Day Trips from Beirut to Sidon (Saida)

Explore the highlights of Lebanon’s history-filled coastline during this full-day private tour to Sidon, Deir El Qamar, and Beiteddine. Discover centuries-old palaces and monasteries, visit Roman, Phoenician, and Byzantine ruins, learn how the region’s traditional oil soaps are made, and wander through bustling souks. Tours include comfortable, door-to-door transportation from Beirut by air-conditioned vehicle.

Marvel at UNESCO World Heritage–listed Roman architecture on this Tyre, Sidon and Maghdouche day trip from Beirut. Explore the town of Tyre with your guide and gain insight into life here under Roman rule. Discover the ancient ruins of Sidon Sea Castle, the Castle of Saint-Louis and the 16th-century Great Mosque in Sidon. After a delicious lunch of Middle Eastern specialities in a traditional Lebanese restaurant, head on to Maghdouche. Here, admire top local attractions including the Old Cave and the Al-Saydeh Ancient Church before returning to Beirut.

If you value the freedom of independent travel but prefer not to take your chances on Lebanese roads, this door-to-door private transport-only tour is for you. Traveling with a private driver, visit the biblical cities of Sidon, home to the Crusaders Sea Castle, Khan al-Franj, and Soap Museum, and Tyre, a UNESCO World Heritage Site with a Roman-era hippodrome. Finish with the statue of Our Lady of Mantara in Maghdoucheh.

Discover three of Lebanon’s top heritage sites on this attraction-packed day trip, departing from Beirut. Explore the stunning, crusader-era sea castle of Sidon, wander through the ruins of bustling Tyre, once a Phoenician settlement, and stop at Our Lady of Awaiting, a Melkite Greek Catholic Marian shrine in Maghdouche.

This is the no-frills version of the Sidon, Tyre & Maghdouche day trip — same three destinations, same small group of maximum 12, but without a professional guide and without included tickets or lunch. The most affordable way to cover south Lebanon's 5,000 years of history in a single day from Beirut. South Lebanon is the part of the country most first-time visitors skip — and the part experienced Lebanon travelers consistently say deserves more time. Sidon: a 13th-century Crusader sea castle, the world's only olive oil soap museum, a living medieval souk, and a Silk Road caravanserai. Tyre: a UNESCO World Heritage Site where the Al-Bass complex — triumphal arch, colonnaded necropolis street, and a Roman hippodrome built for 20,000 spectators. Maghdouché: the hilltop sanctuary of Our Lady of Mantara, revered by Christians and Muslims for two millennia. Your knowledgeable driver covers the key facts at each stop. You explore at your own pace.

Pair the ancient cities of Tyre and Sidon with the Marian shrine in Maghdouché (Maghdoucheh) on this small-group tour with lunch, water, guide, and hotel transfers included. Soak up Phoenician, Roman, Crusader, and Ottoman remains; tour the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Tyre, including the hippodrome and the ancient city; and pay tribute at the Basilica of Our Lady of Mantara.