Has anyone been to Akko, Israel?

[ninip60]

I am going on a cruise which has one day in Ashdod and two days in Haifa. We are going to Jerusalem, but would like some suggestions for other tours.:)

[cruisemom42]

I assume you will be going to Jerusalem on your one day in Ashdod, since that makes the most sense logistically.

 

Haifa is the jumping off spot for lots of other places in Israel. I have visited Akko with a private guide and really enjoyed it. We visited the Crusader fortress and halls that are under the more modern fortifications (which served as a Turkish prison). We visited the halls and walked a long underground passage that took us all the way to the sea walls. Lots of history if you are into the Crusader period. I think you can rent an audioguide but I didn't look into it as I had a live guide. We also walked a bit around the walls, looked at a historic mosque, and went through the souk. I don't think it would take more than a half-day.

 

Another spot I would recommend from Haifa (if you are not into the Galilee area, which many do on a full-day tour) is Caesarea (sometimes called Caesarea Maritima). It is a well-restored Roman-era city (builty by Herod the Great) with a beautiful setting right on the water. Again, I think you can get an audioguide, and IMO you could spend more time here than Akko to really see it all. A "must see" here would be the gorgeous and well-preserved Roman aqueduct running along the line of the sea.

 

I've visited some other, more obscure Roman sites in the area, but unless you are as keenly into Roman history as I am, I won't go into detail.

 

Of course, you could take one of the Haifa days and go to Masada as well. Israel is a small country and it's doable, although closer to Jerusalem.

[cruisinsusin]

Agree with cruisemom42- we spent one day touring Akko and Caesarea with a private guide and found it very interesting.

[suekay]

We are doing a private group tour with Guided Tours Israel from Haifa in October. It's a full day tour including Akko, Safed, Rosh Pina and a kibbutz. Last year we did the Christian focused tour of northern Israel - too many places to remember off hand, but included the Sea of Galilee, Nazareth and Caperneum. It was an excellent day

[UKBayern]

Akko is beautiful - don't miss the crusaders fort, the city walls by the sea, etc. What is so interesting about modern day Akko is that it is a very Arabic town, with a little bit of a different (interesting) atmosphere than other towns in Israel.

 

My DH and I have a very special personal memory of Akko. I was going to go on a landbased trip to Israel with my BFF 17 years ago, when she suddenly got offered a job. Last-minute I had to find another person to go in her place. One of my best male friends went with me instead. After 10 days of travelling through Israel we came to Akko. On the sea wall of Akko we shared our first kiss, and we have been together even since.

 

I can only agree with Cruisemom that Caesarea is also worth seeing. Masada is a long way, I would focus on sights closer by. There is a lot to see in Israel, so you are not going to do everything in 1 visit.

 

The public transport is very good in Israel, Akko and Caesarea are easy to get to from Haifa. You do not have to use a private tour or guide if you want to DIY or want to cut cost. There is a guided tour at the fortress in Akko in english, and at Caesarea you can also get a paper tour from the ticket office or the souvenir shop.

[alaska_planner]

if you're Christian and at all religious and you've never been to israel, i can't imagine getting to israel and not going to Jerusalem (from Ashdod) and the Sea of Galilee (from Haifa).

[Fblack]

We took a ships tour to Acre (Akko) and really enjoyed it. But be warned. Our tour ended by having us exit the Crusader Fortress to the bus via an underground tunnel that was used as an escape tunnel hundreds of years ago by the Knights Templar. One gentleman in our group would not use the tunnel. So our guide sent us all through the tunnel alone except she took the long way around with the man. If you are subject to claustrophobia be forewarned about the tunnel. It's lighted and starts out low but really is no problem. There are lots of videos of the Tunnel on Youtube