Private Beiteddine, Moussa Castle & Deir el Qamar | Chouf Tour

What's included

What you'll see and do

1. Beirut

   9:00 AM — Hotel pickup Your guide meets the group at your Beirut hotel and heads southeast into the Chouf Mountains — pine-forested ridges rising above the Lebanese coast as you climb toward Beiteddine.

   Pass by without stopping

2. Beiteddine Palace — the presidential palace of Lebanon Built between 1788 and 1840 by Emir Bashir II — the ruler who unified Lebanon's mountain communities. Three interconnected courtyards with hand-cut geometric tilework and elaborately carved cedar-wood ceilings. Beneath the palace: Lebanon's finest collection of Byzantine mosaics — floor panels of extraordinary colour and detail in an underground museum that the majority of visitors walk straight past. Your guide makes sure you do not. Today the official summer residence of the Lebanese President — a building that is simultaneously a historic monument, a political statement, and an architectural masterpiece

   60 minutes here · Admission not included

3. Moussa Castle

   Moussa Castle — one man, sixty years, a full-scale medieval fortress Just minutes from Beiteddine — and completely unlike anything else you will see in Lebanon. Moussa Maamari spent sixty years building a full-scale medieval castle by hand after a teacher mocked him as a schoolboy. The result is a multi-storey fortress filled with hundreds of life-size wax figures depicting scenes from Lebanese history, village life, and Ottoman-era traditions. An entirely unexpected and genuinely delightful stop. Your guide shares the full story of Moussa — one of the most remarkable acts of personal determination in Lebanese cultural history — and the one stop that travelers consistently say they did not expect to enjoy as much as they did.

   30 minutes here · Admission not included

4. Deir el Qamar

   Deir el Qamar — Lebanon's first capital Meaning "Monastery of the Moon" — a honey-stone Ottoman village that served as Lebanon's first capital under the Ma'an dynasty, one of the most perfectly preserved historic villages in the country. The cobblestone central square is framed by 17th and 18th-century mansions. Your guide explains the political and dynastic history of this village and its enduring significance to Lebanese mountain culture.

   30 minutes here

5. Saydet El Talle Church

   Fakhreddine Mosque & Saydet el Tallé Church The 17th-century mosque of Emir Fakhreddine II — the Druze ruler who built an empire from the Bekaa to the Sinai — and the hilltop Maronite church with panoramic views over the Chouf valleys. A mosque and a church metres apart, four centuries of coexistence in a single hillside view. Your guide explains why this particular image matters so much to Lebanese identity — and what coexistence looks like when it actually works.

   15 minutes here

6. Deir el Qamar

   Lunch in Deir el Qamar — optional Lebanese mountain mezze at a local Deir el Qamar restaurant — grilled meats, fresh bread, Chouf valley views. Optional and at your own expense. Your guide recommends the best local options.

   60 minutes here

7. Beirut

   Return to Beirut — approx. 3:30–4:30 PM Drop-off at your Beirut hotel. A presidential palace, the most surprising man-made stop in Lebanon, and the country's first capital — the Chouf done properly, back by mid-afternoon.

   Pass by without stopping

Where it starts and ends

Before you book

Cancellation

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Languages

ar, en

Ticket

Mobile Only

Runs on

Tue, Wed, Thu, Fri, Sat, Sun

Group size

Up to 9 travelers per booking

Operated by

Beirut Daily Tours

Know before you go

• Specialized infant seats are available
• Suitable for all physical fitness levels

Photos

Traveler reviews

2 verified traveler reviews for Private Beiteddine, Moussa Castle & Deir el Qamar | Chouf Tour. Ratings and reviews provided by Viator and Tripadvisor.