Summer trip to Israel
 

I am in the very beginning stages of planning a two week trip to Israel for this summer. We will have our 13 year old son with us and possibly one of our college aged sons. We love history, adventure, food, sports and culture. We are very interested in learning more about the country's history and gaining a better understanding of it's current situation. We plan to travel independently and will rent a car to see the country (pick up in Tel Aviv on our way out of the city and drop off in Jerusalem when we start that part of our trip). We will use a guide as appropriate.

This is what we are thinking at this early stage.
1 or 2 nights in Tel Aviv
1 or 2 nights in Haifa
2 nights in Galilee or Golan Heights (thoughts?)
1 night near the Dead Sea
1 night-- Possible trip to Petra
5 nights in Jerusalem

A couple of questions:
* feedback on this potential schedule?
* is it safe to travel to the Dead Sea area via the Jordan River
* does anyone have a guide that they would recommend for a day trip to Bethlehem and possibly Jericho (is it possible to do both cities in one day?)
* would love recommendations for unique experiences
* hotel recommendations in these locations?
* should we do a guided tour starting from Israel to Petra or can we drive to Petra on our own? And if we do a guided tour, we would like a relatively small group tour, even a private tour guide. We prefer to go at our own pace when feasible. Any recommendations?

I appreciate all feedback. I was surprised to find that there aren't a lot of posts in this forum about Israel. From what I have read thus far, it sounds like it is going to be a fascinating trip!

Hello. I have not gone yet but it is on my bucket list. Here is a thread by a traveler I really like. https://www.fodors.com/community/afr...nachem-836892/

Also, once you go under Israel, click on trip reports. There are more interesting and helpful ones.

Good luck. Let us know what you end up planning.

Thanks.

Thank you! I have looked at this and previous trip reports. Unfortunately most of them are on the old side.

You can't tske an Israeli rental car to Petra.
With such a short trip, I'd skip Petra.

Petra is amazing, but you need three nights/two days. There is a lot more to see than just the Treasury.

Sorry I wasn't clear about Petra-- yes we would drop off the car and do a private or small group tour of Petra. Any recommendations for tour groups to use? Abram and Thursdaysd, we are unlikely to ever return to Israel and/or Jordan. This would be our only opportunity to see Petra in our lives. Are you saying that Petra isn't worth going to at all given that we only have one night? If it were you, would you skip it completely if you couldn't spend more time in Israel or at least three days in Petra?

If that is all the time you have, that is all the time you have. Try to pick an evening when it is open after dark. I would give time to Petra rather than the Dead Sea - it just needs an hour or two

See: https://mytimetotravel.wordpress.com...eerless-petra/ - click on the photos for full size ones, I don't know why Wordpress has shrunk them.

We were in Israel this past Fall and our itinerary worked out well for us so I'll pass it along:
3 nights in Tel Aviv. This included the first day/night we arrived.
Picked up car and drove north. On the way we stopped off at Caesaria and passed through Haifa and spent---
1 night in Akko
Leaving Akko we went north to Rosh Hanikra on the Lebanese border. It is a water/cave site. Recommended. Then on to the Galilee ----
3 nights in Rosh Pina in the Galilee.
While in that area we took days trips with int he Galilee and up to the Golan Heights:
Nimrod Castle, Agamon Hula (a nature preserve which was fantastic as it was bird flyover season and we saw 40,000 cranes fly in!). We took a 2 hour tour in the Golan Heights with a very experienced guide. I can get you his information if you wish. We saw Syria with him. (From the Israeli side of course.)
Then we drove down to the Dead Sea and spent 2 nights there. (Ein Bokek) Went to Masada while there.
On our way to the Dead Sea we stopped off at Beit She'an a Roman site. Highly recommended.
Drove up to Jerusalem and dropped off the car.
5 nights in Jerusalem.
So much to do and see. Yes, the Old City, but the rest of Jerusalem has a lot to offer as well. Definitely go to Yad Vashem and the Israel Museum - this last is a wonderful art museum which also contains the Dead Sea Scrolls.

One night in Petra is not enough. You will spend 8 hours in travel and only 3 hours there.

We stayed at the Harmony Hotel in Jerusalem. Highly recommended.

Thursdaysd, love your photos!!! It sounds like you were so so about your tour company. Which one did you use?

Ilan Shulman was the name of our guide in the Golan Heights.
No-Other-Land

I'd also recommend going to the Palmach Museum in Tel Aviv. But you must make reservations. It's very popular.

