Stairs & Street Art: Beirut Seen From Above

• Beirut

Far from the main avenues, Beirut also reveals itself through its perched alleyways and forgotten staircases, open-air corridors where street art has taken over the walls.

This walk climbs from Gemmayzeh to Achrafieh via the neighborhood's historic stairways, punctuated by murals, improvised hanging gardens, and fleeting views over the city's rooftops, ending in front of one of Beirut's finest Belle Époque palaces.

Rue Gouraud (start)

Starting point amid the buzz of Gemmayzeh, between renovated Ottoman façades and bar fronts still quiet during the day.
Don't miss: the ornate wooden balconies typical of Beiruti architecture.

Saint Nicolas Stairs

One of Beirut's most iconic and Instagrammed staircases, famous for its annual festival where each step is repainted by a different artist.
Don't miss: the colorful steps and the sweeping views over Gemmayzeh's rooftops as you climb.

Mar Mikhael Backstreets (detour)

A short detour through Mar Mikhael's small side streets, where former workshops and garages now house murals and pop-up galleries.
Don't miss: the walls painted by local street art collectives, constantly evolving.

Sursock Street Stairs

A more intimate passage, between private gardens spilling onto the street and Belle Époque buildings with weathered yet still majestic façades, remnants of pre-war architectural heritage.
Don't miss: the architectural details — cornices, rounded arches, and old ironwork.

Rue Sursock

Achrafieh's iconic residential street, lined with 19th-century palaces once belonging to Beirut's great families, several now restored or under restoration following the 2020 port explosion.
Don't miss: the ornate façades and private gardens glimpsed behind the gates.

Sursock Museum (finish)

The walk's grand finale: this 19th-century Belle Époque palace, bequeathed to the city by the Sursock family, now houses a modern and contemporary art museum in an exceptional architectural setting.
Don't miss: the white façade adorned with stained-glass windows, and the temporary exhibitions inside.