7 Best Sights in Zichron Ya'akov, Haifa and the Northern Coast

Rare among Israel's many wineries are Carmel Winery's vaulted-ceiling wine cellars. Dating from 1892, the huge, old, and chilly rooms are a contrast to the state-of-the art facility above ground, where top wines are produced. Founder Baron Edmond de Rothschild, owner of France's famous Château Lafite, would be pleased at the success of his viniculture venture, now the country's largest winery. At the Center for Wine Culture, a guided 45-minute tour outlines the stages of local wine production. Included in the tour are a tasting of some four varieties and a seven-minute audiovisual presentation screened in the original wine cellar. Tours depart between 9 and 4 and must be reserved in advance. Other wine tastings and workshops are also available by reservation.

The setting of one of Israel’s leading boutique wineries, in a pastoral landscape overlooking the forests of the Carmel Mountains, couldn’t be prettier. Call ahead to tour the winery, see the demonstration vineyard, and learn about these attention-getting wines. For your tasting, select a flight of three to five wines: the reds, including blends, are notable. Order a generous tasting platter of bread and fine cheeses (extra charge) to accompany them.

About halfway down Hameyasdim Street is Beit Aaronson, whose late-19th-century architecture successfully combines art nouveau and Middle Eastern traditions. This museum was once the home of the agronomist Aaron Aaronson (1876–1919), who gained international fame for his discovery of an ancestor of modern wheat. The house remains as it looked after World War I, with family photographs and French and Turkish furniture, as well as Aaronson's library, diaries, and letters. Aaronson and his two sisters became local heroes as leaders of an underground group called NILI, dedicated to ousting the Turks from Palestine. A tour in English is provided; the last one takes place at 1:30. You must reserve ahead by phone or online. Credit cards aren't accepted, and children under five are not permitted in the museum.

The name of this site is a misnomer because it's actually the town's original water tower, built in 1891. Zichron Ya'akov was the first village in Israel to have water piped to its houses; Meir Dizengoff, the first mayor of Tel Aviv, came here to see how it was done. The facade, with its inscription honoring Baron de Rothschild, resembles that of an ancient synagogue.

The museum is dedicated to the 30,000 people who came to Palestine during the First Aliya (a period of settlement from 1882 until 1904). Life-size model displays highlighting local immigrants (like Zachariya, the seed vendor, and Izer, the cobbler) illustrate life at that time. A film traces the struggles of a family who came from Europe in this difficult period of Israel's modern history. Commissioned by Baron Edmond de Rothschild, the museum's three-floor building is a fine example of late-19th-century Ottoman-style architecture, built of white stone with a central pediment capped by a tile roof. During World War I, the Turks used it as a military hospital.

On a prominent corner stands the old synagogue, Ohel Ya'akov, built by Baron de Rothschild in 1886 to serve immigrants from Romania. It's only occasionally open to visitors, but it's worth strolling by.

In the hills near Zichron Ya'akov, this sprawling garden is a fitting tribute to Baron Edmond de Rothschild. (Hanadiv means "the benefactor.") At its center is the dignified tomb where Rothschild and his wife Ada lie buried. A 20-minute film in the welcoming Visitors Pavilion tells of his legacy in Israel: the last screening on weekdays is at 3:30. Outside, curving paths frame rolling green lawns, abundant patches of flowers, carob trees, waving palms, and 42 rare plant species. Clearly marked trails lead to a 2,000-year old Roman farmhouse and a hidden spring. After all that legwork, the terraces of the on-site café beckon. A children's playground is set off to one side.