Harissa

Our Lady of Lebanon stands at around six hundred metres above Jounieh Bay, a fifteen-tonne bronze statue of the Virgin painted white, set on a stone tower with a spiral staircase winding up the outside to a platform at her feet. It was put up in 1908 and is the country's main Marian pilgrimage site. A modern basilica of glass and concrete stands beside it. The teleferique from Jounieh climbs the slope in about nine minutes and is the way most visitors arrive.

What you actually see

• The statue - a bronze Virgin on a tower with an external spiral stair.
• The cable car - a nine-minute climb from Jounieh with bay views the whole way.
• The basilica - the modern church of glass and concrete beside the shrine.
• The bay view - Jounieh, the coast and the mountains from the platform.

When to go

March to November is comfortable; May and October are the main pilgrimage months. Clear mornings give the best view. Haze in summer cuts visibility over the bay.

Honest expectations

The cable car has a mixed maintenance record and closes without notice; check before travelling up. The site is crowded on Sundays and feast days. The stair around the tower is narrow and exposed.

Nearby

Jounieh is on the coast below, and Jeita Grotto is inland nearby.