Israel in April - itinerary help

Old Feb 4th, 2016, 07:19 AM
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Israel in April - itinerary help

I'm headed on a solo trip to Israel the first 2 weeks of April. Looking for a combo experience of beaches and food along with culture and history.

(Arrive late afternoon from US - Tel Aviv)
4 full days in Tel Aviv - Brown TLV hotel
(bus to Jerusalem)
7 full days in Jerusalem
- city tour
- Masada and Dead Sea day tour
- Nablus cooking class - day trip
- 2 day tour of Petra with Bedouin camp overnight - Abraham tours
- Bethlehem day tour
(Bus to Tiberias/Galilee via rt90/West Bank)
1 full day in Galilee
(Car rental from Tiberias back to Tel Aviv)
2 full days - Hiafa, Acre, Ceasarea, Rothchild winery
Overnight/final day in Tel Aviv
(very late night flight back to US)

I am looking for suggestions on itinerary/transport problems as well suggestions on accommodations and dining etc. Nablus seems a bit challenging but doable using public transport via Ramallah.

Thank you.
acktom is offline  
Old Feb 5th, 2016, 08:03 AM
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There are some historical reasons to go to Nablus, but for a cooking class in the current environment? Nah

Take that extra day and add it to Galilee or Jordan. If you are going to make the long trek out to Petra, go to Wadi Rum. Better yet, see Jaresh too.

April is a great time to go, remember the Sabbath when planning on public transportation
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Old Feb 5th, 2016, 10:18 AM
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We were there in November. We spent three nights in Tel Aviv, which was enough IMO. We then spent 10 nights in Jerusalem. In both cities we did the free walking tours which were fantastic.

I would strongly suggest , as Frank says, to do the two night tour to Petra. We did it with Abraham tours and it was the highlight of our entire trip. Originally all I wanted to see was Petra, which was amazing, but Jaresh and Wadi Rum were breathtaking. As said, you are going all that way, and it is a long drive. We did Jaresh the first day, which is the best Roman Ruins i have seen anywhere, and then All Day at Petra, instead of half a day. You can just relax and BE THERE. So amazing. There is an actual guide as well, we had Aymen who was one of the best guides we have had anywhere.

Then the third day exploring Wadi Rum and head back late to Jerusalem.

The only other things we did that you mention was Masada and the Dead Sea and Bethlehem. There were four of us so we hired a private guide and driver, but we were quite impressed with Abraham tours and they seem to do all the tours to places you want to go. Most, other than Jordan, are without a guide and provide mostly just transportation but you can down load an app with tour details on your phone which they provide.

Just be conscious of any Saturdays in there as things may be closed, public transit in Jerusalem etc, on the Shabbat so you need to plan accordingly as Frank said as well.
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Old Feb 5th, 2016, 11:06 AM
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I suspect that you may be right FrankS. I am looking at an actual West Bank tour (Green Olive Tours)that would include Nablus. And the tour that I am looking at for Petra (Abraham's)does include Jaresh. There looks to be a recommended cooking class in Bethlehem but only on a Sunday which might be a schedule conflict.

Thank you for your advice.
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Old Feb 11th, 2016, 11:10 AM
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acktom (Nantucket?)
https://picasaweb.google.com/stuarttower/Israel1979#
Wanna see what Israel looked like in 1979,just three years after the 6-day War? Changes have been major since in every respect. These were scanned and not very good...but it may give you an idea of what the country was like during relatively more peaceful times. I have many more but have not yet scanned them. I will send when I do.

We were there for more than a month and spent some time with relatives during Passover. Covered a good deal of the country when the Sinai was still Israeli.
Our cousin in the pix (with suit at the seder)is a doctor who served in Public Health and on staff at Hadassah Hospital. An American, he was a doctor with NIH and when the 6-day war began he jumped ship and volunteered to help out in Israel. The next year he made "aliyah" and took his family to live in Israel.
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