Beirut
Beirut is the capital city of Lebanon with a population of approximately 2.1 million people in its metropolitan area. The city is on a relatively small headland jutting into the east Mediterranean. It is by far the biggest city in Lebanon. Due to Lebanon's small size the capital has always held the status as the only true cosmopolitan city in the country, and ever since the independence, has been the commercial and financial hub of Lebanon.
Beirut have a friendly atmosphere and Beirutis have a reputation for being very polite, friendly, sociable and outgoing. The locals are used to the sight of foreigners and many of them are happy to get to know you and even to show you around the city.
Time Zone
Lebanon is 2 hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time (GMT), and observes daylight savings from end-March to end-October.
Currency
The Lebanese currency is the Lebanese pound, abbreviated "LBP" or "Lebanese Lira" abbreviated "LL", which is the most common abbreviation. Its value is kept stable relative to the US dollar, with a value of about LL1,500 to US$1. Either Lebanese pounds or US dollars are accepted almost everywhere, and it is common to pay in dollars but receive change in pounds.
Bills used are LL1000, LL5000, LL10000, LL20000, LL50000 and LL100000.
p.s: you may find two forms of LL1000 and they are both accepted.
There are LL25, LL50, LL100, LL250 and LL500 coins. LL25, LL50 and LL100 coins are virtually never used.
Temperature
Beirut has a Mediterranean climate with dry hot summers and mild winters. The area within 40 km of this station is covered by oceans and seas (54%), croplands (27%), and grasslands (17%).
The month of December in Beirut is characterized by falling daily high temperatures, with daily highs decreasing from 21°C to 18°C over the course of the month, exceeding 24°C or dropping below 15°C only one day in ten.
Transportation and Moving In Lebanon
Airport:
eirut International Airport (BEY), is located 5km (3 mi) south of the city center) - Middle East Airlines.
By ship:
There is a weekly seasonal ferry available that runs between Tripoli in Lebanon and Tasucu in Turkey.
Lebanon is a small country and it is possible to drive from north to south in under 3 hours. The main means of transport are buses, service taxis, taxis and private cars. The streets in and around Beirut often are congested and traffic jam can occur any time which makes it difficult to estimate the time of travel in advance.
By bus:
Lebanon's towns are well connected by frequently running buses, though it is difficult to find a bus going to smaller mountain towns. The bus fares are surprisingly cheap and are usually not open to negotiation.
For most destinations, there are no time schedules and buses often depart when the majority of seats are occupied. As buses are a highly used means of transport this usually does not take more than 20 minutes.
Buses from Tyre to Sidon get scarce after 8pm and Buses from Sidon to Beirut and vice versa before midnight, while buses between Tripolis and Beirut run all night.
By taxi:
For short distances and within towns or villages there often are "service" taxis. Those taxis often operate like buses on set routes between towns, though they can be hired to visit other places with some negotiation. Each taxi carries up to between 4 (inside metropolitan areas) to 6 (longer distances) passengers, who share the fare between them. The fare usually is 2000 LL for inner city distances, but might be different for distances between towns and it increases depending on both distance to be travelled, and of course, like everything in Lebanon, persuasion/negotiation skills. A private taxi ride, without sharing it 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 costs the same as a fully loaded "service" taxi (the fare * number of passengers).
