South Governorate · Lebanon
Sidon travel guide
Sidon is a city in South Governorate, Lebanon, home to about 164,000 people.
- Best months
- March to June and October
- Nearest airport
- BEY31 km · Beirut Rafic Hariri International Airport
- Currency
- LBPLebanese pound
- Time zone
- Asia/Beirut
- Language
- Arabic
Things to do
What to see and do in Sidon
See
- Sidon Sea Castle
- Eshmun Temple
- Fishing port
- Djebel
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
When to go
The best time to visit Sidon
The most comfortable months for a city stay in Sidon are March to June and October. August is the warmest month, with average highs of 32 °C; January is the wettest, with about 172 mm of rain.
Comfortable means average daytime high between 18 °C and 29 °C and under 80 mm of rain in the month. Averages for 1991–2020 over the surrounding area, a grid square about 50 km across, so a coast or a nearby mountain can make the town itself warmer or cooler. Data: CRU TS v4.10, Climatic Research Unit, University of East Anglia (Open Database License).
Getting there
Getting to Sidon: airports and arrival
The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Beirut Rafic Hariri International Airport (BEY), about 31 km from the city centre in a straight line; Uri Michaeli Haifa International Airport (HFA, 89 km) and Damascus International Airport (DAM, 107 km) are also within reach.
Getting in
Take a bus or a car for a 1-hour drive from Beirut. A minibus from Beirut's Cola station costs 2000 L.L. per person. The buses arrive in the centre of the city, nearby the Sea Castle and other sights.
Getting around
Getting around in Sidon as in all Lebanon is best by taking a taxi. Cabs provide two services: 1. A taxi ride with a fare charge of 5000 L.L. around 3.25 $ and 2.
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
BEY · Beirut Rafic Hariri International Airport
HFA · Uri Michaeli Haifa International Airport
DAM · Damascus International Airport
Local knowledge
Eating, drinking and staying safe in Sidon
Eat
The following restaurants offer traditional Lebanese food: Zawat, Al Arabi, Al Mamlouk. For quick and cheap snacks: Baba snack and Abu Rami's Falafel. Local restaurants and chains: El Padrino, Crepaway and Sushi Bento. International chains are also available, such as: McDonald's, KFC and Dunkin' Donuts.
Drink
Due to its more conservative nature, alcoholic drinks are not offered in the city's restaurants, cafes or supermarkets. However, delicious chunky fruit cocktails, julabs, Amar El Dine, tamarind juice and other types of traditional fruit juices are offered in the city's "juice shops".
Stay safe
It has sometimes been unsafe to visit the Ein el-Helweh Refugee Camp due to armed conflict, so check current conditions if you want to go there. The rest of the city is normally safe.
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Questions
Sidon: questions travellers ask
When is the best time to visit Sidon?
The most comfortable months for a city stay in Sidon are March to June and October. August is the warmest month, with average highs of 32 °C; January is the wettest, with about 172 mm of rain.
Which airport is closest to Sidon?
The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Beirut Rafic Hariri International Airport (BEY), about 31 km from the city centre in a straight line; Uri Michaeli Haifa International Airport (HFA, 89 km) and Damascus International Airport (DAM, 107 km) are also within reach.
What currency is used in Sidon?
Lebanese pound (LBP).
Nearby
Destinations near Sidon
Sources: city facts from Wikidata and Wikipedia; airports from OurAirports; climate from CRU TS v4.10 (University of East Anglia Climatic Research Unit), 1991–2020 monthly means, 0.5° grid; places to stay, guest scores and amenities from each operator's own public pages. How this guide is made.