Batroun is the capital of Lemonade.  It is consumed in the numerous cafés of this city as well as in our car, offered on a tray by a waiter.  It is a real delight when the weather is hot especially in the evening.

Batroun is also a small charming city that seems to emerge right out of History. The narrow roads of the city lead to small village squares surrounded by medieval houses.  While walking down Batroun old streets, one can visit three of Batroun’s numerous churches:

Saint Georges church, built in 1867, superbly decorated with its triple arcades and its fabulous collections of religious icons; Our Lady of the Sea which gazes upon the old  Phoenician wall, and Saint Stephan Cathedral, the pearl of Batroun, built in the XXth Century overlooking the Mediterranean. 

One of Batroun’s oldest and most impressive monuments is the Old Phoenician Wall.  Proudly facing the sea, this wall of over 220 meters long encircled a Phoenician port a long time ago. This site that extends over a beautiful rocky beach also comprises the remains of an old medieval citadel. 

At the other end of the city, it is important to mention the roman amphitheater carved in the rocks. 

One of Batroun’s most renowned monuments is the Mseilha Castle . A superb citadel built over an isolated massive rock.   The beauty of this monument is accentuated by the mystery surrounding its exact origins. Certain sources say the castle was built by the crusaders and then reinforced by the Arabs in the XIIth Century.  However, since it has not been mentioned by any of the writings of this particular period, it is believed to be entirely built under the reign of the Emir Fakhreddine in 1624.