Things to do in Mediterranean Coast
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Bauhaus Centre
Bauhaus fans will want to stop by the Bauhaus Centre which is loaded with souvenirs and artwork. The centre runs a Bauhaus city tour on Fridays.
Bauhaus style offers simplicity and egalitarianism, designed by architects who carried socialist ideals with them from Europe to Israel. One result of their collective beliefs is the flat roof, intended to be a communal area for all the residents of each building. Of the 4000 Bauhaus-style buildings in the city, just 360 have been renovated, the rest crumbing in the salty, humid sea air, which is not kind to the plaster used for the building façades. Despite its Unesco status, there are no public funds for the restoration of buil…
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Baha'i Gardens
With every tree trimmed to perfection and every blade of grass seemingly cut to the exact same height, the 18 terraces of the Baha'i Gardens are truly a sight to behold.
The gardens are one of the two great holy places for members of the Baha'i faith, an independent movement that originated in Persia in the middle of the 19th century. The Baha'i are based in the area because the faith's founder, Baha'ullah spent 25 years imprisoned in nearby Akko.
The Baha'i faith is one of the world's youngest religions, established only in the middle of the 19th century. Its central belief is in equality and unity, and it clings to the notion that many prophets have appeared throughout h…
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Bat Galim Beach
Ports tend to make a mess of the coast so it's not too surprising that Haifa's beaches are infamously toxic and strewn with garbage. Case in point is Bat Galim Beach , considered one of the best surf breaks in the country and host to international competitions - surfers constantly lament its piles of rusting metal, bricks, concrete, disused furniture and other refuse.
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Greg Coffee
Decorated with kettles and jars of spices and coffee beans, Greg might remind you of your mom's kitchen back home. Aside from the homy feel, you get excellent coffee and brownies, while laptop users can access the free wi-fi.
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German Colony
At least once during your stay in Haifa, walk up Ben-Gurion Ave from Jaffa Rd and enjoy the splendour that is the German Colony backed by the cascading lights of the Baha'i Gardens. The colony (really just this street), was renovated in the 1990s into the city's premier address for shopping and dining, with many of its buildings restored and given plaques that describe the history of the area. Haifa's tourist information centre is also located here.
Part of the renovation required that the entire street be moved 168cm, so that its centre divide would line up with the staircase of Baha'i Gardens.
The colony was established in 1869 by the Templers (not to be confused with th…
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Carmel Market
Passionate free-marketeers pedal everything from fresh-cut flowers to piles of cumin in this frenetic market, squeezed between the old Yemenite Quarter and Nahalat Binyamin St. This bubbling cauldron of commerce starts at Kikar Magen David, where hippies strum guitars for shekels. You need to push your way past the first few metres of clothing (Sponge Bob Square Pants boxer shorts and knock-off Nikes) to reach the more aromatic and enticing stalls of fruits and vegetables, hot breads and spices.
When in form, the stallholders have an amusing sales patter, singing songs to promote their goods and often joining in with one another.
Each of the narrow sidestreets specialises …
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Fatoush
Set up like a medieval Arabic house, complete with burgundy cushions, nargileh (water pipes) and candle lamps, Fatoush is an atmospheric and popular restaurant serving a fusion of Western and Middle Eastern cuisine. It's named after a kind of salad eaten by poor people of the Levant - a Middle Eastern version of peasant pie - but there is much more to the menu than fatoush.
Try the aroos al-wadi (pride of the valley), baked bread topped with minced calf meat, or tasty seafood dishes. You can dine inside a cavernous underground chamber or, in pleasant weather, it's just as nice to eat under the olive trees on the street-side patio.
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Hof HaCarmel Beach
Ports tend to make a mess of the coast so it's not too surprising that Haifa's beaches are infamously toxic and strewn with garbage. If you really fancy some sun-worshipping in Haifa, you should head for the much more attractive Hof HaCarmel Beach, in the south of the city. The beach has an inviting promenade with a number of restaurants and cafés, some of them upscale places serving steak and seafood. Folk dancing is held here on Saturdays (11:00 February to June and 19:00 July to January).
Trains from Haifa Merkaz come here every 20 minutes for around ₪5.
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Shesek
Something of a black sheep on this street of progressive bars, Mish Mish is a rough-around-the-edges scenester bar and bohemian haunt well-known for pumping out a variety of music (mash-ups and punk to trance and avant-garde hip-hop) and quality beer (including Taybeh, a micro-brew manufactured in Ramallah). It's the kind of place where you can have a civilised conversation with the DJ and make a few requests.
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Beer House
The Beer House is a little downtrodden but if you are after some very nice beer it's hard to beat. The bartender can guide you through the complexities of the 120 types of beers on offer and provides good commentary with friendly service to boot. They usually recommend a fruity Belgian beer (try the peach). They also serve food and do a nice smoked meat platter. It's below street level in Gan Ha'em Park.
