How To Navigate Lebanon Without Street Names

Lebanon’s cities are pretty behind on development which at times renders street names useless. Many do actually have names but the locals tend to disregard them in favor of others. This can make trying to make your way through a Lebanese city confusing. Here are some handy tips that’ll make your trip much easier.

Just ask

If you’re looking for a specific site or venue you can simply ask! Lebanese people are friendly and very welcoming towards tourists. Some may go out of their way to help you and it isn’t strange to have someone come up to you if you look entirely lost. If they don’t speak English (not common with younger people) they’ll probably find someone who does.

Google

A simple fix for your problem would just be Google! While not always accurate Google Maps is a good fix in Lebanon’s major cities like Beirut or Tripoli. As the streets tend not to change too much you can always find an approximation of where you want to be. You may also find some of our articles helpful too.

Try not to have a plan

In Lebanese cities it’s best not to have a rigid plan. We would recommend wandering about taking the sites in as some of those cities are old and offer a gem at every corner. With the lack of proper tourist information, many local venues fade into the others. Just walk around and go with the flow.

Rely on your taxi service

Try to find a reliable company to transport you around the city you’re visiting. Taxi drivers in Lebanon usually know a lot of the smaller spots and local favorites. If anything, the driver will wait for you while you wander around and help if you get lost.

If you’re worried…

If you’re worried about getting lost try to stick to extremely well known areas like Downtown Beirut, Old Souks in Jbeil and Tal in Tripoli. Always have a contact back at your hotel and if you get lost, have a reliable taxi service number at hand.

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