Lower Galilee

The Lower Galilee (Hebrew: הגליל התחתון HaGalil HaTahton, Arabic: الجليل al-Jalīl) is a region of northern Israel.

Cities and villages

 * – believed by Christians to be the hometown of Jesus, now the largest Arab city in Israel and one of the major centers of Arab Christians
 * – a modern city located on the border between upper and lower Galilee. The city is near Route 85 (the Acre-Safed road). The Karmiel Dance Festival is held in the city every summer for three days and nights in July.
 * – an Arab town half-way between Haifa and Nazareth with sights dating from Byzantine, Crusader and Ottoman periods.
 * – a small Arab village near Nazareth with sights from the New Testament.

Understand
The Galilee, apart from the Western Galilee, the Galilee Panhandle and the Sea of Galilee region, can be separated into the Upper Galilee and the Lower Galilee. It is generally a forested highland area with relatively sparse population. Its landscape and historical associations are a great draw for travellers.

By train
A branch line from Acre (Akko) to Karmiel opened for traffic in 2017. Together with the line, two stations opened and there are plans for a further extension, perhaps as far as Kiryat Shmona in the very northeastern corner of the country.

By bus
Many bus routes cross and serve the Galilee, e.g. between Tiberias and Haifa, Akko or Nahariyya.

By bus
There is frequent bus service between each of the 10 or so significant cities in the Galilee. However, if you want to go to a village, kibbutz, or out-of-the-way natural or historic site, bus service can be quite sparse and inconvenient. Taxis or hitchhiking can be a good solution for the "last mile" after you get off the bus at the closest stop on the main road.

By car
The Galilee has a good road system. But expect traffic even in rural areas, particularly on weekends and holidays when many people from central Israel drive here for a quick vacation.

By thumb
Hitch-hiking is definitely an option and easy along the non-highway roads, also where buses are sparse. Due to high concentration of Arab and Druze villages, it is also more likely to get picked up. Jewish Israelis are more wary nowadays, which in other parts of the country can be an issue when hitch-hiking.

Historic and religious sites



 * The village right next to Bethlehem of the Galilee is equally interesting and has a beautiful  in its centre. Alonei Abba was founded in 1907 under the German name "Waldheim" (freely translated: "Forest Home") by German Protestants affiliated with the Old-Prussian State Church.
 * The village right next to Bethlehem of the Galilee is equally interesting and has a beautiful  in its centre. Alonei Abba was founded in 1907 under the German name "Waldheim" (freely translated: "Forest Home") by German Protestants affiliated with the Old-Prussian State Church.
 * The village right next to Bethlehem of the Galilee is equally interesting and has a beautiful  in its centre. Alonei Abba was founded in 1907 under the German name "Waldheim" (freely translated: "Forest Home") by German Protestants affiliated with the Old-Prussian State Church.



Do

 * Hiking – The picturesque Galilee landscapes are covered by a dense network of hiking trails. See Hiking and backpacking in Israel for more details.

Sleep
See Nazareth for vast accommodation options.

Apart from the accommodations of the above mentioned cities and towns, there are these:

Go next

 * The Western Galilee at the coast, the Upper Galilee with the interesting Safed, the Galilee Panhandle just before the Golan Heights and of course the Sea of Galilee region are must sees close by.
 * In the south the Jezreel Valley which is an extensive inland valley, largely rural, extending inland from east of Haifa, and the Beit Shean Valley, which is the core of the north Jordan River valley.