Driving licence

Hi Maluco

Why do you need to exchange your driving licence? I drive here on my British one.

As for the cost of cars, I was quite surprised how expensive they are here. In Europe the value of a car drops very sharply after the first sale, but here it does not fall so quickly, so even old bangers are relatively expensive compared to in Europe.

Actually I find the bus and service taxi system works quite well around the Beirut area. I use it a lot to travel to areas up and down the coastal highway, and when I know that parking will be difficult where I am going. Of course it is dusty and often slow, but you can get on and off at any point on the main highways which is a big advantage.

Within Beirut area any trip is a flat fee of 1,000 LBP in the bus or 2,000 in a service, so less need to haggle. When a service stops for you just say where you are going and add 'service' or 'taxi' to make clear what type of ride you want. Taxi rides (a door to door service) also have regulated prices of 8,000 LBP for a relatively short trip in Beirut, though some will try to charge you more. Once you know this, you can be the one to confirm the price at the beginning and that will avoid you being ripped off.

As for areas to live in, it really depends on you. Hamra is good if you want to be in the town centre - but there are shops everywhere. Achrafieh is good if you speak French. Near a main road is good if you decide against a car :-)

Hope this info is helpful.

Georgia @ gingerbeirut.com