Getting from the airport to the city in Lebanon

• The FCDO advises against all travel to Beirut's southern suburbs, and then excludes one thing from that zone: Route 51, from central Beirut to Rafic Hariri International Airport. The road you arrive on is carved out of the area on either side of it. Stay on it.
• Both governments say the airport roads close at short notice. The FCDO records that major roads in and out of Beirut, including the roads to and from the airport, have been blocked without warning; Canada records closures caused by airstrikes and by clashes between local groups, and says access can be unavailable for extended periods.
• If the roads out of the airport are blocked, the FCDO's instruction is to wait at the airport until the authorities confirm the access roads are open. Do not go looking for a way round through the suburbs.
• Check your flight status before you set out for the airport, and leave extra time. That is the same advice in reverse, and it is the FCDO's.
• Do not photograph anything on the way. Photography is to be avoided in the southern suburbs, and photographing military sites can get you arrested.

Certified taxis park next to the terminal at the arrival gate, carry an airport logo on the side, and are regulated by the airport authority to a unified official rate:

• The airport quotes its own tariff in US dollars. That is not a convenience for tourists, it is how the country prices things now.
• Some of those destinations sit inside areas the FCDO advises against travelling to. The tariff is a price list, not a recommendation. Read the Safety section before you buy a fare to Baalbek, Sour or Tripoli.

• Do not use shared taxis, known locally as service taxis, and do not hail a taxi in the street. There have been armed robberies and physical attacks on passengers, by the driver or by the other passengers.
• Use a recognised company with vetted drivers, or a taxi arranged by your hotel. Most major hotels have an arrangement with one.
• The FCDO notes that in 2017 the Lebanese Interior Minister advised people in Lebanon not to use Uber taxis. That advice is old and the FCDO still carries it, so treat ride-hailing as unsettled rather than normal here.
• Canada's advice on buses and public transport is blunt: avoid it.

• Airport wifi is free for one hour within any 72 hours. Enough to send a message, not enough to run your evening on.
• Parking is priced in dollars too, at 4 USD for the first hour and 12 USD for twenty four hours, VAT included.
• A tourist information desk run by the Ministry of Tourism sits in the arrival hall, and first aid staffed by licensed doctors runs 24 hours in both halls.
• Be at the airport 3 hours before departure, which is the airport's own request and reflects the additional security screening on flights out of Lebanon.
• Power banks and lithium batteries must travel in the cabin. The airport warns they are not allowed in checked baggage and can be pulled out of the bag.

• You need a 1968 international driving permit or a UK licence. The 1949 permit is no longer accepted, and you cannot buy the permit once you have left home.
• Carry ID at all times and expect army checkpoints on major and minor roads.
• Traffic lights are often switched off, partly because of the power cuts, and are not always obeyed when they are on. Driving standards are poor, street lighting is unreliable, and the FCDO advises against travelling outside towns at night.