Haifa is a unique city. A city of contrasts and tolerance, stunning views and millions of steps to enjoy these views, long sandy beaches and nature reserves, a city where you can meet cute cats and the famous Haifa hogs with equal ease on the street. Despite the fact that Haifa is the third largest city in Israel and its largest port, life here is easy and measured.
There is a lot to see in Haifa that is not seen in the rest of Israel. This includes public transport operating on Saturdays, people of different faiths coexisting peacefully, shops open on Shabbat, and the only metro in Israel. But the most important thing in Haifa is a large amount of greenery and a unique climate, which is created by Mount Carmel, on the spurs of which the city is located.
Despite the fact that due to the volcanic origin, the soil of the mountain is fertile, the local forests and reserves have been artificially planted. Since ancient times, vineyards have been grown on the mountain, which were mercilessly destroyed by Muslim invaders, and during the Ottoman Empire, trees were also cut down on the mountain. Today, Israel is trying to restore the former diversity of the flora of the mountain and annually plant new trees on the slopes of Carmel. Unfortunately, over the past decades, the mountain range has experienced two terrible fires, which also caused significant damage to the mountain's ecosystem.
Another attraction and hallmark of Haifa are the Bahai Gardens, 19 garden terraces descending from Mount Carmel. This is a man-made garden created by the followers of the Baha'i faith around the tomb of its founder. The beauty and symmetry of the Bahai Gardens attracts tens of thousands of both pilgrims and tourists every year. Their symmetry and precision delight and calm at the same time, allowing a little rest for the eyes and mind. It is important to remember that it is forbidden to eat and smoke on the territory.
If we talk about my personal impressions of the city, they are quite mixed. For myself, I conditionally divided Haifa into 3 parts: lower, upper and Maatam district.
In the lower part, ancient buildings are concentrated, which bizarrely coexist with modern buildings that house government and municipal institutions. There are narrow streets, many coffee shops, restaurants and shops designed for tourists who almost daily leave the gangways of cruise ships.
Here in the lower part is the area of the German Colony, which is easy to figure out by the orange tiled roofs.
The lower region is no less popular with the so-called medical tourists. Here is the largest in the north of Israel and one of Israel's leading medical center "Rambam". His achievements in the field of cardiology, oncology, surgery and pediatrics have made a significant contribution to world medicine.
Nevertheless, the lower part of Haifa remains the least attractive for its inhabitants. The perpetual lack of parking spaces, abandoned old buildings in disrepair and mountains of garbage are little associated with an attractive place to live. Although this part of the city has recently begun to transform due to the creative intelligentsia and new immigrants who have chosen this area because of its low rent, there are still many problems here.
Upper Haifa is fundamentally different from the lower. There are new beautiful modern houses with underground parking, wide roads, clean sidewalks, no mountains of garbage, a lot of greenery, chain cafes, restaurants and stunning sea views.The downside of life here is undeniably high prices for both the real estate itself and the arnona - land tax. And by the way, it is most likely to meet wild boars while walking along the upper part of Haifa. If you are planning to live in Haifa for more than a couple of weeks, then having a car will be practically mandatory, because despite the excellent public transport in the city, life without a car in the upper part is not possible.
Well, for dessert, I left the area that I would choose to live personally for myself and my family - Matam, in particular its Neot Peres microdistrict. The area is located at the southern entrance to Haifa and is Israel's Silicon Valley. The offices of major global companies such as Intel, Google, Yahoo, Phillips and other well-known corporations are based here. The area is very young, has its own hospital, school, kindergarten, shopping centers. The central bus and railway stations are also located here. But the most attractive thing in this area, for me personally, is not new stylish residential complexes, not a park with a unique playground, and not even a modern football stadium.The most attractive in this area is the neighborhood with the most beautiful beach in Haifa - Dado Beach. A wide coastline, developed infrastructure, a promenade and a variety of cafes with verandas make it the best place to spend time. You can go jogging along the promenade, ride a bike along a specially allocated lane, gather for a family dinner in one of the many cafes or have a picnic right on the beach. But in any case, you will fully enjoy the most beautiful view of the Mediterranean Sea and recharge your batteries with positive emotions.
