9 Best Sights in Haifa and the Northern Coast, Israel

This beautifully maintained stretch of sand in the Achziv National Park is north of Nahariya, on the road to Rosh Hanikra. Beside the ruins of the ancient settlement of Achziv are two huge lagoons along the shore, one shallow, the other deep. There are also watchful lifeguards and playground facilities. In July and August, turtles lay their eggs on the beach. You can picnic on the grassy slopes or make use of the restaurant. Enter at the second sign for Achziv Beach, not the first. For NIS 63 per person, you can camp here overnight. Amenities: food and drink; lifeguards; parking (fee); showers; toilets. Best for: swimming; walking.

This house of worship, the largest mosque in the country outside of Jerusalem, is also considered one of the most beautiful in Israel. Ahmed el-Jazzar, who succeeded Dahr el-Omar after having him assassinated, ruled Akko from 1775 to 1804. During his reign he built this mosque along with other public structures. His cruelty was so legendary that he earned the epithet "the Butcher." (He is buried next to his adopted son in a small white building to the right of the mosque.)

Just beyond the entrance is a pedestal engraved with graceful calligraphy; it re-creates the seal of a 19th-century Ottoman sultan. Some of the marble and granite columns in the mosque and courtyard were plundered from the ruins of Caesarea. In front is an ornate fountain used by the faithful for ritual washings of hands and feet before prayer. Inside the mosque, enshrined in the gallery reserved for women, is a reliquary containing a hair believed to be from the beard of the prophet Muhammad; it is removed only once a year, on the 27th day of Ramadan.

The mosque closes five times a day for prayers, so you might have a short wait. On Friday, the prayer duration is longer, as it is the holiest day of the week for Muslims. Although the mosque is open, visitors are advised to plan their trip accordingly. Dress modestly.

The most striking feature of the stunning gardens that form the centerpiece of Haifa is the Shrine of the Bab, whose brilliantly gilded dome dominates the city's skyline. The renovated shrine gleams magnificently with 11,790 gold-glazed porcelain tiles.

Haifa is the world center for the Baha'i faith, founded in Iran in the 19th century. It holds as its central belief the unity of mankind. Religious truth for Baha'is consists of progressive revelations of a universal faith. Thus the Baha'is teach that great prophets have appeared throughout history to reveal divine truths, among them Moses, Zoroaster, Buddha, Jesus, Muhammad, and most recently, the founder of the Baha'i faith, Mirza Husayn Ali, known as Baha'u'llah—“the Glory of God." The Shah and then the Ottomans exiled Baha'u'llah (1817–92) from his native Persia to Akko, where he lived as a prisoner for almost 25 years. The Baha'is holiest shrine is on the grounds of Baha'u'llah's home, where he lived after his release from prison and is now buried, just north of Akko.

Here in Haifa, at the center of the shrine's pristinely manicured set of 19 garden terraces, is the mausoleum built for the Bab (literally, the "Gate"), who heralded the coming of a new faith to be revealed by Baha'u'llah and who was martyred by the Persian authorities in 1850. Baha'u'llah's son and successor built the gardens and shrine and had the Bab's remains reburied here in 1909. The building, made of Italian stone and rising 128 feet, gracefully combines the canons of classical European architecture with elements of Eastern design and also houses the remains of Baha'u'llah's son. The dome glistens with some 12,000 gilded tiles imported from the Netherlands. Inside, the floor is covered with rich Asian carpets, and a filigree veils the serene inner shrine.

The magnificent gardens, with their gravel paths, groomed hedges, and 12,000 plant species, are a sight to behold: stunningly landscaped circular terraces extend from Yefe Nof Street for 1 km (½ mile) down the hillside to Ben Gurion Boulevard, at the German Colony. The terraces are a harmony of color and form—pale pink-and-gray-stone flights of stairs and carved urns overflowing with red geraniums set off the perfect cutouts of emerald green grass and floral borders, dark green trees, and wildflowers, with not a leaf out of place anywhere. The gardens, tended by 120 dedicated gardeners, are one of Israel's 11 UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

Three areas are open to the public year-round, except on Baha'i holidays: the shrine and surrounding gardens ( 80 Hatzionut Ave., near Shifra St.); the upper terrace and observation point ( Yefe Nof St.); and the entry at the lower terrace ( Hagefen Sq., at the end of Ben Gurion Blvd.). Free walk-in tours in English are given at noon every day except Wednesday. These depart from 45 Yefe Nof Street, near the top of the hill. Note: the Shrine of the Bab is a pilgrimage site for the worldwide Baha'i community; visitors to the shrine are asked to dress modestly (no shorts).

