10 Places in Acre Worth Discovering for LGBTQ+ Travelers
Acre is one of the most unusual cities in northern Israel. Ancient city walls, a port, an oriental market, small cafés, boutique hotels, cultural spaces, and the Mediterranean Sea all come together here.
At the same time, it is important to understand one thing: Acre is not an LGBTQ+ nightlife center on the scale of Tel Aviv or even Haifa. There are very few dedicated LGBTQ+ venues in the city. More often, you will find friendly and welcoming places, cultural venues, and spaces where you can comfortably spend time as a couple or with friends. Time Out’s LGBTQ+ travel guide describes Acre’s Old City as a place where restaurants, cafés, and market stalls are generally welcoming to LGBTQ+ travelers, although the social environment remains more traditional. (Time Out Worldwide)
That is why this list is not a ranking, nor is it a claim that all ten places are dedicated LGBTQ+ venues. Below, we distinguish between places that are specifically identified as gay-friendly and spaces that are worth considering as part of a welcoming travel itinerary in Acre.
1. Ghattas Turkish Bath
Ghattas Turkish Bath Website
Ha’hagana Street, Acre, Israel
Phone: +972 4-689-7462
HaHagana Street, Old Acre
If you had to choose one place in Acre that appears most often in LGBTQ+ travel recommendations, it would be Ghattas Turkish Bath.
Time Out included the hammam in an article about some of the most gay-friendly places in Israel and specifically recommended it to LGBTQ+ travelers. At the same time, the publication emphasizes an important detail: this is not a gay sauna, but a traditional Turkish hammam and wellness space.
The hammam is located in a restored Ottoman building and offers a steam room, massages, a dry sauna, jacuzzi, and traditional treatments. The official website also confirms that the property continues to operate in the Old City of Acre.
Best for: a relaxing day, couples, a spa day, and a special experience in the Old City.
2. The Efendi Hotel
The Efendi Hotel Website
Louis HaTshi’i St, Acre, Israel
Phone: +972 74-729-9799
Louis HaTshi’i Street, Old City
The Efendi is one of Acre’s most atmospheric boutique hotels.
It is located in the historic center, inside a restored building with several layers of history. The hotel features a wine cellar, hammam, lounge areas, and a rooftop overlooking the Mediterranean Sea. The hotel’s official information confirms its location and range of services.
In the Gay Friendly LGBTQ+ travel guide, the hotel is included among gay-friendly hotels in Israel.
For an LGBTQ+ couple, this is an especially interesting option if you want more than simply a place to sleep in Acre and would rather turn your visit into a small boutique getaway.
Best for: a romantic trip, a weekend getaway, and a special occasion.
3. Alma
Alma Website
Suleiman Fasha Street, Old City of Akko, Acre 2471402, Israel
Phone: +972 54-450-0019
Suleiman Fasha Street, Old City
Alma is a small complex of designer apartments in the heart of Acre’s Old City.
The complex consists of three suites in a historic building featuring Ottoman and Crusader elements. The official description emphasizes privacy, architecture, and its location near the market, port, and restaurants.
On the HaPisga platform, Alma Designer Boutique Suites is listed under gay-friendly B&Bs in Akko/Acre.
This is not an LGBTQ+ hotel in the specialized sense, but rather an accommodation option that LGBTQ+ couples and travelers can consider if they are looking for privacy and the atmosphere of the Old City.
Best for: couples, friends, and a short boutique stay.
4. The Jam Akko
HaMesila Complex, Acre
If you want to add some contemporary culture to your trip, The Jam is worth checking out.
This independent cultural space hosts concerts, jam sessions, theater performances, lectures, film screenings, parties, and other events. On its official website, the venue explicitly states that it creates a safe space for people of all identities, genders, ages, and sexualities.
That is exactly why The Jam is particularly interesting for GAYIL: it is an example of what a welcoming LGBTQ+ space can look like without being a traditional gay bar.
Best for: music, culture, meeting new people, and evening events.
5. Old City of Acre — Old Akko
The Old City is not a single venue, but an entire area that should be considered a destination in its own right.
Time Out has written that restaurants, cafés, and market stalls within the walls of the Old City are generally welcoming to openly LGBTQ+ travelers, although the local culture remains more traditional. This is an important distinction: we are talking about a welcoming tourist experience, not a dedicated queer neighborhood. (Time Out Worldwide)
Today, the official Old Akko tourism portal continues to promote the Old City, fortress, tunnels, markets, and other attractions as a unified tourist destination. (OLD AKKO)
Best for: a walk for two, photography, history, architecture, and a relaxed day.
6. Akko Old City Waterfront Wall
Akko Old City Waterfront Wall
Ha-Hagana St, Acre, Israel
The waterfront promenade along the walls of the Old City
The sea wall of the Old City is one of the best places in Acre for a sunset walk.
On one side there is the sea, and on the other are the ancient walls and the Old City. This is not a dedicated LGBTQ+ space, but it is one of those open public places that works particularly well for a quiet trip as a couple.
