People from throughout the region and Europe flock to Lebanon and its capital city Beirut attracted by its mountains (a destination for skiers and hikers alike), its Mediterranean coastline, its world famous cuisine, its inexhaustible nightlife, its temperate climate, and its rich cultural and historical offerings. The centrally located AUB campus, which anchors the Hamra neighborhood of Beirut, provides easy access to all of this—and much more.
If it's food you're after, you won’t have to venture much farther than Bliss Street, which borders upper campus to the south. Here you will find a rich array of cuisines—both Lebanese and western. While some students prefer a hot manouche (a thin pizza dough topped most often with either cheese or wild thyme and olive oil and baked in the oven), others gravitate toward one of the growing number of doughnut places. Although Bliss Street is also well endowed with lunch and dinner options, you will find an even wider selection in Hamra area, the downtown area and Achrafieh where you can eat as cheaply—and as extravagantly—as your budget permits. Wherever you eat, you're sure to eat well in Lebanon.
Lebanon also attracts those who prefer to feast on the outdoors. You can hike the Lebanon Mountain Trail, visit one of the oldest cedar forests in the world in Bsharre, and explore the Jeita Caverns. If it's the sea that inspires you, you're in luck. The Corniche that runs along the Mediterranean for miles is just steps from the AUB campus.
If history and archaeology is your passion, you'll want to stop by AUB's Archaeology Museum. Founded in 1868, it's the third oldest museum in the Near East. There are also many archaeological treasures scattered throughout the country such as the ruins at Baalbeck, Tell el-Burak in Beirut, and the Temple of Eshmun northeast of Sidon.
Although Beirut and Lebanon offer something for everyone, you may find—like so many others have—that your favorite spot is the AUB campus. It is truly an oasis of green with panoramic views of the mountains and the sea.