Ginnosar Travel Guide

Ginnosar has a nice beach on the Sea of Galilee (Lake Kinneret). The beach is flanked by piers on both sides, creating a sort of bay.
The water level has receded over the past 10 years or so, but after a short wade in the water you reach the deeper water, where swimming is a sheer pleasure.
The beach is private, and belongs to the Ginnosar Hotel. There is a lifeguard on duty from 10:00 to 17:00 or 18:00 during the bathing season. Plastic easy chairs are there for you, and food and drinks are available in the nearby cafe. There are lawns and a eucalyptus grove near the beach.
This is one of my favorite beaches on the Sea of Galilee!

Tradition holds that the Tilapia was the fish that Jesus used to feed the five-thousand on the Sea of Galilee - thus one of its common names, "St. Peter's Fish"
For all tourists, coming to the Lake of Galilee (Kinneret in hebr.) it is a must, to taste this delicious fish, grilled on charcoals.
All kind of restaurants in Tabgha, Tiberias, Ginnosar and along the western shore offer St Petersfish-dishes.

Favorite Dish: If you like a glass of dry white wine to go with the fish, be very careful: "dry" means here something between very sweet and somewhat less sweet; although not common, stay with a glass of dry (it really is !) der wine or stick to the nice Israeli beer.

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Jacob's Ladder, Israel's best, biggest and oldest folk music festival, is held in Ginnosar every year, usually on a weekend in May. You can listen to folk, country, bluegrass, Irish music, blues and some world music as well. The festival is extremely well organized (by Yehudit and Menachem Vinegrad, who have been doing it for about 30 years), and takes place on a weekend. You can camp on site, or stay overnight in the Nof Ginnosar hotel or one of the many B&Bs / homestay accomodation in nearby Migdal, Huquq etc.

The atmosphere in Jacob's Ladder festival is unique. People are relaxed, polite and smiling; English speakers from all over the country arrive, to listen to their favorite music. There are guest performers from abroad (US / Canada / Britain / Ireland) and the best local talents.

The main stage is set in a eucalyptus grove right on the shore of the Sea of Galilee. There are parallel performances on the lawn stage, in an auditorium and in the hotel lobby. Some of them are "meet the artist" sessions. and others are instrumental workshops (banjo, harmonica and more) or dance workshops (Irish dancing, square dance)...

One of the best things about Jacob's Ladder is the spontaneous, unofficial jam sessions which take place all over the festival grounds.
In addition to the May festival, there is a smaller indoor event in December, Jacob's Ladder Winter Weekend, which captures the atmosphere and charm of the main spring event.