Top Israel hotels
The Old City Gates Jerusalem
20 Reviews The Dung Gate is also known as Sha'ar Ha'ashpot or Gate of Silwan. The gate is situated near the southeast corner of the Old City, southwest of the Temple Mount. The gate is the closest to the...
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Old Jaffa Tel Aviv-Yafo
13 Reviews Zohara and I joined Nathalie, Gil, Andie and Aydin for a walking tour of old Yaffo. This section is today the artists quarters and a few restaurants and studios. There is also a place where you can...
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The beaches Eilat
5 Reviews The dophin reef has a very nice beach, so while enjoying the dolphins, you can have a bath is a separate area, and have some food of the restuarant. As usual our waitress talked in spanish as she was...
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Bahai Shrine & Temple Haifa
5 Reviews Visit the Bahai Temple and its gardens. The Bahai religion was founded in 1863 by Mirza Husayn, a Persian who was later known as Bahaullah. Haifa serves as the world center of this religion. See my...
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The Western Wall (Wailing Wall) Jerusalem
22 Reviews There is a plant between the rocks of the western wall. The name of the plant is Capparis spinosa (in hebrew it is "Tsa'laf"). There is a legend about the plant : When the romans attacked Jerusalem...
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Dizengoff St. Tel Aviv-Yafo
7 Reviews Dizengoff Square certainly is one of Tel Aviv's most distinctive squares. All the guides will tell you that it is pedestrianized -- I have found this to be a bit misleading. Truth is, there are...
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The German Colony Haifa
2 Reviews Walking the streets of the old German Colony can give you a glimpse of the life of the immigrants to Israel. These German immigrants built a "colony" or neighbourhood around themselves to help them...
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Outside the Wall Jerusalem
26 Reviews Gehenna, gehinnam, or gehinnom are terms derived from a geographical site in Jerusalem known as the Valley of Hinnom, one of the two principal valleys surrounding the Old City. Gehenna is cited in...
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Beach Activities Tel Aviv-Yafo
15 Reviews The centre of life in Tel Aviv is, without question, the beach. From March-November, Friday & Saturday is full of people sunning themselves or simply gathering as family units, picnicing. Summer...
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Mount Carmel Area Haifa
3 Reviews go up to the Carmel mt by the cablein bat galim! visit the st of panorama where you can see the whole city underneath you can also go to the beach and have food by the sea side in the little caffes...
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The Quarters Jerusalem
12 Reviews The Jewish Quarter is one of the four traditional quarters of the Old City. The Quarter is situated in the southeastern corner of the Old City. You can enter it through the Zion Gate or the Dung Gate...
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History and Facts Tel Aviv-Yafo
4 Reviews Tel Aviv and Jaffa are Kind of two cities that belong to same Authority. Both has long history and you can still see all those remians till this days in many parts of TA and Jaffa. In the pic's you...
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Temple Mount Jerusalem
12 Reviews The Temple Mount or Noble Sanctuary is a elevated plateau in the Old City rich with history and religious importance. It is currently governed by the Waqf, or Supreme Muslim Religious Council. It has...
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Culture Tel Aviv-Yafo
5 Reviews The Tel Aviv Folk Club presents an evening of live folk music. Four different gigs in one evening Folk, 60's, Country, Bluegrass, Blues, Jazz, Irish, etc. (with a possible jam session at the end) in...
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Church of Holy Sepulchre Jerusalem
7 Reviews this is a special place, always thousands of people inside, at any time of the year, hundreds of languagues are spoken , I loved to seat during hours in front of the tomb of jesus , looking at...
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Tel Aviv Markets Tel Aviv-Yafo
3 Reviews This is Shuk HaCarmel, the largest open market in Israel. We came to visit on one of the few holidays that the market is closed just to see what it looked like without people. Normally the place is...
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Mount of Olives Jerusalem
7 Reviews The Kidron Valley runs along the eastern wall of The Old City, separating the Temple Mount from the Mount of Olives. The Kidron Valley is the valley on the eastern side of the Old City which features...
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The Promenade Tel Aviv-Yafo
5 Reviews Take a walk on Tayelet (Hebrew word for promenade) it's a good chance to explore Tel Aviv's architecture. On one side you'll the beach and terraces on the other all the beautiful modern buildings....
