After departing Haifa on our day tour with Abraham Tours, we headed to the Muslim town and ancient port of Akko.
We pulled up around lunch and the town was bustling. I was immediately yelled at by a man for taking pictures in the market but had no issues with my camera the rest of the time.
As we wandered through the alleyways towards Humus Siad for lunch, Maggie and I realized we looked very much out of place. Most of the women were dressed very conservatively with head scarves and long robes.
At Siad, we ordered a plate of hummus to share. Maggie and I always split food when we travel to save money or allow us to try more dishes. And if we’re still hungry we can always order more.
Expect to be pushed into a table with strangers at Siad because it is a very popular lunch spot. The hummus comes out almost immediately along with a pile of pita and a plate of pickled vegetables. The menu was not in English but we had no trouble ordering hummus and tap water, which is fine to drink in Israel. To pay we had to go up to a man sitting at a stand and repeat what we had ordered. For about 20 shekels we settled our entire bill and were off to explore again.
The Turkish bazaar and the eastern sea wall are worth a look, but we skipped the movie screened at the Turkish bath house. Our driver kindly provided a map with tourist attractions because a guide is not provided for this stop. You can also download the Abraham Tours app which provides offline walking tour guides for more information about Akko.
Putting It Together
- Abraham Tours offers a tour of Haifa, Akko and Rosh Hanikra every Tuesday
- The entire tour costs 290 NIS (about $70) and can be booked in advance here
- The tour picks up at 7 AM near Mary’s Well in Nazareth
- In addition to the three cities, you will also stop at a local olive grove and Mount Precipice
- The driver will drop you off and give you enough time to stop for lunch and explore the city
- Abraham Tours provides an offline walking guideof Akko (Acre) that you can download in their app for more information
- Get hummus for lunch at Siad
Overall, I really enjoyed the freedom of this self-guided tour and was impressed with how many cities we hit in one day. You can read about the other parts of this day trip here and here.
Do you prefer self-guided tours to those with a strict schedule?
Planning your own trip to Israel and looking for suggestions? Check out my itinerary for one week in Israel plus a second week to visit Jordan and Egypt.
Wondering why I’m in Israel? Read this post here.
A big thank you to Tourist Israel, Abraham Tours, Abraham Hostel, Hayarkon 48, Fauzi Azar Inn and everyone else who has helped plan this trip and make it possible.