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HaShaqet Beach
Ports tend to make a mess of the coast so it's not too surprising that Haifa's beaches are infamously toxic and strewn with garbage. You might want to try the religious HaShaqet Beach , located on the east side of Rambam Medical Centre, which is open to men Monday, Wednesday and Friday, and open to women Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday. Saturday is mixed.
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Manta Ray
Spectacularly set on the beach, Manta Ray combines a five-star seafood menu, attentive service and Mediterranean views. Pick a few dishes off the mezze platter (we liked the goat cheese and the eggplant) and then enjoy a main course of roasted scallops, sea bass fillet, grilled shrimp or a juicy steak. It's also a great place for breakfast.
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Breakfast Club
Plastered with photos of the famous and infamous (Kim Il Sun, Stalin, the Ayatollah and Salvador Dali), and showing bizarre movies on its TVs (Blade Runner, The Wall), this place makes for a unique downtown dance experience. It's known as a late-night destination, so don't bother turning up until 02:00 or 03:00.
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Dinner Rush
A concept bar, this one has the bartenders doubling as chefs who serve up American diner-style food - pasta, burgers and chicken wings. Portions are large, reasonably priced and usually satisfying, but avoid the disappointing goulash. The food comes up hot and fast; it's right next to the Gan Ha'em metro station.
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Hummus Ashkara
This is where locals go when they're after excellent hummus and fuul (fava bean paste). Further credibility was earned when a national newspaper recently voted its hummus the best in Israel. The sign is in Hebrew only, so look out for the Coca-Cola sign and the tables on the street.
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Hummus Said
Deeply entrenched in the souq, this place has become something of an institution, doling up that much-loved Middle Eastern dip to throngs of visitors from around the country. For 15NIS, you'll get salads, pickles, pita and a big glob of hummus with fuul (fava bean paste) or garlic.
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Auditorium Mall
Auditorium Mall , Located in the Carmel Centre next to the Cinematheque. It's small, but handy if you are staying in the area, and contains a Steimatzky bookshop, supermarket and pharmacy.
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Minzar
Set back from the main street, this is a bohemian-style coffeehouse that actually specialises in beer. Happy hour extends from 17:00 to 22:00.
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Bagels & Coffee
US-style bagels served up with your choice of cream cheese or veggie toppings.
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Tel Aviv Ben Gurion Airport Private Departure Transfer
40 minutes (Departs Tel Aviv, Israel)
by Viator
Make your departure from Israel as smooth as possible with a Tel Aviv Ben-Gurion International Airport Private Departure Transfer. Forget about the haggling wit…Not LP reviewed
from USD$16.18 Advertisement
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Stella Maris Carmelite Monastery
The Carmelites are a Catholic order that originated in the late 12th century when a band of Crusaders, inspired by the prophet Elijah, opted for a hermetic life on the western slopes of Mt Carmel (hence the name). The desired solitude was rarely granted as, over the centuries, the Carmelites suffered Muslim persecution, frequently having to abandon their monasteries.
Occasionally, the Carmelites did have a hand in their own misfortune, as in 1799 when they extended their hospitality to Napoleon during his campaign against the Turks. The French lost their battle for the region and the Carmelites lost their monastery.
The present monastery and church, built over what the Car…
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Nahum Goldman Museum of the Jewish Diaspora
The Nahum Goldman Museum of the Jewish Diaspora doesn't actually display any artefacts from the past. Rather, this is a good collection of models, dioramas, films and presentations chronicling the diversity of Jewish life and culture in exile. The main role of the museum, Beth Hatefutsoth in Hebrew, is to relate the unique story of the continuity of the Jewish people through exhibition, education and cultural endeavours.
Special attractions in the museum include the Feher Jewish Music Centre, the Douglas E Goldman Jewish Genealogy Centre (where visitors can register their family tree to be preserved for future generations) and a Visual Documentation Centre, which is the l…
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Rothschild Blvd
This pleasant leafy boulevard was named after the Jewish family of financiers. At one time Rothschild Blvd was the address to have. It's no longer so exalted but former glories are invoked at Independence Hall (16 Rothschild Blvd), where on 14 may 1948, Ben-Gurion declared the establishment of the State of Israel. Previous to that, the building had been the home of Meir Bizengoff, one of the founders of Tel Aviv.
Entry includes a short introductory film and a tour of the room where the Declaration of Independence was signed.
West of the junction with Allenby St, the Haganah Museum (23 Rothschild Blvd) chronicles the formation and activities of the Haganah, the military org…
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Almonit (Anonymous) Alley
It's easy to miss this tiny sidestreet while walking up King George St. But as a decidedly non-trendy, alternative hangout, the people that do come here appreciate its obscurity. The alley was originally named after Getzel Shapira, an American Jew who financed civic projects in Tel Aviv in the 1920s.
Later, Mayor Dizengoff, irritated that anyone with money could have a street named after themselves, ordered the street names changed and a clerk gave the alley a name that essentially means 'John Doe'.
Almonit sports a café, a secondhand bookshop, a vintage clothing store and a hairdresser fond of outrageous wall art (which is changed every couple of months). The most interes…
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