A lesser-known but stunning way to see the Old City is the Ramparts Walk, which will guarantee you an aerial view from the top of the Ottoman walls that circle the city. You can choose between two options. The longer north sidewalk, which covers the area from the Jaffa Gate to the Lions Gate, overlooks the Christian and Muslim Quarters and ends near the Dome of the Rock. The south sidewalk goes from the Tower of David to the Zion Gate and will bring you right in front of the Western Wall.

The Hippodrome Deauville-Clairefontaine is the less pretentious of the two racetracks. This racetrack hosts a greater variety of races during the summer.

Founded in the 1860s by an American missionary, the lush, sprawling campus of the prestigious American University of Beirut is a pleasure to stroll around. It offers something of a journey into the city's pre-war days. There is an excellent archaeological museum on-site, along with several art galleries, and many nonchalant feline residents, cats, who famously inhabit the premises.

In 620 AD, in the company of an angel, the prophet Mohamad took a night journey to Heaven: called Mi'raj, this episode is a key point in the Islamic tradition. Located on top of the Noble Sanctuary upland, the Dome protects the rock where this journey started. On the same rock, thousands of years before, the biblical patriarch Abraham had allegedly tried to sacrifice his son Isaac, before God told him to stop. The Dome is, according to some, the oldest existing Islamic building, and a holy place of immense importance. Byzantine artisans built it between 687 and 691, and today its golden top stands out against the cityscape. Non-Muslim visitors cannot enter the Dome, but its elegant architecture is definitely worth taking a look at.