Tyre

Introduction

Tyre is a city in Lebanon and one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. It began as one of the earliest Phoenician metropolises and is the legendary birthplace of Europa, her brothers Cadmus and Phoenix, and Dido (Elissa), the founder of Carthage. The historian Ernest Renan described it as "a city of ruins, built out of ruins".

Ancient sites are scattered across the city, among them the Tyre Hippodrome, and the whole of Tyre was added to the UNESCO World Heritage list in 1984. Expect a place where the distant past is not set apart from daily life but layered into it.

Getting there

Tyres is served by private buses and minibuses from Beirut and Sidon. Large, air-conditioned buses leave from Cola Junction in Beirut throughout the day and take about 2½ hours. Privately run minibuses also depart frequently throughout the day and late into the evening from Cola Junction and from the bus station in Sidon; they follow a variety of routes and often stop and start along the way to pick up and set down passengers. Minibuses on the coastal roads are much slower, with Beirut to Tyre taking 3–4 hours, while those on the motorway route cover Beirut in about 2½ hours and Sidon in roughly an hour.

Private taxis offer a faster alternative: you can hire a car outright from Beirut, or take the "service" option and share with others travelling in the same direction, with the journey taking approximately 2½ hours depending on stops. On minibuses, confirm the fare when you board, as tourists are often charged more than locals; if you are unsure what the price should be, ask a fellow passenger, as many people speak English and will very likely help you out. Military checkpoints operate on the roads between Beirut, Sidon and Tyre, and occasionally other checkpoints are run by Hezbollah soldiers. If your bus or taxi is asked to stop, keep your passport to hand and remove any sunglasses or hats so you can be identified clearly. You will generally be waved through without further problems, and there is no need to be alarmed if you are asked why you are travelling.

Getting around

Walking is without a doubt the best way to get around Tyre. The beachfront and the main roads all sit within a five- to ten-minute walk of each other, so you can base yourself in one spot and reach the restaurants, shops and waterfront on foot. The one notable exception is the Al Bass Archaeological site, which sits a little further out; a taxi is the easiest way to get there rather than walking. Tyre has no rail, metro or tram network, so plan your movements around walking, buses, minibuses and taxis.

Taxis are pretty cheap, and some are even comfortable to travel in. You will see registered yellow taxis that operate throughout the country, which are private hires and therefore more expensive, alongside private cars acting as taxis that come in varying states of repair, from virtually new to over forty years old. Shared "service" cars stop to pick up other passengers along the way and are much cheaper. Always agree the price before you get in, and confirm whether you are hiring a taxi or a service. Traffic is typical Lebanese traffic: if you want to go, you must go, regardless of the "Western" way of thinking about right of way. Drivers frequently will not give way unless they absolutely have to, and lanes and road signage are frequently ignored. If you do not feel safe, do ask your driver to slow down.

Where to stay

Most visitors head for the beach, and the best-known place to stay is the Resthouse hotel on the sand. Its beach and pool are reserved for guests, though outsiders can use them for a small fee meant to keep unwanted people off the premises; on the beach you can order drinks and narghile, rent a sun chair, or take a diving course. Also on the coast is Al Fanar Resort, a good place to stay.

Inland, the Artizan Hotel on Rue Senegal is a second-floor bed and breakfast popular with locals and visitors alike. Air-conditioned rooms, reasonable rates and views over the Mediterranean make it one of the best-value places to stay in the city.

Food & drink

Tyre is a coastal city, and its restaurants lean heavily on the sea. Le Phenicien, Tyros, Rest Cafe in the port area of al Mina, and the beachside hut restaurants along the sandy stretch near the Resthouse all serve fresh fish and seafood, and most of the city's sit-down places—Skandars, Al Fanar, The Resthouse, Tyros—offer Lebanese and international cooking alongside beer, wine and liquors. For something quicker, Baquettos does fast food, and Mahfouz Sandwich in the Old Town close to the beach specialises in fatayel, small rolled sandwiches filled with beef or spicy sausage. Al Nabeel's Cake Shop is known for its Lebanese cakes and its kind staff.

For drinks, several minimarkets next to the port sell all kinds of alcohol. In summer, one of the great pleasures here is taking a beer and a narghile on the beach, either at Al Jamal seaside or on the sandy side beside the Resthouse, where hut restaurants and a beach bar keep you supplied. At night, head to the corniche for a drink at Albadawe cafe, Nocean, Fanar, Skandar or Tyros, or at one of the other restaurants along the waterfront.

What to see and do

Tyre rewards you with Roman ruins on a scale that few visitors expect. The Al-Bass necropolis is a huge site that takes in hundreds of well-preserved sarcophagi, an intact Roman road and aqueduct, and a monumental arch; it sits beside the Al Bass Palestinian Refugee Camp, a short car ride from the beach. Nearby is the Tyre Hippodrome, the city's most famous attraction and the largest and best-preserved example of a Roman Hippodrome anywhere. In the Christian district you can also see the Hot Spring Ruins, an impressive piece of Roman architecture that survived the country's bombing campaigns.

Down on the peninsula, the Tyre lighthouse marks a quiet spot on the north-western tip that is perfect for watching the sun go down. At the south-western tip, Al Gamal is a rocky beach where you can see the ruins of an old Phoenician port, eat at the hut restaurants perched on the rocks, and swim in clear water that includes what looks like an ancient swimming pool carved into the rock. The city's beach is known across Lebanon as the cleanest and most beautiful in the country, with families flocking there in summer; from May to September the beach cafes in the huts are open, and the sea stays warm enough to swim in at night. You can rent a fishing boat for a tour around the seaside, head out to the rocky islands for diving, or rent a jetski from the dealers along the shore. Inland, the souq next to the Christian district is lively and atmospheric, with good prices on everything from souvenirs to fresh fish caught that morning. The Christian district itself, at the western tip of the peninsula, is a higgledy-piggledy enclave of thin roads and small shops worth wandering, though remember these are people's homes and you shouldn't enter open doors unless invited. Further out, Chamaa Castle is one of the Crusader castles that make up the Mount Amel Castles UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Three days in Tyre

Day one: Start in Tyre itself, the Lebanese port whose Phoenician past is bound up with the myths of Europa, Cadmus, Phoenix and Dido (Elissa), who went on to found Carthage. Take in the Ancient site and the Tyre Hippodrome, both recognised under UNESCO World Heritage. Expect to cover ground on foot, so pace yourself in the warm, humid weather.

Day two: Give the day to the Al Bass Archaeological site, where the French scholar Ernest Renan worked. Walking is the best way to take it in, and you should always watch for traffic, since Lebanese drivers can be Western in style and most roads are shared with cars.

Day three: Use Tyre as your base for the wider south. Shared taxis and minibuses run from Cola Junction, and privately arranged cars are another option; drivers often speak some English. Beirut and Sidon lie up the coast if you want a change of scene. Military and Hezbollah presence is part of the landscape here, so if you are unsure of anything, ask locally before setting out.