Things to Do at Haifa Port

Haifa Port stretches along 3 km of waterfront between the Bat Galim neighborhood and the mouth of the Kishon River, and while the working container terminal is off-limits, the passenger terminal area and the renovated Warehouse District along HaHistadrut Boulevard are open for free. The port has operated since the British Mandate period, when the curved breakwater was built in the 1930s, and the original stone warehouses now house restaurants, galleries, and event spaces with 8-meter ceilings and exposed concrete columns. A plate of grilled sea bream at the fish restaurants along the port promenade costs 80 to 120 ILS (about $22 to $33 USD), and you eat with a view of tugboats maneuvering between cargo cranes. Cruise ships dock at the passenger terminal from April through October, and on arrival days the port area fills with several thousand disembarking passengers headed for the Bahai Gardens shuttle buses. The Chinese workers' garden near the east end of the port commemorates the laborers who helped build the original infrastructure, a rarely visited memorial with stone benches and views of the industrial harbor. Walking the full port promenade from the passenger terminal to the Kishon River takes about 40 minutes, passing grain silos, fuel storage tanks, and the constant clang and diesel rumble of a working port. The contrast with the Bahai Gardens on the hill above, visible from every point along the waterfront, creates a distinctly Haifa juxtaposition of industry and beauty.

You can walk to the port from the German Colony in 15-20 minutes. Public buses run regularly to the area, and drivers will find parking near the viewing spots. The Haifa-Hof HaCarmel train station sits close by. Security restrictions block some areas. But the main viewing zones are clearly marked and open to visitors-no confusion about where you can go.