By Boat : Travel In The Region

Several ferry lines sail from Europe to Israel. Fares vary considerably, depending mainly on your tolerance for discomfort. Outdoor deck seats may cost as little as US$5O-6O for a three-day trip, but beware that clean bathrooms are hard to come by. More comfortable are the three- or four-berth inside cabins that many companies offer at reduced student and youth fares. The following service Europe to Haifa:

Mano Passenger Lines, Ltd.: Israel: 97 Ben-Yehuda St., Tel Aviv (tel. 522 4611). Greece: 1 Charilaou Trikoupi St., Piraeus (tel. 41 83 777). Boats between Haifa and Piraeus leave Sun. and Tues. at 7:30pm.

Stability Line: Israel: Caspi Ltd., 76 Ha’Atzma’ut Rd., P.O. Box 27, Haifa (tel. (04) 67 44 44, fax 67 44 56); 2 Yanai St., Jerusalem (tel. (02) 24 42 66); 1 Ben-Yehuda St., Tel Aviv (tel. (03) 517 5749, fax 66 09 89). Greece: 11 Sachtouri St., Piraeus (tel. 413 2392/5). Operates the Vergina between Piraeus and Haifa once per week April 2-Oct. 30.

Ferries also shuttle from Europe to Egypt (for example, the Piraeus-Alexandria run is made by the Adriatica line, c/o Menatours, Sa’ad Zaghloul Sq., Alexandria, tel. 80 69 09), but they are usually much more expensive than to Israei. It’s cheaper to take a ferry from Greece to Haifa and then take buses to Cairo.