Do you have an inside tip on Beirut? Send us your comments below.
At the right time of year, check out skiing Middle Eastern style. The Faraya Ski Resort is located about an hour's drive from Beirut and most years has good powder until May.
Like many Mediterranean nations, Lebanese are serious night owls when it comes to going out. Beirutis especially won't consider having an evening meal until about 10 p.m., with clubs and bars rarely getting into full swing until well after midnight.
Lebanese wines are fast growing in reputation, with the soil and climate ideally suited to growing a range of grapes. Chateau Musar is considered one of the best and worth looking out for.
A short walk from Downtown, the district of Gemaizeh has emerged as Beirut's most happening neighborhood. Unlike central Beirut, much of Gemaizeh's pre-civil war architecture survives, now home to cafes, jazz clubs, galleries and boutiques -- as well as legions of students and struggling artists.
Get behind the steering wheel of a car in Beirut at your peril. Taxis are the best way to get around -- they're divided between more luxurious private hire cars (phone booking required) and the legion of battered ancient Mercedes cabs. The latter are subdivided yet further into single taxi service (meaning you are the sole passenger) and cheaper communal share taxis (meaning you share the car with other passengers going in roughly the same direction... and end up roughly in the neighborhood of where you want to be).
External sites open in new window; not endorsed by CNN.com
Pay service with live and archived video.