Haifa

Haifa (Hebrew חֵיפָה Heifa; Arabic حَيْفَا Ḥayfā) is the third largest city in Israel and the largest city in the north of the country with a population of 282,000 (2021). The city is located on Israel's Mediterranean shoreline, on Mount Carmel and at its foot.

Haifa is the second holiest city in the Baha'i Faith. The Bahá'í sites in Haifa were declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 2008 and serve as one of the city's leading tourist sites.

Understand
Haifa is an important transportation, industrial and cultural center and one of Israel's most important maritime trade centers.

Haifa is home to Jews, Muslim and Christian Arabs, as well as small communities of Ahmadis (in Kababir), Druze (in nearby Isfiya and Daliyat al-Karmel), Bahá'ís, and others. Haifa is characterised as a mosaic of peaceful coexistence between the communities. It is also the second-holiest city in the Bahai faith.

The phrase "Haifa works, Jerusalem prays, and Tel Aviv plays" refers to Haifa's reputation as a city of workers. A generation ago Haifa's image was that of a serious—and somewhat dull—labor city because of its factories and port. It still has an industrial area to its north, where one of Israel's two oil refineries is located. But it also has a world-class high-tech strip in its south, in the "Matam" technology park along the beach. The park includes blue-chip tech firms such as Intel, Philips, Microsoft, and Google as well as some of Israel's largest tech firms, Elbit, Zoran, and Amdocs. IBM has an R&D center on the top of Mount Carmel at Haifa University and HP has a lab at the Technion, Israel's leading technological university.

History
Haifa is first mentioned historically around the 3rd century CE as a small town near Shikmona, the main Jewish town in the area at that time and a center for making the traditional Tekhelet dye used for Jewish Priests' temple cloth. The archaeological site of Shikmona lies southwest of the modern Bat Galim neighborhood. The Byzantines ruled there until the 7th century, when the city was conquered first by the Persians, then by the Arabs. In 1100, it was conquered again by the Crusaders after a fierce battle with its Jewish and Muslim inhabitants. Under Crusader rule, the city was a part of the Principality of Galilee until the Muslim Mameluks captured it in 1265.

In 1761 Daher El-Omar, Bedouin ruler of Acre and Galilee, destroyed and rebuilt the town in a new location, surrounding it with a thin wall. This event is marked as the beginning of the town's modern era. After El-Omar's death in 1775, the town was under Ottoman rule until 1918, except for two brief periods. In the years following, Haifa grew in terms of traffic, population and importance, as Akko suffered a decline. The development of Haifa increased further with the arrival of members of the German Protestant Temple Society in 1868, who settled a modern neighbourhood near the city, now known as the "German Colony". The Templers greatly contributed to the town's commerce and industry, playing an important role in its modernization.

By the beginning of the 20th century, Haifa had emerged as an industrial port city and growing population center, reflected by the establishment of facilities like the Hejaz railway and Technion. At that time Haifa District was home to approximately 20,000 inhabitants, comprised of 82% Muslim Arab, 14% Christian Arab, and 4% Jewish residents. The Jewish population increased steadily with immigration (Aliyah) primarily from Europe, and by 1945 the population had shifted to 38% Muslim, 13% Christian and 47% Jewish.

By train
Haifa is well connected to Tel Aviv, Akko (Acre), Beer Sheva, Nahariyya and the Ben Gurion International Airport by a train line operated by Israel Railways. The trip takes a little over an hour and during peak hours there are as many as 3-4 services hourly. An easy connection in Tel Aviv brings you to almost any station in Israel.

A less-frequent line connects Haifa to Beit Shean via Afula and Jezreel Valley, it takes an hour.

There are six train stations in Haifa, three of which are open 24 hours excluding the Sabbath (Friday night & Saturday daytime):

Two other more distant stations are probably irrelevant to your trip:

By car
From the south, route 2 is the coastal highway which links Haifa with Tel Aviv. This journey takes up to one and a half hours. Route 6, the inland toll road, is a bit quicker for accessing eastern parts of Haifa.

