Rosh Hanikra Acco

Rosh Hanikra and Acco

When thinking about sites of interest in Israel some are so famous, they are often overlooked. Rosh Hanikra is one such place.

We've all seen the postcards, but due to it being a site that is so far away from everything and not taking much time to see in it's entirety, it is often skipped. However, I love it. It has history both in ancient times as well as modern. Alexander the great is said to have come ashore there with his armies on his way to India and there was a well known railway that was eventually sabotaged by the Jewish underground in the early 20th century. There is also a great meat restaurant (mehadrin kashruth) overlooking the cliffs.

The view from on top from the northernmost point on the Israeli coastline is nothing short of spectacular and of course there are the grottos below which provide the views for the aforementioned postcards.

What is less well known is that you can buy combination tickets at Rosh Hanikra that also inlude discounted entry to the Crusader Citadel in Acco (Akko, Acre). It is a quick drive of around 20 minutes and you will be able to visit the most complete and well preserved castle from the crusader period I have ever seen. There are pillars in the refectory so big that to encircle them requires between 7 and 8 adults with arms outstretched. Banners of the various orders of crusader knights decorate the halls and courtyards, and of course there is a great kosher restaurant within the walls.

Thirty five years ago if you visited Acco, all you checked out was the Jail, the wharf, Napoleon's hill,maybe the Ramchal Shul and that was about it. Today after the excavation of the citadel, there is so much more to see. There are even Templar tunnels that run under the city for secret escape routes. There are also some old moslem sites like the old Hamam al Basha bathhouse turned museum or the Al Jazzar Mosque. There is a museum called 'Treasures in the Walls” with much more modern historical artifacts . Acco is both a modern and ancient city. There is a section of artist galleries in the shuk. You can watch cliff diving youths in summertime. Basically something for everyone and just a short trip from Haifa visible across the bay.