Planning a trip to Beirut

Getting Around

Beirut is not a city designed for pedestrians, which the lack of decent sidewalks makes obvious. Private rather than public transport is a priority in the city; hence most locals have their own car and bus services are limited.

Traffic jams can be immense, especially at rush hours in the mornings (8-10am) and evenings (5-7pm). The main highway from Beirut out to Jounieh can be especially congested.

By Taxi -- Taxis are the main form of public transport and easily hailed on the street. Most locals use them as shared, or "service," taxis. If your journey is within central Beirut, try and find the main road that will take you from A to B, taking into account the one-way system. Flag down a taxi going in the right direction and, if another passenger is inside, call out your destination to the driver. If he's going your way or is willing to make a small diversion, he'll beckon you to jump in. The charge for most city-center journeys is 2,000 LL.

If there are no other passengers, emphasize to the driver that you want it as a shared cab. Just ask "Servees?" before getting in. If the destination is a little out of the way or it's nighttime (with fewer opportunities to pick up other passengers), the driver might ask for "double service." Depending on your energy/bargaining skills, confirm in advance if you're willing to pay the double charge.

It might be that a private taxi journey is the only option to the airport or an out-of-the-way location. If so, negotiate the fee in advance and be willing to be firm. Try to find out from a local what the proper price should be; it should be under 10,000 LL. No taxis use a meter.

All taxis should have an illuminated sign on the top ("TAXI") and red license plates, front and back.

If you're leaving from a bar or restaurant in a quiet location, the venue will often call a cab for you.

You can also book a taxi by phone. Reputable firms include: Allo Taxi (tel: 1213; www.allotaxi.com.lb); Charlie Taxi (tel: 01-286-710; www.charlietaxi.com); and Taxi Premiere (tel: 01-389-222; www.taxipremiere.com).

Long-Distance Taxis are often the best way to travel to cities such as Tripoli and farther afield to Damascus. These fit five passengers (two in the front next to the driver and three in the back) and depart when full. If you want extra space, you can pay for two or three seats.

By Bus -- There are two main bus companies: The privately owned red-and-white Lebanese Commuting Company (tel: 01-744-174; www.lccworld.com) and the government-owned blue-and-white OCFTC. Both have a small number of fixed-route services and fixed stops.

Far more useful are the white minibuses, also privately run. These follow a fixed route, with the advantage that you can flag it down anywhere and get off wherever you want. Simply call out "anzil huun" to the driver when you want to jump off. Fares are 1,000 LL, payable to the driver on leaving.

On Foot -- In the city, multi-lane highways are hazardous to cross as a pedestrian, with few, if any, safe crossing points. Breaks in the traffic are rare, which means edging across lane by lane. Add to that occasional blockades set up by the army in Downtown, and walking in the city center is challenging. This is especially true of the main road curving around the Corniche.

Keep your eyes open for vehicles driving through a red light, even if there's a signal for pedestrians to cross. If in doubt, keep your hand held up while crossing, and move as quickly as possible.

That said, exploring the back streets on foot in areas such as Hamra, Gemmayze, Achrafiye and Mar Mikhael is often the best way to experience the city.

Another difficulty for visitors: Street names don't always correspond to the names on maps. So, for example, if you're looking for Rue Makdissi in Hamra, the road is actually signposted as "Rue 55" in French and Arabic.

Unfortunately, it doesn't help to ask a local for assistance. As much as they try to be helpful, Beirutis are not great with directions or street names. You're best off picking out a landmark (instead of an address) and going from there. And keep asking!

Getting There

By Plane -- Beirut-Rafic Hariri International Airport (RHIA) (tel: 01-628-000; http://beirutairport.gov.lb) is located 7km south of the city center. It has decent facilities in the departures area including duty-free shops, restaurants, bars, cafes, a VAT refund office, a post office, Wi-Fi hotspots, ATM machines and a foreign-exchange office.

By Bus -- Beirut has two main bus stations. The largest, for both domestic and international journeys, is Charles Helou International Bus Station, Rue Charles Helou, just east of Martyrs' Square, Downtown. From here there are regular services to and from Damascus, plus buses and minibuses to other major Lebanese towns including Byblos (Jbail). With no set timetable, departures are regular and leave when buses are full. Buy your ticket in advance from the kiosk. It's a relatively small but confusing station with signs only in Arabic. Just repeat the name of your destination to find the correct vehicle, then double check to see if there are any other choices. When arriving at the bus station, it's advisable not to get a taxi waiting outside. As at all stations (and airports), drivers will bump up their prices if they sense you don't know the standard rates. Try to flag a taxi from farther along the road.

Cola station, also called Mazraa, is for destinations south of Beirut, including Sidon and Tyre.

By Train -- There is currently no rail service in Lebanon.

Getting into Town from the Airport

By Taxi -- With no form of public transport directly to and from the airport, taxis are the only option. Not surprisingly, cab drivers will take advantage of this. It pays to bargain hard. To reach the city center, a driver could start by asking for $40; try and bargain down to $20 or even $15. Airport taxis are white, and all drivers should have an official badge with their photograph. Once securing a price, a driver might walk you to his vehicle outside the Departures Hall. Confirm the price again before leaving. Alternatively, check to see if your hotel will arrange transport.