I recognize that Acre did not get a fair shake from me on my trip to Israel in November of 2019. I initially planned to visit it with a guide, in the early part of my itinerary, and give it 3-4 hours. In the end, I visited on my own, towards the end of my stay, and left for my next scheduled stop after barely two hours.

The World Heritage inscription of Acre is based on both its Crusader history and its features as an Ottoman fortified town. To get a good appreciation of the former, one needs to visit some of the paid points of interest in town. For the Ottoman features and the fortifications all you need to do is walk around the town core. When I did that, I encountered many signs of neglect, which colored my impression significantly. There are certainly picturesque corners and perspectives, but also frequent instances of dilapidation. Mosques are definitely the best-maintained building, as they would be in any other Muslim-majority town. Khans are impressive from a distance, but upon close inspection appear very much run-down. I am probably stretching it to make an excuse, but this general feeling of the town not being well cared after must have contributed to the fact that I neither took many pictures nor felt that I needed to extend my time in Acre.

I suspect a guided tour would go a long way to change that impression - when I come back, I will ensure that I have a guide on hand, even though it is clearly possible to see the town on one's own.