We meet with our valued guests at the International Departures Terminal of Istanbul New Airport. We depart for Beirut with Middle East Airlines at 11:20 and arrive at 13:15. After our arrival, we board our private vehicle and begin our city tour, accompanied by our guide, exploring the streets and avenues adorned with the finest examples of modern architecture. Our first stop in this city, famous for its nightlife and casinos, is Nejmeh Square and the Clock Tower, built by the Ottoman Empire in 1897. After this, we view the Ottoman Military Barracks, which are currently used as the Prime Ministry and Parliament Buildings. Following our photo break here, we continue our tour by visiting the Muhammad al-Amin Mosque and the grave of Lebanon's legendary Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. Next, we will transfer to the Corniche area to see the Pigeon Rocks and spend some free time. We will then transfer to our hotel for overnight accommodation. Guests who wish can join the Lebanese Night tour (80 USD) organized by our guide. After an unforgettable Lebanese Night filled with local dances, folklore shows, and Lebanese cuisine, we return to our hotel at the appointed time set by the guide.
Day 2: Beirut
After breakfast at the hotel, the day is free. Guests who wish can participate in the optional tour to Jeita Grotto – Harissa and Byblos (80 USD) organized by our guide. Our tour begins with a visit to the Jeita Grotto Cave, which means "big cave" in Arabic, adorned with stalactites and stalagmites formed over millions of years. After our visit, we head to Harissa, a sacred place for Christians. We enjoy the view of the entire city from the magnificent statue of Our Lady of Lebanon. After visiting St. Paul Cathedral, we will embark on a thrilling journey to the ancient Phoenician port city of Byblos, enjoying the coastal scenery along the way. With a history dating back 4000 years, Byblos is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and holds great significance as one of the first places to use the Phoenician alphabet and as the origin of the name in the Bible. While exploring this beautiful city, we will have free time for lunch and relaxation. We will transfer to our hotel at the time determined by our guide for overnight accommodation.
Day 3: Beirut
After breakfast at the hotel, the day is free. Guests who wish can join our optional tour to Baalbek & Ksara & Anjar (80 USD) organized by our guide. In this tour, we will visit Baalbek, considered one of the most magnificent temple cities in the world, with a history of approximately 5,000 years, shaped by the intertwining of Phoenician and Roman belief cultures. Afterward, we arrive at the Ksara Castle, famous for its vineyards, where we will have the opportunity to explore the cellars where wines produced at Ksara Castle are stored. Next, we set out to visit Anjar, also known as Mount Musa. After visiting this lovely village in the Bekaa Valley, we will have free time. We will transfer to our hotel at the time determined by our guide for overnight accommodation.
Day 4: Beirut – Istanbul
After breakfast, we check out of our rooms and have free time until the time determined by our guide. Guests who wish can participate in the optional tour to Beiteddine Al Qamar, Deir El Qamar, and Musa Castle (70 USD) organized by our guide. Our tour begins with a visit to the magnificent Beiteddine Palace, which dates back to the early 18th century and showcases stunning Lebanese architecture. We will take a photo break in this magnificent structure, which features a wide courtyard, surrounding divan building, harem rooms, and approximately 83 spacious rooms, and is currently used as the summer palace by Lebanese state officials. Then, we visit the town of Deir El Qamar, known as "Moon Monastery" in Turkish, which is protected by UNESCO. During our short walk in the town, we will see many historical buildings and places of worship from different religions. After a lunch break and some free time here, we will head to our next stop, Musa Castle. After visiting Musa Castle, we will transfer to the airport. We will depart for Istanbul on Middle East Airlines flight ME267 at 17:35 and arrive at 19:30. End of our tour.
Important Note:
Optional tours take place with a minimum attendance of 15 people. If participation is below 15 people, there may be changes in tour prices or it may be organized via the metro.
What's Included
• Foreign Exit Tax Stamp
• Dinner
• Travel Insurance (up to 65 years old): 20.-Eur
• Travel Insurance (ages 66-75): 40.-Eur
• Lunch
• All hotel extras and personal expenses
Not Included
• Middle East Airlines round-trip plane tickets from Istanbul to Beirut and back
• 3 nights 4 days accommodation in the selected hotel category
• Breakfasts
• Beirut Panoramic City Tour
• Professional Turkish guiding services
• Mandatory Insurance (Professional Liability)
General Information
GENERAL TERMS
1- The General Terms are an integral part of the tour program and cannot be considered independently of the tour program.
