Best Spots to Watch the Sunset in Lebanon: 5 Coastal Views
Lebanon’s coast faces west, so every clear evening ends with the sun sinking into the sea. These are five of the best places to watch it.
- Region
- Lebanese coast, Beirut to Chekka
Lebanon’s whole coastline faces west, which means almost every evening the sun drops straight into the Mediterranean. From Tyre to Tripoli, people stop what they are doing to watch it: families on the corniche, fishermen packing up in old harbors, couples on cliff edges and diners on hillside terraces. The trick is choosing your angle. You can watch from sea level, with waves at your feet, or from a mountain balcony hundreds of meters up, where the coast lights up below you as the sky turns orange.
These five spots cover both, from Beirut to the north coast, and all of them are easy to reach by car from the capital.
How we chose
We kept Byblos port from the older version of this page and replaced vaguer or commercial picks (a single rooftop bar, an entire mountain range) with specific, public places that have been sunset favorites for generations. The Chekka and Batroun picks from the original list live on, but at better vantage points. We focused on places that are free or cheap to visit and that work year round when the sky is clear.
The sunset spots
1. Raouché and the Pigeon Rocks (Beirut)
The two great limestone arches off the coast at Raouché, known as the Pigeons’ Rock, are Beirut’s most famous view and its classic sunset spot. Stand on the cliff path along Avenue de Paris, part of the Beirut corniche, and the sun sets behind and between the rocks. Cliff-side cafés line the road, and in the evening the corniche fills with walkers, joggers and coffee sellers.
Tip: arrive 30 minutes before sunset to find a spot by the railing, and stay for the blue hour when the rocks turn dark against a pink sky. Walk north afterwards toward Ain el Mreisseh for a different angle along the seafront.
2. Harissa and Our Lady of Lebanon (Keserwan)
The white statue of Our Lady of Lebanon has stood on the hill of Harissa since 1907, about 650 meters above the sea and roughly 20 kilometers north of Beirut. From the terrace around the shrine you look straight down over the curve of Jounieh Bay and along the coast, which turns gold and then sparkles with lights as the sun goes down. It is one of the most loved viewpoints in the country, for pilgrims and visitors alike.
Tip: the téléphérique from Jounieh up to Harissa has long been the classic way to arrive, with the bay spread out beneath you. Dress modestly, as this is an active shrine, and see our guide to Jounieh Bay for the rest of the evening.
3. Byblos old harbor (Jbeil)
Byblos is one of the oldest continuously inhabited towns in the world and a UNESCO World Heritage site, with a Crusader castle, Phoenician temples and an old souk. Its small, horseshoe-shaped harbor is where the town meets the sea, with fishing boats at anchor and old stone walls glowing at the end of the day. Watching the sun set beyond the harbor entrance, with the ruins behind you, is about as timeless as an evening in Lebanon gets.
Tip: walk through the souk and the archaeological area in the late afternoon, then settle by the water for sunset. For an overnight stay by the sea, Byblos Sur Mer is a seafront hotel with Mediterranean views. See our Byblos day trip guide for more.
4. Batroun seafront and the Phoenician wall (Batroun)
Batroun’s old town runs right down to the water, where a stretch of ancient sea wall, traditionally called the Phoenician wall, still breaks the waves. Nearby, the small church of Saydet el Bahr (Our Lady of the Sea) sits on the rocks by the old fishing port. At sunset the whole seafront turns warm and golden, and the bars and cafés of the old town come alive.
Tip: watch from the rocks by the wall, then wander into the old souk for dinner. Taste the town’s favorites while you are there: Hilmi’s Lemonade, made in Batroun to a family recipe that dates back to 1888, or a craft beer from Colonel, brewed by the sea in Batroun. Our Batroun food guide has more ideas.
5. Saydet el Nourieh above Chekka (North Lebanon)
North of Batroun, the coast road climbs over the high cliffs of Ras ash-Shaqaa near Hamat. Perched on the cliff edge is the Greek Orthodox monastery of Saydet el Nourieh (Our Lady of Light), with views over the bay of Chekka on one side and south toward Batroun on the other. From this height, the sun seems to set far out on the open sea, and on clear evenings the horizon goes on forever.
Tip: this is a monastery, so visit quietly and respect the opening times and dress code. The road is winding, so drive down before it gets fully dark if you are not used to it.
Timing the light
Sunset in Lebanon ranges from around 4:30 p.m. in early December to almost 7:55 p.m. in late June, so check the exact time on your phone the day you go. The best colors often come 10 to 20 minutes after the sun disappears, when the sky glows pink and purple over the sea. Autumn and winter evenings after rain are often the clearest, while summer haze gives softer, golden light. In spring, dust from the east can turn the sun a deep red as it touches the water, which makes for dramatic photos even when the sky is not perfectly clear.
Tips
- Arrive early, especially on weekends, when parking near Raouché, Byblos and Batroun fills quickly.
- Bring a light jacket. Sea breezes and the altitude at Harissa make evenings cooler than you expect.
- For photos, shoot toward the sun at first, then turn around: the coast and mountains behind you catch beautiful afterglow.
- Plan dinner nearby so you can stay through the blue hour instead of rushing back to the car.
- Check the forecast. Low cloud on the horizon can hide the sun at the last moment.
Make a day of it with our guide to the best beaches in Lebanon, then stay on for the sunset.
