Israel for 8 nights, stay in Jerusalem?
 

I am looking at options for some FF miles that will expire and one possibility is Tel Aviv. This will be for travel next year. One of the reason why Israel is so attractive is because my passport is close to expiry, and the Israeli stamp dilema will not be an issue since I am due for a new passport soon after I make this trip (I'll have a year's validity on the passport when I travel).

I am wondering if 8 nights/7 days in Jerusalem is good as a base for seeing the country, or not advisable? I am not keen on moving around atot with luggage in tow, I'd like to see the main sights (both religious and historic), can this be done within 7 days if
I base myself in Jerusalem?

I also want to add, when I say religious sights, I mean the Christian, Muslim, and Jewish sights, but only care for an overview of all and don't want to see any specific religion's sights in depth.

Any advice will be appreciated. Thank you.

Let me put it this way - its possible, but its not ideal.
Jerusalem is an ok base, there is much to see within a reachable radius, but to see the north you should probably take an overnight trip and sleep somewhere perhaps around the Sea of Galilee or Safed.
Everything else is pretty much doable from Jerusalem, except the absolute South around Eilat, but in a 7/8 day trip where you want to see religious and historical sites, you can skip Eilat.
I would spend 3 days doing Jerusalem, drive north for 2 days to the Galilee area coming back via the coast so you can see Acre and perhaps Caesaria, then do a trip to Masada and the Dead Sea. You have a couple of swing days to perhaps go to Bethlehem or other areas within easy reach of Jerusalem.
But the overnight in the North will help you maximize your time instead of wasting it on driving or getting around.

TouringIsrael is correct - 7/8 days is too long for Jerusalem and you will need a rented car if you want to see the rest of the country within a week. Her suggested itinerary is very good, although you may want to consider a day in Tel-Aviv as an option.

I also suggest extending your trip to at least 10 days because there is so much to see.

As mentioned, you would do best if you spend at least one or two nights up north - you can tour all the northern sites (religious and historic) from one base in the area.
You can visit Masada and the Dead Sea from Jerusalem - no need to change hotels. If you make that your last "day" in Jerusalem, I would suggest you rent a car, see Masada, Dead Sea, etc. and then drive straight north from there. Spend two or three nights up north - you can take the last day of your trip to leave that area and see Akko, Ceasaria and then head to the airport from there.
It is not recommended to have a rental car in Jerusalem - parking is a problem and driving around Jerusalem is no picnic. You can do fine there with walking, buses or taxis.
True - you can spend a month in Israel and it won't be enough, but if all you have is a week you will see a good deal of the "major" must-see sites.

Thanks for the feedback.

I have some questions.

First is the entire country shut down on Friday evening and Saturday to the point where there will be nothing open for tourists to visit? Obviously, my visit would include a Friday and Saturday.

Is there an alternative to renting a car to visit the northern part of the country? I would rather not rent a car if this can be avoided. Which city is a good base in this area assuming I'd need to rely on public transport?

Is the Dead Sea worthwhile, since i have already visited the Dead Sea in Jordan, I do not intend to float in it again. I would imagine it's virtually the same on the Israeli side.

Eliat is of no interest, I don't care for beaches/swimming/snorkeling, etc. I have been to Aqaba, Jordan and I have seen Eliat from the there, not suggesting that I've experienced Eliat but I don't want to visit yet another beach resort.

I can get more than a week off work so a 10 day trip is out of the question.

Any help will be appreciated, thank you.

If you are already going to Masada and Ein Gedi, the Dead Sea is right there. It's not a separate trip, so if you want, just drive by or see it from the top of Masada rather than make it a real stop.

Is everything shut down on weekends? Not exactly.
Public transportation is, and most stores and many restaurants in most cities.Even the non religious like to have their weekends!
But some stores (especially in "suburban" outdoor shopping centers and many historic sites while still closing early (like 1 pm) on Fridays, reopen on Saturdays.

Jerusalem of course is the toughest on Friday/Saturday.

Just to clarify:
Trains and buses do not run from sundown on Friday to sunset on Saturday, but taxis and sheruts (shared taxis) run as usual. Most tourist sites are open including all national parks, but museums, etc, may have shorter hours. Places of entertainment are generally open as well as most restaurants (except the kosher ones). Stores in the town centers are closed (except for 7/11 style convenience stores) but some suburban malls are open.

Public transport for visiting the sites in the Galilee and Golan is very inefficient and not recommended for a short visit like yours. It is fairly efficient if you confine yourself to Haifa, Akko, Zefat and Tiberius (but I recommend that you take taxis from the stations to the points you want to visit).

