is in an awful mess, but there are still a lot of cool things to do in Beirut and it can still be described as a party town. Is Beirut the Paris of the east? Sadly it no longer is, but still well worth coming – This is the Beirut City Guide.
To read about the Abu Eli Pub click here.
Getting from Beirut Airport to Hamra Street
If you are coming to Beirut then there is only one place to stay and that is Hamra street, particularly if you want to party. Getting a taxi from to Hamra Street is anywhere from $10-20 depending on if you use Uber, a local taxi, or an arranged pick up. Whatever you do negotiate the price first though.
Going to different parts of the city will mean carrying prices, so keep this in mine.
Where is the Best place to stay in Beirut? It is Hamra Street
You will find hostels and the like throughout Beirut, but the biggest raneg fo hotels is on Hamra Street. On the bottom end of the ladder there is the Mozart Hotel, cheap rooms at like $30, but hardly deluxe.
Double your money and you start to see 4 star type venues. If you are looking for a guest friendly hotel in Beirut, less is more.
Where to eat in Beirut
Harm Street has the broadest range of pubs, bars, rest-bars and of course street food. I tried a good few proper Lebanese restaurants and the food is great. A couple of good ones I tried were Abu Naim and Mezyan.
The only problem on Hamra Street is many of the restaurants do not serve alcohol, so you might need to eat then drink. Some do though, so this is a problem with a solution to be fair…..
Street Food Beirut
Street food Beirut is all about the kebabs, shawarma and felafel. You can find these places a dime a dozen, they see late and are all pretty good.
There are also a lot of great corner stores, many open until very late, or all night where you can get booze and good sandwiches.
Street food lovers will be looked after in Beirut.
Where to drink in Beirut?
When it come sto the best places to drink in Beirut it depends what you are looking for. Twenty minutes north of Beirut is Juneieh, this is home to the superclubs where you can meet ladies from different countries who will drink with you if you buy the, champagne. This is basically the prostitute area of Beirut and best avoided unless thes is not only what you want, but you have very deep pockets.
And of course there is Hamra Street. In may mine this is the best area to drink in Beirut. There is everything here from real communist pubs, to English pubs and of course local joints. Beers are well priced and far from looked down upon.
Hamra Street is a great place to meet local girls and guys out for the night and it can hardly be described as conservative here. My top wo pubs would be Little Beirut, which had a great and cheap Long Island Iced Tea and the Abu Eli Pub, a REAL communist bar.
I also enjoyed the local version of Smirnoff Ice, which was not only 10 percent, but could also be purchased from late night stores.
Beirut dangers and annoyances
Sadly there are lots of troubles in Lebanon from mass inflation to lack of light. And where you have poverty, you have the usual things that go with it. If you are looking for streetwalkers in Beirut it would seem like Hamra Street is the place to go. Girls will come up to you later in the night on Hamra Street and ask for money and, or offer themselves.
There are also a lot of beggars of box sex on Hamra street, as well as some danger from pickpockets. The later only made worse by the lack electrics and thus lights.
To read why Lebanon is such a mess click here.
Oh and because of the crazy exchange rate you cannot use an ATM, nor cards either, so when you travel to Beirut always bring cash.
Overall though and as the Street Food Guy and Drinks Guy, Beirut has more than enough to offer me.
Wanna see Beirut for yourself? Come on a tour.