Haifa has its own airport, Haifa Airport which serves flights to [wiki=cf69932607478765a40e19b95b79b63a]Eilat[/wiki] and charter flights to [wiki=ea2ba3f8011e19e3101ce65fdcefbcc4]Cyprus[/wiki] , although the closest and only international airport is Ben Gurion International Airport in Tel Aviv, where flights arrive from all over the world. From Ben Gurion, you could connect on a flight to Haifa, although, chances are you'll have to transfer between terminals, or even airports, to Sde Dov Airport. The better option is to travel straight on to Haifa. It's less than two hours to drive, and buses, trains, taxis, and shuttles, operate on this route. The best way to get there from the airport is to take the direct train leaving from the airport terminal.
Haifa is well connected to [wiki=b5eed9442adc540b3e59ae08aa129632]Tel Aviv[/wiki], [wiki=90bc6ad3f3b8dfb9541af36821dfc5e0]Akko (Acre)[/wiki], [wiki=9078bc4ef6843c471edeb24a255f0a62]Beer Sheva[/wiki], [wiki=466bfbb912d2dd3fe5ea17282813f581]Nahariyya[/wiki] and the Ben Gurion International Airport by a train line. The trip takes a little over an hour and during peak hours there are as many as 3-4 services hourly.
There are 6 train stations in Haifa 3 of which are open 24 hours excluding Sabbath (Friday night & Saturday daytime):
* Hof ha-Carmel (24hr) - close to the Dado beach, Haifa Mall, Castra Mall and to the Hof HaCarmel bus terminal that serves the lines connected to the cities south of Haifa and local buses.
* Bat Galim - close to Bat Galim Beach, Elija's Cave and the cable car to Stella Maris Carmelite monastery.
* Haifa Merkaz - Ha-Shmona (24hr) - near city downtown district, port terminal for cruise ships and Carmelit underground funicular.
* Lev ha-Mifraz(24hr) - close to the Cinemall Shopping center and Lev HaMifratz bus terminal that serves the lines connected to the North areas of Israel.
* Hutsot ha-Mifratz which is near the industrial area.
* Kiryat Ha'im a suburban neighborhood of Haifa.
From the south, route 2 is the coastal highway which links Haifa with Tel Aviv. This journey takes up to one and a half hours. Other more minor roads link Haifa to the East and North, although chances are, if you're up there, you've come close to or past Haifa to get there in the first place.
Alternatively, you can take [wiki=b8f29891fd4a0356280eeddbe611ca5c]Egged[/wiki] buses from [wiki=b5eed9442adc540b3e59ae08aa129632]Tel Aviv[/wiki] (910), [wiki=0a5ed43ab1e290a2356aaa745e7d7196]Jerusalem[/wiki] (940,960), [wiki=0ce6ed952f46d24bd3be115faef1c8f3]Afula[/wiki] (301) or almost any city in the region to Haifa. During the Sabbath, you'll have to resort to a shared taxi (sherut), most of which leave from near Tel Aviv's central bus station.
From Haifa (the Hadar neighborhood, i.e. the uphill part of downtown), sheruts provide cheap frequent service to the cities of [wiki=90bc6ad3f3b8dfb9541af36821dfc5e0]Akko[/wiki], [wiki=466bfbb912d2dd3fe5ea17282813f581]Nahariyya[/wiki], and [wiki=7a08f957bb3105fffe9b2a88a542b260]Karmiel[/wiki], as well as to Haifa and its suburbs.
If you use a private taxi, be sure that the taxi meter is working, or be agree on a price before entering.
Haifa is gradually becoming a popular destination for many major international cruise lines and is the home to local Budget cruise line Mano [http://www.mano.co.il/cruises/eng/] serving Southern Europe and other Mediterranean destinations.
Periodically, there are also ferry boats from Greece, Cyprus, and Turkey.
(Ferry boats are very rare, and it's advised not to count of that)
The gardens and world centre on Mount Carmel's northern slope area a must-see for any visitor to Haifa. Comprising the golden-domed Shrine of the Báb, terraced gardens and administrative buildings, the World Centre is the holiest site of pilgrimage for the members of the Bahá'í faith, as well as the faith's central administrative center. The gardens are stunning and well worth visiting if you are in Haifa.
* Elijah is considered a prophet in Judaism, Christianity, Islam, and Baha'i. The Carmelites have a tradition that they were founded by Elijah at this time. According to tradition, Elijah lived in a cave on Mt. Carmel during the reign of King Ahab. The site itself may disappoint many tourists. One enjoyable and scenic option for good walkers is to walk down to the cave from Stella Maris (monastery) at the top of Mt. Carmel.
