Fighting off the cats in Israel & The Palestinian Territories

The Middle East isn’t all desert, desert, desert. Take a break from sand and head for the water: stand on the walls of Acre and watch the sun sink into the Mediterranean.

Acre is one of the most evocative Palestinian towns inside Israel. There are ancient walls, mosques, gardens and museums here, but this old Crusader stronghold is a fabulous place to simply wander through. It has survived as a fabulous skein of tight alleyways and atmospheric markets, wreathed around – of course – by the fragrance of fresh-caught fish, for sale in the souk and offered at a dozen restaurants down by the old port. Fight off the cats to get your share.

Acre is 25km north of Haifa, served by buses and trains from there and Tel Aviv.