Floating in the Dead Sea is indeed the same on both sides, but there are two unique sites on the Israeli side that you should consider visiting: Massada National Park and the Ein Gedi Nature Reserve. You can read detailed information about them on the National Parks website:
http://www.parks.org.il/BuildaGate5/...&Bur=985119011

I will second most of the information that you received. Masada and Ein Gedi are well worth the trip - Masada is is UNESCO World Heritage site and there is nothing like it anywhere else.
Floating in the Dead Sea is the same on either side, so yes, skip that. Same for Eilat, I would agree to skip it on such a short trip.

You received excellent info regarding public transportation etc. If you schedule well, there are many things you do and places to see on Friday and Shabbat. In the north, if you don't want to rent a car then consider hiring a driver/guide or driver+guide for the day or two of touring up there. Public transportation will be frustrating and will waste much of your precious time.

If your concern about renting a car is driving in a foreign country then let me allay your fears - most road signs are in English as well as Hebrew, with a good map in hand it is easy to get around, the roads are good and driving here is not difficult.

Thank you all for the replies.

I have deceided not to rent a car and am looking at short two day tours for the north. I did look at United Tours and Eg'ged Tours and both have slightly different itineraries, also, United Tours only operates once a week, so I need to consider which fits my schedule best. Any comments about either company will be helpful. Here are two links to the itineraries:-

The United Tours tour:- http://www.unitedtours.co.il/content...action=spread1

The Eg'ged Tours tour:-

http://www.eggedtours.com/multiple-day-tours

Which of these two itineraries is best?

I am working on an itinerary at present, as I'm currently reading Fodors and LP Israel guides.

I do have a question about Bethlehelm I have looked at Trip Advisor and am really really confused about the how to get to Bethehelm thread on the website. I understand I can take a bus to near the Church of the Nativity but need to go to the check point to get a bus to return to Jerusalem. How much walking is involved from the bus stop - the church - the checkpoint? I don't mind walking, but not uphill for along time in hot weather.

Another Q about Masada, am I better off doing this independently using Egged or is a tour better for a solo traveller? I will need time to climb the stairs at the sight, but from what I understand the Egged bus does not drop off close to the sight.

Thank you.

Sorry, one more thing, there was another Eg'ged tour that I looked at,heres the link:- http://www.eggedtours.com/multiple-day-tours

Which of these three tours is best?

Thanks.

The Egged/United tours of the Galilee and Golan are identical. I understand that you are also looking at the Egged "Ceasarea-Nazareth-Akko" tour. It is hard to judge which is the "best" - they both are good and you have to choose the one that appeals more to your interests.

Massada: the bus takes about 1.5 hrs and drops you off at the site. There is a cable car that takes you to the top so you don't have to climb. You can check the schedules at
http://www.egged.co.il/Eng/
I recommend getting there as early as possible to avoid the midday heat.

Thank you all, I bit the bullet and booked my airline tickets so now I need to organize my sightseeing itinerary. I appreciate the help.

The suggestion to consider using the sherut (shared taxi) is a good one. They are convenient and from Jerusalem will service most parts of the country. The fares although higher than a bus still are reasonable. I spent quite a bit of time in Jerusalem and used them extensively. Splitting your hotel time between Jerusalem and the north as suggested is also wise. Even though you can day trip to the north, and we did, you will be spending a good deal of time in transit. If in the Haifa area, don't miss Akko, just a bit north.

Egged busses are cheap but a catastrophe, the busses from Jerusalem Central Station are often full and people physically fight for places so with luggage you are lost. To Bethlehem you simply take a bus from the Bus Station in east Jerusalem, next to Damascus gate, which gets you to the checkpoint and then, after crossing,you take a shared taxi or bus to the Church of Nativity. Or you book a tour which includes Bethlehem and Hebron with a guide. East Jerusalem and the Westbank is a good place to see on Friday and Saturday because public transportation in Israel is closed. You should not worry about stamps in passports, you can ask to get the stamp on an extra sheet of paper and remove it later.

Egged buses may not be the best way to get everywhere, every time, but they are not a catastrophe. You need to consider when you are traveling. Sunday mornings are extremely busy as that is the start of the work week. You have many people traveling at that time - soldiers going back to base, students returning to the university, people who went to their family for Shabbat, etc. Most will have luggage and then the buses will be crowded.

The same holds true for Thursday afternoon and evenings and Fridays. That is the end of the week and many people are going home for the weekend, etc.

If you plan around this you can avoid the times that are more crowded. Then you will not have to fight the crowds, will be sure to have a seat on the bus, etc.