The village
Beit Mery, Mount Lebanon — a guide to the village, how to get there from Beirut, and where to stay
A pine-covered ridge 450 m above sea level, 25 min from Beirut, that has been where the city goes to escape the heat since the Romans built a temple on it.
In short
What and where Beit Mery is
Beit Mery is a mountain village in the Metn district of Mount Lebanon, on the first ridge east of Beirut. At 450 m above sea level it sits above the coastal heat, close enough to the city to reach in 25 min and high enough that the evenings turn cool in August.
- District
- Metn, Mount Lebanon
- Elevation
- 450 m above sea level
- From Beirut
- 25 min by car (17 km)
- From the airport
- 40 min by car (28 km)
- Nearest town
- Broummana, 10 min up the road
- Best months
- May to October
- Known for
- Pine forest, Roman ruins at Deir el Qalaa, summer houses and long views to the sea
Getting here
Twenty-five minutes, and about four hundred metres up
Beit Mery is the first real mountain village on the road east out of Beirut. You leave the city at Mkalles, climb through Mansourieh and Ain Saadeh, and the temperature drops a degree for roughly every hundred metres you gain. Outside rush hour the drive takes about 25 min; on a Friday evening in July, closer to forty-five.
From Beirut's airport it is 40 min, which makes it a practical first or last night in Lebanon rather than a detour. Broummana is 10 min further up the same road.
What is here
Roman stone, pine forest and a long view
At the entrance of the village, Deir el Qalaa — a monastery built in 1750 — stands on the foundations of a first-century Roman temple, the third largest in Lebanon after Baalbek and Niha. The site is open to the public and the columns are still standing.
The rest of Beit Mery is stone pine. It covers the ridge, holds the slope together and is the reason the air smells the way it does after the afternoon watering. There are walking trails through it in every direction; the visitor guidelines have our notes on which ones are worth a morning.
When to come
A summer town, and it always has been
Beirut families have been moving up here for the summer for well over a century, for one reason: at 450 m above sea level it is several degrees cooler than the coast, and the nights are properly cool even in August. May to October is the season.
Spring is green and almost empty. Autumn gives the clearest light of the year — on a good October evening you can follow the sun all the way down to the sea. Winter is cold and often sitting inside a cloud, which some people come for on purpose.
Where to stay
Staying in Beit Mery
Most of the village is private summer houses, so there is not a great deal of accommodation. What there is tends to be either a full-size hotel or a rented apartment.
Pinea sits on the pine slopes above the village. Three private bungalows, built between the trees rather than in place of them, each for two guests with its own terrace, bathroom and kitchenette. Rates are $150 a night on weekdays and $180 at weekends, and the pool is included.
If you are not staying the night, the pool takes day visitors for $20 a person, daily from 9am to 6pm. The outdoor yoga space, the donkey farm and the gardens are open to visitors too.
Common questions
Beit Mery, answered
The things people ask before they drive up for the first time.
Where is Beit Mery?
Beit Mery is a mountain village in the Metn district of Mount Lebanon, 450 m above sea level, on the first ridge east of Beirut. It is about 25 min by car from central Beirut (17 km) and 40 min from Beirut–Rafic Hariri International Airport.
How do I get to Beit Mery from Beirut?
Take the Beirut–Damascus road east out of the city and turn up at Mkalles toward Mansourieh, then follow the road up through Ain Saadeh. The climb takes roughly 25 minutes outside rush hour, and closer to 45 on a Friday evening in summer. Taxis and ride-hailing apps both serve the village.
Is there a resort with a pool in Beit Mery?
Yes. Pinea Resort sits on the pine slopes above the village, with an outdoor pool open daily from 9am to 6pm. Day entry is $20 per person, and it is free for guests staying in one of the bungalows, which are $150 a night on weekdays and $180 at weekends.
What is there to do in Beit Mery?
Deir el Qalaa — an 18th-century monastery built on the ruins of a first-century Roman temple — sits at the entrance of the village and is open to the public. Beyond it there is walking through the pine forest along the ridge, the Sunday lunch places the village is known for, and the view down to the coast. Broummana, with more restaurants and nightlife, is ten minutes further up.
When is the best time to visit Beit Mery?
May to October. Beit Mery has been a summer town for centuries precisely because it is several degrees cooler than the coast, and the evenings turn cool even in August. Spring is green and quiet, autumn is the clearest light of the year, and winter is cold and often in cloud.
Is Beit Mery good for a weekend away from Beirut?
It is the closest proper mountain air to the city. At 25 minutes' drive you can leave Beirut after work on a Friday and be somewhere genuinely quiet before dark, which is why the village filled with summer houses in the first place.
On the map
The resort sits on the pine slopes above Beit Mery. We send the exact pin and gate directions with every confirmed reservation.
- Beirut city centre
- 25 min
- Beirut Airport (BEY)
- 40 min
- Broummana
- 10 min
- Jounieh
- 35 min
Come up for the weekend
Beit Mery is twenty-five minutes away. Send us your dates and we'll tell you what's free.