Tripoli makes a good base for exploring the northern Lebanese coast and hinterland. Batroun, 20 kilometres south, is a small Phoenician coastal town with a well-preserved medieval sea wall, a pleasant beach, and a growing craft brewery and restaurant scene that has made it popular with Beirut weekenders.
The Qadisha Valley (the Holy Valley), about 50 kilometres east of Tripoli in the mountains, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site — a dramatic gorge cut by a river, with ancient monasteries and hermit caves carved into the cliff faces. It is one of the most beautiful landscapes in Lebanon. The cedar forests above the valley at the Cedars ski resort area are accessible from Tripoli in about an hour by car.