morining in Haifa

[I'mGrammy]

We will be docked in Haifa overnight and the ship doesn't leave port until 12:00 noon. Does anyone have any suggestions of what we could do for a couple of hours? The day before we have a tour to the mozaics.

[dileep]

There is not much in haifa but there is an old port near by. I do not remember but it may be Acre. They have some old ruins there. Ask the ship's people.

 

Acre is one of the oldest continuously inhabited sites in Israel.

[happy trailer]

There is not much in haifa but there is an old port near by. I do not remember but it may be Acre.

 

With your ship sailing at noon, you will not have time to comfortably visit Akko (Acre).

 

However, Haifa itself is a lovely city, and has many attractions. You could easily spend 2-3 enjoyable hours visiting them. Here are a few suggestions (and if Moti sees this, hopefully he can add a few more- he lives in Haifa :)):

 

- The Bahai Gardens

- The beautiful German Colony, where you can see Templar houses

- The cable car

- The Maritime Museum

- The Yefe Nof Street promenade (at the upper entrance to the Bahai Gardens)

 

One idea would be to spend your morning on the promenade, walking and maybe stopping for coffee (on a clear day, you could have views to Rosh Hanikra on the Lebanon border, and even to Mt. Hermon), and then visiting the Bahai Gardens. (The Gardens generally open at 9AM, but it's best to check opening days and time before your trip- you can check online.)

 

Depending on how early you get started, you could also visit the German Colony, which starts at the lower end of the Bahai Gardens, but many like to devote a couple of hours to wandering the German Colony, so you could just do that on your morning.

 

Another easy combination is both the Maritime Museum and the cable car, which are basically right next to each other. The Maritime Museum is small, but is filled with very interesting exhibits on the Clandestine Immigration and on the Israeli Navy. Both the museum and the cable car open at 9.

 

If you'd rather not explore on your own, it is likely possible to arrange a private tour of the city for a few hours. I'm sure someone on this forum could suggest a reliable tour company.

Remember, with your ship sailing at noon, you'll need to be back onboard no later than 11:30, so no matter where in Haifa you are, you will have to head back to the port before 11, which means you'll need to get an early start to your day. If you have time the night before, after your day of touring, you could spend some time in the German Colony (maybe even have dinner there), and then the next morning visit the Yefe Nof Street promenade and the Bahai Gardens.

 

HTH, and enjoy!

 

Ruth

[I'mGrammy]

Ruth, Thank you so much. We'll just plan on getting an early start. The gardens and promenade sound perfect. If we get off the ship by 8, we should be fine. Grammy

[ellenb23]

Wonderful post by Ruth! If you want to stay a little closer to the port, I would also recommend going by taxi to the Hadar (a central shopping area, about halfway up the mountain), which will have some more quirky shops, less upscale than what you'd find in Merkaz HaCarmel.

 

If I had a half day in Haifa, I'd probably go to the Bahai Gardens and then hit the felafel and schwarma stands in the Hadar for an early lunch, but you may want to be more cautious and avoid the street food in Israel! I would definitely bring back "cleepoht", which are dried grapefruit and orange peels coated in chocolate.

 

--Ellen