2- If sufficient participation for the trip is not achieved, the Agency may cancel the tour up to 21 days before the tour departure date. In such a case, the cancellation information will be communicated to the guest. The full amount of the tour price will be refunded to the guest. For additional services purchased outside the tour; domestic flight connections purchased from the Agency will also be refunded to the guest. However, visa services and travel health insurance cannot be refunded if a visa application has been made on behalf of the guest. If a visa application has not been made, the visa and travel health insurance can also be canceled, and a refund will be made. If the guest has purchased the domestic flight connection from a different service provider independent of the Agency, they cannot claim any refund from the Agency in the event of the trip's cancellation by the Agency. The guest acknowledges in advance the material and moral losses that may occur due to the cancellation of the tour when purchasing the tour, and the Agency cannot be held responsible.
3- If sufficient participation for the trip is not achieved, the Agency has the right to show good faith by not canceling the tour. In this case, since the tour will be provided individually for the guest, the included guiding service will only cover the round-trip airport transfer for international travel.
Cancellation and Changes
4- In our tours, the tickets for transportation are issued at the time of reservation. For cancellations made more than 30 days before the tour departure date, the ticket fees for these flights, which do not have the right for cancellation, change, or refund, will be charged as a penalty.
5- Guests have the right to cancel without penalty by notifying the Agency in writing at least 30 days prior to the tour departure date, except for airline tickets for which payment has been made and/or a commitment has been undertaken by the Agency. In case of cancellation within 31 days of the start date of the trip, a penalty equivalent to 50% of the remaining tour price will be applied; and in case of cancellation 15 days or less before the start date of the trip, a penalty equal to the full tour price will be applied. In the case of cancellation requests, it is necessary to inquire in advance about the refund conditions for additional services such as domestic connections, visa services, and travel health insurance, as their refund conditions may vary according to the cancellation request time. The Agency cannot make any commitments for the cancellation and refund of additional services.
Guiding Services and Extra Tours
6- The days and hours of the tours specified in the program may be changed by the guide depending on the opening/closing status of museums and historical sites in the places to be visited and weather conditions. Different guides may accompany our guests during the tours.
7- The panoramic city tours included in the tour package are organized for general introduction of the cities and are maximum 2-3 hours long tours conducted with a guide's narration from inside the vehicle, excluding museum and historical site entrances. The Agency is not responsible for the inability to conduct these tours if local authorities do not allow visits on the specified days and times of the tour or if the tours cannot be conducted due to closed roads resulting from any events or due to weather conditions. Some tours may be conducted using public transportation or on foot in places where there are closed roads or vehicle entry is not permitted.
8- Our guide may change the days of the city tour and/or extra tours depending on the number of participants, the closure status of museums and historical sites. This situation also applies in the event of changes to flight times.
9- Attention should be paid to the following points for our tours conducted with Speed Boats: heavy meals should not be eaten immediately before boarding the boat and excessive amounts of water should not be consumed. Guests with complaints about stomach, back, or neck issues and pregnant guests should inform their guides of their conditions.
10- There will be no refunds for services that are included in the prices and not utilized (tour or meal services).
About Flights
11- The Agency acts as an intermediary between the airline and the passenger, and in potential disputes, the relevant provisions of Turkish law, as well as the Hague Protocol and the Warsaw Convention will be applied.
12- There may be delays or changes in flight times for scheduled and special flights. The Agency is obliged to inform the guests of these changes as soon as possible. The passenger has accepted the risk of flight time changes/cancellations when purchasing the trip.
13- Children aged 0-2 only pay the airport tax fee.
14- According to the rules of the airlines, if the outbound flight of round-trip tickets is not used, the return flight will be canceled by the airline.
15- For persons participating in flights with tickets, check-in and boarding procedures are personal responsibilities and must be done by the guest at the airport before the flight, either at the airline counter or online through the airline's website.
16- Last-minute delays and gate changes during flights are announced audibly at airports and shown on the information boards in the area. This information must be followed personally by the guests.
17- The Agency is not responsible for guests who are not available at the designated airport at the notified times according to the airline rules to participate in the tour, fail to check-in and board on time, or check-in and board on time but miss the flight. The costs for obtaining new round-trip tickets and any necessary transfers at the destination for guests who miss their flights are their own responsibility.
18- In general, the baggage weight limit for flights departing from Turkey is 20 kg. This weight may vary depending on the airline and the country to which travel is made. If there are domestic flights in the country to be visited, this baggage weight may drop to 15 kg. The weight/price rules for excess baggage are determined by the airlines, and the Agency is not responsible.
19- For passengers wishing to upgrade their flight tickets using miles (to business or first class); after the tickets have been issued, upgrade processes can be realized depending on the airline's (check your mileage membership) availability. No mileage guarantee is provided for each flight. Check if the program's tickets are eligible for upgrade.
20- Catering and online check-in services may be subject to extra charges with some airlines.
Other Matters
21- The Agency will not accept responsibility for any change or cancellation made directly by guests contacting the hotel. In this case, the Agency’s cancellation conditions will apply.
