Jeita Grotto and Harissa Visits from Beirut

October 29, 2026

Travel advisory, as of October 2026. The US government tells its citizens not to travel to Lebanon, citing armed conflict, terrorism, unrest, kidnapping, landmines and crime, and says its ability to help citizens there is very limited. The UK FCDO advises against all travel to the south, Nabatiyeh, much of the Beqaa and Baalbek-Hermel, parts of the southern suburbs of Beirut, northern Akkar and the Palestinian camps. Strikes can come without warning and airspace can close at short notice. Read the FCDO advice and travel.state.gov before you book anything. UK travel insurance may be invalid if you travel against FCDO advice.

Attraction visits around Beirut come down to two caves-and-mountain classics, Jeita Grotto and the Harissa cable car, plus three museums in the city. Jeita and Harissa are north of the capital and are currently reachable, though not risk-free, so check the advisory above and the news on the day.

Jeita Grotto

Jeita is a pair of limestone caves north of Beirut. The upper gallery has a walkway of about 750 m out of roughly 2,130 m of cave. The lower gallery is toured by boat for about 500 m out of roughly 6,200 m, and the boat tour closes when the water is high. The longest stalactite measures 8.2 m. The grotto closed from November 2024 to July 2025, shut again in early November 2025 and reopened on 15 November 2025, so confirm that it is open before you set out. An adult ticket of about $15 and opening hours of Tuesday to Sunday, 09:00 to 17:00, come from secondary sources only. Photography inside has long been reported as banned, so ask at the entrance.

Harissa cable car and Our Lady of Lebanon

The cable car climbs from Jounieh to the Our Lady of Lebanon sanctuary at Harissa, and the ticket includes the funicular to the shrine. The operator publishes prices in Lebanese pounds: 1,100,000 LBP for an adult tourist return and 600,000 LBP for a child, with children under 8 free. That is roughly $12 for an adult. Hours are contested. The operator lists Tuesday to Sunday, 11:00 to 19:00, with Monday closed, while a report from April 2026 gave Friday to Sunday, 11:00 to 17:30. Check on the same day, and treat a weekend as the safer bet. Details are on the cable car’s ticket page . The shrine is an active place of worship, so dress modestly and keep your voice down.

Museums in the city

The National Museum of Beirut on Damascus Road holds the Ahiram sarcophagus from Byblos and anthropoid sarcophagi from Sidon. Reported hours are Tuesday to Sunday, about 09:30 to 15:00, closed Monday, and the fee is a few dollars paid at the desk. Its official site is museebeyrouth-liban.org .

The Sursock Museum in Achrafieh shows modern and contemporary art, reopened in May 2023 after blast repairs, and lists its 2026 and 2027 exhibitions on sursock.museum . It has no published visit page, so ask about hours and entry before you go.

The Mim Mineral Museum sits on the USJ campus on Damascus Road. Reported hours are Tuesday to Sunday, 10:00 to 13:00 and 14:00 to 18:00, but the admission fee is reported inconsistently, so ask at the door.

Booking tips

Cars and drivers for a half day to Jeita and Harissa can be compared on Viator . Carry crisp US dollars printed from 2013 on, and some Lebanese pounds for the cable car, since cards are unreliable.