A vast, open valley nestled in the east between Lebanon’s two mountain ranges, the Bekaa Valley has been known since ancient times as the “bread basket of Lebanon.” The valley is a checkerboard of fields, dotted with small villages – a testament of the region’s agricultural heritage. Here you will find a center of Lebanese gastronomy, with a number of wineries producing world-renowned Lebanese wines, and an array of local restaurants with mouth-watering Lebanese cuisine.
The Bekaa Valley might also be known as a “corridor of civilizations.” Throughout ancient history, the Valley was a thoroughfare for commerce, a meeting-point for major trading routes connecting Damascus with the coast and the Arabian Peninsula to more northern regions. The many impressive archaeological ruins in the Valley reflect its historical role as a crossroads for the civilizations that have inhabited the area over time.
What to see and do in the Bekaa:
Visit Zahle, Lebanon’s “City of Wine and Poetry,” to enjoy tantalizing local cuisine in a beautiful, traditional setting and view traditional red-roofed architecture. Relax at one of Zahle’s beautiful, open-air restaurants, set on a cliff above the Bardaouni River, shaded by vine-covered awnings and leafy trees.
Tour the Bekaa’s world-class wineries and sample for yourself the fruits of Lebanon’s 4,000-year-old tradition of wine-making. The Bekaa’s arid, sunny days and cool evenings create the perfect vineyard climate.
Explore the magnificent Roman ruins at Baalbeck, home of the best-preserved and largest Roman temples in the world.
Walk along wide avenues lined with graceful stone arches in the ruins of the 8th century Umayyad city of Aanjar. Explore the city’s commercial history by visiting the remains of over 600 small shops, city walls and gates, temples, and baths.
Go trekking or cycling or camping at an ecolodge in the remote, beautiful, rolling hills and mountains of the northern Bekaa.
Take an adventurous rafting or kayaking trip on the Nahr al-Aasi River.
Climb to the 5th century, rock-cut monastery of Deir Mar Maroun and visit the mysterious and monumental, 2000-year old Hermel Pyramid, near the city of Hermel.