Nazareth and Jerusalem are third world cess pools. They stink of dirt and filth and are very unpleasant slums. I avoid them. It is sad.

Just don't breath the air for too long, drink the water, or Heaven forbid swim in the bay.

Haifa is a gorgeous city with wonderful sites on the Carmel, down on the coast, in the wadis, and has the German colony and Bahai Gardens as well. Regarding i's comment, I guess a little urban pride is nice, but yours is misplaced. The air in Haifa is not much worse that in Tel Aviv and improving (although much more work to be done through Israel's urban cores), the water - I have no idea what you're talking about, but my whole family only drinks tap water, which comes from the national water carrier, and swim in the bay - no, don't - the Kishon is a problem. But the western facing beaches are as fine as anywhere in Israel. And I wouldn't recommend swimming in Jerusalem's Sorek (or even hike near it) or Tel Aviv's Yarkon either. So really, what's your point?

My point is that Haifa is the home of some of the nastiest polluters in the form of chemical concerns. Not to long ago the cancer rates were flagged as abnormally high, and when the CEOs of the plants were taken to task for the pollution, they were given slap on the wrist fines. They should have been condemned to bathe in their own filth. Nekudah.

Having just been on holiday once again and rented apt in Tiberius and TA as well as visiting both Jsalem and Haifa may I indicate that TA has become less clean and tidy as before. Haifa may be clean around the Bahai/ German Colony area but is not so good away from the 'tourist' trail ( with a decidedly unhelpful tourist information centre) Tiberius is naturally dusty due to the basalt and geology, but I worry for its traders as tourism was low in volume and the haredi appear to want to keep it that way. Jsalem was no better , and no worse than usual. What was more offputting was the increase in boorish behaviour amongst young people and the homelessness that has become marked over the last 5 years.