Benghazi rewards travellers with light wallets: Hellenistic ruins you walk straight into, a war cemetery nobody charges for, fish grilled at the dock for five dinars and shared taxis crossing the whole city for two. Three days here need very little cash.
The Hellenistic and Roman city of Berenice lies exposed beside Sidi Khrebish cemetery: mosaic floors, Byzantine church footings and cistern walls. The fenced perimeter is walkable for nothing, and caretakers usually wave visitors in soon after sunrise.
The 1920s Italian courthouse on the seafront became the square where the 2011 uprising began. Murals, martyr portraits and sea wind cost nothing, and the stone benches face straight into the harbour mouth.
A Commonwealth War Graves plot holding well over a thousand Desert War burials under white limestone headstones and bougainvillea hedges. Entry is free, the gardener unlocks the gate on request, and the register book lists every name interred.
A saltwater lagoon ringed by a free paved walkway where whole families stroll after asr prayer. Tea vendors pour a glass for about 1 LYD, boys fish off the retaining wall, and the western bank catches the sun dropping behind the city towers.
Benghazi's morning fish hall beside the working port: sardines around 6 LYD a kilo, sea bream near 18 LYD, octopus about 12 LYD. Stalls behind the hall will grill whatever you buy for another 3-5 LYD with bread and lemon.
The main colonial avenue's cheap counters serve shawarma rolled in flatbread for about 5 LYD, tuna-and-egg sfinz for 3 LYD and lentil shorba for 2 LYD. Pay at the till first, then hand the paper slip to the man working the grill.
A roofed Ottoman lane of cloth, spice and silver stalls lit only by gaps in the corrugated ceiling. Harissa, cumin and dried mint sell by the scoop from around 2 LYD, and bargaining realistically starts near half the opening price.
Dubai Street fills after maghrib with juice bars, grilled-corn carts and bakeries selling ghraiba biscuits by weight. A litre of pressed orange juice runs about 5 LYD and a paper bag of pastries roughly 4 LYD; families stay out past midnight.
The long free public beach west of the port, with pale sand, shallow water and no entry gate or ticket. Shared minibuses from Al-Kish cost roughly 3 LYD each way. Bring your own shade — there are no umbrellas for hire and few kiosks.
The city's main open square meets the sea in a wide free esplanade of stone benches, kite sellers and a clear view straight down the coastline. It doubles as the hub where shared taxis to every Benghazi district depart.
A spring-fed brackish lagoon about 20 km east where flamingos, herons and waders feed through the winter months. Shared taxis from Al-Kish run 5-8 LYD each way, and there is no gate, ticket or facility of any kind on site.
The stone breakwater beyond the fishing harbour runs out to the Italian-built lighthouse. Walking its length costs nothing and the sunset lines up behind the port cranes and the old customs house, with fishermen working the last hour of light.