Experience the best of Haifa

Haifa rises in tiers from the Mediterranean up Mount Carmel, with the port at the bottom, the German Colony in the middle and the residential Carmel neighbourhoods along the ridge. The Bahá'í Gardens, nineteen terraces of lawns, stairways and fountains around the golden-domed Shrine of the Báb, are a World Heritage Site. The German Colony's main street, Ben-Gurion Boulevard, is lined with 19th-century houses built by Templer settlers.

Wadi Nisnas, an Arab quarter of the lower city, has a market of spices, bread and sweets and an arts centre, Beit HaGefen. The Carmelite monastery of Stella Maris stands on the headland, the Louis Promenade gives views over the bay, and the Carmelit, a short underground funicular, is among the smallest metro systems in the world. Within reach are the old city of Acre with its Crusader halls, the Roman ruins of Caesarea and the Carmel forest with its Druze villages.

Hummus, falafel, kubbeh and fresh salads fill the family restaurants of Wadi Nisnas and the Carmel, and seafood arrives from the port. Summers are hot and humid, winters mild and wet, and spring and autumn are the most pleasant. The Technion, a major technical university, gives the city a student crowd.