North Lebanon
Tripoli is Lebanon's second city and, for lovers of Islamic architecture and the authentic rhythms of Levantine urban life, it may be the most rewarding. Its medieval old city — one of the best-preserved in the Arab world — contains an extraordinary concentration of Mamluk mosques, khans, madrassas, and hammams built between the 13th and 16th centuries.
The souks of Tripoli are the real thing — not prettified for tourists but working markets where soap-makers, goldsmiths, coppersmiths, and textile merchants have operated in the same lanes for centuries. The soap souk is particularly famous; Tripoli has been producing olive oil soap since antiquity.
Tripoli's greatest culinary claim is its sweets. The city's pastry shops — stacked with knafeh, baklawa, halawet el jibn, and maamoul — are legendary throughout Lebanon. No visit is complete without breakfast at one of the old-city sweets shops, watching the city come to life.
Tripoli is 85km north of Beirut — about 90 minutes by car or shared taxi from Charles Helou station. The coastal highway north is fast and well-maintained.
Abdel Rahman Hallab & Sons is the most famous sweet shop in Lebanon, serving knafeh and pastries since 1881. For savoury food, the old-city restaurants around the Great Mosque serve excellent Lebanese home cooking at very local prices.