Beirut has no metro, no tram and no railway. Lebanon’s railways stopped running during the civil war and the rolling stock is still rusting in the yards behind Mar Mikhael.
What it has instead is a shared-taxi system that has evolved without any planning at all, and works.
The service
A service — pronounced serveece — is a shared taxi running a loose route, picking up and dropping off along it, for a fixed low fare per seat.
How it works:
- Stand at the roadside and wait. Red-plated cars will slow and the driver will look at you or beep.
- Say your destination through the window. Not “can you take me to” — just the place name.
- If the driver nods or says service, get in. If he shakes his head or says taxi, he wants to take you privately for a much higher fare, and you should wave him on unless that is what you want.
- You may be charged two services — servicein — for a longer trip crossing the city. He will say so.
- Pay at the end, in cash, in lira or dollars.
- There will be other passengers. That is the point.
It is very cheap, it is how most of Beirut moves, and it is entirely safe in ordinary use.
The trick is knowing the destination name. Say a well-known landmark or district — Hamra, Sodeco, Mar Mikhael, Ain el Mreisseh, Achrafieh, Barbir, Cola — rather than a street address.
Private taxis
The same red-plated cars, taken exclusively. Agree the fare before you get in. There are no meters in practice.
Rates are negotiable and non-Lebanese are quoted more. Knowing roughly what a trip should cost — ask your hotel — saves the argument.
Ride-hailing apps
Uber, Bolt and the Lebanese app Allo Taxi operate in Beirut.
For a visitor these are much the easiest option: the fare is fixed in advance, there is no negotiation, and you do not need to explain where you are going in Arabic.
They are more expensive than a service and cheaper than a negotiated taxi, and they are what most visitors should use for most journeys.
Buses
There is a bus network, run partly by the state-owned operator and partly by private operators on the same routes. There is no reliable published map or timetable.
The main hubs are Charles Helou station near the port, for services north to Byblos, Tripoli and Syria, and Cola intersection in the south-west for the Bekaa, the south and the airport.
Local buses are cheap and used mainly by people who know the routes. For a visitor they are more trouble than a service.
Vans — small private minibuses, numbered, running fixed corridors — are the third layer. Van 4 along the Corniche and through the centre is the best-known.
Walking
Beirut is walkable within a district and difficult between them.
Hamra, Gemmayzeh, Mar Mikhael, downtown and Badaro are each walkable internally. Getting from one to another usually means a main road, a flyover or a steep hill.
Pavements are narrow, obstructed by parked cars and generators, and often absent. Pedestrian crossings are decorative — cross when there is a gap, decisively, and Lebanese drivers will avoid you.
The Corniche is the one long, uninterrupted, pleasant walk in the city.
Achrafieh is a hill and the staircases are the good way up it.
Driving
Possible, and unnecessary in the city.
Lebanese driving is fast and improvisational. Lane markings, indicators and one-way signs are treated as suggestions. Traffic is heavy and parking in the centre is difficult.
A car with a driver for the day is the standard way to do Baalbek or the mountains, is not expensive, and is much the best arrangement. Agree the price, the hours and the itinerary in advance.
Self-drive hire is available and worth it only if you are comfortable with the driving and are going somewhere the roads are quiet.
What to expect on the road
Traffic is severe at peak and unpredictable at all times.
Roads can close at short notice for protests, security incidents or funerals. Burning tyres on a main road is a recognised form of protest. Check before setting off across the city, particularly to the airport.
Checkpoints — army and other — are routine on some roads. Slow down, be polite, have ID, and do not photograph them.
Fuel shortages have caused queues at various points since 2019.
The airport
Beirut–Rafic Hariri International (BEY) is about nine kilometres south of the centre. There is no train and no reliable public bus. See Beirut Airport to the city.