Beiteddine

Beiteddine is a town in the Chouf District, roughly 45 km southeast of Beirut, home to the Beiteddine Palace — built over about thirty years, from 1788 to 1818, as the residence of Emir Bashir Shihab II on the site of an earlier Druze hermitage. Designed with an Arabic-Italian Baroque style, the palace passed to Ottoman administrative use after 1840 and later served as a French Mandate office; since 1943 it has been the president of Lebanon's official summer residence, and it now also houses a museum and hosts the annual Beiteddine Festival.

By Plane

Beirut–Rafic Hariri International Airport (BEY IATA) ~40 km.

By Car / Road

From Beirut, the route runs south toward Sidon then east into the Chouf mountains.

Palace complex and town walkable.

• Beiteddine Palace – The Shihab-era palace complex, with courtyards, reception halls, a hammam, and a museum; also the president of Lebanon's official summer residence.

• Al-Shouf Cedar Nature Reserve – Lebanon's largest nature reserve, within reach of Beiteddine.

• Tour the palace's courtyards, reception halls, and museum.

• Attend the annual Beiteddine Festival, if visiting during its run.

• Deir el Qamar – Historic village near Beiteddine
• Sidon – Coastal city with the Sea Castle
• Al-Shouf Cedar Nature Reserve (Barouk) – Lebanon's largest cedar reserve