Travel
For your next Israeli adventure, head north
Chances are you’ve done Israel’s greatest hits, so now it’s time for its hidden gems
May 9, 2025 09:14
By Josh Kaplan
4 min read
Chances are you’ve done Israel’s greatest hits, so now it’s time for its hidden gems
May 9, 2025 09:14By Josh Kaplan
If you’ve been to Israel more than twice, you’ve probably done the Greatest Hits tour. The falafel in the shuk, the long, dusty trek up Masada at 5am, the dip in the Dead Sea that leaves your skin dry and your Instagram full of sunburnt selfies. And that’s all great. If you haven’t floated in hypersalinity and had a spiritual epiphany at the Kotel, have you really been?
But here’s the thing. Once the highlights have been ticked off, once you’ve debated the two-state solution with your cousin’s friend’s army boyfriend over hummus in Tel Aviv, what next?
The answer should be: go north.
Haifa, the Galilee, and the Golan Heights are places that most British Jews have either vaguely driven with no particular destination, or visited once on an Israel tour in 2006 and mentally filed away under “green, a bit foggy.” But they’re also home to some of the most intriguing, creative, and unexpectedly moving places in Israel, especially now, when the country is both immeasurably changed and defiantly the same.
Here are ten reasons to head north on your next visit.
Start at the Louis Promenade, where Haifa unfurls at your feet: port cranes, blue water in the pristine bay, the rolling hills of Lebanon beyond. It’s peaceful in a way that surprises you. From the top of Haifa, the meticulously manicured Baha’i Gardens cascade down the mountain in terraced perfection and are the perfect place to start exploring the city.
Israelly cool: Baha'i gardens in Haifa[Missing Credit]
Baha'i Gardens[Missing Credit]
Just downhill is Wadi Nisnas, a neighbourhood where Muslims, Christians, and Jews work and live side by side in a way that feels… ordinary. That’s the miracle. The market is fragrant – think za’atar, citrus fruits, freshly prepared Arab delicacies – and replete with stone balconies and spice shops, alleyways with Arabic graffiti and Hebrew street signs: messy coexistence in every direction.
Back in Haifa’s port, a once-derelict neighbourhood is now the city’s artistic soul, where the walls speak volumes. Take a tour and you’ll spot vibrant street art, where some pieces mourn the October 7 attacks, honour Maccabi Haifa fans lost in battle, or quietly rage at the world’s indifference. There’s also a tribute to Inbar Haiman – the artist known as Pink, who was murdered by Hamas.
Graffiti at Haifa port[Missing Credit]
The view of Haifa from the Louis promenade[Missing Credit]
Half an hour north, Acre (Akko) feels like Jaffa’s moodier cousin – older, thicker-walled, more mysterious. You can walk through Crusader halls under Ottoman roofs, down tunnels built by Templars who had no idea TikTok would ever be a thing. At the harbour, Uri Buri – one of Israel’s most famous chefs – still hosts diners with his Santa Claus beard and gentle soul. He stayed even after his restaurant was firebombed during unrest in 2021. It’s a lesson in resilience, with raw fish. In a just world, he would have a Netflix show and a seat in the Knesset.
In a sleepy village called Ma’ilya, we drank arak with Bassil, a Christian distiller whose family has lived there for generations, and who is now part of a new movement of artisanal distilleries in Israel.
The National park at Tel Dan is part archaeological site, part rainforest trail. You walk past ancient city walls and gurgling streams (one of the Jordan’s main sources) under trees that look rather Edenic. There’s also the Banias, where waterfalls crash under a suspended footbridge surrounded by luscious forest.
At Tel Faher, war history is on full display. Once a Syrian bunker, now a memorial to the IDF’s Golani Brigade who bravely captured the hill from the Syrians in 1967. The site includes trenches, lookout points and is a great place to learn about the story of Eli Cohen, the Israeli spy who infiltrated Syria at the highest levels. It’s impossible not to feel the weight of history here.
Yes, really: this is Israel, where ingenuity and agriculture go hand in hand. Sade is the name of a field at Kibbutz Ein Zivan where lavender and Damask roses are turned into boutique cosmetics. There are snacks and serenity. Nishi Wasabi is a pioneering farm growing real wasabi root in the Israeli climate – not the dyed horseradish imposter you’re used to. And at Assaf Winery, you can sip wine in a stone courtyard with goats bleating in the background. It feels Tuscan. But kosher.
Perfumed cocktails at the Sadé lavender farm in Kibbutz Ein Zivan[Missing Credit]
Local bread and cheese at the Assaf winery[Missing Credit]
From the Golan’s high fields, ride down toward the Sea of Galilee and you’ll find Moshav Ramot, home to artists, off-grid dreamers and a ranch with sunset horseback rides. For 90 minutes, you’re part of the land – galloping past fig trees and fire trails, the lake glinting below. Up above is Sussita, an ancient city once Roman, later Byzantine, now mostly reclaimed by weeds and history buffs. The view from the ruined amphitheatre makes you forget your phone battery’s at two per cent.
Coffee cart at Ramot moshav[Missing Credit]
End your journey in Tzfat – the blue-doored city of mystics and merchants. Here, you’ll find gallery owners who speak in half-parables and a tasting tour that includes Yemenite lahoh, Georgian cheese and pickled everything. The Artists’ Quarter is Instagram gold.
Tourism is down. Hotels are half-empty. And yet, life goes on. Loudly, colourfully, defiantly, Israeli-y. Artists paint. Chefs serve. Nature blossoms.
For those of us watching from London, the war can seem overwhelming. A mess of grief, anger, and helplessness. But on the ground, Israelis continue to do what they have always done: build, argue, kvetch, laugh. Supporting that, not with platitudes, but with your presence, is one of the most Jewish things you can do.
Josh Kaplan was a guest of the Israel Government Tourist Office
