Travel Answers

What are the best sites to visit in this area, and is it worth five hours on a bus to visit Jerusalem for the day?

when arriving by cruise ship, where can you meet someone who is picking you up

My husband and I will be in Haifa on Nov. 15, 2012 arriving on a cruise ship. We'll be there for around 12 hrs so we need to maximize our time while there, we will be in Ashdod the next day and will be joining a group from our cruise on a tour to Jerusalem/Dead Sea with Group Tours Israel (GTI). They set a tour for Haifa but we just didnt love it so looked for something different. I found a tour through TourPlanIsrael thar sounds great. Goes to Caesarea, Acre and some other stuff, it sounds great. The problem is I cant find any reviews or info on them, is there anyone who has used them or that lives there that could let me know if i can trust them? The reason I'm worried is we were on a cruise in 2009 that went to Alexandria, Egypt. Same situation, we only had fom 7 am til 10 pm. Weeks in advance i set up a tour with Best way travel, got confirmation, all was good. We stopped in rhodes a couple of days before, i checked my email at an internet cafe and they said they needed confirmation, i said yes u have to pick us up, i checked from turkey next day no response. Of course they didnt show up to port, had to hire taxi, just spoiled the day. This is main reason were going back, we stop in port said and alexandria the next two days, have an overnight tourthrough ramses. When i contacted them after we got home, she said they require a confirmation before tour, i told her i was in middle of ocean couldnt read mails, i did reply from 3different ports and i had a confirmation email/number. I' m sorry this is so long but I just wanted yall to see why its important for me to have some type of review. I know its not fool proof but at least its something. Thanks, Marilyn

Hi whats the best way to get from Haifa to Zichron Yaakov (wine Street) Apart from wine street, what else is there to do? Thanks in advance

Hi All We are coming to Haifa on a cruise ship and will have one and half days to stay there. Its Sunday 6th August to Monday around 12.30. I would like someone to plan my whole time there and very local places to visit. In evening I would like to go to bar/s pub/s and maybe an Indian restaurant.I prefer local transport as I am well travelled. Is there any international shows in town at that time? All suggestions will be appreciated and I look forward to your replies and as always thanks in advance. Bal

We are coming in on a cruise on a Saturday. We will be there all day and leave the next day mid-day. We have four adults and three small children (ages 1-5) and would like to do a self-guided tour of as much of Israel as possible, most likely staying overnight Saturday night. All the rental car companies seem to be closed on Saturday (Sabbath) an almost all the tours are booked. Any suggestions? Thanks so much!!!

Wij zijn binnenkort twee dagen in Haifa. Kan iemand aangeven welke bussen vanuit de haven naar de diverse bezienswaardigheden en winkelcentra in Haifa gaan of is het verstandiger per taxi te gaan. Wij zouden willen zien; de grot van Elia, de graftombe van Bab, het karmalietenklooster Stella Maris, de Souk in Wadi Nismas, maar ook het Atlit Camp. Ook zou ik willen weten welk winkelcentrum echt de moeite waard is omdat het zo bijzonder is. Als laatste zou ik willen weten op welke manier wij van de haven naar de Druzendorpen Usfiyah en Daliat el Karmel kunnen komen.

My wife and I stop in Haifa over night on a cruise (MSC Magnifica). We are scheduled to get there at 1400 on Feb 21 and leave at 2000 on Feb 22. Since the excursions offered by the cruise did not allow much time in Jerusalem (5 hours), we have decided to get there on our own, spend the night, and then return to the ship the next day. After having considered traveling to Jerusalem by several methods (car rental, train, bus), we have determined that the bus is likely our best option. We THINK we have found the bus route we need to take, but we are having a difficult time finding some more information about the journey: 1) What is the best bus stop to use from the Haifa port? The Egged website has a stop called "Ha-Ir ha-Takhtit, Port." Is this the bus stop nearest to where we will emerge from the port? How do we find the stop? 2) We have attempted to find information about the reliability of the Egged bus schedule, but have had no success. As you can imagine, we will need to be certain to plan sufficient time on our return journey to ensure that our cruise ship does not leave without us. The bus schedule allows us to leave Jerusalem at 1630 and arrive in Haifa at 1845. Since our return trip will be during the evening rush hour, this itinerary leaves us a cushion of 1 hour 45 minutes for the bus to get through any delays that might be encountered. Is this reasonable? Are the buses usually relatively true to the schedule? Thank you in advance for any assistance you can lend!

hi can i walk to many things from the port of haifa[not easy with m,s lol]and anyone there like to meet up? also in ashod the day before

I want to visit the Baha'i Gardens when my cruise ship docks for the day. In what currency will I pay the taxi driver and the entrance fee? Thanks for your help.

