The best way to see these world famous gardens is to take a free, 45-minute Upper Terrace Tour from the top of the gardens. Except on Wednesday, an English-language tour starts at noon, with additional tours in Hebrew or Russian on most days at 11am and 2pm (see the website for the monthly schedule). It’s first come, first served, so get there a half-hour ahead. Both men and women must wear clothing that covers their shoulders (a shawl is OK) and knees.
Laid out on the slopes of Mt Carmel between 1987 and 2001, the Baha’i Gardens have 19 terraces with a distinctly classical feel – wrought-iron gates lead to flower beds, soothing pools, fountains, stone balustrades, sculptures and impossibly steep lawns, all with panoramas of Haifa Bay that defy superlatives. One hundred full-time gardeners are on hand to maintain the site. Along with Akko’s Shrine of Baha’ullah, the gardens were given Unesco World Heritage status in 2008.
The golden-domed Shrine of the Bab , completed in 1953, is the final resting place of the Bab, Baha’ullah’s spiritual predecessor, who was executed in Persia in 1850; his remains were brought to Haifa in 1909. Combining the style and proportions of European architecture with motifs inspired by Eastern traditions, it was designed by a Canadian architect, built with Italian stone and decorated with Dutch tiles.
Buildings (closed to the public) around the gardens include the Universal House of Justice , a domed neoclassical structure with Corinthian columns from which the Baha’is’ spiritual and administrative affairs are governed; and the Archives , in a green-roofed structure that looks like the Parthenon.
About 100m up the hill from the tour entrance, extraordinary views can be had from the Viewing Balcony .
Note that the line for the Upper Terrace Tour can be long when there’s a cruise liner or US Navy ship in port. Admission is limited to 60 people (120 if there are two guides available). Eating, smoking and chewing gum are forbidden in the gardens.
To get to the start of the Upper Terrace Tour from Carmel Centre (the Carmelit’s Gan HaEm stop), walk 1km north along Yefe Nof St , which affords the city’s finest bay views. The tour ends down on HaTziyonut Blvd – to get back up to Carmel Centre, take bus 136 (6.90NIS, every 15 minutes) or a sherut (line 136, 7NIS); count on paying about 30NIS for a taxi. Bus 115 links the gardens’ lower entrance on HaTziyonut Blvd with both the Haifa-Merkazit HaMifratz and Haifa-Hof HaCarmel bus stations.
