Haifa, Israel

Haifa is the largest city in Northern Israel and the third-largest city in the country, after Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. The city is a seaport located on Israel's Mediterranean coastline in the Bay of Haifa, about 90 km north of Tel Aviv, and is one of the country's major industrial centers.

The city of Haifa is divided into three areas. The lower city is the commercial center with modern port facilities. The middle level is an older residential zone and the upper level consists of modern neighborhoods, overlooking the sandy beaches of Haifa Bay. The Bahá'í World Centre, with the golden Shrine of the Báb and the surrounding gardens, is the main tourist attraction of Haifa. The restored German Colony, founded by the Templers, Stella Maris and the Carmelite monastery are also popular tourist sites.

In Haifa area, the artist's village of Ein Hod attracts many tourists. In Mount Carmel national park, visitors can see the caves where Neanderthal and early Homo Sapiens remains were found. Haifa also has a wide variety of malls and shopping centers.

Things to See & Do

* Bahá'í World Centre
* Carmelite monastery
* Ein Hod
* Mount Carmel national park
* German Colony

General Information

Cruise Season - Feb to Dec
Currency - New Shekel (IS) = 100 agorot
Land Area - 863 km²
Language - Hebrew, Arabic
Population - 270,00 approx.
Electricity - 2 round pins European style
Time - GMT/UTC plus two hours
International Country Telephone Code - + 972

Port Location - The port is located in the commercial area of Haifa, close to the old city of Haifa and the German Colony.

Travel Links - Haifa Airport serves domestic flights to Tel Aviv and Eilat as well as international charters to Cyprus. There are currently plans in place to expand services from Haifa, whilst cruise ships operate from Haifa port to Greece and Cyrpus.

Haifa is well connected to Tel Aviv, Akko (Acre), Beer Sheva 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.

You can take Egged buses from Tel Aviv, Jerusalem 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.