Aley's main street, officially Boulevard Camille Chamoun, runs along the spine of the ridge and is the social heart of the town from late afternoon until midnight. In summer the pavements are full of locals and Gulf visitors strolling between sweet shops, jewellers, and the open terraces of cafes; in winter the wind comes up the gorge and the street is quiet by ten.
The walking part of the visit is at its best between about six in the evening and ten at night, when the lights from Beirut and the coast begin to show on the horizon. Stop for a sahlab or sahleb (the warm milk-and-orchid-root drink) at one of the older cafes, and find a railing where you can look west over the foothills. The contrast between the dark mountain side and the orange and white grid of the city below is the picture most visitors take home.