Akko (Acre) – Visitor Guide with Photos

Acre (Akko) is a port city in northern Israel. It is one of the world`s oldest cities, with a rich history and many historic structures.

Basic Info

Acre is a historic city in Northern Israel. It is located on the edge of Haifa Bay (on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea). Both land routes and sea paths (Acre has a natural harbor) made Acre a commercial standpoint. And it is one of the oldest cities in the world, continuously inhabited since the Middle Bronze Age (around 4,000 years ago).

Acre Names

Acre and Akko, Ace, Ptolemais, Antioch, Germanicia in Ptolemais, Colonia Ptolemais – all these names refer to the same city. But today, Akko and Acre are the ones that are commonly used.

Locals use the name Akko. Moreover, most road signs (except touristic ones) will say Akko. I guess this name is used since it was used in the Bible. Judges 1:31:

Nor did Asher drive out those living in Akko or Sidon or Ahlab or Akzib or Helbah or Aphek or Rehob.

After the Crusaders` conquest in 1104, the city was renamed Saint John of Acre (or shortly Acre), after the Knights Hospitaller, who had their headquarters there.

During this post, I will refer to the city as Acre and Akko.

What Does Akko Mean?

The short answer is that we do not know. And here is the elaborated answer:

The source of its name is unknown, however presumably, it is not Semitic. The Egyptians were using it as long ago as the second millennium BCE. But since hieroglyphics only have two consonants, the name was written as CK. There is no way of knowing how it was pronounced (the last syllable in particular).

In the letters of El-Amrana, which were written in Acadian, the letter H is used to signify the guttural Hebrew letters alef-hey-chet-ayin; accordingly, the name of the city could be written either as Haca or Aca. Had the name not been preserved, we would not have been able to associate it with the name appearing in the hieroglyphics clearly.

The AKK spelling was preserved in the Assyrian language.

Ancient Hebrew legend has it that the Mediterranean Sea flooded the world, and when it reached the shore of Akko, it stopped short. As written in the Book of Job (38:11), “Hitherto shalt thou come, but no further.” In the legend, the Hebrew words “Ad Po” [hitherto] become “Ad ko” – hence, Akko [Akko].

Note: unless stated otherwise, all quotes were taken from the official site.

Acre and Napoleon

You will see references to Napoleon Bonaparte in many places around the city. And for example, in the movie at Turkish Bath – Hamam al-Basha, one of the characters mentions how they defeated Napoleon. And indeed, Acre is one of the few cities that withstood Napoleon’s siege.

After the siege and capture of Jaffa in 1799, Napoleon attacked Acre.

The Siege of Acre of 1799 was an unsuccessful French siege of the Ottoman-defended, walled city of Acre and was the turning point of Napoleon’s invasion of Egypt and Syria. It was Napoleon’s first strategic defeat as three years previously he had been tactically defeated at the Second Battle of Bassano.

Source: Wikipedia

UNESCO World Heritage List

The Old City of Acre was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List under the following criteria:

• Acre is an exceptional historic town that preserves the substantial remains of its medieval Crusader buildings beneath the Muslim fortified town dating from the 18th and 19th centuries.
• The remains of the Crusader town of Acre, above and below the present-day street level, provide an exceptional picture of the layout and structures of the capital of the medieval Crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem.
• Present-day Acre is an important example of an Ottoman-walled town. It has typical urban components such as the citadel, mosques, khans, and baths well preserved, partly built on top of the underlying Crusader structures.

Source: UNESCO

Tours

Before starting the visit, I just wanted to mention that Acre is a tourist destination. And many firms offer tours either only to the town or combined with other nearby attractions, like Haifa and Rosh HaNikra Grottoes. Therefore, if you love joining tours, see the Bein Harim offer above.

Old Acre Development Company

Most touristic sites in the city belong to Old Acre Development Company (official site). That allows them to sell combined tickets to various attractions in the city and outside.

The sites under their management are Hospitaller Fortress, Okashi Art Museum, Turkish Bath, Templar Tunnel, Visitors Center (near the Hospitaller Fortress), Treasures In The Walls Museum, and Ramchal Synagogue.

Opening Hours

Sites managed by Old Acre Development Company are open seven days a week.
Sunday – Thursday and Saturday: 9:00 – 18:00 (till 17:00 in winter).
Friday and holiday eve: 9:00 – 16:00

Notes:

• Winter time is November – March.
• Ramchal Synagogue is closed on Saturdays and holidays.

Entrance Fee

The basic combined ticket includes Hospitaller Fortress, Turkish Bath, The Okashi Museum, Templar Tunnel, the Treasures in the Walls Museum, and Ramchal Synagogue. It costs 49 NIS per person. On top of the basic combination, you can add additional sites like Rosh Hanikra, Haypark zoo, and others. So there is a variety of combo tickets.

Note: opening hours and ticket prices were updated in January 2023. In any case, recheck the official site before visiting.

Coupons

I revisited Akko in August 2019 and used this coupon for that visit. It allows purchasing the basic combined ticket with and without the Turkish Bath at a 15% and 18% discount, respectively. I bought it through their site and received an SMS and an email with an order number. Then I told this number to the cashier at Hospitaller Fortress and received the tickets. Moreover, since coupon processing is fast, you can probably purchase through it on-site (but keep in mind there is a delay risk).

Map

Old Acre is the old part of the modern city of Acre. Furthermore, most of the tourist attractions are located within Old Acre. And most of this post will be dedicated to this small part of the city, where most attractions can be reached within a 5-minute walk.

Directions for drivers: Link to Waze and Link to Google Maps
Directions for public transport: Link to Moovit

Interactive map of the area:

Notes:

• The first map shows the city (the Old City is in the bottom left corner). And the second map shows a closeup of the Old City of Acre.
• As you can see from the first map’s scale, the size of the Old City is about 700 by 600 meters.
• You can click on the maps to enlarge them.
• You can also find a helpful map here.

Directions

Most attractions are located within the Old City. Thus the directions mentioned below are suited for those reaching the Old City of Akko.

Public Transport

Reaching Akko can be done in several ways. You can take the train to Akko station and walk from there. You can sail from Haifa (see Sails section below) or take a bus. Here is a link to Moovit with directions from Tel Aviv to Acre. You can change the starting point and get updated directions.

Parking

You can also reach the city by car. I always park outside the old town, in the new part of Acre. And I do not recommend entering the old city by car. The closer you get to the main attractions, the fewer parking spots (this is also true for paid parking). And I do not mind a five-minute walk. But if you want a closer parking lot, you can continue driving to the Land Gate, and just before the gate to the right, there is a paid parking lot.

I usually park not far from the Tunisian Synagogue (Eliezer Kaplan street 20, Acre) and walk toward the Land Gate. Before entering the gate, you will see the sea to your left. And if you continue in that direction for twenty meters, you will see Acre Port and its walls.