I have heard a lot about dirty beaches around Beirut, so did some research to determine which were the cleaner ones.
Definitely don’t get into water near Beirut – the areas around are very polluted and unsafe for health. We suggest going as far from Beirut as you can. We checked out two very clean beaches – Tyre (Sour) Beach and the White Beach near Batroun. You can also choose to go to Anfeh Beach, Benny Beach or similar, which are considered nice by visitors. Be sure to check that the area is safe for swimming.
The Tyre (Sour) beach is very clean and blue. The sand is amazing. It is stretched over a huge area. We were not sure about how OK it would be to wear a normal swimsuit there, but that turned out not to be an issue. Towards sunset hours the beach was still mostly full of men, but there were women and children too, so safety wise it should fine. We didn’t notice any unpleasant incidents around us. The water is amazing, so I highly recommend this beach. Btw. the other side of the seashore has a number of cafes and seating to enjoy coffee.
See the article about Lebanese transport on how to get to Tyre.
Another beach we went to was White Beach. We took a bus with the direction to Tripoli and got off on the main road, from where you need to walk some 10 mins. There are a number of cafes on the beach, where you need to pay for entrance. I believe there is nowhere, you can just enter without paying. Just choose one of them, preferably the cheapest, as all of them offer the same – the shower/changing space and the sunbeds.
The beach has white pebbles, that is why it’s called the White Beach. Well not pebbles, rather stones 😊 You likely will need a footwear to walk on it, otherwise you will hurt your feet. My crocs sandals were extremely useful here. The sea forms a bay here and is mostly calm, unless you, like us, are there on a windy day. The water is shallow on quite a big stretch. All in all, this is a nice option.
