Upper Galilee

The Upper Galilee (Hebrew: הגליל העליון HaGalil HaElyon, Arabic: الجليل al-Jalīl) is a northern region of Israel.

Cities and villages

 * – this fascinating city is filled with artists and mystics. Since the 16th century it has been a main center of Kabbalah study.
 * – a small quiet city known primarily for the successful merger between Jewish and Arab communities
 * – a stylish tourist town with multiple restaurants and a 19th Century reconstruction site

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 make it a great draw for the traveller.

The Upper Galilee consists of rugged forested hills, of which the highest of Mount Meron, with an elevation of 1208 m. From Mount Meron, the landscape gradually slopes down on the east and west towards the Mediterranean Sea and Sea of Galilee. To the north, the Upper Galilee continues (geographically speaking) into Lebanon. To the south, there is a sudden descent to the Lower Galilee, where the highest peaks are around 500 m. Route 85, the east-west road running at the foot of this descent, is generally considered the practical boundary between Upper and Lower Galilee.

Get in

 * The closest train stations are in and.


 * 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.

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.

See

 * A number of Druze villages have an interesting culture.



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

Sleep
Many visitors to the Upper Galilee sleep in a tzimmer - a kind of bed-and-breakfast place run out of a private house. Pretty much every town and village in the Galilee has a few of these.

Go next

 * The Western Galilee at the coast, the Lower Galilee with Nazareth, the Galilee Panhandle just before the Golan Heights and of course the Sea of Galilee region are must sees closeby.
 * 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.