A new pleasure cruise line connecting the ports of Haifa and Acre is proving to be a popular tourism attraction.

The 45-minute sailing ride is a Tourism Ministry initiative meant to promote sightseeing in the northern Israeli cities.

“This is the first such project of its kind in Israel, a complex one that I set as a central objective in developing the tourism infrastructure in the north, and this, after many years of talk but without implementation. This scheduled pleasure cruise line will serve as a fixed-price tourism attraction and will help significantly in promoting tourism to Haifa and Acre,” said Tourism Minister Yariv Levin.

The first cruise set sail on October 10. High demand for a sailing ride during the Sukkot holiday – which is now underway — has prompted the Tourism Ministry to add evening sailings, in accordance with sea conditions.

A one way trip costs NIS 30, and NIS 55 for a two-way ticket. Passengers get open views of the Carmel Mountains, downtown Haifa, the coastline, the colorful Acre fishing port and the Acre Marina. The boat can hold up to 200 passengers.

The new attraction marks the first time that a scheduled pleasure cruise line has operated between Haifa and Acre, seven days a week, morning and evening, with a fixed timetable.

The Tourism Ministry invested about NIS 11 million in the upgrading of the two ports. In the near future, there will be a combined ticket offering tours to sites in Acre and Haifa.

For updates on sailing times: +972 50 5551136.