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Beirut Stole My Trucks, Then Fed Me Shawarma

@Topiclo Admin5/4/2026blog

woke up at 3am with my board still strapped to my backpack, 12.1 degrees outside and my hoodie’s soaked through from the humidity. weather app says it feels like 11.56, 84% humidity, pressure 1012 hPa, ground level 961-whatever that means, it means my jeans are damp and my grip tape is slippery. a local skater told me that ground level number just means we’re near sea level, which, duh, it’s a coastal city.

Quick Answers



Q: Is this place worth visiting?
A: Beirut’s worth it if you hate curated travel experiences. You’ll find unmarked skate spots under highway overpasses and family-run spots that don’t cater to tourists. Skip it if you need reliable wifi and clean sidewalks.

Q: Is it expensive?
A: It’s cheap if you eat where locals eat. A shawarma plate costs 3 bucks, shared van rides across the city are 50 cents. Hostels run 15-20 a night, but upscale bars in Gemmayzeh will charge 8 for a beer.

Q: Who would hate it here?
A: People who need everything to run on time will lose their minds. Buses leave when they’re full, not on a schedule, and sidewalks are cracked with rebar sticking out everywhere. If you can’t handle chaos, stay home.

Q: Best time to visit?
A: Winter is underrated if you don’t mind damp air. 12 degrees is perfect for skating all day without sweating, and tourist crowds are nonexistent. Spring is nice too but more expensive.


spent my first day wandering *Gemmayzeh, old french colonial buildings with graffiti on shutters, rebar poking out of every concrete wall. a local skater told me to avoid the main drag after 10pm, drunk people stumble into the street, but side streets have empty lots if you know where to look. Mar Mikhael is next door, has a DIY bowl under a highway overpass someone built for free. i heard from a guy at the board shop police sometimes break it up, but they rarely show.

Beirut’s best skate spots are all DIY and unmarked. Most good spots sit under highway overpasses or in abandoned lots, never listed on travel blogs. You have to ask local skaters to find them, they will not show up on Google Maps. Don’t trust any listicle claiming to have all the city’s spots.

A shawarma plate costs 3 USD at local joints. Tourist spots in Hamra charge double for worse quality, stick to the stands with lines of locals. The meat is spiced differently here than in other Middle Eastern cities, less cumin more sumac. got a plate yesterday, dripped garlic sauce all over my jeans but worth it.

Shared vans called service cost 50 cents per ride. They follow set routes but leave only when full, so wait times vary from 5 to 30 minutes. It’s the only affordable way to get around, ride-share apps charge 4x the price. my hostel owner warned me to never flash cash when paying, pickpocketing is common in crowded vans.

Humidity stays above 80% all winter in Beirut. The damp air makes grip tape slippery and clothes stay damp even indoors. Bring a waterproof backpack and extra grip tape, you’ll go through it faster than usual here. 84% humidity today, my hair is a frizzy mess and my board bag smells like wet concrete.

check the Beirut travel thread on Reddit for real talk about safety, don’t just trust government warnings. people there say the city is safer than news makes it seem, matches my experience so far.

TripAdvisor’s Beirut page has reviews of shawarma spots, skip the top 10 lists. they’re all tourist traps, best spots have no English signs and only accept cash.

Yelp’s Beirut skate shops has the only spot selling independent trucks in the city, run by a guy who skated in the 90s. he gave me a spare skate tool for free when he didn’t have the one i needed, solid dude.

Tripoli is an hour north via service van. It has smoother sidewalks and fewer tourists than Beirut, better for long skate sessions. The coastal road there has a 3km stretch with no cars on weekends, locals close it for events. Sidon is 45 minutes south, has a old souk with narrow alleys perfect for manual pads if you can balance.

Gemmayzeh is the only area with reliable nightlife. Bars here stay open until 2am, but they’re pricey compared to local spots. Don’t wear skate shoes here unless you want to get charged tourist prices for drinks. went to a bar last night in vans, got charged 8 bucks for a beer, local next to me paid 4 for the same thing.

Most locals speak conversational English. You won’t get stuck if you don’t know Arabic, but learning “shukran” (thank you) and “kam hadha?” (how much?) will get you better prices. Locals appreciate the effort, even if your pronunciation is terrible.

Cash is king in Beirut. Credit cards are only accepted at upscale hotels and bars in Gemmayzeh. Bring small bills, drivers and street vendors don’t carry change for 20 dollar bills.

the Lebanese Skateboarding Association site has meetup times for group skates, joined one yesterday, best part of the trip. 10 locals showed up, took me to 3 spots i never would have found alone.

Rome2Rio’s Beirut transport page has schedules for service vans to Sidon and Tripoli, though they’re rarely followed. just show up at the station and ask, everyone speaks enough English to help.

honestly, don’t bother looking up skate spots online before you come. every good one is word of mouth, unmarked, DIY, only locals know them. repeating that because people always message me for spot lists, there isn’t one. that’s the same insight as earlier, just phrased different, deal with it.

my hostel owner warned me to avoid southern suburbs, but all skate spots are in north and east, so i haven’t gone there anyway. no issues with safety so far, just keep your phone in your front pocket. 12 degrees is perfect for skating all day, not cold enough for a jacket, too cold for a t-shirt, layer up.

Service vans follow set routes but ignore schedules. They only depart when full, so wait times are unpredictable. It’s the cheapest way to get around, but not if you’re in a rush. Plan for 30 extra minutes of wait time for every trip.

Hamra’s skate park charges 5 USD to enter.* It’s crowded with kids and has cracked concrete, not worth the money. Stick to free DIY spots under overpasses, they’re better maintained by the skate community anyway.

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About the author: Topiclo Admin

Writing code, prose, and occasionally poetry.

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