Other more minor roads link Haifa to the East and North, although chances are, if you're up there, you've come close to or past Haifa to get there in the first place.

By bus or sherut
You can take buses from Tel Aviv (910), Jerusalem (940, 960), Ben Gurion International Airport (947), Afula (301) 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.

The train is more comfortable and convenient than the 910 bus, except on Friday afternoons when the train stops running several hours before the bus, and you are forced to take the 910. For Jerusalem, you should take the 940/960 bus, but if you missed the last one, get to Tel Aviv and take a bus/train from there to Haifa.

Don't take the 947 bus from Jerusalem! It is extremely slow and makes numerous stops, so you will arrive late and carsick. Better to wait even an hour for the 940/960. It is OK to take the 947 from Netanya or Raanana to Haifa, as this skips the slowest part of the route.

From Haifa (the Hadar neighborhood, i.e. the uphill part of downtown), other sherut lines provide cheap frequent service between here and the cities of Akko, Nahariyya, and Karmiel, as well as to various neighborhoods and suburbs of Haifa. They generally follow the routes of the bus lines.

Haifa has two main bus terminals where passengers can switch between intercity buses to the local routes: Each bus station is next to a train station bearing a similar name.

To get to and from the bus terminals you will have to take "Metronit" (BRT) for ₪5.90. Thus, it might be cheaper to take the train, at least from nearby cities, e.g. Akko.

Get around
For more information check: Public transit in Israel.

Acquiring Rav Kav or paying through the Moovit app are the best ways to get tickets.

While Israeli manners may be rougher than in some other countries, they are also more likely to actually help you, with several people debating the best route for you.

By bus
Haifa's local bus system includes three "Metronit" (BRT) routes, and a lot of "normal" routes.

Buses in Haifa run regularly between 05:00 and 00:00. Unlike most cities in Israel, local buses (but not the Carmelit subway) run on the Sabbath (Friday afternoon to Saturday evening) and Jewish holidays; however, they only operate minimal and highly infrequent services during these hours. The "sherut" (taxi van with fixed routes and prices) lines also run on Saturdays in parallel with some bus routes, and are much more frequent.

A night bus route runs from 00:00 to 05:00 and on Fridays and Saturdays from 22:30 to 05:00. During the peak period (summertime) this route runs every night, but in the off-peak season it only runs on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights.

Bus route 37/37a is particularly useful. It serves Bat Galim, the German Colony, Downtown, Hadar, Carmel and Horev centers, and Haifa University so you will probably use it a lot.

Metronit
Some buses operated by Superbus are branded "metronit" and thus marketed as a "bus rapid transit" system. The Metronit system consists of three lines (blue, red and green) and some of the buses are bi-articulated.

By subway
Haifa has a subway: the Carmelit funicular, which is the only subway in Israel. It is useful for getting up or down the mountain from downtown, but it only covers a small part of Haifa. If you need to go further, you can buy a ticket which includes a transfer to a bus for the remainder of your journey, though it's probably more convenient to just take a bus the whole way. However, the Carmelit is worth taking for fun, to see its weird angled structure (steps in the stations and train cars, made necessary by the steepness of the mountain). The Carmelit has few riders, so you'll always find a seat.

The Carmelit has six stations listed here as they go downhill:
 * Carmel Center — in the Carmel Center, adjacent to the Haifa Zoo, the Louis Promenade (with a beautiful view of the Haifa Bay, the Haifa Auditorium and Cinematheque, and many shops and hotels.
 * Golomb — in Golomb street, near the Bnei Zion (formerly known as Rothschild) Hospital and the Bahá'í World Centre (see below).
 * Massada — Upper Hadar HaCarmel, home to an up-and-coming artists' neighbourhood with many antique shops, second-hand book stores, bars and coffee shops. Also not far from Nordau Street, a pedestrian mall which has seen its better days. Close to the National Science Museum.
 * HaNevi'im — near HaNevi'im, Herzl and HaHalutz streets, and their shops, offices. Close to the Haifa Museum of Art and Wadi Nisnas pedestrian area.
 * Hadar - City Hall — near Ha'atzmaut park, and the Haifa city hall.
 * Downtown — in Paris Square at the downtown area. Near government buildings and courthouse, Ha'atzmaut street, walking distance to Haifa Merkaz train station and Haifa port.