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The Church of All Nations Jerusalem
3 Reviews A Sunday school teacher asked the children just before she dismissed them to go to church, "And why is it necessary to be quiet in church?" Annie replied, "Because people are sleeping." another view...
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Internet Cafes Tel Aviv-Yafo
1 Review Internet Cafe's are available today in most of the places you'll visit, in the major cities its easier to find them as there are much more then in the small ones. Here are two links that will help...
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Via Dolorosa Jerusalem
3 Reviews Repeat the way of Jesus Christ carrying his cross along Via Dolorosa to Calvary (Golgotha). Start from Lion's Gate. Stop at the places where He stopped (14 times). Reach the Church of the Holy...
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Azriely Center Tel Aviv-Yafo
3 Reviews The circular building at night. The Azrieli Towers are the largest commercial center in the Middle East Admission is 20NIS (around 4 euros) paid at the reception desk, but if you have a reservation...
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Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial Jerusalem
3 Reviews Yad Vashem's task is to perpetuate the legacy of the Holocaust to future generations so that the world never forgets the horrors and cruelty of the Holocaust. Its principal missions are commemoration...
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Neve Tzedek Tel Aviv-Yafo
2 Reviews Okay, so it is not a "true" burnt orange, it is only the color of burnt orange, or would you prefer the color Sienna....but anyway this home just stands out from its neighbors, both in the...
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The Citadel (Tower of David) Jerusalem
3 Reviews Walking through the Tower of David Museum is like walking through a space age time capsule. In each room of this 2,000 year old citadel another era of Jerusalem’s history is detailed through state of...
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Every vendor - from large hotel to street vendor - I encountered in Israel was willing to accept US Dollars, and in fact, they seemed to prefer it. You can get Israeli Shekels from any ATM, but my advice would be to bring US dollars, and lots of small bills, to make your purchases in Israel. Doing so will save you the hassle and expense of converting your unused Shekels back to US currency, and will make it easier to negotiate your bargains.
Israel has a very short autumn season. Very often, the weather swings from boiling hot to cold and wintry overnight , which doesn't mean it won't be hot again - even the very next day. Israel is not New England: The leaves on all the trees don't turn red and orange and provide a glorious show of color for any length of time. In fact, most of the trees keep their leaves all year round. Some (at least those in front of my house) seem to shed their foliage at strange times of the year, like AFTER the winter, about a week before spring...But there is one foolproof sign that autumn is here: the hatzav, or squill, with its spikes of white star-shaped blossoms. The hatzav grows wild around Israel. Look for it near hiking trails and rocky outcroppings along the roads.
Checking into and out of Hotels on Saturday can either be a big hassle or an added bonus depending on if you are coming or going. Remember Shabbat starts Friday at sundown and ends the following day one hour after sundown. People who are looking to check into a hotel on Saturday may be surprised when they show up and find out you can not check in until Shabbat ends. In the summer this can be as late as 9pm or later. Even if you are not staying in a religious area you should call the hotel ahead of time to see what their policy is. The reason for this is that the hotel can not force anyone to checkout and pay their bills during Shabbat. Then the rooms have to be cleaned by someone and prepared for the next guests. So while this might be a big hassle for unprepared guests it can actually be a nice bonus to those who are checking out on a Saturday. Again you would want to speak with the...
If you prefer cool weather you want to avoid the months June - September. From mid October till mid June the weather is cooler. January and February are the coldest months. In Jerusalem in can be as low as 0C (32F), especially at night.It rains - hopefully - from November to April (usually). The rains are very rarely heavy, nor do they generally last long, but it can happen that it will rain for 3 days straight.Crowds are heaviest during March - April, depending on when Passover falls. These are also two of the best months to visit weather wise for nice Spring weather and green fields, blooming flowers.Watch out for the Jewish holidays when public transport and shops close.Holidays and the Sabbath are always from the evening before the date till the evening of the date e.g. Sabbath begins approximately 1 hour before sundown on Friday and ends one hour after sundown on Saturday. Check...
When we were lost and asked for directions in Prague (it was just me and my daughter, who was 8 years old), people walked past us as if we were invisible. When we were overheard speaking English in a public square, we were approached by a bunch of young toughs who screamed at us and called us murderers. In Paris, we had an incredibly surly waiter with a cigarette dangling from his lips who insisted that the baguette he brought us was tart tartin. At JFK in New York, passengers are ordered around by security people who look like Sumo wrestlers and treat people like cattle. In Rome, we asked a bus driver if he stopped at a certain place. He yelled "no" and slammed the door in our faces. But of course he did stop there, so we had to wait for the next bus. The cloak room attendant at the national museum shouted and threw our stuff at us because it was late and he wanted to go home. A New...