The historic waterfront is part of the Old City’s tourist route and connects to the port, lighthouse, and other attractions. (OLD AKKO)
Best for: sunset, walking, photography, and a romantic evening.
7. Akko Light – The Acre Lighthouse
Akko Light – The Acre Lighthouse Tripadvisor
Acre, Israel
Lighthouse Place area
The lighthouse is one of the most recognizable landmarks in the maritime part of Acre’s Old City.
Nearby you will find the historic waterfront, restaurants, and walking routes along the sea. In contemporary travel guides, this part of the Old City regularly appears as one of the main areas for walking and dining.
The lighthouse itself is not an LGBTQ+ venue, so we consider it a friendly public place that fits well into an LGBTQ+ travel itinerary.
Best for: an evening walk, photography, and dinner by the sea.
8. Marsa Bar מרסא בר
Marsa Bar מרסא בר Facebook
13/277 Old Port of Acre, Acre, Israel
Phone: +972 4-901-9281
13/277 Old Port of Acre
Marsa Bar is located right in the area of the Old Port.
This place is closer to the kind of format many travelers are looking for after exploring the Old City: a bar, the sea, an evening atmosphere, and the opportunity to continue the night over drinks.
However, we do not have a sufficiently current source to describe Marsa Bar as a dedicated LGBTQ+ venue. It is therefore more accurate to consider it an ordinary city bar in a tourist area, rather than a gay venue.
Best for: drinks, an evening out, and the atmosphere of the Old Port.
9. Akotika Boutique Hotel
Akotika Boutique Hotel Website
2 Ha-Hagana, Acre 2431417, Israel
Phone: +972 4-651-1663
2 Ha-Hagana, Old Acre
Akotika is another atmospheric option for staying directly in the Old City.
The hotel consists of several suites located in historic buildings, while the main complex includes a rooftop terrace overlooking the Old City. The official description emphasizes that the Old City of Acre itself effectively becomes part of the hotel experience.
The Old Akko municipal tourism portal also includes Akotika in its current list of accommodation options in the Old City.
We did not find a recent source that directly identifies Akotika as an LGBTQ+-specific property, so it is more accurate to describe it as a boutique stay in Acre’s welcoming tourist environment, rather than a specialized gay hotel.
Best for: a stylish trip, couples, and staying in the heart of the Old City.
10. Akkotel
Akkotel Tripadvisor
Salahuddin Street 1, Acre (Akko) Old City, Acre 24112, Israel
Phone: +972 4-987-7100
1 Salahuddin Street, Old Acre
Akkotel is a small boutique hotel built directly inside the city walls.
According to the official Old Akko tourism portal, it is located in the Old City and appears on the current list of accommodation options. The hotel description also mentions a rooftop terrace, breakfast, and a convenient location near the market, port, and historic attractions.
As with Akotika, we did not find a recent publication that specifically identifies Akkotel as an LGBTQ+-specific hotel. It is therefore better viewed as a convenient base for LGBTQ+ travelers who want to stay directly inside the Old City of Acre.
Best for: a short city break and exploring the city on foot.
What About Cafés and Markets?
One of the interesting things about Acre is that the LGBTQ+ experience here is often not built around separate queer venues.
Time Out has written that cafés, restaurants, and vendors in the Old City are generally welcoming to LGBTQ+ travelers, while also noting the more traditional character of the local social environment.
That is why, in Acre, it is much more interesting not to look exclusively for a gay sign, but to explore the city itself: small cafés, the port, the waterfront promenade, historic markets, and cultural spaces.
At the same time, it is worth remembering that the situation at a particular venue can change. For example, there are recent 2026 reviews of the Turkish Bazaar containing both positive and negative assessments of the atmosphere, so at this point I would not automatically label it as LGBTQ+-friendly.
Acre Is More About Atmosphere Than Gay Nightlife
If you are visiting Haifa, you can build your itinerary around LGBTQ+ bars, community spaces, and events.
Acre is a little different.
Here, it is much more interesting to spend a full day or a romantic weekend:
take a walk through the Old City in the morning;
visit the hammam in the afternoon;
then walk toward the port;
sit down at a café;
watch the sunset by the sea;
and in the evening, head to a concert or cultural event.
This is exactly the format that makes Acre an interesting destination for LGBTQ+ travelers — even with the relatively small number of dedicated queer venues.
How to Discover Acre Through GAYIL
GAYIL was created to make LGBTQ+ life in Israel easier to discover — not only in Tel Aviv.
Acre is a particularly good example of this.
Here you will find friendly places, cultural spaces, hotels, wellness, the sea, and a historic center.
And nearby is Haifa, with a much more developed LGBTQ+ community and nightlife scene. GayOut also describes Haifa as one of Israel’s main LGBTQ+ centers outside Tel Aviv.
That makes it easy to combine Acre and Haifa into a single northern trip.
Events. Places. Communities.
You do not always need to look for a large gay district.
Sometimes all you need is to find a few good places, an interesting event, and people you want to spend the day with.
🏳️🌈 Discover Akko. Explore the North. Find your place.
GAYIL — Live. Connect. Belong.