In the spring of 1863, Bahá'u'lláh, the founder of the Bahá'í faith, spent twelve days in a garden in Baghdad that Bahá'ís now call Ridván, the Garden of Paradise, and the festival of that name still marks the most holy days in their calendar. The garden outside Acre that carries the same name is a different place, a quiet green island on the Na'amán river, east of the old city, which Bahá'u'lláh loved during his years as a prisoner and exile of the Ottomans in Acre. He called it the New Jerusalem, and visitors who enter its small gate understand why. The river runs around it, mulberry trees give shade, and the air is cool and smells of water.
The garden belongs to the group of Bahá'í holy places in Haifa and Western Galilee, which UNESCO listed in 2008, along with the Shrine of Bahá'u'lláh at Bahjí a few kilometres north, and the terraced gardens of the Shrine of the Báb in Haifa. These are living places of pilgrimage, tended by volunteers, and the standard of care is high. Opening hours are limited and change, there are dress guidelines and no commercial activity, so check before you go, and keep a quiet voice.
For riders, getting here is simple. Acre is a city of about forty-five thousand people and has fuel, cafes and parking, and the garden is only a short way from the coast road. The roads around Acre and the Western Galilee are fast and busy, with plenty of roundabouts and local drivers who are quick to pull out, so keep a wide margin. If you want something more relaxed, ride inland past Judeida-Makr and into the hills, where narrow roads wind through olive groves, oak woods and small villages with warm bakeries.
The best time to go is spring, when the gardens are green and the weather mild, and the second best is autumn, after the heat breaks. Midsummer is humid and sticky near the sea, so go early. Make time for a sit by the water, and think of how long a garden can stay in people's minds.