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Safed Old City Tours

Safed Old City – the capital of the Upper Galilee, a city full of charm and inspiration that lies between the mountains of the Upper Galilee. The magical alleyways of Safed have been preserved from ancient times, bearing ancient secrets and legends that were told over the years and became an integral part of the Safed tradition.

The spiritual capital of the Galilee, an captivating and mystical city. The perfect way to experience the north of Israel. During the tour we will visit unique places in the city that have historical significance, view the breathtaking scenery of the Galilee Mountains, hear stories about figures from the ancient world, visit the galleries alley in its picturesque lanes and be inspired by the local art.

Lag BaOmer

Lag BaOmer is a minor holiday that occurs on the 33rd day of the Omer, the 49-day period between Passover and Shavuot. A break from the semi-mourning of the Omer, key aspects of Lag B’Omer include holding Jewish weddings (it’s the one day during the Omer when Jewish law permits them), lighting bonfires, and getting haircuts.
When the great Kabbalist, Rabbi Isaac Luria, came to Tzfat in 1570, he instituted several new customs linking Jewish mysticism with conventional Jewish rituals. Among them included a Lag BaOmer pilgrimage to the tomb of Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai. Tsfat, located a 4-hour walk from the tomb of the “Rashbi,” was the logical point from which pilgrims would set off on their pilgrimage. Since the 16th century, Tsfat and Lag BaOmer have been intertwined.
Today, under Knesset law, formal celebrations for Lag BaOmer begin with the Torah procession that begins in Tzfat’s Kikar Abu erev (the day before) Lag BaOmer.
Bonfires are lit throughout the city to commemorate the soldiers of Bar Kochba who fought against the Romans in the 2nd century C.E. The central bonfire is on Mt. Meron. However, throughout Tsfat neighborhoods gather to light their own bonfires. Some of the largest and most active bonfires occur in the Hassidic neighborhoods of Kiryat Chabad (Canaan northern neighborhood), Meor Chaim (Darom-Southern neighborhood), and Kiryat Breslev (just below the Old Jewish Quarter on HaAri Street).

Safed Klezmer Festival

Klezmer Festival in Safed is held throughout the alleyways and lanes of the Old Jewish Quarter and Artist Quarter. On each of the 3 nights of the festival, performances begin approximately 9:00p.m. and go through until after midnight. The performances are free and are all located within a 5 – 15 minute walk of each other in the town’s center.

Artist’s Quarter

In addition to the new immigrants, Israeli artists also came to Safed to open galleries and studios. Early artists, including Yitzhak Frenel and Moshe Castels, had lived and worked in the town since the early 1940s and by the 1950s many of Israel’s best-known artists had opened galleries in Tzfat. These artists included Ziona Tagger, Aryeh Merzer, Mordechai Levanon, Yitzhak Amitai, Shimshon Hotzman, David Gilboa and Raviv. Many of these artists were penniless but they shared their resources as they joined together to create the Artists Quarter Association.

Today there are new artists in Safed. Some of them have established their galleries in the Old Jewish Quarter, where tourists generally go to see the historical synagogues and other sites. Other new artists have come to the Artist Quarter to establish their galleries in the historical Artist Colony of Safed.

Photo attribution:
Adam Jones from Kelowna, BC, Canada, CC BY-SA 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons
Sdahan11, CC BY-SA 4.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

Old Safed Cemetery

The Safed Old Jewish Cemetery is one of the oldest cemeteries in Israel. The cemetery has been used for hundreds of years as a burial place, including important people and important Jewish religious leaders. The cemetery is located along the western slope of Safed on the slope of Mount Canaan near the Amud River.

Ari Ashkenazi Synagogue

The Ashkenazi Ari Synagogue, located in Safed, Israel, was built in memory of Rabbi Isaac Luria (1534 – 1572), who was known by the Hebrew acronym “the ARI”. It dates from the late 16th-century, it being constructed several years after the death of Luria, a great kabbalist who arrived in Safed in 1570. The synagogue is known for its colorful and ornate Holy Ark. It may be the oldest synagogue in Israel that is still in use. Though the synagogue is associated by name with the Ashkenazi community, today it serves as a place of worship for Hasidic and Sephardic Jews and remains popular among worshippers of different affiliations.

Abuhav Synagogue

The Abuhav Synagogue is a 15th-century synagogue in Safed, Israel, named after 15th-century Spanish rabbi and kabbalist, Isaac Abuhav. Its design is said to be based upon kabbalistic teachings.

According to tradition Rabbi Abuhav designed the synagogue and his disciples erected the building in Safed when they arrived in the 1490s after the expulsion from Spain. Another legend claims that the synagogue was transported miraculously from Spain to Safed. The synagogue was almost completely destroyed in the 1837 earthquake, only the southern wall containing the arks remained standing and exists today as a remnant of the original building.

The bimah has six steps representing the six working days of the week; the top level is seventh, representing the Shabbat. The Holy Ark has three sections and contain Torah scrolls traditionally written by Abuhav himself and Solomon Ohana of Fes, Morocco.

Asado Bar

This restauranst provides a South American experience with fine cuisine on coals – open Thursday, Friday, Saturday and holidays until the meat runs out.
The Asado Bar restaurant opened 15 years ago from the Roizner family, Miguel, the owner of the place, together with his wife Reina and children, brought to Kibbutz Alonim the joy of simplicity and the good taste of much South American joy. Fine in traditional roasting… everything is simple and delicious!

Chez Veze

A quaint cafe in Kiryat Tivon with a variety of coffee, pastries, sandwiches, salad, burgers, and more.

Tanti Baci

A tiny, family-run Italian restaurant full of heart and soul that resides near Kiryat Tiv’on. The restaurant is vegan
Italian food that is all handmade and with a clear intention to make people happy. At ‘Tanti Bachi’ you will find excellent Italian pizzas made by hand,
handmade pastas imported from Italy, and a variety of real Italian dishes based on raw ingredients.
Come and enjoy delicious and addictive food!

Open on holidays and weekends

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