22- In cases where the hotel(s) are presented only with category information without names specified in the tour program, and/or when options are provided for the same destination, the guests will be informed by the Agency 48 hours prior to the trip departure.
23- During special occasions such as fairs, congresses, concerts, events, and sports tournaments, hotels may be located further away from the specified locations or distances. In such cases, the Agency will inform about this situation 15 days before the trip departure date.
24- When registering for the purchased tour; it is necessary for the guest to correctly enter/declare the name as it appears in the passport, birth date, and passport number in the system. Flight tickets will be issued based on this information. Any penalties resulting from incorrect information leading to ticket cancellations or changes will be charged to the guests.
25- To use your mobile phones abroad, make sure before leaving Turkey that your phone is activated for international use by contacting your service provider.
26- The hotel check-in time is 15:00, and the check-out time is 12:00.
27- Requests regarding the room (high floor, close to common areas, smoking/non-smoking, bed type) are communicated to the hotel by the Agency. Efforts are made to ensure that the reserved rooms match the guest’s preferences according to the hotel's availability. The fulfillment of these requests depends on availability at check-in and cannot be guaranteed by the Agency.
28- The breakfast offered at hotels may differ from the rich breakfast customary in Turkish cuisine. It is generally served with limited options, typically referred to as continental breakfast, consisting of butter, jam, bread, tea, or coffee, and may be served in a separate room assigned to groups.
29- In some cases, a double-bed room may have two single beds instead of a double bed. Most European hotels offer rooms with two beds that can be joined together when necessary.
30- The child and extra bed policy may vary by each hotel and room type.
31- Any extra beds or baby cots are provided upon request and must be approved by the hotel according to availability.
32- The capacity for extra beds or baby cots in the room is 1 unit (maximum).
33- In triple rooms, there is an extra bed application, and the bed assigned to the 3rd person in these types of rooms is smaller than standard beds. Triple rooms consist of 1 large bed + 1 extra bed. Extra beds may consist of those foldable or called couch beds. Guests acknowledge that they accept the tightness in the rooms due to extra beds added to the standard room in their reservations for triple rooms and/or those with children.
34- If the number and ages of children staying with adults are mistakenly declared in hotel reservations, the related hotels may charge an extra fee. In this case, the responsibility lies with the guest who made the incorrect declaration. The hotel may request identification for age verification of children.
35- In reservations for 2 adults + 1 child, there may not be a separate bed for the child. Child prices are only valid if the child stays with two adults. Child discounts apply only for "single child" who meets the age group with two adults.
36- Daily currency exchange rates are reflected in TL prices. The rates at the time of payment are valid. Additional requests and some extra services taken at the hotel (minibar, ironing, etc.) are subject to extra fees from the hotel. These expenses are not included in the purchase and are paid directly to the hotel during your stay.
37- Some countries have different applications regarding city, tourism, or local-level taxes. All city, tourism, or other taxes applied in this manner are collected from the guest by the hotel upon entry or exit.
38- The distances given in the programs are based on maps. Travel times may be extended due to traffic, weather conditions, the geographical location of the country visited, road works, and conditions.
39- The Agency may change the order of the cities in the program and the main airline to be flown, without altering the program's content, in cases of necessity or if deemed necessary.
40- Personal belongings, bags, suitcases, passports/identifications of participants in the tour are their own responsibility, and the Agency is not responsible for lost/forgotten/stolen items. If forgotten items are found, the costs incurred for delivering them to the country and/or to the individual are the owner's responsibility.
41- Participants in the tour are required to carry their travel health insurance policies and any related medications and reports regarding any health issues with them.
42- For potential extra expenses, the hotel may request a cash or credit card deposit, along with a photo ID/passport issued by official authorities, at check-in. The refund of the deposit requested at check-out is a transaction between the hotel and the guest, and the Agency has no intervention in this matter.
Visa and Passport
1- Guests must ensure that their passports are valid for at least 6 months beyond the travel completion date.
2- For customs crossings/border checkpoints, there must be at least 2 blank pages in your passport for the entry-exit stamp.
3- Being exempt from visa or having obtained a visa for the countries in this tour does not mean you will be allowed entry/exit; immigration officers have the authority to refuse entry/exist, and the Agency is not responsible for this situation; the responsibility lies with the passenger.
4- Guests who are not Turkish citizens or who have dual citizenship and will participate in the tour using their other passport should personally consult the relevant consulates regarding the visa procedures applied by the country to be visited; otherwise, the Agency will not be responsible for any resulting consequences.
5- To avoid issues with customs police at the border control due to torn, damaged, wet, or similarly damaged passports, passports should be renewed. Otherwise, the responsibility lies with the passenger.
6- Guests under 18 years old may be asked by immigration officials to present a document showing the mutual consent of both parents when traveling alone or accompanied by only one parent. We recommend that under-18 guests and their parents be mindful of this matter.