Diane dancer, I would like to contact your guide and would appreciate his/her contact information. Did you go to Petra? I didn't see it in your schedule?? Are there any other hotels that you would recommend? Did you by chance stay at a kibbutz?

Thank you!

It was an Explore! tour (UK company), not recommended. I only used a tour because I was having trouble getting accommodation in north Jordan, and couldn't find a cost-effective way to do Wadi Rum on my own. I did Syria on my own (this was before the Arab Spring) and with a couple of cars and driver, and Lebanon with day tours.

Glad you liked the photos! Petra is super photogenic.

HI jeanned -Our guide for the 2 hour tour in the Golan was Ilan Shulman. He meets you at his kibbutz. Here's a link to reviews on Trip Advisor and his own site:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attracti...rom_Golan.html

No-Other-Land

We didn't go to Petra because of the time it would take.

In Rosh Pinna we stayed at Bikta Banof. It was a private cabin. The owner had three of these. This type of lodging - "zimmer" - is very common throughout Israel. We had to book through Booking.com which is unusual for us as we usually book directly with an accommodation but this seems to be how this particular place works. Friendly and sweet woman owner:
https://www.booking.com/hotel/il/the...hut.en-gb.html
Address: Derech Hatahana 12
972-52-345-5707

One thing I would just caution about the Dead Sea, Negev, and Red Sea/Petra parts of your plan. Heat. Big, dangerous heat. I would NOT discount the impact the weather could have on your plans, to the extent you plan on being outdoors a lot.

Some general thoughts on your time allocation: If you have to drop some location out of time reductions, I'd probably drop Haifa, or possibly include a brief stop in the city on your way to the Galilee, maybe to see the Bahai temple grounds. I might also reduce the time in Jerusalem by a day and reallocate that day elsewhere; you could use it for a Petra excursion, or you could add it to the coast between Tel Aviv and the Lebanese border - stop in Caesarea and/or Acre, and head to Rosh HaNikra right at the border, before crossing over to Rosh Pina, something like this - https://goo.gl/maps/fXuwqonMCXr

Or, thinking about it, what you might consider instead is heading straight from Tel Aviv to the Galilee, and taking a day to do a day's "loop drive" to Safed, Rosh Hanikra, Acre, Degania Alef and Tiberias. (Degania Alef was the first kibbutz and well worth a visit; besides I have family there and am obligated to promote the place ;) There's a new Italian restaurant on the kibbutz that apparently is quite good, too. ) The harbor/market area in Tiberias is a great place for an evening ice cream and people watching. Map - https://goo.gl/maps/KmrrcWQAA1s

Highway 90 down the Jordan Valley is fine. You'll have to stay in the road most of the way; travel to Palestinian towns/cities like Jericho isn't allowed in Israeli rental cars. It's a fascinating drive.

If you include the Dead Sea and are interested in history, a visit to Masada is a must; in fact I'd probably put a higher priority on that compared to floating in the Dead Sea while the salt tries to dissolve your skin.

So to come back to the big question - Petra or not? Personally I'd say that the time commitment, the heat, and the crush of tourists would mitigate my desires to include it; I think more time in the Galilee and Golan, along the coast, and in Jerusalem, maybe with some day trips thrown in, would be preferable to the long and hot schleps. Your call, of course.

"So to come back to the big question - Petra or not? Personally I'd say that the time commitment, the heat, and the crush of tourists would mitigate my desires to include it; I think more time in the Galilee and Golan, along the coast, and in Jerusalem, maybe with some day trips thrown in, would be preferable to the long and hot schleps. Your call, of course."

Yes, I agree with the heat in the summer problem. We're going to Eilat in May and it will be in the 90s - but at least dry. It can and probably will be in the 100s in the summer.

I personally would not cut out a day in Jerusalem. There is just so much to do. We were there for 5 days and just scratched the surface. We will be going back.

Dianedancer, thank you so much for your contact!! I saw that he has 100% excellent reviews on trip advisors-- unusual to see that level of agreement. He must be terrific!

Gardyloo, I don't anticipate the heat being an issue for us. We live in a hot climate, are active, and are accustomed to it. We were in Greece last summer during their heat wave-- in fact it was so hot that they closed down the Acropolis while we were there-- and were fine. We will dress appropriately and hydrate. (note: we will not be going to the Red Sea or to Negev. We do plan to go to Masada and the dead sea-- we will probably do a sunrise hike of Masada when it is cooler and go to the dead sea after that.)

