The Lebanese currency is the Lebanese pound, denoted by the symbol “ل.ل.‎, ” or “LL” (ISO code: LBP). Its value is kept stable relative to the US dollar, with a value of about LL1,500 to US$1.

Lebanese pounds and US dollars are accepted almost everywhere, and it is common to pay in dollars but receive change in pounds (in which case, make sure you don’t get short-changed).

Bills used are LL1000, LL5000, LL10,000, LL20,000, LL50,000 and LL100,000. You may find two forms of LL1000 and they are both accepted.

Bills not used are LL1, LL5, LL10, LL25, LL50, LL100, LL250, LL500.

There are LL250 and LL500 coins. LL25, LL50 and LL100 coins are virtually never used.

MONEY TRANSFER:

You may transfer money from/to Lebanon through Western Union. For more information about locations offering Money transfers you may contact BOB Finance – Bank of Beirut Group on the number 1262 from inside Lebanon or +961-5-955262 from outside with 24/7 Customer Service Support.

BY TAXI:

The majority of travellers use service taxis to get from place to place. “Service” taxis often operate like buses on set routes between towns and cities, though they can be hired to visit other places with some negotiation. Depending on the type of vehicle, each taxi carries between 4 (inside metropolitan areas) to 6 (longer distances) passengers, who share the fare between them. The fare is LL2000 for short distances of a couple of kilometers/miles, and increases depending on both distance to be traveled, traffic on that specific road and of course, like everything in Lebanon, persuasion/negotiation skills. A private taxi ride, without having to share with other passengers is similar to a “service” taxi, in that the same pre-negotiation is required to determine the fare, and as a rule of thumb it costs a minimum of LL10,000. Never get in a taxi or “service” without agreeing on the fare first.

Taxis and service taxis are basically the same, and the mode of operation depends on the availability of passengers and their demands. The majority of service taxis in Lebanon are 1975 Mercedes cars that roam the streets searching for passengers using their car-horns. Newer car models working as mainly “service” taxis are appearing on the Lebanese streets with nevertheless the same price tag as their elder sisters.

All types of public transportation vehicles in Lebanon (taxis, buses, mini-vans and even trucks) can be recognized by their red-colored licence plate.

Beirut has Uber which offers competitive prices and no hassle negotiating a price with taxi drivers. Both a passenger and a driver get a fair price. However, ordering Uber requires an internet connection and might be expensive to use international roaming. In this case, international chains like Starbucks or McDonalds provide free wifi around their shops so you could book Uber.

BY BUS:

City link bus routes are available and cheap. Most buses for north Lebanon depart from the Charles Helou Station (east of downtown), while most buses to regions south or southeast of Beirut (including Damascus and Baalbek) depart from the Cola “Station” (which is really an intersection adjacent to the Cola bridge\overpass).

BY TRAIN:

There has been no passenger rail service in Lebanon since before the Civil War.

BY CAR:

Car rental is relatively expensive in Lebanon compared to elsewhere in the region. Reasonable, if not exactly cheap rates can, however, be found with perseverance and negotiation and – once you have your rental – fuel is easy to get. Fuel is not cheap, with fuel prices being among the most affected by inflation.

Lebanon’s roads are generally in quite poor condition and Lebanese drivers are not known for their caution. Exercise extreme caution when driving in Lebanon. Even in central Beirut, even in areas undamaged by the Israeli assault, there can be massive potholes on busy multi-lane roads.

Driving in Lebanon should be considered an extreme activity for Western drivers accustomed to safe driving. Street names are virtually non-existent. Mountain driving is particularly hazardous, often involving 1-car roads in 2-way streets. Traffic, especially in major cities like Beirut and Tripoli, and on the highway from Beirut to Kaslik, can be extremely crowded and time-consuming, turning a normally 20-minute trip into over an hour during peak times.

EAT:

Lebanon fosters exquisite cuisine ranging from a mezza of vegetarian dishes such as tabouleh, fattoush, and waraq ainab to delicious dips like hommos and moutabal.

Must haves include Lebanese barbeque such as shish tawouq (barbequed chicken) – usually consumed with garlic, lahm mashwiye (barbequed meat), and kafta (barbequed seasoned minced meat).

A full meal at a local restaurant can cost as little as LL22,500 depending on where you go, though more expensive options can also be found.

Lebanese “fast food” is also available as sandwiches offered in roadside shops, such as shawarma sandwiches (known in other countries as doner – or gyros in Greece). Shawarma is rolled in Lebanese thin bread. Various barbequed meat sandwiches are also available, and even things such as lamb or chicken spleen, brains, lamb bone marrow or lamb testicles can be served as sandwiches.

Breakfast usually consists of manaeesh which looks like a folded pizza, most common toppings being zaatar (a mixture of thyme, olive oil, sesame seeds), jebneh (cheese), or minced meat (this version is more properly referred to as lahm bi ajin).

Another traditional breakfast food is knefeh, a special kind of breaded cheese that is served with a dense syrup in a sesame seed bread. It is also served as dessert.

Lebanon is also very famous for its Arabic sweets which can be found at leading restaurants. The city of Tripoli, however, is considered to be “the” city for Lebanese sweets, and is sometimes even referred to as the “Sweet Capital” of Lebanon.

International food chains are widely spread across the country. Italian, French, Chinese, and Japanese cuisines, as well as cafe chains (such as Starbucks, Dunkin’ Donuts, etc.), are particularly popular across the country, with a higher concentration in Beirut and the urban sprawl north of the capital.

DRINK:

Lebanon’s wines have an international reputation. Grapes have been grown since antiquity, and the vineyards, largely in the Bekaa Valley, produce the base wine for distillation into the national spirit Arak, which, like Ouzo, is flavoured with aniseed and becomes cloudy when diluted with water. Arak is the traditional accompaniment to Meze.

But the grapes have also historically been used to make wine. This used to be predominantly white and sweet, but the soldiers and administrators that came to administer the French mandate after World War I created a demand for red wine, and large acreages were planted especially with the Cinsault grape. Over the last 20 years these have been supplemented with the most popular international varieties, such as Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay.

Wineries often offer wine tasting and are very welcoming. The highly individual, old fashioned, Chateau Musar, is based at Ghazir, 25 km (15 miles) north of Beirut, and trucks in the grapes from Bekaa. In Bekaa itself, wineries include the large Kefraya, Ksara, the oldest winery of all, Massaya, a fashionable new producer in Tanail, and Nakad in Jdeita, which like Musar has stuck with an idiosyncratic old fashioned approach. Kefraya, in the West Bekaa region, also has a nice restaurant attached and the region is beautiful to pass through.

Lebanon is full of hotels, with a range in price and quality, from USD10/night to many hundreds of dollars per night, and the quality ranges just as much. Many international chains, such as Intercontinental, Holiday Inn, and Crowne Plaza, can be found here, as well as local boutique and “mom-and-pop” style hotels, as well as low quality budget hotels.

The best way to save money if you are staying for a long visit is furnished apartments or all-suite hotels, as they come with cleaning and other services.

TBC.