By turns an ancient Roman port city, Byzantine capital, and Crusader stronghold, Caesarea is one of the country's major archaeological sites and a delightful place to spend a day of leisurely sightseeing among the fascinating ruins. You can also browse in souvenir shops and art galleries, take a dip at the beach, snorkel or dive around a submerged port, and enjoy a seaside meal. Caesarea is an easy day trip from Haifa, Tel Aviv, or even Jerusalem. A good strategy is to start at the Roman Theater, at the southern entrance. After exploring, you can then leave through the northern entrance. If you're short on time, enter from the north for a quicker tour of the site. At either of the two entrances to this intriguing site, pick up the free brochure and map.

Entry to the Roman Theater is through one of the vomitoria (arched tunnels that served as entrances for the public). Herod's theaters—here as elsewhere in Israel—were the first of their kind in the ancient Near East. The theater today seats 3,600 and is a spectacular venue for summer concerts and performances. What you see is largely a reconstruction: only a few of the seats of the cavea (where the audience sat) near the orchestra are original, as are some of the stairs and the decorative wall at the front of the stage.

The huge Herodian Amphitheater is a horseshoe-shape stadium with sloping sides filled with rows of stone seats. It's most likely the one mentioned by 1st-century AD historian Josephus Flavius in The Jewish War. A crowd of 10,000 watched horse and chariot races and various other sporting events here some 2,000 years ago. Up the wooden steps, you see the street's beautiful and imaginative mosaic floors in the bathhouse complex of the Roman-Byzantine administrative area.

King Louis IX of France built the walls that surround the Crusader City. The bulk of it—the moat, escarpment, citadel, and walls, which once contained 16 towers—dates from 1251, when the French monarch spent a year pitching in with his own two hands to help restore the existing fortifications. As you enter the southern wall gate of the Crusader city, you see the remains of an unfinished cathedral with three graceful apses.

At the observation point, you can gaze out over the remains of Herod's Port, once a magnificent sight that writers of the day compared to Athens' Port of Piraeus. An earthquake devastated the harbor in AD 130, which is why Crusaders utilized only a small section of it when they conquered the city in 1101.

In the harbor area, don't miss the Time Trek. Inside, you meet 12 of Caesarea's fascinating historic personages—among them Herod the Great, Rabbi Akiva, and St. Paul. These realistic-looking, larger-than-life figures answer questions about their lives in Caesarea. If you climb the stairs of the nearby squarish stone tower of the re-created fortress on the pier, you can view three-dimensional animations on giant screens that explain the amazing construction of the port.

East of the northern entrance to the site, a fenced-in area encloses Caesarea's Byzantine Street. During the Byzantine period and late Roman times, Caesarea thrived as a center of Christian scholarship. In the 7th century, Caesarea had a famous library of some 30,000 volumes that originated with the collection of the Christian philosopher Origen (185–254), who lived here for two decades. Towering over the street are two headless marble statues, probably carted here from nearby Roman temples. The provenance of the milky-white statue is unknown; Emperor Hadrian might have commissioned the reddish figure facing it when he visited Caesarea.

A wonderful finale to your trip to Caesarea, especially at sunset, is the beachfront Roman Aqueduct. The chain of arches tumbling northward before disappearing beneath the sand is a captivating sight. During Roman times, the demand for a steady water supply was considerable, but the source was a spring about 13 km (8 miles) away in the foothills of Mount Carmel. Workers cut a channel approximately 6½ km (4 miles) long through solid rock before the water was piped into the aqueduct. In the 2nd century, Hadrian doubled its capacity by adding a new channel. Today you can walk along the aqueduct and see marble plaques dedicated to the troops of various legions who toiled here.

Rare among Israel's many wineries are Carmel Winery's vaulted-ceiling wine cellars. Dating from 1892, the huge, old, and chilly rooms are a contrast to the state-of-the art facility above ground, where top wines are produced. Founder Baron Edmond de Rothschild, owner of France's famous Château Lafite, would be pleased at the success of his viniculture venture, now the country's largest winery. At the Center for Wine Culture, a guided 45-minute tour outlines the stages of local wine production. Included in the tour are a tasting of some four varieties and a seven-minute audiovisual presentation screened in the original wine cellar. Tours depart between 9 and 4 and must be reserved in advance. Other wine tastings and workshops are also available by reservation.

Part of a coastal nature reserve, Dor Beach, also known as Tantura Beach, is a dreamy stretch of beige sand. Rocky islets form breakwaters and jetties provide calm seas for happy bathers. Amenities are ample: chair and umbrella rentals, a first-aid station, a restaurant, and changing rooms. The beach, beside Kibbutz Nahsholim, gets crowded on summer weekends and holidays. Amenities: food and drink; lifeguards; parking; showers; toilets. Best for: partiers; swimming; walking.

