Safed
Israel · Northern District · 900 m
Description
Safed (צְפַת) is the highest city in Israel at around nine hundred metres and one of the four holy cities of Judaism, and it became the centre of Jewish mysticism in the sixteenth century when kabbalists including Isaac Luria settled here after the expulsion from Spain. The synagogues they founded are still in use and painted the particular pale blue that is meant to keep away the evil eye and now colours half the doors in the old town. An artists' quarter grew in the abandoned Arab houses after 1948 and the stone lanes are full of galleries.
Length of stay
Recommended length of stay: 1 to 2 days (optimal 1 day)
Travel season
Best time to visit: April – June or September – October
- Jan
- Feb
- Mar
- Apr
- May
- Jun
- Jul
- Aug
- Sep
- Oct
- Nov
- Dec
Highlights
- Old city lanes and the blue-painted doors
- Ari and Abuhav synagogues
- Artists' quarter galleries
- Kabbalah study houses and the mystic tradition
- Old cemetery and the tombs of the kabbalists
- Citadel park viewpoint over the Galilee
- Candle factory and the craft workshops
- Mount Meron and the tomb of Shimon bar Yochai(Day trip)
- Klezmer festival in the old city (approx. August)
- Upper Galilee wineries around the town(Day trip)