Beirut–Rafic Hariri International Airport (BEY) is about nine kilometres south of the city centre. It is Lebanon’s only commercial airport.
There is no train, no metro and no reliable public bus. Getting in is a road journey and it takes twenty minutes in clear traffic and considerably longer otherwise.
Arrange the pickup in advance
This is the strong recommendation for a first visit.
Ask your hotel or guesthouse to send a driver. Almost all of them will, the price is fixed, the driver has your name on a card, and it removes the single most stressful twenty minutes of arriving in a country where you have not yet worked out the money.
It costs more than negotiating at the rank and it is worth it once.
The alternatives
The airport taxi rank. Official taxis operate from outside arrivals. Agree the fare before getting in — there are no meters. Rates to the centre are broadly standard and foreigners are quoted more.
Ride-hailing apps — Uber, Bolt and Allo Taxi — operate in Beirut and can be used from the airport, with a designated pickup area. The fare is fixed in the app, which removes the negotiation. You need a working data connection to do this, so buy a SIM in arrivals first or have an eSIM already active.
Do not accept a lift from someone approaching you inside the terminal. As at any airport, licensed drivers do not tout.
Public bus. Route 5 and others pass on the main road outside the airport perimeter, and this involves a walk and a working knowledge of the network. It is not a sensible option with luggage on a first arrival.
The airport road
Worth knowing about.
The road runs through the southern suburbs, and it is the only route. It has been closed by protests, by security incidents and during periods of conflict.
Check before you set off in either direction — your hotel will know. Allow extra time for a departure. This is the one journey in Lebanon where being casual about timing is a real risk.
Arriving
Visas. Many nationalities can obtain a visa on arrival at Beirut airport, free or for a fee depending on passport and length of stay. Rules change; check the Lebanese General Security site or your nearest Lebanese embassy rather than a third-party page.
Israel. Lebanon refuses entry to holders of Israeli passports, and an Israeli stamp or evidence of travel to Israel in your passport will normally result in refusal of entry. This is enforced. If this applies to you, take advice before travelling.
Bring US dollars in cash. Do not plan to use an ATM. See how much Beirut costs — this is the most important practical thing on this site.
Buy a SIM in arrivals. Touch and Alfa are the two operators. Data is not cheap by regional standards and you will want it.
Customs is straightforward. Duty-free allowances are ordinary.
Departing
Allow three hours for an international departure, and more if there is any reason to think the road might be slow.
Security is thorough — there are multiple checks including one before you reach the terminal building.
Do not photograph anything on the airport road or at the perimeter.
Airlines and connections
Middle East Airlines (MEA) is the national carrier and flies across Europe, the Gulf and Africa. It has an unusual reputation: it kept flying through the civil war, and it has one of the better safety records in the industry.
Most major European and Gulf carriers serve Beirut, though schedules have been suspended and resumed repeatedly in recent years depending on the regional situation.
Check that your flight is actually operating, and be aware that airspace and the airport have closed at short notice during periods of escalation. Flexible tickets and travel insurance that covers disruption are worth more here than in most places.
The overland alternative
The land border with Syria is the only alternative route in and out of Lebanon. It is used, and it is not straightforward — it depends entirely on the situation in Syria, on your nationality, and on visa arrangements that change.
Do not assume it is a fallback. If you are planning a trip, plan on the basis that the airport is the way out.
Which district you are heading for
The airport is south of the city and the centre is north of it, so all journeys run the same way in.
Hamra and the Corniche — the far side of the centre, and the longest run.
Downtown, Gemmayzeh and Mar Mikhael — the eastern districts, and slightly further again.
Badaro and Achrafieh — closer.
Journey times in clear traffic are twenty to thirty minutes to anywhere in the city. At peak, or if the road is disrupted, treat that as a floor rather than an estimate.
A short list of what to have arranged before you land
- A pickup, booked through your accommodation.
- US dollars in cash, in small clean notes.
- Confirmation that your accommodation has 24-hour generator backup.
- Your government’s current travel advice, read — see is Beirut safe.
- Travel insurance whose wording you have actually checked against that advice.
- An offline map and any medication you need.
None of that is onerous and all of it matters more here than it would elsewhere.