Middle East - Anthony Ham [360]
The red-and-white LCC bus 1 will take you from the airport roundabout to Rue Sadat in Hamra (handy for all Hamra hotels); bus 5 will take you to Charles Helou bus station. Fares are LL700.
The blue-and-white OCFTC buses 7 and 10 also stop at the airport roundabout; bus 10 goes to Charles Helou bus station and bus 7 goes to Raouché, from where you can take bus 9 to Hamra. Fares are LL750. The buses operate between 5.30am and 9pm daily, and the maximum wait is generally about 10 to 15 minutes.
If you can stretch your budget, the most hassle-free way to get to town is to prearrange a taxi with your hotel. Even budget hostels offer this service, charging around US$15 for the ride; this is probably cheaper than you’ll be offered at the airport itself without a fair amount of bargaining. If you do opt for a normal yellow cab, agree to the price before climbing inside.
Buses
Beirut is well serviced by its network of slow, crowded, but good-value buses. The red-and-white buses are owned by the private Lebanese Commuting Company (LCC; www.lccworld.com) and the blue-and-white buses (OCFTC) are government owned. All operate on a ‘hail-and-ride’ system: just wave at the driver and, in theory at least, the bus will stop. There are no timetables, but buses generally run from around 5.30am to 9pm daily at intervals of 15 minutes or so.
The bus routes most useful to travellers are listed below. A short trip will almost always cost LL750, a longer ride LL1000.
LCC BUSES
No 1 Hamra–Khaldé Rue Sadat (Hamra), Rue Emile Eddé, Hotel Bristol, Rue Verdun, Cola roundabout, Airport roundabout, Kafaat, Khaldé
No 2 Hamra–Antelias Rue Sadat (Hamra), Rue Emile Eddé, Radio Lebanon, Sassine Sq, Dawra transport hub, Antelias
No 5 Charles Helou–Hay as-Saloum Manara, Verdun, Yessoueiye, Airport roundabout, Hay as-Saloum
No 6 Cola–Byblos Antelias, Jounieh, Byblos (Jbail)
No 7 Museum–Bharssaf Museum, Beit Mery, Brummana, Baabdat, Bharssaf
OCFTC BUSES
No 1 Bain Militaire –Khaldé Bain Militaire, Unesco, Summerland, Khaldé
No 4 Dawra–Jounieh Dawra transport hub, Dbayé, Kaslik, Jounieh
No 5 Ministry of Information–Sérail Jdeideh Ministry of Information, Sodeco, Bourj Hammoud, Sérail Jdeideh
No 7 Bain Militaire–Airport Bain Militaire, Summerland, Bourj Brajné, Airport
No 8 Ain al-Mreisse–Sérail Jdeideh Ain al-Mreisse, Charles Helou bus station, Dawra transport hub, Sérail Jdeideh
No 9 Bain Militaire–Sérail Jdeideh Bain Militaire, Rue Bliss, Rue Adbel Aziz, Rue Clemenceau, Rue Weygand, Tabaris Sq, Sassine Sq, Hayek roundabout, Sérail Jdeideh
No 10 Charles Helou–Airport Charles Helou bus station, Shatila, Airport roundabout
No 15 Ain al-Mreisse–Nahr al–Mott Ain al-Mreisse, Raouché, Museum, Nahr al-Mott
No 16 Charles Helou–Cola Charles Helou bus station, Downtown, Cola transport hub
No 23 Bain Militaire–Dawra Bain Militaire, Ain al-Mreisse, Charles Helou bus station, Dawra transport hub
No 24 Museum–Hamra Museum, Barbir, Hamra
Car & Motorcycle
If you’ve nerves of steel and a penchant for Grand Theft Auto, you may well enjoy driving in Beirut and around. The best local car rental company is Advanced Car Rental ( 999 884/5; www.advancedcarrent.com), which offers great discounts on its published rates, and comes highly recommended over the international chains. And hey, they even throw in their very own CD, a sort of Arabic easy-listening compilation, for the ride.
Taxi & Service Taxi
Private taxi companies usually have meters; make sure your driver turns the meter on or agrees to a fare in advance. Within Beirut, taxis charge anywhere from LL2000 to LL10,000, depending on your destination.
Service (shared) taxis cover the major routes in Beirut. The fare is LL1000 or LL1500 (the difference seemingly depending on the driver) on established routes within the city and LL2000 to LL8000 to outlying suburbs.
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AROUND BEIRUT
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BEIT MERY & BRUMMANA
04
Set in pine forests some 800m above and 17km east of Beirut, Beit Mery – its name meaning ‘House of the Master