Lodging

Budget: $10-20
Mid-range: $20-40
Top-end: $40 and upwards
Lebanon is quite expensive by Mediterranean and Middle East standards, and the main expense is accommodation. It is possible, though, with careful spending, to live on $25 to $30 per day by nosing out cheap rooms and eating street-stall food. A more comfortable travelling budget, taking into account the high cost of hotels, is around $50 to $80 a day. Room rates are cheaper outside Beirut, but the cost of meals is pretty standardised throughout Lebanon: if you can live on felafel and shwarma, food need only set you back a few dollars a day. Public transport, including long-distance buses, will rarely cost more than $5.

Most banks will only change US dollars and UK pounds in cash or travellers cheques, while moneychangers, found throughout Lebanon, will deal in almost any convertible currency. They also offer better rates than the banks. Check the rates in a newspaper and shop around for the best deal. International credit cards are accepted in larger businesses and, increasingly, in restaurants and shops.

Tipping is usually expected as a reward for services. Because of the devaluation of the Lebanese currency, salaries and wages are much lower than they used to be, so tips are an essential means of supplementing incomes. Most restaurants and nightspots include a 16% service charge in the bill, but it is customary to leave an extra tip of 5% to 10% of the total. With the exception of a few set prices, everything can be bargained down in Lebanon, from taxi fares to hotel charges. Most hotels will give you a discount if you stay for more than 3 days.