No problem for vegetarians in Israel. Fruits and vegetables are inexpensive and unbelievably delicious (they actually taste like something, as opposed to the stuff they market as fruits and vegetables in the US, at least in my experience). Hummus and falafel are available on every street corner. Same goes for potato/spinach/cheese burekas. If you insist on a protein "replacement" in the form of soy products, Israel has a company called Tivoll that sells veggie burgers/hot dogs/schnitzel/TV dinners and exports its products all over the world. Cheeses will not contain rennet. Jelly candy and marshmallows are made with gelatin from vegetarian sources such as agar agar (but sometimes fish bones - so you need to look at the ingredients). Vegetarians can also rest easy in the knowledge that people in Israel KNOW what vegetarianism is, unlike some countries where the idea of someone being a...
Kashrut 101Keeping kosher is complicated, and the degree of strictness may vary from one Jewish household to another. Meat and milk products are not combined or served at the same meal. Pork and pig products are a big no-no. Meat and poultry must be slaughtered by a shochet, or ritual slaughterer, in keeping with a long list of rules, and then salted and rinsed to remove all traces of blood. Seafood is also off limits. Only certain types of meat are permissible, from animals that chew their cud and have cloven hooves. Fish must have fins and scales. Foods containing animal-based gelatin (which is often present in flavored yoghurt, unbeknownst to many people) cannot be eaten. Some religious Jews will not eat yellow cheese unless it is marked kosher (with a “U” for “Union of Orthodox Rabbis”) because hard cheese may be made with rennet, derived from the lining of a cow’s stomach. Bread...
I crossed from Eilat last December (2008). It was really smooth and you get your visa at the border crossing rather than needing to get it in advance. Arrive at Israeli side of the crossing well before it opens (8am) so you can get ahead of the tour bus crowds that significantly slow down the queue. (I got stuck behind a tour bus and spent 2hrs crossing the border.)Jason Having coffee at the Austrian Hospice in Jerusalem's Old City. Then climbing the roof of the Hospice for a view of the Temple Mount, Jewish Quarter, Church of the Holy Sepulchre...just breathtaking!
Israel is a small country (north to south just over 500 km, east to west 13-100km), but has a lot to offer for any visitor.Jerusalem is a whole world in itself, rich in historical and religious sites, various religious communities each with its own tradition.Then there are the modern cities of Tel-Aviv and Haifa, but beside them there's enough to keep you busy and happy for weeks or months: The Dead Sea and Massada, the Sea of Galilee & Tiberias, The Red Sea with Eilat, the Negev desert, ancient cities from Biblical times, Greek and Roman era (Cesarea, Beit-Shean & more), Nabattean times (such as Avdat) crusader period (Akko & others), the Ottoman era, to name just a few; there are different ethnic groups to visit and to get to know; excellent nature hikes, bike trips & more.I hope this is enough to whet your appetite...
In Israel i most prefer the fact that there is no forced selling. The thing I hate is to spend my holiday kicking street salesmen from my back arguing prices on the beach about products I do not want to buy. Also the service in Israel is a little bit arogant which I prefer more that american style over service with plastic smile. Red see is my favorite see and Tel Aviv location is splendid.
The King David Jerusalem Jerusalem
5 Reviews and 281 Opinions Without doubt, the King David Hotel is the most famous and prestigious hotels in Israel and possibly...
The Diaghilev Tel Aviv-Yafo
14 Reviews and 304 Opinions I highly recommend this excellent hotel in a very nice area og Tel Aviv - very friendly staff and...
Dan Panorama Eilat Eilat
4 Reviews and 590 Opinions The Dan Hotel in Eilat is probably one of the best hotel of the city. While being there for the...
Reviews and photos of Israel attractions posted by real travelers and locals. The best tips for Israel sightseeing.
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Q: Shallom, I'll be in Israel for holiday on 16th feb i just wonder how is the weather so i could prepare for clothes since i come...
A: Hi and Shalom. First of all, welcome to Israel ^O^ Most places in Israel, even in the big cities are considered totally safe and all the public transportation is safe...
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