Experience in Beirut, Lebanon by Joanna

What is it like to live in Beirut? Would you recommend it? What is the city like?

The city is always alive! The people are really friendly and you never need to worry about needing help or directions, all you need to do is ask. Unlike other arab cities the culture and crowd is much more open and accepting. The architecture is really beautiful and old and you will always find people walking around and events to go to from parties to exhibitions and gatherings.

What is the student lifestyle like in Beirut?

All the students are in Beirut all the time. It's an easy student life except for the transportation that is a bit hard to grasp. Public transportation does exist but it's kind of chaotic so there is no clear system.

How much does it cost to live in Beirut?

On average furnished student apartments cost around 400$ per month including electricity, water and internet. The public transport cost around 1$ to 2$ per ride. The food is relatively cheap and there are a lot of restaurants and international food.

Is it difficult to find accommodation in Beirut? Is there any advice you can give?

It is kind of hard due to the lack of online websites. The easiest way to find an apartment would be to actually walk around and look for renting signs. The best way would be to actually know a student who already live here and ask for help.

What is the food like? What are your favourite dishes?

The food is amazing, and the portions are huge! The mezza is something of a specialty which is basically a combination of small portions of a lot of lebanese dishes. They are put around the table and everyone shares them.

What places would you recommend visiting in Beirut?

Certain areas to visit in Beirut would be Hamra, Jemayze, Mar mikhael, waterfront, and Downtown. As well as some exhibition centers such as Beirut Art Center, Beirut exhibition center, Beirut National Museum.

Is it good to eat out in Beirut? Can you tell us your favourite spots?

The food is always great and has great importance in Lebanon. Some good restaurants are: Leila, Classic Burger Joint, Roadster, T marbouta, Deek Duke, Malak el taouk, Frosty Palace, Emm Nazih, Le Chef (for traditional lebanese home cooked food), zaatar w zeit.

Is the nightlife good in Beirut? Where is good to go?

It's amazing. The three most common streets to go to are:
Mar Mikhael street
Hamra street
Jemmayze street
And some good clubs are: Uberhaus, The warehouse, BO18, White, Music Hall

What advice would you give future students heading to Beirut?

It's awesome!