Montfort Castle

North Coast


Originally built by the noble De Milly family, what remains of Montfort Castle is a striking ruin, reached by a pleasant hike. The castle’s name was changed from Montfort ('strong mountain’ in French) to Starkenberg ('strong mountain’ in German) when the De Millys sold it to the Teutonic knights. In 1271 the Muslims, led by the Mamluk sultan Beybars, took the castle after a previous attempt, five years earlier, had failed. The Crusaders surrendered and retreated to Akko.

Dilapidated Montfort isn’t quite as impressive as other Crusader castles in Israel (Nimrod’s Castle is better preserved and has a more spectacular setting). To the right of the entrance is the governor’s residence, with the tower straight ahead. The two vaulted chambers to the right are the basement of the knights’ hall; next to them is the chapel.

Trails to Montfort can be picked up about 18km northeast of Nahariya from Goren Park, 9km east of the town of Shlomi (along Rte 899). A picnic area here, with benches, drinking water and plenty of shade, looks towards the castle. The hike to the castle from the trailhead takes about 45 minutes to one hour.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby North Coast attractions

1. Akhzivland

7.28 MILES

So irresistible is the pull of this sparkling stretch of coast that nonconformist activist Eli Avivi declared it an independent state in 1971, irritating…

2. Akhziv National Park

7.38 MILES

About 5km north of Nahariya, Akhziv National Park has broad lawns, traces of a Phoenician port, and a small, shallow, family-friendly beach. Changing…

3. Rosh HaNikra Grottoes

7.8 MILES

Bone-white limestone cliffs seem to burst from the deep blue sea at this geological beauty spot straddling the Israel–Lebanon border. A cable car descends…

4. Beit Lohamei HaGeta’ot

9.55 MILES

Founded in 1949, the same year as the kibbutz, the world's first Holocaust museum focuses on the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising. The kibbutz founders considered…

6. Aqueduct

9.76 MILES

Built by Al Jazzar around 1780 and reconstructed in the early 19th century, this Ottoman aqueduct once supplied Akko with water from the Galilee uplands…

7. Baha’i Gardens

10.53 MILES

While they don’t match the scale of Haifa's strikingly steep Baha’i Gardens, these formal gardens are utterly picturesque, with meticulously tended flower…

8. Shrine of Baha’ullah

10.6 MILES

At the far end of the Baha’i Gardens is the Shrine of Baha’ullah, the simple and serene final resting place of the Baha’i faith’s founder. For both men…