Kerem Ben Zimra: Wineries and an Old Stone Building

Kerem Ben Zimra offers a specific connection to wine for trip planning. Tel Hazor and Tel Megiddo, meanwhile, are archaeological attractions within the broader Northern District destination. You can choose where to stay based on a local wine theme or on the Northern District’s distinct archaeological highlights.

Wineries in Kerem Ben Zimra

YA Winery is located in a stone building in Kerem Ben Zimra that is more than 80 years old. YA Winery is a boutique winery in the area, while Miles Winery is a family winery in Kerem Ben Zimra. Together, these offer several specific aspects of the area’s connection to wine: the old stone building and the boutique and family winery designations. The building adds an architectural aspect to the wine theme; the two winery designations each lend it a distinct character. When choosing where to stay, you can distinguish between the local connection to wine and the archaeological attractions of the Northern District.

Archaeological highlights in the Northern District

At Tel Hazor, the visit focuses on the upper city. The site preserves significant remains of an underground water collection system, an advanced engineering feat for water storage adapted to the geography. The excavated shaft is 45 meters deep, and steps three meters wide are cut into the walls of the vertical shaft. The depth and the width of the steps provide different measures of the structure.

Other archaeological structures at Tel Hazor include Solomon’s Gate, with six chambers and two towers dating to the 10th century BCE. The Canaanite palace was used by the kings of Hazor in the 14th and 13th centuries BCE. The Late Bronze Age palace is considered the most elaborate in Israel and one of the most important in the Levant. The fortifications also have significance beyond the region: they are considered the finest example of their kind in the area from southern Turkey to the northern Negev.

Tel Hazor National Park can be reached from the north and south via Route 90 in the direction of Ayelet Hashahar. Check your navigation before setting out.

Tel Megiddo offers a different archaeological focus in the Northern District. The tell is one of three tells that preserve significant remains of cities with biblical connections and are closely associated with events in the Bible. The Early Bronze Age temple complex is exceptional in terms of the number of its temples, the continuity of cult practices, and its documented ritual activities. Tel Megiddo’s orthogonal city plan dates from the Iron Age and has few parallels in the Levant. Thus, Tel Hazor’s water collection system, palace, and fortifications contrast with Tel Megiddo’s focus on cult practices and urban planning.

Discover more destinations: Moran, Vered Hagalil, Livnim, Ramot Naftali, Giv'at Ze'ev, Bet Sheʼan, Kfar Vradim, Acre.

For the main travel overview: Israel.