Lebanon North

Tripoli is Lebanon's second-largest city and the capital of the North Governorate, set on the Mediterranean coast roughly 81 km north of Beirut. Known locally as Tarablus, it combines a working port, a dense historic medina and newer coastal and hillside districts in a distinctly northern Lebanese setting.

The city's layered history reaches from Phoenician and Roman beginnings through Mamluk and Ottoman rule. The Citadel of Saint-Gilles, begun by Crusaders and enlarged under the Mamluks, commands the old town, while the Great Mosque and Taynal Mosque show centuries of evolving Islamic architecture.

Tripoli's old souks remain its most atmospheric quarter, a web of narrow lanes filled with soapmakers, coppersmiths, tailors and spice merchants set around stone khans and hammams. Nearby, the seaside El Mina district centres on the port and its seafood restaurants, while modern neighbourhoods extend inland and uphill.

As a historic 'City of Knowledge', Tripoli is also an educational and commercial hub for northern Lebanon. Its food culture, led by knafeh and other Arabic sweets, and its everyday street life offer a more traditional contrast to Beirut's polished centre.

For travellers, Tripoli works as a destination in itself and as a base for the northern coast and mountains, including Batroun, the Qadisha Valley and the Cedars. Its compact old core packs markets, monuments and local life within easy walking distance.