By boat
There is a variety of cruise options from the Port of Haifa, departures and arrival back to Haifa Port. Those cruises are marketed by Mano Cruise, which offer cruises in the Mediterranean and mainly to Greece, Cyprus, Greek Islands, Italy and so forth.

By taxi
Yango and Gett ride-hailing services are available.

By cable car
Thanks to Haifa's unique terrain, cable cars in the city are tourist attractions as they are public transportation.



See
Haifa is largely a modern city.

Buy
Haifa's mountainous location makes it generally unfriendly for the pedestrian. Therefore shopping avenues are less common than in other cities, though there are a few, such as the Hadar area and the Carmel Centre.

In the old downtown (city center), in a flat area close to the seaport, there are inexpensive shops.

Shopping malls
Haifa has many shopping malls, including:





Markets
Market=shouq, in Hebrew

Eat
Haifa is not a gourmet center like greater Tel Aviv, but it still has plenty to offer.

Falafel and other street food. Some good falafel can be found in: Falafel Michel and Falafel HaZkenim, both in the Wadi Nisnas area; Falafel HaNasi (locations in the Carmel Center and Horev Center); and at Paris Square, the lowest Carmelit station. Wadi Nisnas has many restaurants and food stalls for shawarma, falafel, and Middle Eastern sweets like baklava and knafe.

There is a huge concentration of falafel and shawarma stands downtown on Yafo Street, near the old Bat Galim Central Bus Terminal building (about 400 m from it). The food is cheap and authentic (about ₪10-15 for a falafel, and around ₪20-22 for a shawarma in a pita).

Another cheap street food is the Bureka—a Turkish phyllo dough, filled pastry—which is almost as common as falafel. Price is also cheap, and it usually comes filled with cheese, potatoes, spinach and feta, or meat.

Further up the food chain are the Middle Eastern/Arabic restaurants. Most are located downtown: Abu-Yousef (there are two with no relation), Hummus Faraj, Hummus Abu-Shaker (on HaMeginim St.), Abu Maroun (in the flea market), Matza (a good place 10 minutes walking distance from the shopping mall "Grand Canyon"). They are all famous for their high quality hummus (which is regarded as the "best of the best" in Israel). Expect to pay ₪50-80 per person for a complete meal.

There are several Romanian-style restaurants; in actuality this is a hybrid of Middle Eastern and Romanian cuisine. Most are located downtown: Ma'ayan HaBira (beer fountain), Cafe (coffee) Glida (icecream) Younek. Expect to pay ₪50-100 per person for a meal.

Restaurant and cafe clusters
Moriah Avenue, along the length of this street from the Carmel Center in the north, to the Horev center (shopping mall) in the south. Some good places alongside this 3 km stretch include: You can find good food in the local bars around Moriah Avenue, for example: the Duke, Brown, Barbarosa. Good traditional restaurant is Ma'ayan Habira, where home style dishes are served.
 * Charliebar (meat, seafood, hamburgers)
 * Sinta-bar (meat)
 * El Gaucho (steaks, kosher)
 * Meat In and Out (steaks)
 * Canibar (hamburgers)
 * Agadir (hamburgers)
 * Lechem Erez
 * Giraffe (Asian fusion)
 * HaBank (cafe with good food)
 * Pasta Carolla
 * Isabella Bar
 * Shipudei HaTikvah (traditional meats and salads, kosher)
 * Pomodoro (pizza and pasta, kosher)
 * Jacko - one of the best fish and seafood restaurants (on Moriah Street and downtown near Natanson Street). It was a working-class restaurant until it became famous, and increased its prices a bit (₪80-120 per person).
 * Japanika (reasonably-priced sushi, Fridays: reservations advised)
 * Greg (cafe restaurant)
 * Mandarin (cafe)
 * Voila (Swiss-French)
 * Greg (cafe restaurant)
 * Mandarin (cafe)
 * Voila (Swiss-French)

