Taxis are available outside the arrivals hall. Be sure to agree
on a price before getting into the taxi - the fare shouldn't be
more than LBP 30, 000 for a trip into downtown Beirut. A helpful
tip: catching a taxi from outside the departures section of the
airport can be significantly cheaper.
Parking for 2, 350 cars is available at the airport. The parking
area is connected to the terminal by an underground walkway.
Parking rates start at LBP 3, 500 for an hour, and go up to LBP
18, 000 per day.
Car rental companies located at the airport include Hala,
Budget, Catrans, City Car, National, Avis, Europcar, Hertz and
LenaCar. The car rental operators' desks can be found in the
arrivals hall.
Taxis: Taxis are available outside the arrivals hall. Be sure to
agree on a price before getting into the taxi - the fare shouldn't
be more than LBP 30, 000 for a trip into downtown Beirut. A helpful
tip: catching a taxi from outside the departures section of the
airport can be significantly cheaper.
Bus: No official buses run between downtown Beirut and the
airport. However, there are buses which travel to Charles Helou Bus
Station, that can sometimes be found outside the departures section
of the terminal building. Bus fares into town are generally LBP 750
(less than $1). Passengers arriving during the day can also walk
from the airport to the nearest roundabout, and catch a minibus
into town from there for LBP 2000 (less than $2).
Since 2008, all departure taxes levied at Beirut
International Airport have been included in ticket
prices.
Money and communications: ATMs, currency exchange offices and a
bank can be found within the terminal. Pay phones, a post office,
and 15 internet kiosks are also available.
Luggage: A luggage wrapping service is available on the
departures level. Lost baggage complaints are handled by the
individual airlines.
Conference and business: Airline business lounges have
telephone, internet and faxing facilities. The airport does not
have conference facilities, but there are a number of hotels (such
as the Movenpick Hotel and Resort and the Habtoor Grand Hotel) with
adequate facilities, located within six miles (10km) of the
airport.
Other facilities: Prayer rooms; first aid and emergency medical
services; full access and facilities for disabled passengers.
Wi-Fi: There is definitely Wi-Fi internet access available at
Beirut International Airport; however, whether or not you'll need
to pay for this service is hard to tell. The airport's website -
which hasn't been updated in a couple of years - gives conflicting
information, stating on the same page that (i) Wi-Fi internet
access is free for one hour out of 24 each day, and (ii) that in
order to access the airport's Wi-Fi service, you'll first need to
buy an Internet Card from one of the airport's duty-free shops.
We're not sure what the current situation is, but if you do have to
pay, it should cost US$5 for 30 minutes, and US$10 for 75
minutes.
Information: Passengers arriving at Beirut International Airport
can find the Information Centre in the arrivals hall. Staff members
are multilingual (generally speaking Arabic, French and English),
but they can be a little terse at times.
Shopping: The main duty-free shopping area is located on the
second floor of the terminal building, after check-in and passport
control. Passengers will not need much time to make their way
through all the airport's shops. There is a Virgin Megastore, a
small shop selling Lebanese souvenirs, a newsstand, and a small
duty-free shop selling tobacco, alcohol, cosmetics and perfume.
Food and Drink: Like the shopping options, dining choices at
Beirut International Airport are quite limited. Passengers eager
for a pre-flight snack should try to eat before checking-in. There
are a number of cafés and restaurants open to the public, which are
located on the ground floor of the terminal building. The
departures level has a couple of snack bars, and there is a
Lebanese restaurant on the third floor of the terminal
building.
Arabic is the official language. French and English are
also spoken.
The official currency is the Lebanese Pound (LBP), which is
divided into 100 Piastres. The Lebanese Pound is locally known as
the 'Lira'. ATM machines are widely available in Lebanon except in
isolated towns and cash can be withdrawn from banks during business
hours. Credits cards are widely used and travellers checks in US
dollars are accepted at major exchange offices.
Not applicable, as there is only one terminal.
Local time is GMT +2 (GMT +3 from the last Sunday in March to
the last Sunday in October).