Caesarea: Herod's Roman City by the Sea

Between Tel Aviv and Haifa, where a small fishing village called Straton's Tower once stood, Herod the Great built a masterpiece. Between 22 and 10 BCE he constructed an entire city and named it Caesarea, in honor of his patron, the emperor Augustus. The problem: this stretch of coast has no natural harbor. So Herod's engineers invented one, dropping huge blocks of hydraulic concrete (mixed with volcanic ash that sets underwater) into the sea to form a giant artificial port, the largest of its age. It was an act of megalomania and genius that stuns visitors to this day.

Caesarea became the capital of Roman Judaea and the headquarters of the Roman governors - which is why the Procurator Pontius Pilate's name turned up here, carved on a stone found during excavations in 1961. The New Testament is full of the city: Peter baptized the Roman officer Cornelius here, and Paul set sail from Caesarea's port on his journeys.

Start at the Roman theater, one of the oldest and most beautiful in the world, carved into the hillside with the sea as its backdrop. Concerts are still performed there. Then walk the promontory past Herod's palace, perched literally on a reef above the waves, and down to the hippodrome, where up to 20,000 spectators once cheered chariot races.

Walk into the Crusader city too. In the twelfth century the Crusaders refortified Caesarea with a deep rock-cut moat and thick gates, and in 1251 Louis IX of France rebuilt the defenses. You can walk along the walls, explore the gates and vaulted halls, and swim (sometimes) in the medieval harbor.

Do not skip the aqueduct. Two kilometers north, Herod's water channel runs along the beach itself, with the sea on one side - one of the best photo spots in Israel. Bring a swimsuit and make an hour of it.

With its golf course, beaches and the smart new harbor restaurants, Caesarea makes an easy and rewarding stop between Tel Aviv and Haifa. We usually pair it with Zichron Yaakov wine country or the Haifa coast on our private tours.