Acre has been a port for roughly four thousand years, but the city you walk through today is a layered one. Beneath the Ottoman streets lies the headquarters of the Crusader kingdom's last years, when Acre was the capital and a thriving trading harbour, with the Knights Hospitaller building a vast complex of vaulted halls that were buried and forgotten for centuries. In 1291 the Mamluks took the city, and with that the Crusader presence on the mainland ended. The tunnels and halls have been dug out and restored, and walking through the knights' halls is eerie and cool even in August.
The later city is the work of Ahmad al-Jazzar, the Ottoman governor of the late eighteenth century, whose mosque, citadel and walls dominate the old quarter. His defences held in 1799 against Napoleon, who besieged the town for two months before retreating, and the sea walls still look strong. The old harbour is small, with fishing boats and cafes, and the lanes behind it are noisy with the smell of coffee, spices and fresh fish.
Acre is a city of about forty-five thousand, so fuel, parking and food are easy, though the old town is partly pedestrian and the car parks near the gate fill quickly on weekends. Hummus is a local obsession, and you will find places arguing about who does it best. Eat it for breakfast, with warm bread, and walk off the lunch along the sea wall.
For riders, the region is varied. The coastal road north toward Rosh HaNikra gives you sea views, banana plantations and fast, easy riding, while roads inland climb into the hills of Western Galilee, with oak and pine woods, Arab and Druze villages and tight corners. Traffic can be heavy near Haifa and around the main junctions, and drivers are quick, so stay alert. Summers are hot and humid on the coast, so start early, and spring is the best season, when the hills are green and wildflowers are everywhere. Remember that many businesses close for the Jewish Sabbath from Friday afternoon, and the Arab quarters keep their own rhythm, so plan fuel and food around that.