Beirut travel guide

A City That Refuses to Quit

Most westerners know Lebanon's capital and largest port only through clips shown on satellite news channels. However, in spite of the on-and-off violence that has plagued Beirut since the outbreak of civil war three decades ago, it remains a vibrant, dynamic city whose breadth of attractions will satisfy even the pickiest of travelers. No comprehensive census data has been taken within the last sixty years, but it's estimated that more than 40% of the city's population subscribes to a religion other than Islam. As a result, Beirut ranks among the most cosmopolitan and tolerant urban centers in the Middle East, where fashionable youngsters, burqa-clad matrons, and pinstriped bankers pass one another causally in the streets. Major attractions include the National Museum, which houses everything from Phoenician art to civil war relics, as well as St. George's Cathedral, the Roman baths on Bank Street, and a seaside pedestrian strip known simply as the Corniche.