Tripoli, or „Trablus“ in Arabic, is my favourite city in Lebanon. It is the only city in this country that has a proper souk, people speak Arabic without using French or English at the same time and it’s a much more genuine and authentic city than for example Beirut. You can get amazing food for very affordable prices and the old city is very beautiful, and similar to Syrian cities like Aleppo.
Don’t miss the big mosque of Tripoli, the Mansouri mosque, or the Hamams in this city, that are being renovated at the moment. One Hamam is still functional and can be used by tourists as well. Unfortunately by the time I visited Tripoli, the Mansouri mosque was closed for renovation. Go and visit Taynal mosque instead. It is open to tourists and the Imam used to live in Düsseldorf as a refugee for five years, when the civil war in Lebanon broke out. He is happy to show you his beautiful mosque, a masterpiece of Mamluk architecture in the city. The best look above the city is possible from the citadel, which is still in a rather good condition. End the day at the Al-Mina area at the seafront. You can watch the fishermen clean their nets and watch the Lebanese having fun on a small island that was built for recreational purposes.
