Venue

The symposium will be hosted by the Dan Panorama Hotel located in the vibrant Carmel Center district of Haifa.

Haifa

Haifa view from Yaffe Nof street

Haifa, Israel's third largest city, is situated in a broad natural bay between the Mediterranean Sea and the Carmel mountain range. The city's terraced landscape offers a rich variety of breathtaking panoramas. The city has many museums and cultural centers as well as restored quarters, historic sites, and 17 km (11 mi) of beaches. Haifa's famous tourist attraction is the Bahá'í World Centre, with the golden Shrine of the Báb and the surrounding gardens, considered one of the wonders of the world. Take a look at this file for some Haifa images.

Haifa is an excellent starting point for visiting tourist attractions such as Acre (25km), Nazareth (40km), Sea of Galilee (60km) and Caesarea (40km). Jerusalem is only 150km away.

For more information, visit the following web-sites:

A scalable PDF map of Haifa can be downloaded from here.

Weather: Haifa has a mediterranean climate with warm, humid summers. June is typically balmy: average daily temperatures are a minimum of 22°C (71°F) and a maximum of 28°C (83°F). No rain should be expected.

Travel information

Ben Gurion Airport is Israel's major international gateway. It is located on the outskirts of the Tel Aviv metropolitan area, 114km (71mi) from the symposium venue. A ride between Ben Gurion Airport and Haifa should last about an hour to an hour and a half. The following transportation options are available (the prices are given in their US$ equivalents, you actually pay in ILS only):

Train:
There is direct train service (costs ≈ $9) between Ben Gurion Airport and Haifa, with trains almost every hour all night long and, mostly, twice in an hour during the day (due to public transportation adherence to Shabbat observance, there is no trains between Friday at ≈ 14:30 and Saturday at ≈ 21:30). Tickets are purchased at the vendor or the automatic machines at the entrance to the train station. Your destination is Haifa Hof HaKarmel station, which is the first stop in Haifa. From there take bus lines 3 or 133 (30 or 25min, respectively, both cost ≈ $1.5, tickets can be purchased from the driver) or taxi (costs ≈ $10) toward Carmel Center.
Taxi:
Amal taxi operates shared taxi service from the Ben Gurion Airport to Haifa (costs ≈ $15). This transport serves up to 10 passengers per vehicle and will leave the airport upon filling the cabin, so you may experience some wait time until departure. This service takes each passenger to her/his own destination, thus possibly prolonging the trip in Haifa itself. Alternatively, there are "individual" taxis from the airport (costs ≈ $95; on Shabbat—between Friday evening and Saturday evening—the price may be higher). Taxis operate continuously regardless of Shabbat.

Haifa can also be reached by sea. The Port of Haifa is the largest of Israel's international seaports. Several shipping lines offer scheduled sailing from Europe to Haifa Port. Another option for arrival by sea is to join a Mediterranean cruise which includes Israel in its itinerary. Bus lines 3, 5, and 23 can be taken from the port area to get to the Carmel Center district (≈ 30min, costs ≈ $1.5). Taxi should cost ≈ $10.

Useful info

Currency in Israel is Israeli New Sheqel (ILS or ₪). All major currencies are exchangeable. All major credit cards are usually acceptable in shops, restaurants, etc (but not in public transportation or by taxi drivers). For official exchange rates see here. More information regarding Israeli currency can be found here.

Electricity. The electric current in Israel is 220 volts AC, single phase, 50 Hz. Most Israeli sockets are of the three-pronged variety (Type H) but should accept the Europlug and, in many cases, some other European two-pronged plugs (Types E and F) as well. Electric shavers, traveling irons and other small appliances may require adapters / transformers, which can be purchased in Israel.