Although it runs along a single boulevard, "The Colony" packs in history (with explanatory placards), interesting architecture, great restaurants, and wonderful spots for people-watching. Ben Gurion Boulevard was the heart of a late-19th-century colony established by the German Templer religious reform movement. Along either side are robust, two-story, chiseled limestone houses with red-tile roofs. Many bear German names, dates from the 1800s, biblical inscriptions on the lintels, and old wooden shutters framing narrow windows.

Neglected for years, the German Colony is now one of the city's loveliest (and flattest) strolls. It's best to start your exploration around Yaffo (Jaffa) Street so that you're walking toward the stunning Baha'i Gardens. Along the way you can have a meal or cup of coffee, explore the shops in the City Centre Mall, and learn about the history of the Templers. Any time of day is pleasant, but evening, when the cafés and restaurants are brimming with people, is best.

The Templers' colony in Haifa was one of seven in the Holy Land. The early settlers formed a self-sufficient community; by 1883, they had built nearly 100 houses and filled them with as many families. Industrious workers, they introduced the horse-drawn wagon—unknown before their arrival—to Haifa. They also built with their own funds a pilgrimage road from Haifa to Nazareth. The Germans' labors gave rise to modern workshops and warehouses, and it was under their influence that Haifa began to resemble a modern city, with well-laid-out streets, gardens, and attractive homes.

Haifa's importance to Germany was highlighted in 1898, when Kaiser Wilhelm II sailed into the bay on the first official visit to the Holy Land by a German emperor in more than 600 years. In the 1930s, many Templers began identifying with German nationalism and the Nazi party. During World War II, the British deported them as nationals of an enemy country.

This remarkable 12th-century Crusader fortress was once known as the Crypt of St. John—before excavation, it was erroneously thought to have been an underground chamber. The dimensions of the colossal pillars that support the roof (girded with metal bands for extra strength) make this one of Israel's most monumental examples of Crusader architecture. It's also one of the oldest Gothic structures in the world. In the right-hand corner opposite the entrance is a fleur-de-lis carved in stone, the crest of the French house of Bourbon, which has led some scholars to suggest that this was the chamber in which Louis VII convened the knights of the realm.

Just outside this room is an entrance to an extremely narrow subterranean passageway. Cut from stone, this was a secret tunnel that the Crusaders probably used to reach the harbor when besieged by Muslim forces. (Those who are claustrophobic can take an alternate route, which goes back to the entrance of the Turkish bathhouse and continues from there.) Emerge in the cavernous vaulted halls of the fortress guard post, with a 13th-century marble Crusader tombstone at the exit.

Here, a series of six barrel-vaulted rooms known as the Knights' Halls has been discovered. Arrows point the way through vast rooms filled with ongoing reconstruction work, huge marble columns, and archaeological finds. Above this part of the Crusader city stands the Ottoman citadel, which you can glimpse from the courtyard. Built by Dahr el-Omar in the 18th century on the rubble-filled Crusader ruins, the citadel was the highest structure in Akko.

The different factions within Akko's walls probably sowed the seeds of the Crusaders' downfall here. By the mid-13th century, open fighting had broken out between the Venetians and Genoese. When the Mamluks attacked with a vengeance in 1291, the Crusaders' resistance crumbled, and the city's devastation was complete. It remained a subdued place for centuries, and even today Akko retains a medieval cast.

The prehistoric Carmel Caves, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, are a highlight of this nature reserve, 3 km (2 miles) south of Ein Hod. They form a key site for the study of human evolution in general and the prehistory of the Levant in particular.

The three excavated caves are up a steep flight of stairs, on a fossil reef covered by the sea 100 million years ago. The first discoveries of prehistoric remains were made when this area was being scoured for stones to build the Haifa port. In the late 1920s, Dorothy Garrod of England headed the first archaeological expedition, receiving assistance from a British feminist group on the condition that only women carry out the dig.

In the Tannur cave, the first on the tour, the strata Garrod's team excavated are clearly marked, spanning about 150,000 years in the life of early humans. The most exciting discoveries were Homo sapiens and Neanderthal skeletons; evidence that raised fascinating questions about the relationship between the two and whether they lived side by side.

A display on the daily life of early man as hunter and food gatherer occupies the Gamal cave. The last and largest cave, called the Nahal, cuts deep into the mountain and was the first discovered. A burial place with 84 skeletons was found outside the mouth of the cave along with stone tools, which suggest that people who settled here, about 12,000 years ago, were the forebears of early farmers, with a social structure more developed than that of hunters and gatherers. There is also evidence that the Crusaders once used the cave to guard the coastal road. There's a snack bar at this site.