* A French Carmelite church, monastery and hospice. This is the founding place of the Carmelite Order, a religious order of the Roman Catholic Church. The present monastery and church, built over what the Carmelites believe to be a cave where Elijah lived, dates from 1836 after the previous buildings were destroyed in 1821 by Abdullah, pasha of Akko. It's worth visiting the church to view the beautiful painted ceiling which portrays Elijah and the famous chariot of fire (in which he ascended to heaven), King David with his harp, the saints of the order, the prophets Isaiah, Ezekiel and David, and the Holy Family with the four evangelists below. A small adjoining museum contains ruins of former cloisters dating from Byzantine and Crusader times.
* In 1868 members of German Templar Society (not to be confused with the Knights of the Templars) purchased land that was far from the city and set out to build the first planned agricultural community in the Holy Land. Many of the original templar houses have been preserved and have undergone restoration in the last decade of 20th century. Now the main street of the former colony (Ben-Gurion Boulevard) is a promenade, with many restaurants and coffee shops. Some examples of good places in the German Colony are Havana Plus, a hookah bar with a full service bar; Milagro, a restaurant that provides great beer on tap and live music after 8PM; and Isabella, one of the finer restaurants in the area. The City History Museum and the local Tourist Board are also located here.
* Located at the top of Carmel, the campus was originally designed by the architect of [[Brasilia[/url]] and UN building in [wiki=d97e023dce2bb237a0d44f46d8ee9438]New York City[/wiki], Oscar Niemeyer. Newer buildings were added later. The top 30th floor of the Eshkol Tower, provides an incredible view of almost the entire North of Israel. The campus is also a home of Hecht Museum with its rich archeology and art collections. Entry to both of these attraction is free.
*Wadi Nisnas - Haifa's largest Arab neighbourhood with a bustling pedestrian zone and outdoor art.
*Tel Shikamona - ancient settlement from different periods.
Around Haifa
*Atlit Fortress (Château Pèlerin) - remains of a big Crusader fortress near Haifa (as of 2014, used as a military base and theretofore can be viewed only from the outside).
*[wiki=8d1e68153d8fd185390a3848830d6c19]Caesarea National Park[/wiki] - one of Israel's biggest archaeological sites, remains of Roman, Byzantine and Crusader cities. it is also the port from where St.Paul was taken to Rome.
*Nahal Mea'rot - famous pre-historic caves and a UNESCO World Heritage site.
*Muhraka Monastety the site of the battle between Prophet Elijah and the Ba'al.
Established in 1984, MadaTech - the Israel National Museum of Science, Technology and Space is housed in two historic landmark buildings in mid-town Haifa. Designed, at the turn of the century, by renowned German Jewish architect, Alexander Baerwald, these were home to the Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, Israel’s first institution of higher education.
*The Clandestine Immigration & Navy Museum may sound a bit bland but it's actually quite fascinating and worth a visit. The museum deals with the successes and failures of the Zionists' illegal attempts to infiltrate into British-blockaded Palestine in the 1930s and '40s. The centrepiece of the museum (quite literally - the building has been constructed around it) is a boat, the Af-Al-Pi-Chen (Hebrew: Nevertheless), whose hold carried 434 refugees to Palestine in 1947.
* deals with the history of shipping in the Mediterranean area. The collection contains old maps, models of ancient ships, navigation equipment and bits and pieces of sunken ships.
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* houses a fine collection of archaeological artefacts relating to Jewish history before the Diaspora. There is plenty of ancient pottery, weapons and even a pair of 2100-year-old petite-sized sandals. The museum highlight is a 5th-century-BC Greek ship found near Caesarea in 1984. It has been carefully rebuilt and placed in a specially designed annexe of the museum.An art wing upstairs contains sections on French Impressionist and Jewish art from the 19th and 20th centuries. Among the works are paintings by Monet, Pissaro and Van Gogh.
*Hermann Struck Museum - a newly-opened art museum in Hadar
* The museum was founded in the year 1959, at the joint initiative of Felix Tikotin, a known collector of Japanese art. The museum present rotating exhibitions of old and modern Japanese art. It features everything from 14th-century Buddhist scroll art to pottery, metal work and newer exhibits on Japanese animation and even Pokémon.
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*Housed in the old Haifa East train station, The Railway Museum features a collection of stamps, photographs, tickets, timetables and rolling stock. Old timetables remind you that you could at one time travel from here by train south to Cairo or north to Beirut or Damascus. To get there follow HaPalyam Ave past the mosque - the museum is a few minutes walk further, on the left.
