A picturesque Mediterranean port city, cascading down Mt. Carmel to the sea, with the world-famous Baha’i Gardens in between…Haifa holds it’s own for beauty and culture. Not a big tourist-draw, it’s is a real city that prides itself on its harmoniously mixed population of Jews and Arabs. We particularly loved the street market and art of the Wadi Nisnas neighborhood and chatting politics with our awesome Airbnb host, Abigail. Just a half hour up the railroad tracks, Akko (or Acre) is a gorgeous stone city, graced by the likes of Alexander the Great, Marco Polo, Napoleon, and Egyptians dating back to 19th century BC. We wandered its narrow alleys, tunnels, and fortress walls and fell in love with this romantic little town. Check out our mini travel guide with this photo gallery and our Haifa Israel Travel Guide.
Haifa, Israel Travel Guide in Photos
Overlooking Haifa and the gorgeous Baha’i Gardens.
The UNESCO ancient fortified city of Akko.
The fascinating and bustling Souk of Akko.
The Hamudi Kurdy Spice Shop…too bad the antiques weren’t for sale!
These Templar Knight tunnels, connecting the fortress to the port, were only discovered 20 years ago…who knows what else they will find under the streets of Akko?
The old city walls along the Mediterranean Sea
The stone streets are a beautiful maze.
Most doors are turquoise in the old city and often have cheery street art like this.
An unusually wide street doubles as a soccer field
Coolest mini mart ever.
Love.
The historic El-Jazzar mosque
How cute is our Haifa Airbnb! Stay with our awesome host Abigail if you come: https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/12062022
The living room wall completely opened up to views over the port.
One of the most sacred places in the Baha’i religion and the arguably the prettiest garden in the Middle East…the Haifa Baha’i gardens.
The Baha’i Gardens are little tricky to visit, since each terrace has its own entrance. Catch the English speaking tour at noon if you go!
More than 100 pieces of street art scatterd around Wadi Nisnas neighborhood. A walk here is a treasure hunt of poems, paintings, and scupltures.
Loved that this little bakery in the predominatley Arab neighborhood of Wadi Nisnas, honors the city’s three religions with this lovely mural over their ovens. Further spreading the love, they gave us a free pita!