I have been thinking about dropping Haifa from our schedule. It seems the main attraction there is the Bahai Temple. We have been to the Bahai Temple in Chicago a couple of times and I think seeing it in Haifa is not a must do for us and we can use that day elsewhere.

I am confused by Highway 90. Some people have told me it is dangerous and others say it is fine. How long of a trip is it and are those who feel it is dangerous just super cautious?

Highway 90 down to the Dead Sea is run by Israel and is just fine. I don't know who's telling you differently but you should have no worries. It's funny, but as we drove down on it our phone "welcomed us" to Jordan! It's next to the border so that's why. And when we drove back up it to Jerusalem it said "Hope you had a pleasant time in Jordan". We laughed. Which only proves you can't always trust your phone!
Glad to hear you're used to hot weather. Israel is so multilayered and varied and that's part of what makes it fascinating. Very different from what you get from the news. Enjoy. (And the food is fantastic.)

If you access Petra through Israel you'll transit the Negev en route to Eilat, which is on the Red Sea.

Dianedancer, I have a friend that lives in Israel and she has told me not to take Highway 90 and I have seen others who say the same. And like you, there are a number of people who say it is perfectly fine. It certainly looks a lot more direct and would be our preference. When were you last on Highway 90? I wonder if something has changed which would explain why I am getting diverse opinions?

Gardyloo, Actually we would access Jordan north of Eilat on the guided tour that we are considering so no need to go to Eilat.
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It looks more direct but isn't necessarily faster, depending on where you're starting and where you're ending. It can be faster to get from, say, Tiberias to west Jerusalem via Highway 6, the toll road (check with your rental company) than by using the Jordan Valley road, from which you have to travel west, past Jericho, in order to get to Jerusalem. If you're bypassing Jerusalem and heading to the Dead Sea at, say, Ein Gedi, then Hwy 90 is quicker and less trafficky.

We went this past November. I have no idea if "things" have changed. We started out at Beit She'an which is just south of the Sea of Galilee and headed to Ein Bokek in the Southern part of the Dead Sea. We stayed for two days.
http://www.google.com/maps/dir/Beit+...d31.200156!3e0

When we went up to Jerusalem from the Dead Sea, we took Hwy 9 again until at one point you need to go West and take Highway 1 (I believe) which goes through the West Bank. Parts of that hwy looked a little shady, but there were no problems.

Have you asked your friends in Israel why they think you shouldn't do it?

That should be "Hwy 90 again"

There is no problem driving on Highway 90. I have never seen a negative report on any of the travel forums. You should drive during daylight hours because it is a dark road at night, only two-lanes and winding in places.

bookmarking... we are going to Jerusalem, Tel Aviv and Jordan ( Wadi Rum, Petra, Jerash, Amman) in the first week of May with plane hotel and rental car already booked although they are all cancellable. we’re closing watching the events in Syria which might impact our travel plans. if the Syrian crisis continues, would you recommend to postpone our trip?

The "Syrian crisis" has had no negative effect on tourism to Israel and Jordan during the last six years, despite many predictions to the contrary. The odds are that nothing will happen this time too. It is currently very quiet so keep following the news and don't cancel anything.

Takemewithu, I personally would not cancel at this stage. Please post your thoughts about your trip when you return. Bon voyage!

mbgg and jeanned,

thanks for your input. we havent cancelled our reservations. im hoping i can convince the hubby to push through with our travel plans. i still want to go. as of today he says he does not want to go anymore. we are supposed to leave on May 4 - Im hoping something will come up that will make him change his mind. i will be back on here to let you know what happened.

while planning this trip a few months ago, i was pleased that i was able to redeem some hilton points at the waldorf in jerusalem for a very reasonable rate and ditto with the Petra Guest House, i got a very good rate for one of the chalets. i would be such a waste to let go of these reservations.
And too, I’ve been listening to Maria Muldaur’s “Midnight At The Oasis” during my morning work commute. if you haven’t heard this song from the 70s, you gotta check it out - visions of wadi rum in the company of bedouins.

Not sure what your husband is afraid of. Jerusalem, Tel Aviv and Jordan are not close to Syria. Israel is wonderful and it would be sad for you to not experience it. It's in a tense neighborhood, so to speak, but as everyone who has gone to Israel over the decades will tell you, if you wait for everything to be "hunky dory" you will never go. In Paris I was in a cafe when a man came in with a gun pointed at us. So there you are.

