Haifa, Israel’s third-largest metropolitan city, sits on a hill overlooking a bay. Haifa is very different from either Jerusalem or Tel Aviv. It is beautiful and has a lifestyle of its own.

Haifa’s Baha’i Shrine and Gardens are very impressive. The well-maintained gardens with their cypress trees, stone eagles and peacocks are restful. Bab the Baha’ Allah’s messenger is buried under the grand domed shrine.

Stella Maris is made up of a lighthouse, a monastery and a church. The construction of the church began in 1836. It is a beautiful structure, with brightly patterned Italian marble. Brother Luigi Poggi paintings on the dome depict episodes from the Old Testament. Elijah’s Cave is at the bottom of Cape Carmel, below the Carmelite Monastery and the lighthouse.

Other attractions are:
• The National Maritime Museum covers five thousand years of maritime history in the Mediterranean and the Red Sea
• The Haifa Museum of Art houses contemporary sculpture and painting, with a strong stress on Israeli art.
• Muhraka, outside Haifa, boasts of an impressive stone statue of Elijah, a lovely Carmelite monastery and views over half of Israel.

Evenings in Haifa can be spent dining at fine restaurants, watching concerts or just strolling around town. Haifa is a family holiday destination.