The 8 Best Attractions in Akko (2026)

Updated July 2026 · 8 picks

The best attractions in Akko in 2026 are the Knights' Halls, the Templars' Tunnel and the Al-Jazzar Mosque. Akko is a UNESCO-listed walled city built on top of a Crusader one — the medieval town is literally underneath the Ottoman streets — and almost everything is within ten minutes' walk. Below are eight, in the order to do them.

1. The Knights' Halls (Hospitaller Fortress) — Old City, north side

The vaulted Crusader city, excavated from beneath the Ottoman one.

₪₪ Mid-rangeBest for Families · Couples · Groups

The Knights' Halls are the excavated Crusader compound of the Hospitaller order — a complex of vast vaulted halls, a refectory, a courtyard and living quarters, buried for centuries beneath the Ottoman city built on top of it.

The scale is what surprises people: these are enormous Gothic spaces, largely intact, sitting a few metres below the streets you walked in on. The Crusader capital of the kingdom of Jerusalem in its final decades is essentially preserved under the modern town.

It is the single best reason to come to Akko, and it is where any visit should start.

Good to know: Buy the combination ticket at the entrance — it covers the tunnel and the hammam too and saves money.

Google Maps Website

2. The Templars' Tunnel — Old City, running to the harbour

A 350-metre Crusader escape tunnel running under the city to the port.

₪₪ Mid-rangeBest for Families · Groups

The Templars' Tunnel is a 350-metre passage cut by the Knights Templar to connect their fortress on the western shore to the port, rediscovered in the 1990s when a resident reported a blocked sewer.

It is now lit and walkable end to end, emerging by the harbour, and it is exactly what a secret Crusader tunnel ought to be — low, stone-cut and slightly damp.

It takes about fifteen minutes to walk and is included in the combination ticket.

Good to know: Walk it toward the harbour rather than away — you emerge exactly where you want to eat.

Google Maps Website

3. Al-Jazzar Mosque — Old City centre

The largest mosque outside Jerusalem, built by Akko's fearsome Ottoman governor.

₪ BudgetBest for Couples · Families · Groups

The Al-Jazzar Mosque was built in 1781 by Ahmed Pasha al-Jazzar, the Ottoman governor who successfully defended Akko against Napoleon, and it is the largest mosque in Israel outside Jerusalem.

Its green dome and white minaret dominate the old city skyline, and the courtyard — with its columns taken from Caesarea and Atlit — is a genuinely peaceful space in the middle of a busy town.

It is an active mosque. Modest dress is required and covering is provided at the entrance; visiting is not possible during prayers.

Good to know: Modest dress is required and enforced — robes are lent at the gate if you need one.

Google Maps Website

4. Akko fishing harbour — Southern edge of the Old City

A working fishing port under the walls, and the best seafood in Israel beside it.

₪ BudgetBest for Couples · Families · Groups

Akko's harbour has been in use for thousands of years and is still a working fishing port, with boats coming in under the Ottoman sea walls and nets drying on the quay.

It is the most photogenic corner of the city and the natural place to end a walk through the old town, with the walls curving round and the Haifa bay opening out to the south.

Uri Buri, a few steps away, is one of the best seafood restaurants in the country and reason enough on its own to come to Akko.

Good to know: Book Uri Buri before you travel — it fills up and it is the best meal in the north.

Google Maps Website

5. Hamam al-Basha (the Turkish bath) — Old City, near the Knights' Halls

An eighteenth-century Ottoman bathhouse, presented as a multimedia show.

₪₪ Mid-rangeBest for Families · Couples

Hamam al-Basha is the Turkish bath built by al-Jazzar in the eighteenth century, with its marble halls, domed steam rooms and coloured glass skylights preserved intact.

It is presented as a multimedia experience — the story of the bath told by the voice of the last bathhouse attendant — which sounds gimmicky and works rather well, particularly with children.

It is included in the combination ticket and takes about half an hour.

Good to know: The presentation is aimed at children and genuinely holds them — a good mid-afternoon stop.

Google Maps Website

6. The Old City walls — Around the Old City

The Ottoman fortifications that stopped Napoleon, walkable most of the way round.

₪ BudgetBest for Families · Couples · Groups

Akko's walls were rebuilt and massively strengthened by al-Jazzar in the late eighteenth century, and they held against Napoleon's siege in 1799 — the point at which his eastern campaign ended.

Much of the circuit is walkable, with cannon still in position and the sea on one side and the old city on the other, and it is the best way to grasp how the town is laid out.

It is free and open, and it works well as the first or last thing you do.

Good to know: Walk the sea wall at sunset — the light on the stone and the fishermen below is the picture of Akko.

Google Maps Website

7. The Turkish Bazaar and souk — Old City centre

A restored Ottoman market hall, and a working souk around it.

₪ BudgetBest for Couples · Families · Groups

The Turkish Bazaar is a restored Ottoman-era market hall in the middle of the old city, now holding craft shops, galleries and cafés under its vaulted roof.

Around it runs the working souk — spices, fish, produce, sweets and household goods sold to residents rather than visitors, which is the more interesting half.

The contrast between the restored hall and the everyday market beside it is what makes the old city feel alive rather than preserved.

Good to know: Walk past the restored hall into the working souk behind it — that is where the city actually shops.

Google Maps Website

8. Okashi Art Museum — Old City, near the Knights' Halls

A quiet gallery of Avshalom Okashi's work, in a restored old city building.

₪ BudgetBest for Couples · Solo

The Okashi Art Museum occupies a restored building in the old city and is devoted to the work of Avshalom Okashi, an Israeli painter who lived and worked in Akko until his death in 1980.

It is small and almost always empty, and it provides a genuinely welcome half hour of quiet between the Crusader halls and the souk.

It is generally included in the combination ticket.

Good to know: The quietest room in the old city — useful when the souk gets overwhelming.

Google Maps Website

Frequently asked questions

How long do you need in Akko?

A full day covers the main sites comfortably: the Crusader halls, the tunnel, the mosque, the hammam, the souk and the harbour, with lunch in between. An overnight inside the walls turns it into something better, because the old city empties in the evening and is at its best then.

Is there a combined ticket for Akko's sites?

Yes. The Old Acre Development Company sells combination tickets covering the main sites — the Knights' Halls, the Templars' Tunnel, the Turkish bath and others — which is cheaper than paying separately and is what most visitors should buy.

Is Akko safe to visit?

Yes. It is a mixed Jewish and Arab city visited by Israeli families and international tourists daily, and the old city is compact and well signposted. Ordinary care in a busy market town is all that is required.

Can I do Akko as a day trip?

Easily. It is around thirty minutes north of Haifa and about ninety minutes from Tel Aviv, with a direct train to Akko station a short walk from the old city. It combines naturally with Rosh HaNikra and the northern coast.

What should I eat in Akko?

Fish and seafood at the harbour, and hummus in the old city — Akko's hummus is among the best in the country. Uri Buri, near the harbour, is the destination restaurant and one of the finest seafood kitchens in Israel.

1. The Knights' Halls (Hospitaller Fortress) — Old City, north side

2. The Templars' Tunnel — Old City, running to the harbour

3. Al-Jazzar Mosque — Old City centre

4. Akko fishing harbour — Southern edge of the Old City

5. Hamam al-Basha (the Turkish bath) — Old City, near the Knights' Halls

6. The Old City walls — Around the Old City

7. The Turkish Bazaar and souk — Old City centre

8. Okashi Art Museum — Old City, near the Knights' Halls

Frequently asked questions

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