Today my uncle, sister, and I depart Tel Aviv and rent a car to drive north along the coast. We plan to visit three areas: the historic port town of Caesarea, the bustling metropolis Haifa, and walled city of Acre.

Let’s start with Caesarea, located about 45 minutes by car from Tel Aviv. It was built around 25 B.C. by Herod the Great and was a part of the Roman Empire. Over the last 2,000 years, it’s been conquered by Muslims and Crusaders and more; each ruling group crumbled the previous city and built over it with their own. What remains is layer upon layer of civilizations.

It’s an active archaeological site and they’re working to restore sections.

Located right on the sea, Caesarea was a strategic location for early civilizations.

I have fun photographing the amphitheater.

They used to hold chariot races on the dirt tracks below. Bonus: a water view for spectators!

We continue to soak up the seaside air over lunch — there are a number of restaurants right at the site.

We map out our afternoon route on Beth’s well-marked map.

Our next stop is Haifa, the third largest city in Israel. It’s positioned on the slopes of Mount Carmel and continues to serve as an important seaport.

We drive up to Bahai Gardens, a site our guide book and friends in Tel Aviv have assured us we must visit. There are no tours this late in the afternoon but we can walk around the very top for photo opportunities. It’s quite pretty and I wish we could explore further below.

Our final stop for the day is Acre, a walled village and one of the oldest continually habited sites in the world. It’s getting dark but we have just enough time to wander its charming (and occasionally creepy in low light) alleyways.

Upon entering the city walls, we are swallowed up by tunnels and alleys. We’re fascinated by this and so glad we made the call to stop by, even though it’s late in the day.

We are headed towards the Templars’ Tunnel, which is set to close in about 15 minutes. It’s a little tricky to navigate all the twists and turns, but we just make it.

It turns out that 15 minutes is plenty of time.

Projections on the wall showcase what life was like in Acre during the Crusaders period, when the tunnels were used.

Back above ground, we wander some more.

We eventually get separated (because I pause way too frequently for photos) but easily reconnect through the Viber app on our iPhones.

Even though the sun has set, it’s only around 7pm. We drive the final hour or so to Galilee and find our hotel. More on the historic and religiously important sites in this area next week!