Top things to do in Sidon – Lebanon

If you drive south out of the traffic madness that is Beirut, you’ll hug the coastal road and in under two hours you’ll be at the seaside town of Sidon which makes a great day trip from the capital. You’ll find a town that has bags of history, character and charm, isn’t over-run by tourists and has an authentic flavour.

The public beach

As you arrive in town it looks a little like many a European seaside town, with parking spaces along the seafront and plastic tables with sun umbrellas where you could sit and take a drink.

The public beach was completely deserted although I imagine that at the weekend families congregate here, but in this strongly Muslim area it’s probably not the place to show off your new bikini – you can save that for the swanky beach clubs along the coast between here and Beirut.

Crusader Sea Castle

Practically the first place you see as you get into town is the Crusader sea castle, built in the 13th century. You pay your money at the booth and walk along the short stone causeway up to the ruined fortification.

It’s a bit tumble-down but we had fun clambering up the steep steps of the remaining tower up to the roof where you can get a view towards the harbor and see the small ferries going by.

Sipping some coffee

There were no explanations, signs or any guides that spoke English but our guide book told us all we needed to know. After looking around the sea-castle we crossed the road and sat on the shady terrace of the smart restaurant opposite with a cup of coffee and watched the world go by.

The Soap Museum

Once refreshed we headed into the side streets away from the waterfront to search of the Soap Museum we’d heard so much about but were disappointed to find that it was shut on Fridays. We should have remembered that Friday is the holy Muslim day and Sunday is the holy Christian day and the museum is shut on both.

The soap in question was once produced in great quantities for use in the bath-houses or hammams and the museum itself is housed in an old soap factory on the edge of the souk. We peeped through the window and could see a stylish array of bath products on sale in the gift shop and I was sorry not to have had the chance to buy some souvenirs.

Lunch at the alleyways

Undeterred we decided to wander around the souq, a maze of narrow alleyways with small kiosks, shops and cafes, occasionally opening out into a courtyard or square. We tried some meat pasties in one shop, served on the large round metal trays that seem to be used in all the bakeries in Lebanon.

We rather stood out as two English gals with barely any other foreign faces and once we walked down a dead end, only to have a laughing young man come after us and point us back in the right direction. Then we spied a cafe where there was some chick pea action going on with pans bubbling away and hummus being dished out, so we went in and ordered something with a point and a smile and sat down at the single formica table.

The owner dished it out and poured some oil on with a flourish and then brought us a series of other dishes – flatbread to scoop it up, olives, salad and some bright pink vegetables. Before we knew it we had a simple mezze meal laid before us.

Trying out some sticky sweet cakes

After our lunch we sat and watched two teenage boys play with their mobiles nearby, groups of women and girls walking by and then from the mosque that we hadn’t noticed opposite us, the Friday prayers finished and a stream of men came out into the street. A cake seller had positioned himself just beside the mosque entrance and I was also tempted and couldn’t resist a selection of sticky sweet cakes. You can read the story of my free cakes outside the mosque here.

The Khan al-Fanj in Sidon

We wandered back through the narrow streets and followed our noses until we found the direction back to the sea front again. We emerged just beside Khan al-Fanj or the aptly named Khan of the foreigners that was built in the 17th century by the French to encourage trade relations.

A Khan is a large square stone building with an open courtyard designed to provide accommodation for travelling merchants, with stables and storage places on the ground floor and sleeping quarters around the upper storey.

Exploring Khan

Many of them have now been made into hotels and I stayed in one like this in Turkey, but this one had been beautifully restored and seemed to be used for artistic events as they were setting up for a concert that evening.

After we had a good look round and rested in the shady arcades, we made our way back to our car and headed off back along the coast road, past half built holiday houses that reminded me of all those half finished concrete houses you see in Greece where the owners are building them one floor at a time, as their budget allows.

Other places to visit

If you visit Lebanon, do make the effort to get to Sidon, it’s an easy trip and you can combine it with seeing other things in the South – we stopped at the palace of Beitteddine on the way back that afternoon to see the wonderful mosaics.

You can also continue further south along the road to Tyre, where there’s a Roman Hippodrome, but you need to check the political situation before you go south of the Litani river, as you’re getting close to the border with Israel and into a military zone.

Normally going to Tyre is perfectly OK as long as you stay to the main road and don’t attempt to go inland from there.

And if you get to that soap museum, do bring back a bottle of orange flower water for me.

Other Lebanon stories to enjoy

Mezze memories in Lebanon
The Cedars of Lebanon – Tannourine Cedars Reserve Video
Meet the wine makers at Chateau Musar in Lebanon

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