Things to do in Safed
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit Safed
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
Spring is the best walking season, green and mild, with Passover crowds in April and Lag BaOmer in May.
Summer is cooler than the coast at altitude, with strong midday sun and the Klezmer Festival usually in August.
Autumn brings the High Holidays and Sukkot shutdowns and crowds, then quiet mild hiking in late October and November.
Winter is genuinely cold for Israel, with occasional snow in Safed, slippery alleys and short days, at the lowest prices.
What's on
- Lag BaOmer Pilgrimage to Meron 18 Iyar, 24 to 25 May in 2027
Tens of thousands gather at Meron near Safed, roads close and Safed sells out. Come only if the pilgrimage is the point.
- Safed Klezmer Festival Usually August, several nights
Free outdoor klezmer concerts across Old City stages, the biggest cultural event in town. Book months ahead.
- Sukkot September or October, one week
Pilgrim crowds, sukkah booths in courtyards and holiday closures on the first and last days.
Best things to do in Safed
Abuhav Synagogue
The most beautiful synagogue in Safed, built in the 1490s to a Kabbalistic plan with a carved ark and painted walls.
Ari Ashkenazi Synagogue
Built for Rabbi Isaac Luria, with an olive wood ark carved with a lion for his name Ari, which means lion.
Ari Sephardic Synagogue
The smaller Ari synagogue above the ancient cemetery, where Luria himself prayed, quiet and often shut.
Yosef Caro Synagogue
A working synagogue on the site of Yosef Caro's yeshiva, in the heart of the Synagogue Quarter walk.
Olive Tree Fine Art Gallery
A good first Artists Quarter gallery for Judaica and Galilee painting, free to browse with no pressure to buy.
Sheva Chaya Glassblowing Gallery
Live glassblowing in the Artists Quarter, with the Kabbalistic ideas behind the colours explained as she works.
Safed Candles
Hand dipped and braided Havdalah candles made by hand near the Ari Ashkenazi Synagogue, the souvenir to buy at source.
Otzar HaStam Tzfat
A hands on multimedia centre on how Torah scrolls, tefillin and mezuzah are written, the best family indoor pick.
Where to stay in Safed
Old City and Artists Quarter
walking, synagogues and galleries
Sleep inside the stone alleys and walk to every sight, with boutique suites and budget guesthouses.
Artists Colony edge
mid range comfort with Old City access
A larger historic hotel with a pool, still a short walk from the Old City lanes.
Mount Canaan
spa, pool, parking and quiet
Larger and boutique spa hotels above town, calmer and easier by car, a drive or long walk to the sights.
Think twice about
- Areas north of Route 89 and the Dalton line
North of Route 89 and the Dalton line the country runs toward the Lebanon border and has been in rocket, missile and drone range in northern escalations. Do not day trip north from Safed without checking the current position on the ground.
- Mount Meron summit military installation area
A military site on a border facing mountain. View the landscape, do not photograph the installation or any military position.
Best restaurants in Safed
Bat Yaar
Safed's one splurge meal, a ranch steakhouse for premium grilled meats in Biriya Forest, book ahead at weekends.
Elements Cafe Gluten-Free and Vegan, Organic
A fully gluten free vegetarian cafe with vegan pizza, dal and ice cream, essential for coeliac and vegan visitors.
Seudat Gan Eden
A long running Old City restaurant for Israeli and Italian style dairy dishes, a reliable sit down lunch stop.
Cafe Monitin
A central kosher cafe used by locals for breakfasts, salads and coffee, at normal prices in a tourist town.
Lahuhe original - Yemenite food bar
A tiny Yemenite bar for lahuhe flatbread with fillings, fast and cheap, the most distinctive cheap bite in town.
Falafel Hakikar
A falafel stand by the main square for a quick kosher falafel in pita at street food prices, eaten on a bench.
Pizza Da Leone
Simple pizza at the cheap end of Safed prices, a practical family stop for a familiar meat free meal.
Outdoor things to do in Safed
Citadel Park
The summit park over the Crusader citadel ruins, with the definitive panorama to Meron and the Sea of Galilee.
Biriya Forest
Planted pine forest on the slopes above Safed, with picnic areas, short shaded trails and the Biriya Fortress.
Mount Meron
The highest summit west of the Jordan, with an easy shaded summit loop and views to the Lebanon border hills.
Amud Stream Nature Reserve
A deep stream canyon below Safed with pools, old flour mills and aqueduct ruins in the upper family section.
Nimrod Lookout
A quiet memorial viewpoint in Rosh Pina over the Hula Valley and Golan, built for a soldier killed in 2006.
Best hotels in Safed
Canaan Hotel
Safed's luxury spa hotel on Mount Canaan, with a large indoor pool and gardens, calm and resort like in feel.
Mitzpe Hayamim Hotel
An organic farm and spa hotel between Safed and Rosh Pina, with its own farm and dairy supplying the kitchen.
Ruth Zefat
The default mid range hotel, in a historic Artists Colony building walkable to the Old City, with a pool.
Villa Galilee Boutique Hotel
A small French styled boutique hotel and spa on Mount Canaan, quiet and romantic, a drive from the Old City.
The Way Inn
Small boutique suites in an Old City alley with a steam bath, a short walk from the galleries, best for couples.
Artist Quarter Guesthouse B&B
A home run bed and breakfast in the Artists Quarter, the best cheap way to sleep inside old Safed itself.
Rosenthalis Hotel
A simple artist run Old City hotel covered in the owner's work, basic and central at the budget end in town.
Is Safed expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | ₪450 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | ₪1,000 a person |
| Splurge | ₪2,400 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- Hameiri Dairy: a few days ahead
- Bat Yaar: a few days ahead
- Canaan Hotel: weeks ahead
- Mitzpe Hayamim Hotel: weeks ahead
- Book accommodation months ahead for Lag BaOmer, the Klezmer Festival, Passover and Sukkot.
- Book the Hameiri Dairy Friday tour, Bat Yaar at weekends and any private Old City guide in advance.
- Order Shabbat takeaway or a hotel Shabbat meal before Friday afternoon.
Is Safed safe?
- Know the nearest protected room at your hotel, follow Home Front Command instructions, and follow local instructions on the day you travel.
- Dress modestly in the Old City, cover shoulders and knees, and do not photograph worshippers or military sites.
Safed travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- Artists Quarter gallery prices are rarely marked. Compare several galleries and agree shipping in writing.
- Agree a price before any street Kabbalah blessing, red string or name reading in the Synagogue Quarter.
- HaAri 8 is listed as permanently closed. Do not build an evening around it.
- Most picks are shut on Shabbat, from Friday afternoon to Saturday night.
Getting around Safed: public transport and more
- There is no train to Safed. Buses from Haifa, Acre, Tiberias and Kiryat Shmona stop for Shabbat.
- A car is the practical way to combine Safed with Meron, Amud Stream and Rosh Pina.
- Park outside the Old City lanes and walk in. The Old City is steep, cobbled and stepped.
- Public buses stop on Friday afternoon and resume after Shabbat on Saturday night.
Who Safed suits
| Solo travellers | Good |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Good |
| Couples | Great |
| Bachelor parties | Not ideal |
| Families | Good |
| Bachelorette parties | Not ideal |
Make Safed your trip
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