Haifa will have you conflicted, as it is a place to explore, plus it is a gateway to other places. It is conflicted. Stay locally and see the Baha’i Gardens at Haifa, or the view of the port of Haifa bay from Mount Carmel.
If you wish to travel under your own steam, Acre or Akko is 28 minutes away by train in the direction of Lebanon. But note that Saturday is a day when many things will be closed and public transport may not run until after dark, so if you are docked on that day the tours will sell out fast!
Acre or Akko has a bridge from the station over the port to the old walled city which still stands today. Under it was recently discovered Templar escape tunnels from their time there, but throughout history, this land has been fought over. See the Treasures in the Walls Ethnographic Museum, with exhibits from the Ottoman era to the 20th century. The mosaic-covered Or Torah (Tunisian) Synagogue has 7 Torah arks. The 18th-century Al-Jazzar Mosque has marble pillars and underground pools.
Or there is the ancient ruins and the Roman theatre at Caesarea (over an hour away) or the spectacular limestone grottoes and view the Lebanon border at Rosh Hanikra (just under two hours by train). Nazareth is quicker by car than train and time is a currency for cruisers. 46 mins by car on route 79 and there are options, but over an hour by train.
This all may come in one good tour, but it would be a long day. Plan ahead. Look at the port map and the tours. Looking at the locally offered attractions and tours is the first thing a movie location scout will do to research a place.
Local tours (allow time to load) as shown by GET YOUR GUIDE
Always remember a ship tour offers the protection of waiting for the trip to return if it is running late.
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