Driving from Dead Sea
 

On an upcoming trip to Israel, my wife and I were planning on staying in Ein Bokek for part of the time. On the last day of our trip, we were thinking of driving to Acre, and then staying in Tel Aviv the night before our flight. Is this itinerary do-able in a day, or should we pick something to do between Ein Bokek and Tel Aviv?

Also, how expensive is a tax from downtown Tel Aviv to Ben Gurion airport?

Unfortunately you have not posted your entire itinerary for the entire trip so it is difficult to make recommendations.

Driving from Ein Bokek to Akko can take up to four hours, the the drive to Tel-Aviv is 1.5+ hours so that is a lot of time on the road.

If you have the car on the last day then why not return it at the airport ? A taxi for Tel-Aviv to the airport costs about 100 NIS - call Hadar Taxis at 03-971-1103 the day before to book. They are the cheapest and very reliable.

Please post your entire itinerary.

There is no way I would do that trip. AS said it is a long drive from Ein Bokek to Akko. Then the trip back to Tel Aviv ( with traffic depending upon the time of day) You are leaving yourself no time to actually visit Akko. As said above. if you post a full itinerary it may help people here to help you.

Thanks for the replies. They are both really helpful.

We are still working out the itinerary, but tentatively: Arrive afternoon of Day 1 in Jerusalem. Days 1-4 -- Jerusalem. Day 5 -- Bus to Petra. Day 6 - Petra. Day 7 -- Return to Israel, drive to Ein Bokek. Day 8 -- Masada/Dead Sea. Day 9 -- Ein Bokek to Tel Aviv. Day 10 -- Fly home.

Would going to Caesarea on Day 9 be more realistic, or does anybody have any suggestions on places to visit that day? We are not terribly excited with the idea of spending the day in Tel Aviv.

One alternative we were thinking is spending an extra day in Petra. Day 6 -- Petra. Day 7 -- Petra, cab to Aqaba. Day 8 -- Cross border, drive to Ein Bokek. Day 9 -- Masada in AM, drive to Tel Aviv. Day 10 -- Fly home.

The primary question on that itinerary is crossing the border and driving to Ein Bokek on Day 8. We'd like to make sure we have enough time to spend an afternoon at the Dead Sea.

I suggest the following:
- Day 4 - pick up the car in the afternoon in Jerusalem.
- Day 5 - drive to Eilat via the Dead Sea; visit Massada and go for a dip.
- Day 6 - Petra. You have not indicated whether you will be taking a tour or going on your own. Do not return the car.
- Day 7 - drive to Tel-Aviv via Mitspe Ramon, Avdat, Sde Boker, etc. Return car.
- Day 8 - take the train to Akko. Visit the crusader city, etc. return to Tel-Aviv. Note that Caesarea is not easily accessible by public transport.
- Day 9 - Tel-Aviv. I don't understand why you don't want to spend a day there as it is considered a very interesting city. Visit Jaffa, tour the Bauhaus neighbourhood (a unesco heritage site), the markets, museums, beach, etc.
- Day 10 - take taxi to airport.

Again, there is a lot of missing information: what month of the year, what day of the week is Day 1, what is your stamina and mobility level, etc, etc.

Here is an alternate itinerary WITHOUT renting a car.
- Day 1-5: Jerusalem, but on one of those days take a tour to the Dead Sea (see recommendations below).
- Day 6 - bus to Eilat (assuming this is not a Saturday).
- Day 7 - Petra.
- Day 8 - FLY to Tel-Aviv (Sde Dov airport). Check the Arkia, Israir and El Al websites (the flight takes less than one hour). Visit Jaffa in the afternoon.
- Day 9 - take the train to Akko.
- Day 10 - take taxi to airport.

Dead Sea tours:
http://www.abraham-hostel-jerusalem....ies/tours.aspx
http://www.eggedtours.com/
The former is the only tour that also goes to the Ein Gedi Nature Reserve. It is transportation only - no guide - but audiophones are available at Massada.

Other relevant information:
- Akko tourism web site: http://www.akko.org.il/en/
- Train schedules: http://www.rail.co.il/EN/Pages/HomePage.aspx
What to see in Jaffa: http://igoogledisrael.com/2012/04/th...affa-tel-aviv/

Thanks mbgg. That is all really helpful. I hadn't considered either of those intineraries.

We are planning on visiting in March, and Day 1 would likely be a Saturday. My wife and I are both younger, so we're able to sit in a car without trouble and scramble around sites that require walking/climbing.

Ok - that makes a big difference because Day 8 is also a Saturday: there are no trains or buses from Friday afternoon, the car rental agents close early on Friday (except at the airport, which is open 24/7) and the Eilat flights are limited (you have to check).

The best solution is to switch the order of both itineraries:

With car:
- Day 1: Arrive and go to Tel-Aviv (taxi)
- Day 2: Akko
- Day 3: Tel-Aviv and pick up car in late afternoon.
- Day 4: Drive to Eilat via Mitspe Ramon
- Day 5: Petra
- Day 6: Drive to Jerusalem via Dead Sea
- Day 7-9: Jerusalem (including Saturday)
- Day 10: take "sherut" (shared taxi to airport)

Saturday in Jerusalem: the following are open - the Old City (except for Jewish Quarter), the Israel Museum, David's Citadel Museum, Museum of Islamic Art, the Rampart's Walk, and you can go to Bethlehem (a suburb of Jerusalem).

No car:
- Day 1: Arrive and go to Tel-Aviv
- Day 2: Akko
- Day 3: Tel-Aviv and fly to Eilat in evening
- Day 4: Petra Tour
- Day 5: Bus to Jerusalem
- Day 6-9: Jerusalem including one day at the Dead Sea
- Day 10: take "sherut" (shared taxi) to airport.

A general comment: you have 8 days net in Israel and it is usually not recommended to go to Petra on such a short trip. The alternate is to spend an additional 2 days in the Galilee & Golan (spring is the best time to visit the north). The best idea idea is to extend your trip by 2-3 days and see both !!!!