Wine Production and Culinary Art

Day 1 Beirut Airport

Arrival to Beirut International Airport: you will be welcomed by a Travel Sense representative. Transfer to the hotel and overnight.

Day 2 Beirut – Bhamdoun

This morning on the agenda: the exploration of Beirut. Traditional breakfast in a small restaurant in the neighborhood of Hamra. On the menu: Foul, Fatteh, Kawarma, Hommos ... The visit includes the coast

road, the national museum and the down- town with all its attractions: Martyrs' Square, Roman Baths, The Nejmeh Square, the mosques and churches. In the afternoon, we drive to Bhamdoun, visiting two wineries and wine tasting: The Château Bellevue and The Clos de Cana. We return to Beirut for a typical Lebanese Dinner.

Day 3 Jeita Grotto – Byblos - Musar

After breakfast, we drive to the Jeita Grotto to visit its spectacular caves on two levels with its magnificent concretions of stalactites and stalagmites. We continue to Ghazir to visit the famous Château Musar and taste its wine. Then we drive to Byblos where a fish lunch will be served in a restaurant overlooking the picturesque harbor. In the afternoon, we will explore the beautiful medieval town with its Crusader Castle (also known as the Gibelet Castle) and its archaeological site recounting 8,000 years of history. Then we walk through the old souks where you can find, among other things, the spices and herbs of the country. We return to Beirut for a dinner on the coast road of the City.

Day 4 Beiteddine – Kefraya

This morning, the wooded slopes of the Chouf Mountains will be our destination. A stop on the way for a Lebanese breakfast: the delicious "Manakish Zaatar". In the Chouf, we will visit the beautiful village of Deir El Qamar which was the capital of the principality of Mount Lebanon during the Ottoman era, and then the Beiteddine Palace built by Emir Bechir II Chehab in the 18th century and considered the most beautiful example of the Lebanese-Ottoman architecture in the country. We continue to Maasser el Chouf to cross the pass to the West Bekaa; the road offers splendid landscapes of the Cedars of the Chouf and the lake Qaraoun. Then, a traditional lunch in the area of Kefraya is served and a visit of the vineyards. Overnight in Zahle.

Day 5 Baalbek – Ksara – Taanayel

After breakfast, we drive to Baalbek; the size and proportions of this World Heritage site continue to impress many. The complex houses, the temple of Jupiter - one of the largest temples ever built in the Roman world - the temple of Bacchus and the sanctuary of the Muses.

Wine tasting in the cellars of Ksara, the oldest winery in Lebanon. After lunch we visit the Massaya winery in Taanayel tasting its wine and Arak (the national drink). We return to Beirut.

Day 6 Douma – Ixsir - Batroun

At breakfast this morning, you will taste the famous cheese "Knefeh" in a traditional pastry shop. The road to the North will lead us to Douma, a beautiful village known for its beautiful houses, its souk, its production of Loukoum and the traditional "Mouneh". We will visit the Saint Jacques farm, the only producer of foie gras in the country. We continue to Basbina to visit the Ixsir winery and have lunch there. In the afternoon, a visit of the town of Batroun, the "Botrys" of the Romans known for its wine production: the old town, its old alleys, churches, fishing port and mysterious Phoenician wall. We return to Beirut for a dinner at a Lebanese-Armenian restaurant.

Day 7 Good Bye Lebanon

Check-out and transfer to Beirut International Airport.