Welcome to the Haifa cruise port guide. There is a famous saying that goes: “In Tel Aviv they dance, in Jerusalem they pray, but in Haifa we work.” Haifa is the 3rd largest city in Israel with 300.000 inhabitants. It is the centre of international trade and operates the most important port of the country. The city of Haifa is not the best destination in Israel although the Baha’i Gardens are absolutely magnificent. We do, however, recommend you to go a little further afield and visit the amazing places like Acre, Nazareth, Yardenit or Caesarea. Find out how to get there in the Haifa cruise port guide underneath.
Travel information Israel
Official currency – Israeli new shekel
Accepts Us dollars – are sometimes accepted
Creditcards – are often accepted
Drives on the – right
Timezone – UTC +2
About Israel
Inhabitants – 8,2 million
Official language – Hebrew and Arabic
Capital city – Jerusalem
State of Israel
Government – Unitary parliamentary republic
Cruise port guide Haifa – Israel: docked
Cruise ships dock at the port of Haifa. The Haifa cruise terminal is well equipped with tourist information, shops and free w-fi.
Haifa by foot
The distance between the Haifa cruise port and city centre is about 1 mile or 15 minutes walk. You can also catch public bus 23 or a taxi to the city centre. The city is build on a hill so expect to do some uphill walking when exploring Haifa by foot.
Taxis
The taxi prices are posted in the Haifa cruise terminal. Expect to pay the following one way prices: Acre: 125 NIS (+/- 33 USD) Nazareth: 189 NIS (+/- 50 USD) Tel-Aviv: 471 NIS (+/- 122 USD) Jerusalem: 780 NIS (+/- 210 USD)
Public Transport
Haifa’s public transport system is pretty extensive. Take local bus 23 from the cruise port’s exit to the city centre and the Baha’i Gardens. The nearest bus stop is marked in the map above. You can also use Haifa’s metro system, which is the only one in the country. There is also a train service just outside the port area.
Train
You can also easily take the train from Haifa cruise port to Acre in just 30 minutes. Plan your trip on http://www.rail.co.il/EN/Pages/Homepage.aspx. Please know the station closest to the Haifa cruise port is called Haifa Centre HoShmona. It is located right near the cruise terminal. See map above for exact location. The train station closest to Acre is Ako.
Local Currency
The official currency of Israel is the Israeli New Shekel. Rule of thumb is 1 Shekel is 0,25 USD or 0,23 euro cents. Some shops will take US dollars or Euro and most shops takes creditcards.
Things to see and do in town:
Baha’i Gardens
Things to see and do out of town:
Acre – 26 km north of Haifa cruise port Nazareth – 50 km east of Haifa cruise port Yardenit – 75 km east of Haifa cruise port Caesarea – 44 km south of Haifa cruise port Essentials Official currency – Israeli new shekel Accepts Us dollars – are sometimes accepted Creditcards – are often accepted Drives on the – right Timezone – UTC +2 Israel Inhabitants – 8,2 million Official language – Hebrew and Arabic Capital city – Jerusalem State of Israel Government – Unitary parliamentary republic FAQ – Is there a chance the ship doesn’t go to Israel? Always, there is never a guarantee the ship is able to go although they will do their very best. – Is it safe in Israel? Generally the areas that you will visit are safe. If it wouldn’t be, the ship wouldn’t go there. – Is it better to go with an excursion? If you do go without excursion please know the city can be quite congested. It is better to go with a guide. You don’t necessarily need an excursion in Israel, but you are missing out on a lot of interesting information if you go without information. Make sure to bring a guide or book along.
