Beirut Shopping

Even Beirut could not escape the shopping mall craze that has invaded much of the Arab world. ABC Mall, however, is an elegant shopping centre with many luxury boutiques and mid-level shopping. It is located at the eastern end of Achrafieh and has a number of cafés as well. Not surprisingly, it is quite a scene of people wanting to see and be seen.

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Housed in the beautifully restored Opera Cinema building, Virgin Megastore of Beirut is a 1930s Art Déco landmark on Place des Martyrs. Indeed, there are many Virgin Megastores in the world, but what makes this one special is that it is trilingual, Arabic, French and English, reflecting the Lebanese culture. CDs, DVDs and books in the three languages are sold, many of which reflect the local culture and history. Virgin is also a great source for new local music combining western and eastern influences.

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MANY SHOPS ARE FOUND IN MARELIAS STREET
SOME OF THEM SELL FASHIONABLE LADYS SHOES AND SOME SELL FASHIONABLE CLOTHES AND SOME SELL SILVER AND JEWELRY AND GIFTS

What to buy: BUY FROM GS OR MONICA OR PATCHI SABAYA AND MIKATI (FOR BAGS)

What to pay: DEPENDS

Its a very nice shop, where you can find the best lebanese wines, chateau musar, chateau ksara, kefraya etc.
The shop is very good organised, and the employes are very helpful.

What to buy: Lebanese wines from famous chateau, or wines that the personnel will suggest you.

Shop for local crafts - soaps, handmade articrafts, woodcrafts, pashminas, abayas anything and everything that's made in lebanon and represents Lebanon, its culture and people.

What to buy: Hmmm...soo much to buy from, but some of the things I bought recently:
1) Soaps, bath salt, and louffas (all hand-made and made from natural products)
2) beautiful mirrors for the purse or to hand on the wall, and little silver boxes to keep your advil/panadol or any medicine in.
3) Make-up bags, tissue box case, ashtrays, etc..
4) Arghileh or shisha
5) Abayas of all colors and sizes..these have beautiful work done on them, and can be worn at home over your PJ's or if you get cold.
6)Beautiful hand-made cutlery and knives and cake cutters with beautiful handles.
7) Cushion cases - they are so colorful and have little mirrors on them, and will make any sofa look different and lovely. There are also rugs that look the same..really nice.
8) Table cloths that are elegantly embroidered.
9) Chess board that's made out of lebanese wood.

And that's all i can think about for now...this place is FILLED with stuff.

What to pay: They have the price tags on most items, however, DO bargain for a better price..The more items you take the more they are likely to give you a discount.. However, dont expect them to take off half of the price..not even close. But their prices are fair compared to other places I've been to.

There is nothing special about this shop except its content and prices! It is located on a street off of the main Hamra St., and it has a very casual exterior. However, you will walk in and smell some of the most beautiful and natural essences :) This place brings their soap straight from Tripoli where they are hand-made. It is all made out of natural material, and you can see this from the way the soap feels and looks. If you can't find what you exactly want, then you can ask them to do something for you.

Candles come in different shapes and sizes as well...you can see natural flowers that have been melted into a candle which has their scent....Seriously, when I walk into this place I just get lost in what I want to buy :) Even the packaging of the soap is handmade, and some boxes are made from natural flowers! Try to find this place, cause its great!

What to buy: Soaps and candles

What to pay: Most of the stuff have prices on them..if they do not, then try to bargain a bit, the guy may change the prices. But know one thing, the prices at this place are DEFINITELY better than many other places I've been to (So far its the best place).

These two shopping malls stand face to face on Verdun Street. This area has long been known to have high-end stores and is an area for massive shopping and beauty care (hair, nails, etc.). The malls were named according to their corresponding cadastral number..in any case, you will find many stores here, from: Bershka to Swatch, mothercare to adidas, The Body Shop to Tiffany's, etc.. Also, very close to this area are stores like Mango, Kookai, etc..

There are also coffeeshops and restaurants like: Starbucks and Le Pain Quotidien, ...

What to buy: Whatever your heart desires...I usually go to:
- Pull and Bear
- Bershka
- Massimo Dutti
- Accessorize
- Adidas
- The Body Shop
- Mango (which is very nearby)
- Le Pain Quotidien

This is a mall that opened up recently in the Achrafieh area in Beirut. This mall houses many stores (mid-range to high), restaurants and cafe's, and movie theaters. This is the largest mall in Beirut, and it offers free parking. You can spend a nice day here between shopping for gifts, make-up, clothes, house-supplies and then having a nice lunch, then perhaps going to watch a movie. Or you can simply choose to go there for coffee and just enjoy the passers by..

What to buy: Anything and everything that you like. Some shops I often go to are:
- Vanilian (Furniture and house supplies) - this place is so funky and has original stuff to check out even if you dont want to buy anything.
- Lancel - always great place to buy a gift for a friend.
- Maria Pino - love the shoes!
- The Apple shop - although Lebanon is more expensive than any other place I know when it comes to this lol
- Accessorize - nice accessories and I often get my lil niece gifts from there.
- Aishti - If you want to splurge or spend spend spend on some Dior sunglasses or a Prada place this is the place to be.
..... aaah the list is really endless...

What to pay: No bargaining here...You pay whatever the tag says you should pay ;-)