Caesarea

Caesarea (Hebrew: Qeysarya, קיסריה) is a small, very well-to-do town and extensive archaeological site on the Mediterranean coast of Israel, located some 50 km north of Tel Aviv and several kms north of Hadera. Population 4,200.

Culture and History

In the late nineteenth century and early twentieth century Baron Edmond James de Rothschild purchased much of the land around Caesarea - with the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948, the Rothschild family gifted these holdings to the Caesarea Foundation. The Caesarea Edmond Benjamin de Rothschild Development Corporation [1] (called in Hebrew החברה לפיתוח קיסריה אדמונד בנימין דה רוטשילד) remains the operational arm of the Caesarea Edmond Benjamin de Rothschild Foundation.

Caesarea is therefore only locality in Israel which is managed by a private organization (the Caesarea Development Corporation) rather than a municipal governmental organization. Caesarea is considered one of the most upscale residential developments in Israel. The current Baron de Rothschild still maintains a home in Caesarea, as do many other wealthy and influential individuals and foreign residents.

Beyond the ancient remains, Caesarea is a town devoted to tourists and to luxurious living. Some of Israel’s finest homes are located here and it is also home of Israel’s only 18-hole golf course (designed by the renowned Robert Trent-Jones), a luxury hotel, a vacation village, miles of sandy beaches, and a series of attractive restaurants, galleries and boutiques huddled around the Mediterranean cove. And, of course, visitors marvel at its extraordinary archeological attractions, not least of which is the Roman theatre, where concerts, entertainment extravaganzas and the annual International Opera Festival are held.

Travel to Caesarea - Visa Requirements

Caesarea National Park is on the coastal road, near the city of Caesarea and Kibbutz Sdot Yam and west of Or Akiva. Take the coastal road or the old Tel Aviv-Haifa highway number 2 to the interchange near the Orot Rabin power station; an alternate route is to drive to the park via Or Akiva.

Tours and Getting around Caesarea

Caesarea tourist attractions and sightseeing

• Caesarea National Park [2]

Caesarea city tours

• The International Opera Festival Caesarea [3]

• Caesarea Jazz Festival [4] - next held June 8-10, 2006

• Caesarea Golf Club [5]

Caesarea souvenirs and shopping

Caesarea Restaurants: cheap, moderate and expensive

Caesarea nightlife, bars, clubs and pubs

Caesarea cheap and luxurious hotels, youth hostels and lodging

Bed and Breakfast

• Grushka B&B and Villa [6] - located in nearby Binyamina (5 km)
• Suite-Alma [7] - Located in Neot Golf Resort - Swimming pool, Tennis courts, Fitness room, Sauna, Squash, Mini golf, Kids playground and more...

Splurge

• Dan Caesarea Hotel [8], Tel: 972-3-5202552, Fax: 972-3-5480111, mailto:Reservations-T.Caesarea@DanHotels.co.il A luxury hotel with a country-estate ambiance, Picture a hotel where Roman antiquities can be found underfoot. Then imagine a garden enclosed hotel with the velvety greens of an 18-hole golf course right next door. The sea, sun, light and magic, the combination is remarkable, so is the hotel - the Dan Caesarea. A setting that thrills, interiors that delight. Ballrooms and terrace reception areas for conferences and celebrations. the Dan Caesarea offers boundless attractions with an ideal location halfway between Tel Aviv and Haifa. See Dan Caesarea Virtual Tour See also Video Tour of Dan Caesarea

Get out

This page was last edited by Anonymous user(s) of Wikitravel. Based on work by Nick Roux, Wikitravel user(s) Erezico and Pjamescowie and Anonymous user(s) of Wikitravel. - Content on this page is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 1.0 license