Routes of the Monasteries

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 – Deir El Qamar - Beiteddine – Beirut

After breakfast, we will begin the day with a visit to the National Museum of Beirut and a stop for photos in front of the Pigeon Cave. Then, we will head to the wooded slopes of the Chouf mountains in the South East of Beirut and visit the Beiteddine Palace; a jewel of the 19th century Lebanese-Ottoman architecture.

The visit of the Chouf continues with a walk in the village of Deir el-Kamar and its central square "Al Midane" surrounded by palaces and caravanserais from the Ottoman era (16th – 19th centuries) then visit to the church "Saydet al Tell" or Notre-Dame of the hill. In the late afternoon, we will return to Beirut Downtown to visit the St. George's Cathedral, the Nejmeh Square, the Martyrs’ Square and Roman baths. Overnight in Beirut.

Day 3 Beirut - Tyre – Qana – Maghdouche - Beirut

Today, we will drive south towards Sidon and Tyre, the two cities that were mentioned several times in the old and new testament. Tyre, the prestigious Phoenician city is famous for its Roman ruins (UNESCO World Heritage), including a huge hippodrome. Then, we will drive to the village of Qana; mentioned in the Bible, where Jesus changed the water into wine and performed his first miracle. Large ponds have been dug in the village containing the water that was turned into wine. On the way back to Beirut, we will visit Maghdouche: the story tells that in its cave a church where the Virgin Mary used to wait for Jesus and his disciples coming from Sidon. A short stop in Sidon to visit the Crusaders Sea Castle. Return to Beirut and overnight.

Day 4 Beirut – Jeita - Harissa - Annaya - Byblos

After breakfast, we drive to the Jeita grotto to visit its natural site with its spectacular stalactites and stalagmites. Then we continue to the Harissa hill where the statue of Our Lady of Lebanon was erected in 1908 to mark the 50th anniversary of the Doctrine of the Immaculate Conception and to show the great devotion of all Lebanese to the person of Mary, or "Maryam" (also quoted 34 times in the Qur'an). The sanctuary offers a beautiful panoramic view of the coast. Then we visit the Greek Catholic Basilica of Saint Paul. In the afternoon, a drive to the village of Annaya, located at an altitude of 1350m above the sea. The monastery of Saint Maron is a famous place of pilgrimage, because it is where the venerated Saint Charbel Makhlouf is buried. Saint Charbel lived in the monastery for 16 years (1859-1875) before spending 23 years in the hermitage of Saint Peter and Paul on a hill overlooking the monastery. Overnight in Byblos.

Day 5 Byblos – Balamand – Kfifan – Jrebta - Byblos

Drive to the north: the monastery of Balamand is perched on a hill overlooking Tripoli and the sea, hence the name of this place originally named "Belmont" by the Cistercians who built this abbey in the time of

the Crusaders. Today, the two churches of the Greek-Orthodox monastery house a magnificent collection of Byzantine icons. We continue to the hinterland of Batroun; to the “road of the Saints of Lebanon”. In the monasteries of Jrebta and Kfifan, the pilgrims engage in private prayers in front of the tombs of Saint Rafqa, Saint Nemtallah Hardini and the Blessed Estephan Neemeh. The afternoon will be dedicated to the discovery of 8000 years of history in Byblos: the archaeological site, the Crusaders Castle, the Phoenician port, the Church of Saint John Mark and the Ottoman souks. Overnight in Byblos.

Day 6 Byblos – Kadisha Valley – Beirut

Departure to the north and visit of the holy valley of Kadisha, one of the deepest and most beautiful valleys in Lebanon, which is indeed a world apart. At the foot of the cedars, chapels dug in the rock, caves and hermitages, numerous painted frescoes dating from the 12th and 17th century, are inserted in the steep walls. The day begins with a visit of the highest village in Lebanon, Bekaakafra at 1800m from the sea known for being the birthplace of Saint Charbel. Then we continue to the ancient Cedars, a small hike in the great biblical grove. We visit to the monastery of Mar Antonios Qozhaya, a living place of monasticism and of the hermit life of the Maronite church. It was in this place where the first printing house in the Arab world was placed in the 17th century. Return to Beirut and overnight.

Day 7 Good Bye Lebanon

Check-out and transfer to Beirut International Airport.