The gateway to the northern region, Haifa sprawls between
sea and mountain. Arguably Israel's prettiest city, with more than a passing
resemblance to San Francisco and Cape Town, Haifa is also a city of
contradictions.
On one hand, the city is green and verdant as it climbs the
slopes of Mt. Carmel. On the other, Haifa is a metropolis of a quarter of a
million, home to burgeoning petrochemical, oil and computer industries. Though
a city of beautiful beaches and mountains, Haifa also suffers at times from air
that is more polluted than many other parts of the country. But the authorities
are aware of the problem and trying to reduce it.
There are other contradictions too. Haifa has survived riots
and hostilities over the centuries, but today, it is one of Israel's most
tolerant cities, where Arab and Jew, Christian and Bahai, observant and secular
live together in relative harmony. It is the only city in Israel where buses
run on the Sabbath. With its impressively large number of museums, its
attractive scenery and its sandy beaches, Haifa is well worth a visit.