The original Ottoman-era market on this spot was burned down within a year of being built; local legends blame a careless hookah smoker for the blaze. The market was hurriedly rebuilt and it brims with stalls to this day. Sugar cane is squeezed into juice, sacks of saffron seem full to bursting, kunafeh is sliced, and sellers holler about the peerless craftsmanship of sandals, lanterns and scarves.
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
9.17 MILES
These formal gardens flowing down 19 steep terraces to a resplendent domed shrine – the final resting place of the prophet-herald of the Baha’i faith –…
20.11 MILES
Dominating the Old City’s skyline is the lantern-topped cupola of this Franciscan-run Roman Catholic basilica, an audacious modernist structure that’s…
28.32 MILES
Since at least the 4th century, this landscaped hillside is believed to be where Jesus delivered his Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5–7), whose opening…
26.89 MILES
In 1986, when the level of the Sea of Galilee was particularly low, a local fisherman made an extraordinary discovery: the remains of a wooden boat later…
15.42 MILES
Nestled between Mt Carmel and Lower Galilee, spellbinding Beit She’arim is pitted with ancient catacombs, many of which you can enter. In the 2nd century…
11.79 MILES
Bone-white limestone cliffs seem to burst from the deep blue sea at this geological beauty spot straddling the Israel–Lebanon border. A cable car descends…
17.16 MILES
In ancient times, Tzipori was a prosperous and well-endowed city with stone-paved roadways (you can still see the ruts left by Roman wagons), a…
11.43 MILES
This university campus museum showcases engrossing archaeological finds such as well-restored mosaics and troves of ancient coins, but the pièce de…
Nearby Akko attractions
0.05 MILES
The graceful silhouette of the green-domed Al Jazzar Mosque, with its slender, 124-stair minaret, dominates the northern end of Akko's old city. Al Jazzar…
0.07 MILES
This broad, square former caravanserai, built over a Crusader-era convent in the 18th century, has been beautifully restored and now shelters a number of…
0.08 MILES
Within the history-steeped walls of the Citadel, this moderately interesting art gallery is devoted to the works of Avshalom Okashi (1916–80), an…
0.1 MILES
Akko's crowning attractions are the stone-vaulted Knights' Halls. Wandering these echoing chambers gives captivating insights into the medieval knights…
0.13 MILES
Built in 1780 by Al Jazzar and in use until the 1940s, this richly ornamented marble and tile hammam now plays host to a 30-minute multimedia show about…
0.14 MILES
Fortified, wrecked and refortified by Muslims, Crusaders and Mamluks, old Akko is encircled by a sea wall to the west, south and southeast, and by…
0.15 MILES
Built by merchants in the mid-16th century, the courtyard of this former caravanserai – the oldest in Akko – is accessible through an open archway.
8. Underground Prisoners Museum
0.16 MILES
Dedicated to Jewish armed resistance during the British Mandate, this museum occupies a massive structure built by the Turks in the late 18th century on…