The fighting in Syria has been going on for seven years, why worry more about it now? I would be much more worried about a trip to south-eastern Turkey than to Israel or Jordan. If you read the (notoriously alarmist) US State Dept travel advisories for Jordan and Israel they are about terrorism, not Syria.

Thank you Diane and Thursday for your encouragement. I’m showing your responses to my hubby. I completely agree with the alarmist, over the top reporting we are exposed to in the media. it’s not to say that we should throw caution to the wind, it’s good advice to use one’s own judgement. We lived in the Philippines in the 80s during the Marcos regime and martial law. when i see articles on Newsweek, it made the Philippines look like a very dangerous place. It was a very oppressive regime specially if you’re into politics (which the majority of people are not) but not a dangerous place by any stretch of imagination.

Israel will be a breath of fresh air after the Phillippeans!

Sorry - "Philippines'

i agree completely !

i will post update on a new thread so I dont take jeanne’s original post in another direction. my apologies jeanne for hi jacking your post - didnt mean to...

Just back from a 15 day trip to Israel and Jordan. It’s our first time to the Middle East so it was very informative and gave us a lot of cultural insight into that part of the world. It might take a while before I can get to put together a short report so here’s some notes that might be useful for Jeanne and those who are considering travel in the next few months:

renting a car - we planned on renting one but ended up not doing it. This was a mistake. Our decision not to rent was driven by the fact that we can’t drive the Israel-rented car to Jordan. Even so, we should have rented in each country, it would have still been worth it.

the heat - it was 38 def C in Jordan when we were there last week. It did affect our sightseeing plans and experience. a lot of the interesting sights are outdoors ( jerash, mount nebo to name a few ) so the heat did impact our enjoyment of the sightseeing. Except in Wadi Rum, the wide open expanse of the desert provided a nice breeze that made it feel a lot cooler.

​​​​​​​night tour in Petra - we did the night tour - our own take is it is not worth the effort and the expense ( extra 17 JD ) talking to some travelers we met at the night tour, there were quite a few who shared our sentiment. here’s the breakdown: tour is advertised as a 2 hour event. Hike to the treasury from the entrance is 30 minutes, sat and waited in front of the treasury for about 45 minutes for everyone to get in and get seated. Listened to a solo performer play some nomadic music on the lute for 20 minutes, about 4 people serving tea to everybody for 15 minutes, a solo performer reciting some lines on the history of Petra for 10 minutes, the rest is photo op. The 30 minute hike from the entrance to the treasury is candle-lit in mostly uneven, unpaved stones with short intervals of even, sandy sections so bring flashlight if you can’t see as well in low lighting. Again, everybody is different so your experience might vary. This is just a detailed account of what the night show consists of.

​​​​​​​little Petra - free to visit so no need to buy an extra day at Petra if you’re planning to visit on a different day. I would give this a higher rating than the night tour. it is much smaller scale than Petra so more accessible especially for those who can’t and don’t want a long hike. It’s also less crowded, we went at around 10 am and didn’t encounter big bus tour groups. If you don’t have a car, it’s about 4 JD one way by taxi. Again I was regretted that we didn’t rent a car.

​​​​​​​food - similar to offerings in Israel but more fish options in the menu and prices are lower compared to similar meals in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv.

transportation - even without a rental car, transportation can be easily arranged with regular taxi. we didn’t use taxis that were “recommended” by our hotel, we hailed our own taxi and negotiated fares with the driver. In effect, we cut out the middle man and we were able to negotiate reasonable fares. Sample taxi fares: Aqaba to wadi rum 20 JD, wadi rum to Petra 40 JD, Petra to Amman with stops and wait time in Dead Sea and Madaba 90 JD.

If you have specific questions, I will try to answer as best as I can if it’s something we encountered.
Overall, we had a great time and realized that all our apprehensions were all over reaction to our lack of information on these 2 countries. We are very happy that we decided to go!

Timing probably makes a difference with the night tour. I let the crowd get ahead of me, and the photographers were behind me, so I got to walk the Siq alone - it was magical. I had no interest in the music or the tea.

I think 5 nights might be a bit too much for Jerusalem. I'd recommend.

I see an initial request was made for a recommendation on a guide for going to Bethlehem. Does anyone have a guide or tour to recommend? We'd be going from Tel Aviv. Thank you!