Haifa & Acre

Visiting Haifa and Acre in a single day means absorbing the sights, tastes and sounds of two very different cities and cultures.

Haifa is Israel's third largest city, spread across the slopes of Mount Carmel with a view over the Mediterranean. Its population is among the most diverse in the country — Jews, Christians, Arabs, Druze and Baha'is live side by side. Haifa can take us back to the days of the prophet Elijah at the cave that bears his name, or show us the modern face of the Baha'i faith, with its opulent shrine and magnificent terraced gardens in the middle of the city.

Acre is a Crusader city that exists both above and below street level. Walking through its underground, the knights' halls, churches and tunnels leading to a harbour with two-thousand-year-old roots come alive. Acre survived conquerors of many faiths — Crusaders, Mamluks and Ottomans — and each left something behind: Turkish baths, a traditional Arab bazaar, the Crusader citadel, a historic caravanserai and the beautiful Al-Jazzar Mosque. It is now considered a perfectly preserved ancient port city and is UNESCO listed.

What we will see

• The Baha'i Gardens — Nineteen terraced gardens on the slope of Mount Carmel, UNESCO listed.
• Cave of the prophet Elijah — A pilgrimage site for Jews, Christians, Muslims and Druze alike.
• The Crusader tunnels of Acre — Knights' halls and tunnels beneath today's streets, UNESCO listed.
• Al-Jazzar Mosque — The most important Ottoman mosque in Israel, built with stone taken from Caesarea.
• The Arab bazaar in Acre — Fish straight off the boat, hummus and knafeh. This is not a tourist trap.