Private Beiteddine, Moussa Castle & Deir el Qamar | Chouf Trip
Overview
Available languages
7 hours
Mobile ticket
The Chouf Mountains have three very different things to show you — and all three are within 10 minutes of each other. A presidential palace built by one of Lebanon's most powerful rulers. A medieval castle built by one very stubborn Lebanese man who spent 60 years proving his teacher wrong. And a perfectly preserved Ottoman village that was Lebanon's first capital and still looks the part. One day, three stories — and none of them boring.
Beiteddine Palace is the grand one — ornate courtyards, carved cedar ceilings, and an underground Byzantine mosaic museum that stops most visitors in their tracks. Moussa Castle is the one nobody forgets — a full-scale medieval fortress hand-built stone by stone by one man, filled with hundreds of life-size wax figures telling Lebanon's story. And Deir el Qamar is the quiet one — honey-stone streets, a mosque and a church sharing the same square, and mountain views that make you understand why people have been living here for centuries.
Additional Info
Specialized infant seats are available
Suitable for all physical fitness levels
What To Expect
Beirut
9:00 AM — Departure from Beirut Your driver picks you up from your Beirut hotel and heads southeast into the Chouf Mountains — pine-forested ridges rising above the coastal plain as you climb toward Beiteddine.
Built between 1788 and 1840 by Emir Bashir II — the man who unified Lebanon's warring mountain factions under a single authority — Beiteddine is one of the most impressive palaces in the Arab world and today serves as the Lebanese President's summer residence. Three grand interconnected courtyards decorated with hand-cut geometric tilework, carved cedar-wood ceilings, and elaborately painted reception halls give you a very clear sense of what power and ambition looked like in 19th-century Lebanon. Beneath the palace, an underground museum houses the finest collection of Byzantine mosaics in Lebanon — floor panels of extraordinary colour that most visitors completely miss. Your driver knows where to look and what to look for.
Options
PRIVATE TOUR
Lunch & Tickets not included: Please note this option does not include the Lunch and tickets. This cost goes on your own. Duration: 8 hours Pickup included
What‘s Included
Knowledgeable English-speaking driver
Hotel pickup and drop-off in Beirut
Private air-conditioned vehicle
Lunch in Deir el Qamar (optional — at own expense)
Gratuities (optional)
Pickup points
Select a pickup point
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Related Experiences
Operated by Beirut Trip