Beirut’s small but engaging museums deserve your attention. The National Museum of Beirut offers a useful overview of the city’s history (don’t miss the corpses in the basement!); explore fossils, minerals and crystals at the nearby Mim Museum; and descend into the crypt under Saint George Greek Orthodox Cathedral to see recently recovered relics of the region’s tumultuous past. If you’re there during term time, visit The Archaeology Museum of the American University of Beirut.

Great food isn’t hard to find in this city – eating is an important part of hedonistic living, after all. For fine Lebanese food in elegant surrounds, dine at Liza – the restaurant is decorated like a traditional home. At Tawlet a different chef each day cooks dishes from various Lebanese villages, with profits supporting local farmers and producers. Take a cooking class or visit Souk el Tayeb, the open-air farmers’ market, while you’re there. http://lizabeirut.com/ http://www.soukeltayeb.com

Beirut sits on a spur of land between the Mediterranean Sea and the mountains, so getting around on foot or by hired bike is easy. Wander along the Corniche, the seaside promenade, for a dose of local culture before making your way through the hip neighbourhood of Mar Mikhael and onto Martyrs’ Square.

Mohammad Al-Amin Mosque, the city’s towering blue-domed centrepiece, is Lebanon’s largest Islamic house of prayer. Women have a separate prayer room but can enter the main area outside prayer times if they’re willing to cover up with a head scarf.

Heading out of town with a private guide is the easiest and safest way to see some of the sights in this small but fascinating country. On a day tour you’ll visit ruins, markets and an old winery where thousands of bottles of wine mature in caves.