Stone of the Pregnant Woman — the quarry that sets the scale Before the temples — a stop at the ancient Roman quarry where the Stone of the Pregnant Woman lies exactly where it was cut 2,000 years ago. A single limestone block, 21 metres long, weighing an estimated 1,000 tonnes, never moved. Your driver explains the engineering logic — and why standing next to this unfinished block is the best possible preparation for the scale of the temple complex ahead.

Baalbek Temple Complex — specialist local guide Enter the greatest Roman temple complex on earth with a specialist local guide whose knowledge of Baalbek goes well beyond what visiting guides can offer. The Temple of Jupiter on Trilithon stones each weighing over 800 tonnes — the largest dressed stones in human history. The Temple of Bacchus, larger than the Parthenon and almost entirely intact — the best-preserved Roman temple in the world, with carved ceiling coffers and a doorway that your guide explains in detail that changes how you see the whole building. The Temple of Venus completing a complex that took three centuries to construct. At Baalbek more than anywhere else in Lebanon, the difference between a self-guided visit and a specialist local guide is the difference between impressive and unforgettable.

Lunch in Baalbek — included Lebanese mezze and grilled meats at a local Baalbek restaurant — hearty Bekaa Valley cooking in a town that has been feeding travellers since the Roman legions passed through. Fully included in the tour price.

Chateau Ksara — Roman caves, Lebanese wine, founded 1857 Lebanon's oldest winery — founded by Jesuit monks in 1857 above 2 kilometres of Roman cave cellars discovered beneath the estate in the 19th century, where wine ages at a naturally constant temperature year-round. The cave tour comes first — ancient tunnels that connect directly back to the Roman world at Baalbek — same civilisation, same valley, different legacy. Then a tasting of Ksara's iconic Cabernet-Syrah blends, crisp Blanc de Blancs, and celebrated Sunset Rosé. A day that began at the greatest Roman temples on earth closes in Roman wine caves. The Bekaa in one sentence.