What to see in Lebanon: 8 must-sees

Visit the Bekaa Valley, Lebanon's fertile plain set between the Lebanon and Anti-Lebanon mountain ranges, where vineyards alternate with olive groves and crop fields. Walk its paths between hills and stretches of aridity that recall the desert, watch migratory birds in the Ammiq wetlands, and discover wineries such as Château Ksara, founded in 1857, where you can taste wines made with local grapes. The contrast between the valley's greenery and the mountains framing it offers hiking routes and open viewpoints all year round.

Follow the underground course of the Nahr al-Kalb by boat through the lower cavern, then climb the upper gallery on foot, where stalactites and stalagmites hang from vaults tens of meters high. These karst grottoes stretch 9 km beneath the mountain, some 20 km from Beirut, and were finalists in the world's new natural wonders contest. The underwater water feeds the capital's supply, and the little train and cable car link the two mouths.

Behold in Baalbek, in the middle of the Bekaa Valley, the largest Roman temples in the world, declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1984. Here rise the six 19-meter columns left standing of the Temple of Jupiter, while the neighbouring Temple of Bacchus keeps ceilings and reliefs nearly intact. Walking among these giant stones — some hauled from a nearby quarry — helps you understand the scale of Roman power in the East.

Peek into Beirut, the Lebanese capital known for centuries as the 'Paris of the East'. Its 1,800,000 inhabitants share space among Ottoman mosques, Maronite churches and glass towers beside the Mediterranean. Walk the downtown souk rebuilt after the war, try a freshly baked man'oushe in Gemmayzeh, and end the day before the rocks of Raouche. With 3,000 years of Phoenician, Roman and Ottoman history, the city blends tradition and modernity in every quarter.

Explore the bay of Jounieh, at the foot of Mount Lebanon, where the cable car climbs up to Harissa and its restaurants with terraces face the Mediterranean. Bathe at its sandy-and-pebble beaches, snorkel near the coast and walk the seafront at sunset. From the water you can make out the silhouette of the Statue of Our Lady of Lebanon above the hill, and at night the beach bars and cafés by the port fill the corniche into the early hours.

Stop in Triq az-Zaytoun, right in the middle of Beirut, where Ottoman facades keep wooden balconies and original arches facing the domes of their mosques. Walk the street on foot and note the details carved in pale stone, the wrought-iron doors and the artists' workshops occupying renovated old dwellings. Between mosque and mosque you will find small galleries and cafés where neighbors chat at the end of the day, giving you the neighborhood's everyday life without intermediaries.