Will be in Haifa December 18th through 24th--what are the possibility of english speaking one-two day tours to Roman, Christiain, Moslem and Jewish sites. Do you know of any tour operators? Thank you

Dear travellers, I will spend 6 days in Haifa from 10-15 October 2010 for a scientific conference and have got 3 days off for sightseeing (One of these days I will go to Jerusalem by an organised tour, 1 day I will dedicate to a visit of Haifa). On another day I want to visit parts of the North of Israel, e.g. the region Galilee (to enjoy the green landscape), or the Sea of Galilee (to visit Kapharnaum and other sites mentioned the Bible), the Golan region (?) and/or Nazareth. Please, can you tell me any tour organiser who will start from Haifa (either any city square or even from the main hotels; as we stay at Nof Hotel) for a guided one-day tour into one or more of the mentioned areas. I would greatly appreciate your soon recommendations. Many thanks in advance for your help! Norbs2

My question is: "How Many Visitors were there in 2009 to the Baha'i Hanging Gardens in Haifa?" The Arc Project was officially completed in September 2001. The Terraces from the top to the bottomof Mt.Carmel have now been completed andopen to the public for nearly nine years. Is there any chance of these beautiful gardens having problems obtaining a supply of water in such a dry land?

I was very touched when I realized that May and Paul Goldschmidt did this in memory of their son. It is garland on the brow of Carmel, is there anyway that the cleanup and maintenance could be done more regularly. It seems such a shame that people abuse this beautiful space. Is there anywhere that I could find out more about Louis Ariel their son? I know there is also a zoo named in his honour I will definitely see it on my next visit to your beautiful friendly city, a Jewel at the eastern terminus of the Mediterranean.

Hello Forum Visitors: Would anyone know where to rent a car in Haifa on a Saturday morning? All the major agencies seem to be closed for Shabbat. We're arriving by ship around 10:00AM and would like to rent a car to visit the country for the next two days. Thank you!

Hi, I am coming to the carmel spa from Jerusalem on sunday or monday may 9, or 10. I have done some research and i think the best bet is to take the 940 bus from jerusalem cbs to the haifa khof hakarmel cbs. my question is what to do AFTER this step to get to the spa? is there a bus to take? or is it close enough to take a cab?

Hi there! We will be on a cruise "Vision of the seas" and we will be visiting Haifa and Ashdod on the 4th and 5th November respectively. We have already book a 7 seater van for600, and are looking for a group of three people to join our party of 4. If anyone is interested please contact me at george.galea[at]gmail.com and I will send you further details.

Hello everyone, In the end of September I'm arriving to Tel Aviv and then going to Haifa. I'm completly new in the country, so I know nothing. I have several questions: Q1:is it worth to rent a car and get to Haifa by car, and just hang around by driving, moving from one place to another: like from beach to restaurant and so on? Q2: is there some cheap options to stay in the Haifa or nearby(hotels charge from 70-200$/night)? Q3: I'm going to be there for about 5 days: is it worth to stay in Haifa or I should go somewhere else(I'm going to visit my girlfriend, so i want just see country and have fun). I would appreciate any advices and comments, Dmitry

Hello!!! my family and i are going to visit Haifa on september. We will be cruising and docking there for only one day, from 10 am to 10 pm, and was wondering if anyone had any recommendations on what to see, what to visit, what tour to take. I´ve read about a visit to the gardens, a visit to Nazareth, Canna, among other destinations... which would you recommend? thank you!!!

shalom !! it seems that bahai gardens reservation is closed on fridays and saturdays. but can you visit these gardens on fridays or sat, provided you booked before ? thanks valerie (from cloudy paris)

IS THERE A WAY TO TRAVEL FROM RHODES TO HAIFA

Can anyone tell me where one would be able to purchase origami paper or Japanese music CDs in Haifa? Any assistance would be greatly appreciated.

What is the best way to get from Jerusalem to Haifa? By bus, by train? Any help would be appreciated.

Hi, I am visiting Haifa in a couple of weeks with my fiance and have been told you can get a boat to Cyprus from Haifa. Does anyone have further information, website with costings? Also I only have 2-3 days in Haifa before going onto the Dead Sea, does anyone have suggestions of the best places to visit, see, restuarant in 2 days. We will be staying in the Carmel area. Thanks

I am visting my brother in Haifa in september with my fiancee. We want to take a one day tour from Haifa to Jerusalem in English, is this offered by anyone??? Or do we have to go to Jerusalem first and then start the tour from there? Also we went to visit Eilat. What is the best way to get to Eliat from Haifa? Should we take the bus? Should we take the train to Tel Aviv and then hop a flight to Eilat? Finally we want to visit Petra at some point for a day. What is the best way to get to Petra from Haifa? THANK YOU IN ADVANCE. This will be very helpful in planning a perfect trip!

Price is no object -- I just wish to know where the best food is to be found in the German Colony. I am arriving Wednesday and I meting a friend and I wish to take her out for a special treat. Thanks in advance.

We will be taking a tour of Eqypt in September and want to go to Israel for several weeks too. What is the best way to get from Cairo to Israel? Thank you

Years go, I arrived from Athens to Haifa by boat. It was such a beautiful way to begin my trip. I would like to do something similar with my family but I understand there are no more boats from Greece. What other ports are there? Thanks for your help

Are pubs and restaurants open on Friday nights in Haifa. I am staying near the German Colony.

Shalom! how are you all? I have a question regarding the "famous" guided tour of the Gardens. I read in the VT forum and in others that you *had* to make reservations for a tour and just for one area and well in advance. Now I'm at tour-haifa.co.il/eng/modules... and they say, I quote: "It is possible to visit three areas of the Bahai Gardens without making an appointment" and that "if you want you can take part in a guided tour...". So now I see there's no such "obligation" in hiring a tour, which I thought there was. Is this so? One can go and visit the gardens all alone? thanks a lot, kind regards