safety concerns
 

Hi. I will be traveling in Israel next month and would like advice on security. How safe are the buses? What about taxis? How should I travel in the Old City?
Thanks for your help,
Andrea

I visited Israel in February and I had similar concerns, especially being a woman traveling alone. But once I got there I never once felt unsafe. Your biggest danger will be gaining weight, as the food is so good. Don't worry, you'll be fine. :-)

I would stay off the buses. Taxis are not expensive and much safer

Pariser,

I have traveled on the buses in Israel as a single American woman traveling alone and never encountered any problem. Well, once I had to ask a soldier to please move his Uzi so it wasn't poking me in the leg, but that's about it.

I think people are concerned about the buses because they have an unfortunate history of getting bombed. But the last time was quite a while ago. And really, when you think about what the odds are, you'd probably get hurt more readily in a traffic accident in America!

Taxis are everywhere. Make sure before you get in the taxi that the driver will his meter (that's the law there) otherwise, pre-negotiate a fare you're comfortable with. Never assume he's using his meter. I got burned once that way and made sure it never happened again.

Have a great time!

-doo

We just got back from Israel, visiting our daughter who is going to school there. Her school advises not going on buses in downtown Jerusalem, because those are the ones that have been targeted in the past. There have been almost no attacks since the Security Wall was constructed.

She was also told to only take taxis with yellow license plates, which indicate cabs licensed in Israel, as opposed to a cab licensed in the Palestinian Territories. I don't know if this is good advice or not, as it appears to me that most cabs are driven by Palestinians anyway.

The Old City is so small that you can pretty much walk to wherever you want to go. If you are staying elsewhere, you could just take a taxi to one of the Old City gates (I'd suggest the Zion or Jaffa gates), walk in and then walk to wherever you want to go.

Pariser,

I forgot to mention that travel within the Old City is entirely by foot. There are only a few narrow roads (alley-sized) within it that can accomodate a vehicle or two. The Old City is so small that crossing it on foot will take you less than 1/2 an hour.

Also, I've entered the Old City by all the gates and found the Damascus Gate route to be the most colorful and entrancing (I'm an adventurous gal who likes getting to know other cultures :) )

Both the Damascus and Jaffa Gates will get you to the shopping areas the most quickly.

Regards,
doo