Crusaders Sea Castle
Crusaders Sea Castle
4
Tours & experiences
Explore different ways to experience this place.
Full view
Top ways to experience Crusaders Sea Castle
The area
Best nearby
Restaurants
22 within 5 kms
Attractions
15 within 10 kms
Contribute
Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
4.0
180 reviews
Excellent
61
Very good
84
Average
31
Poor
2
Terrible
2
VinnieLondon
London, UK12 781 contributions
Mar 2023 • Solo
Must see site for a Sidon visit around 1 hour drive from Beirut. Small entrance fee. Not too much to see and not well preserved so definitely visit with a guide to get the full interesting history about the numerous empires that built them updated the castle.
Written 6 March 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Ricoa G
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia348 contributions
Feb 2015 • Friends
After morning till noon of exploring Tyre, our driver cum tour guide brought us to Sidon for a sumptuous fresh seafood lunch in an open street as frequented by tourists and locals as well. As it will take more time to prepare the food and to maximize our time, our guide suggested to us to see and explore the Sea Castle located just in the opposite side of the open “eating place”. Aside from its historical value, Sea Castle is so good in photo shooting.
Written 25 February 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Ogadragon
Beirut, Lebanon113 contributions
Sept 2018 • Friends
It's a very small castle come-pairing to all the other castles in Lebanon.
The view is nice, you can stare at the waves as it hits the castle wall (only in winter or on a windy day) The Entrance fee is 4000 L.L and there are no local Guides on site.
The Castle was first build in the 13th Century by the Crusaders, and then it was destroyed and the mamluk took over in the 15th Century. Its worth the visit. it has a unique style. it opens by 9:00am .
The view is nice, you can stare at the waves as it hits the castle wall (only in winter or on a windy day) The Entrance fee is 4000 L.L and there are no local Guides on site.
The Castle was first build in the 13th Century by the Crusaders, and then it was destroyed and the mamluk took over in the 15th Century. Its worth the visit. it has a unique style. it opens by 9:00am .
Written 23 December 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Cora_v
Kyiv26 146 contributions
May 2013 • Solo
For obvious reasons, Lebanon has rich crusaders’ heritage. Saida fortress of XIII century benefits from the scenic location out in the sea and has quite an important historic significance. But it is hardly the most impressive crusader fort I've seen in the country.
The Saida Sea Castle is not as large and monumental as Qala'at Sinjil (St. Gilles’ Citadel) or Qala’at Al Shaqif (Beaufort Castle). It sits on the small island connected with the quay by a dam or a bridge-road. It has been damaged and reconstructed great many times in the past, and is not in the best condition these days.
Apart from two towers, one with the remnants of Ottoman mosque on the top, as well as impressive antique columns, fortified walls and few cannon balls scattered around, there’s not much left to see. So unless you are keen in fortifications as much as I am, you might be somewhat disappointed. But the fort is amazingly beautifully located. And it offers magnificent sea, harbour and city views from the tower roof and the walls. So for these reasons alone might deserve to be seen.
Once you are anyway in the south, you can hardly miss the Sea Castle in Saida. It is easily spotted and accessible from the quay, and is worthy a quick look before you indulge into the old city.
Entrance is for a fee. I was also offered a boat ride to another fort situated further out in the sea. But the price of several hundred US dollars was outrageous to even start haggling it down.
The Saida Sea Castle is not as large and monumental as Qala'at Sinjil (St. Gilles’ Citadel) or Qala’at Al Shaqif (Beaufort Castle). It sits on the small island connected with the quay by a dam or a bridge-road. It has been damaged and reconstructed great many times in the past, and is not in the best condition these days.
Apart from two towers, one with the remnants of Ottoman mosque on the top, as well as impressive antique columns, fortified walls and few cannon balls scattered around, there’s not much left to see. So unless you are keen in fortifications as much as I am, you might be somewhat disappointed. But the fort is amazingly beautifully located. And it offers magnificent sea, harbour and city views from the tower roof and the walls. So for these reasons alone might deserve to be seen.
Once you are anyway in the south, you can hardly miss the Sea Castle in Saida. It is easily spotted and accessible from the quay, and is worthy a quick look before you indulge into the old city.
Entrance is for a fee. I was also offered a boat ride to another fort situated further out in the sea. But the price of several hundred US dollars was outrageous to even start haggling it down.
Written 21 November 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Jan V
Sofia, Bulgaria6 886 contributions
Feb 2019 • Friends
A good small castle, just on the main road. Views are slightly affected by the close proximity to the cargo port, but generally a nice place to visit for 15 minutes and 4000 lbp.
Written 24 February 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Melissa7519
Bristol, UK35 contributions
Jun 2018 • Solo
There are absolutely no guide, no posters or anything other than the castle. So if you go and did not research the history of the castle, you will be left to wonder and use your imagination to try and understand how the castle was used in its time,but there is a great view of Sidon city ,don't forget to walk through the old souq up to the old soap museum
Written 7 June 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
greatBeirut
Beirut, Lebanon328 contributions
Apr 2017 • Couples
This castle is situated in the city of Sidon ( half an hour south of Beirut).
It captures your eyesight once you arrive to the city. The entrance fee is 2 $ for locals. The tour inside the castle is beautiful, especially the sight from the top of the casle.
It captures your eyesight once you arrive to the city. The entrance fee is 2 $ for locals. The tour inside the castle is beautiful, especially the sight from the top of the casle.
Written 13 April 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
egw
Paris, France961 contributions
Oct 2019
The Crusader Sea Castle is nice enough and certainly worth visiting if you are already in Sidon, but it's not worth a special trip to the city to see this, even if you're already passing from Tyre to Beirut. We got a bit lucky as the small 'tower' was open and we were able to walk to the top (about 1 story taller than the rest), but we got kicked out by the security guard when he noticed us up there. Too bad, as it has the best views and is not dangerous to be up there.
There is no signage or any other information in the castle itself, just one sign at the entrance, and you can walk around the entire place in 15-20 minutes tops. To be honest I think this is a notable tourist attraction primarily so people can say they have been to Sidon and cross it off a list of places they have been.
There is no signage or any other information in the castle itself, just one sign at the entrance, and you can walk around the entire place in 15-20 minutes tops. To be honest I think this is a notable tourist attraction primarily so people can say they have been to Sidon and cross it off a list of places they have been.
Written 21 December 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Jay3449
Swindon, UK753 contributions
Sept 2019
For once a small Crusader Castle that's easy to get to and visit. It's easy to imaging life here as it's quite well preserved but there's enough space to find a quiet spot to reflect on how life used to be...
Written 1 October 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
native-travels
Astoria, NY346 contributions
Jun 2019 • Friends
Great, peaceful site by the water. It is super pretty and relaxing and definitely worth visiting even if you’re not already in the neighborhood.
Written 22 September 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hi,
Is there an entry fee?
Thank you
Written 8 February 2019
Showing results 1-2 of 2
Is this your Tripadvisor listing?
Own or manage this property? Claim your listing for free to respond to reviews, update your profile and much more.
Claim your listing