The beauty of Haifa is not confined to the world-famous Baha'i Gardens, a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Just for starters, there's the Beit Hagefen Arab-Jewish Culture Center that runs the annual December Holiday of Holidays event artistically celebrating Hannukah, Christmas and Ramadan. There's the Stella Maris Carmelite Monastery and Church on Mount Carmel and there's the Carmelit - Israel's only subway system and the world's shortest underground transit route.

And don't forget the scenic beaches, seaside boardwalks and promenades.

Haifa is also one of Israel's main R&D centers for companies such as Google, Intel, SanDisk, Qualcomm, Philips and Microsoft.