Haifa is a beautiful port city surrounded by hills. One of the prominent sights on the hill is the beautiful Bahá’í Gardens and Shrine. It’s easy to travel to Haifa from Tel Aviv by train, just one hour north along the coast. In fact, the journey is very scenic with some sea views along the way. I stopped by on the way from Akko back to Tel Aviv, so only had a few hours to walk around. Therefore, this guide for travel to Haifa is very short and there is more to explore in the area!
Highlights
- Bahá’í Gardens Haifa- you can only see it from the top of the first set of stairs if you don’t book a guided tour in advance
- Stella Maris Lighthouse and Carmelite Monastery
- Madatech-Israel National Museum of Science, Technology, and Space
- Wadi Nisnas neighbourhood shops
- Haifa Port- a working port and there are ferries up to Akko
- Mount Carmel cable car
- Bat Galim Beach
Before you go
- Haifa is a port city with a lot of history and many different inhabitants
- Note that there are three different rail stations in Haifa so you can choose the one closest to what you’d like to see
- It is a large city and has a big hill, so be prepared for walking
- Although there is a lot of coastline, the only beach I found near the city centre is called Bat Galim. There is also Carmel beach which you can see from the train
Transport
- Haifa is easily reached by train from Tel Aviv and takes about 1 hour 10 minutes via the Coastal route. You can buy a ticket at the machines with cash or credit card. It cost me 26 NIS for a single in May 2022. There are three different train stations in Haifa.
- The city is walkable in the centre but is quite large and hilly so you may consider Gett taxis or the bus.
Accommodation
- I only went for a day trip from Tel Aviv so I don’t have a recommendation for where to stay
Food
The only food I tried while in Haifa was the ice cream. I can highly recommend Cremerie de l’eclair for ice cream and cookies. I tried the pistachio flavour with pieces of pastry and honey. It was delicious and made even more decadent drizzled with extra pistachio sauce. The caramel cookies were also very tasty!
FAQs
Q: Do I need a tour guide?
A: No, it is easy to walk around the city centre. Be prepared for some hills. To visit the Bahá’í Gardens, you have to book a guided tour online, otherwise you can only go to the top of the first set of stairs.
Q: Do people speak English?
A: Yes most people speak English
Q: Is it a walkable city?
A: Yes for the city centre, but it is hilly
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