Haifa and the Northern Coast: Places to Explore

Haifa

Spilling down from the pine-covered heights of Mt. Carmel, Haifa is a city with a vertiginous setting that has led to comparisons with San Francisco. The most striking landmark on the mountainside is the gleaming golden dome of the Baha'i Shrine, set amid utterly beautiful circular grass terraces that fill the slope from top to bottom. The city is the world center for the Baha'i faith, and its members provide informative walking tours of the flower-edged terraces. At the top of the hill you'll find some small but interesting museums, while at the bottom is the lovingly restored German Colony.

Israel's largest port and third-largest city, Haifa was ruled for four centuries by the Ottomans and gradually grew up the mountainside into a cosmopolitan city whose port served the entire Middle East. The climate is gentle, the beaches are beautiful, and the downtown area is perfect for strolling.

You won't see the religious garb of Jerusalem or the tattoos and piercings of Tel Aviv in this diverse but fairly conservative city. In fact, you can't always tell at a glance who is part of an Arab or Jewish Israeli family, or if someone is a more recent immigrant from the former Soviet Union.

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