Ben-Gurion Avenue, below the Bahai Gardens, connecting the gardens to the port area. This is a trendy area, with some good restaurants, including:
 * Isabella - at the entrance of the German Colony. Isabella provides great seafood that caters to a western palate at a mid-range price. Their house wine is pretty good and overall the service is good.
 * Fattoush
 * Rak Bassar ("Only Meat")
 * Ramsis Restaurant
 * Captain Nemo (seafood)
 * Douzan
 * Taiwan (Chinese food)

Wadi Nisnas is mostly frequented for produce and groceries, but there are also a few good eateries in the area. Most of the businesses are on a street called simply "Al-Wadi" (the Valley), or its northern continuation "Shehadeh Saleh", running diagonally from Shabtai Levi St. to HaTsiyonut Boulevard.


 * Abdel Hadi Sweets - On Shehadeh Saleh Street, near the intersection with HaTsiyonut. It's marked only in Hebrew and Arabic, but even if you don't know those alphabets you can find it by the Arabic pastries visible through the windows. You can eat in at one of the three or four small tables (the place is mostly built for take-out); their knafeh is particularly good.

Stella Maris, at the San Francisco Observatory. Several restaurants with spectacular views:
 * Kalamaris
 * Golden Coral

HaNamal, the port.


 * Jacko (seafood)
 * Jacko (seafood)

Dado Beach. Last but not least is the beach strip cluster which has several restaurants. The food is OK, but the real reason to go there is to relax while enjoying views of the beach (only 15 meters away), or for people-watching.
 * Shaltieli (kosher)

All these clusters of restaurants are very vibrant with youth from about 21:00 into the small hours of the night, almost at any day of the week, but on Fridays it may get too crowded on the most popular places. The medium-priced places usually take the 'all the people you can squeeze in' approach, thus you might get a noisy crowded place, and service may not be as good.

Drink
Central Mount Carmel offers a decent selection of mid-class cafes and bars. Popular cafes are Greg and Tut (Strawberry), which are right next to each other in Kikar Sefer.

Closer to the Horev Center, 'Frangelico' and 'Barbarossa' are considered to be the most popular bars. They are often very crowded, but if one can't get in, there are many other bars in close walking distance, such as Brown, Levinsky, Maidler, and Duke.

The beautiful street of Yefe Nof also boasts a cluster of pubs, including a popular Charliebar and Irish-style pub.

Downtown there are some more pubs, including the legendary old-fashioned 'Maayan HaBira', which is more popular among adult crowd; the "Martef" (Basement), where you might also catch an open-mic night; and up the street from HaMartef is Jack and the Beanstalk, a more intimate pub with a great selection of appetizers. Another downtown happening place is the Syncopa bar.

Consulates

 * 🇬🇷 Greece
 * 🇷🇴 Romania

Go next
Haifa is the gateway to Israel's north and northeast.
 * Akko – The Shrine of Baha'u'llah, the holiest place for the Baha'is can be found here.
 * Nahariyya – Founded in 1934 by German Jews fleeing Nazi oppression, which boasts the crusader Montfort Castle. Do not miss Rosh Haniqra, a short drive further.
 * Tiberias – A large Israeli town in the east and great starting point for the Sea of Galilee and Golan Heights.
 * Nazareth – The largest Arab city in Israel and best known as the home of Joseph and Mary.
 * Jezreel Valley – Famous for Tel Megiddo (Armageddon) National Park and Mount Gilboa overlooking it.
 * Druze Villages in the Carmel Range: 30min by service taxi (monit sherut) or longer by bus, line number 37א, to the closer village of Isifya or the more distant village of Daliyat el-Carmel. The tourist-oriented bazaar has inexpensive shops and you can top off the visit in one of the excellent Mid-Eastern restaurants.
 * Caesarea & Zarqa Bay – Extensive archaeological site along the coast, and beautiful but not crowded beaches.