There isn’t a substitute for your own eyes and ears, but reading a guidebook on Haifa can give you some sense of what the city will be like. Fodor’s Israel is a good place to start. The newest edition of the guide has a section about Haifa that includes up-to-date tourism information as well as useful maps and photographs.

Fodor’s has the best general guide, but there are a number of other worthwhile books that target specific types of travelers to Israel and Haifa. Budget travelers should check out Frommer’s Israel From $45 a Day , which in addition to providing tips for cutting costs actually includes a decent amount of tear-out coupons.

Bringing the kids along? Read Kids Love Israel/Israel Loves Kids: A Travel Guide for Families , by Barbara Sofer. The book has a small section on Haifa that is helpful for its lists of attractions appropriate for families with younger children or teenage children. Sofer's book is a good way to get a general feel for what your family can handle in Haifa, though it has not been updated since its 1995 release and may be outdated in some areas.

If you’re Jewish and traveling to Haifa for religious reasons, you may want to pick up Israel: A Spiritual Travel Guide by Lawrence A. Hoffman. Calling itself “a companion for the modern Jewish pilgrim,” the book aims to prepare readers spiritually for the journey to Israel. Its list of pre-trip meditations is as essential for the “modern pilgrim” as a packing list is for the everyday tourist.