Moriah Avenue, starting from Horev center (shopping center) all the way to the Carmel center along Moriah Avenue. Some good places alongside this 3km stretch include:
*After Dark (American food, pub)
*Charliebar (meat, seafood)
*Frangelico [url=http://www.rest.co.il/_Intros/frangelico/v2/index.html]](sushi bar)
*Café Louise [http://www.cafelouise.co.il/[/url] (organic)
*Sinta-bar (meat)
*El Gaucho (steaks, kosher)
*Meat In and Out (steaks)
*Canibar (hamburgers)
*Agadir (hamburgers)
*Lechem Erez
*Giraffe (Asian fusion)
*HaBank (cafe with good food)
*Isabella Bar
*Pomodoro (pizza and pasta, kosher)
*Japanika (reasonably-priced sushi, Fridays: reservations advised)
*Greg (cafe restaurant)
*Mandarin (cafe)
*Voila (Swiss-French)
You can find good food in the local bars around Moriah Avenue, for example: the Duke, Brown, Barbarosa.
Good traditional restaurant is Ma'ayan Habira, where home style dishes are served.
Ben-Gurion Avenue, right below the Bahai Gardens.
(at a straight line below it, thus completing an imaginary line from the Gardens
into the sea. The street is downtown near the port). This cluster holds some
good restaurants,including:
*Isabella
*Fattoush
*Rak Bassar ("Only Meat")
*Ramsis Restaurant
*Captain Nemo (seafood)
*Douzan
*Taiwan (Chinese food)
Stella Maris, at the San Francisco Observatory.
Several restaurants, some with spectacular views.
*Kalamaris (middle eastern food, seafood)
*Golden Coral (middle eastern food, seafood)
* Santa Maria Coffee House (salads, sandwiches)
HaNamal, the Port.
*Jacko (seafood)
*HaNamal 24 (fancy)
Dado Beach. Last but not least is the beach strip cluster which has several restaurants. The food is OK, but the real reason to go there is to relax while enjoying views of the beach (only 15 meters away), or for people-watching.
*Shaltieli (kosher)
All these clusters of restaurants are very vibrant with youth at about 9PM further into the small hours of the night, almost at any day of the week, but on Fridays, it may get too crowded on the most popular places. Unfortunately the medium priced places usually take the 'all the people you can squeeze in' approach, thus you might get a noisy crowded place, and service may not be as good.
Tipping is customary. The normal rate is 10% at all places that you sit down and are served. If you feel the service was poor, tip less, if it was outstanding tip a little more.
6 Computers, wireless, Karaoke bar, Capiyot on Sha'ar HaLevanon in the Carmel Centre.
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In a historical building in the German Colony -the tourism hotspot of modern Haifa- and at the edge of the Mount Carmel, Al-Yakhour Hostel is based.
* Big apartment in a walking distance from the sea, 3 bed rooms, 1 bath room. for up to 10 poeple. You get towles and clean sheets, also there is fully equpied kitchen (fridge, microweve, oven & more see at the photos), and fully furnished.
* Bethel is a Christian Hostel in the middle of the bustling city of Haifa in the German Colony. Bethel offers accommodations and facilities for Christian groups and individuals who love Israel, need a retreat or simply a place to stay.
* A beautifully restored Arabic building in downtown Haifa. Offers apartments, private rooms and dormitories. Lounge area equipped with a multilingual satellite TV, a small kitchen with free coffee and tea available all day, and a flourishing garden.
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* Haddad's Guest House, 26 Ben-Gurion Ave.- German Colony, 052-235-4283, fax 077-201-0618, [http://www.haddadguesthouse.com]. Family-run guest house.
* The Dan Gardens Haifa is a modern bed and breakfast hotel for guests who want to enjoy Haifa's special charms and stay within budget. Set on Mount Carmel in an exclusive neighborhood featuring richly wooded areas and a tranquil ambience, the hotel offers dramatic views of Haifa Bay.
* Very clean and comfortable rooms. Run by the Rosary Sisters (Roman Catholic nuns) who seem to take great care of the guests. A free breakfast is included and it's a very central location near the Haifa HaShmona central railway station and the Haifa port. The only downside is that you have to be back in the guesthouse by 10PM.
* Where art and comfort meet. A spectacular boutique hotel designed with the inspiration of art and scenery as an artistic gallery featuring a variety of collections.
Located on Mount Carmel, near Carmel Center and the Bahai Gardens, the stylish Crowne Plaza Haifa hotel offers you a choice of comfortable bedrooms with breath taking views of the lush Mount Carmel or sparkling Haifa Bay. They provide you with all you would need for a comfortable stay under one roof - a choice of dining options, health club with covered pool, wet and dry sauna, jacuzzi and gym.
* The Dan Carmel has panoramic views of the bay and the city of Haifa. Private gardens, verdant hillsides and endless coastline.
* Contemporary in style and young in spirit, the Dan Panorama rises high above Mount Carmel, offering good views of Haifa bay and miles of coastline. The hotel is directly linked to a mall.
* The Templars Boutique Hotel Haifa, which brushes the breathtaking Baha'i Gardens, is in the heart of Haifa's German Colony, an area teeming with buildings that have been preserved and renovated in the spirit and feeling of the Templar period.