Serail of Youssef Chehab

Lebanon


On the main street opposite the main square is this beautiful 18th-century palace, which now serves as the town hall (look for the two carved lions above the doorway, which represent justice). The entrance leads to an attractive courtyard, off which there is an apartment with wooden panelling, domed ceiling and a window offering views over the valley.

Behind this building it's worth exploring steep and narrow cobbled streets, honey-hued stone houses and two churches: the 17th-century Our Lady of the Rosary and the 18th-century Church of St Elie.