Where to go? The last public beach in Beirut

In Beirut, the sea is a romantic protagonist, but a meeting with it could be expensive. Unless, you head to the last public beach in Beirut, Ramlet al-Baida.
A day here at Ramlet al-Baida is a day amidst Lebanese folks, their friends and families lounging on the sand, children playing football. What you experience is sheer joy, as Lebanese music plays out from patches of the crowd. It is here where most daydreams are weaved, and is one of the few places in the city, where people can let their hair down. The privatisation of beaches here in Beirut has left its local residents with this last piece of heaven, where the sunsets are just as dramatic, and experiences just so sublime.

A little piece of heaven
The last public beach in Beirut, Ramlet al-Baida, translates to ‘white sands’ in English, and is the only piece of beach left after upscale beach developments took over the city’s seashores. A city that already lacks public space, this is all that the common folks in the city have left. Now, there are cafes, hotels, and beach clubs all over throughout the length of the coast, permanently closing for anyone who cannot afford the high prices. Thus, for the financially weak residents of the city, the last public beach is the only haven for a day out in the city.

The burden of having a good time for the poor folks is always high, no matter where you go. But in a city like Beirut, with a scarcity of public spaces, the coastline used to be the only solace. Now with rapid privatisation of beaches in Beirut, Ramlet al-Baida is the last bastion of a good time for common folks. While the older people reminisce about the time they spent along the coastline of Beirut, the young are desperate to make their own memories.