Private Tour: Anjar, Baalbek and Ksara Day Trip from Beirut

Beirut, Lebanon

Take a private day trip from Beirut to the amazing cities of Anjar, Baalbek and Ksara, and immerse yourself in the captivating world of Lebanese history. The cities of Baalbek and Anjar are famous for their superb, remarkably preserved ancient sites, such as Heliopolis and the Umayyad Ruins. Explore these eastern Lebanon cities with your expert guide and discover the Ksara Caves, where you’ll enjoy a wine tasting at Chateau Ksara-- one of Lebanon’s oldest and most famous wineries.

Escape Beirut for a private day trip to Anjar, Baalbek and Ksara with your own private guide. Leave Beirut in the morning with your guide and head by private minivan to Baalbek, located approximately 50 miles (85 km) from Beirut.
Upon arrival, take a leisurely walking tour around this ancient town. Marvel at the Baalbek Heliopolis, a group of Roman temples and other structures that are some of the largest and best-preserved examples of Roman architecture still existing in Lebanon. Explore the Temple of Jupiter and discover its impressive podium and a vast rectangular courtyard, where sacrifices were carried out.

After enjoying lunch of traditional meze (Middle Eastern small dishes) and tapas at a local Lebanese restaurant (own expense), continue your journey to the town of Anjar. After a scenic 1-hour drive, arrive in this beautifully preserved city and stroll through the souks (markets). With your guide, visit Anjar's Umayyad Ruins, a spectacular complex of ruins dating back to 705 AD. Experience the influence of past cultures as you admire the city's Hellenistic-Roman architecture.

Next, venture to Ksara. This magnificent village was covered by sand for centuries, and the well-preserved Ksara Caves were discovered in 1898 by Jesuit priests. It is now the refuge of the well-known Chateau Ksara, one of Lebanon’s oldest wineries where thousands of old wine bottles are preserved. Take a stroll through the caves and learn about the various processes involved in wine production before savoring a tasting of exquisite local wines.

After your private day trip, sit back and relax in your minivan on the scenic drive back to Beirut. Hotel pickup and drop-off can also be arranged.

Please note: Though the US Department of State has issued a warning against travel to Lebanon due to safety and security concerns, Viator’s Lebanon tours continue to operate with no disruptions. We are in frequent contact with our local suppliers and guides in Lebanon, and they report that all tours are operating as scheduled. Should the situation change, we will update this information and customers will be notified of alterations or cancellations to tours.

USD $49.00

Traveler Reviews

Review by:   LaurelinAbuDhabi,    July 2018
We opted for the private tour and it exceeded our expectations. Driver George and our guide Georgette were fantastic. The drive over Mt Lebanon and into the valley was scenic and interesting. Georgette provided great information and history about this important region. There were several security stops along the road, but all went smoothly and we certainly felt safe. The drive was comfortable — we were 3 in a van that could easily accommodate 5. Our first stop at the quarry and Anjar was interesting and impressive — a nice, light appetizer for what was to come. The star of the tour is Baalbek. We had (truly) no idea how stunning the Baalbek archaeological site would be and all I can say is that it rivals anything we’ve visited in Italy, Greece or Turkey. We were surprised by how few other tourists were around and delighted to practically have the place to ourselves. Our final stop at the Ksara winery caves was interesting but we are not really wine drinkers so we just did a quick tour with a very intelligent guide who adapted to our pace.

Review by:   Rania E,    July 2018
Our tour guide Cedra was very nice and very knowledgeable. She was very engaged and invested in making our experience phenomenal. Definitely recommend this tour.

Review by:   gemmab6,    March 2018
Great day out sight seeing, highly recommend, comfortable, safe transport and a great tour knowledgable tour guide.

Review by:   themiheilo,    November 2017
Great Tour with a lot of explanations and interesting facts. Quite expensive in total if you are a small group, but still worth it, as you get a separate guide and driver, see the most important sites and also stop for lunch of local cuisine. Also they are free if you like to change order of visits etc._br/_ If you take your passport with you, they even can take you to Damascus :

Review by:   faten a,    June 2017
It was very interesting, amazing place to visit. But one issue is that I didn't want to go to Ksara since we are not wine consumers, and asked to visit another place instead, but it was not possible.

Review by:   Malini R,    April 2017
The tour to Baalbek and wine country was wonderful. I was blown away by the Temples of Jupiter and Bacchus at Baalbek the megalithic stones were also awesome. There is so much to see!

Review by:   Barbara K,    February 2017
This was a wonderful trip, although we were unable to tour the winery as it was closed for a private party. Suzanne our guide was very knowledge. She answered all our questions and was able to accomadate us with specific shopping requests.

Review by:   stephane b,    April 2016
Had a private tour with Suzanne and a driver, went extremely well showed and explained many great sites around the Bekka Valley had a really excellent time

Review by:   Laura G,    November 2014
We had an excellent guide and driver. Very knowledgable .

Review by:   Earl of L,    April 2013
We absolutely adored our tour. All thanks to Mushka, our amazing tour guide. I am going to use this company again!

All Traveler Reviews...