woodstockguy

My partner and I have decided to visit Israel for 2 weeks late Apr/early May, first visit and long overdue. We enjoy archaeology, nature, hiking, food. We expect to spend about 2 days in Tel Aviv when we arrive and a few days at the end in Jerusalem. In between, we want to rent a car to see Haifa, Galilee, Dead Sea and Eilat. Bet She'an, Zippori, Masada sound like essential stops. Snorkeling in Eilat once and a day trip to Petra are planned. I think we would enjoy visiting a kibbutz. No other details, and I would appreciate all suggestions and tips: hotels, hikes, car rental info, etc. Should we base in Safed in the Galilee? How long?

Hope to hear from some of you soon.

mbgg

Here are some sites that you should look at:

The National Parks (note the discount tickets):
http://www.parks.org.il/BuildaGate5/...php?mc=378~All

Tel-Aviv tourism (note the free tours):
http://www.visit-tlv.com/

If you are interested in archaeology:
http://www.archesem.com/dig.asp

An important site in the north is Akko (Acre):
http://www.akko.org.il/English/main/default.asp

Do not miss Ein Gedi when you are at the Dead Sea.

risab

You may want to consider staying in a kibbutz hotel in the north instead of Tzfat or a zimmer (cottage) in the north.
I love Tzfat but the Ruth Rimonim hotel is one of the few hotels in Tzfat and I've stayed there twice - it is overpriced and a bit of a dump. You may want to check out Amirim - a vegetarian moshav near Tzfat (Safed) where there a a lot of cottage (zimmer) rentals some that include breakfast. I am staying there in the summer at Eretz Ha Galil in Amirim. Kfar Giladi in the Golan looks very nice as does Kibbutz Maagan on the Kinneret. You have a lot on your itinerary for 2 weeks. Frankly I'd focus on Tel Aviv, north, and Jerusalem and skip Eilat and Petra on this trip. That's a lot in one time and you will exhaust yourself. I've been there twice before for about 2 1/2 weeks each time. I found it was nice to stay put for a few days and really get the feel for an area - there is a lot to do and see and also driving can get tiring.

Here is a suggested itinerary:
Tel Aviv 2-3 days
Haifa 3 days - w/ day trip to Akko & Rosh Haniqra
Golan & Kinneret Area 3-4 days (lots of archeology in the north, views, religious sites, beauty)
Jerusalem 4 days - with trip to Masada - Jerusalem has so much to see - walking the old city, archeological sites, museums, shuk, new areas, alot!

Hope that was helpful.

risab

Also wanted to add that you can go to Masada and Dead sea on a day bus trip from Jerusalem. That is a must do.

woodstockguy

Thanks for the input. I know we are stretching matters by dedicating the 2 days in Elat, but I suspect we will not be able to return for a second visit in a few years and we feel we have to include it on our itinerary. We are thinking of using Haifa as a base for 4 nights and taking day trips to Acre and the Galilee. Is that feasible? It seems that the distances are not that great up north.

tinydancer

Having some recent experience driving in Israel, I thought I'd add that Israel is really very small, with lots to see, and easy to drive through. Here is a link to a site where you can figure out driving distances and times:

http://www.israel-travel-tips.com/en...ng%20Distances

It's not impossible to drive to Eilat in the time you have, but I'd plan my route carefully to make sure you get to all the places you want to. But I do agree that Jerusalem is worth at least 3-4 days. There is so much to see there and it all takes time. You will not need a car in Jerusalem or T.A. and parking is TERRIBLE in both. So you may want to consider doing Jerusalem and then T.A. at the end. You could drop off your car in Jerusalem, then take a cherute to T.A. I think if Eilat (which includes Dead Sea and Masada) is important to you, swap it for Haifa and Akko. Also, if you don't want to spring for an expensive hotel at the Dead Sea, the new Youth Hostel at Masada is really nice and right at the bottom, which makes it very easy to go up there in the morning, come down, do the Dead Sea on the way to Eilat. In Eilat we went to Dolphin Reef where we swam (snorkeled) with the dolphins and then did the relaxation pools in the evening and it was truly awsome!

There are lots of B&B's in Israel too: http://www.zimmeril.com/

risab

...Haifa is a great base to see some areas of the north, it's really close to Akko and Rosh Haniqura - and you certainly can go to the Galilee but in one day you can not see too a lot and while it is small area sometimes traffic can slow you down - just like anywhere else people traveling to and from work. You should do Tel Aviv either first or last -same with Jerusalem as previous poster said because you don't need a car and you can rent your car at those points.

Again if Eilat is one of your key places to go then maybe you want to see more in the south - Masada, Mitzpe Ramon, Sde Boker, Timna, on your way to Eilat.

You may not need Tel Aviv at all if you are getting your "beach time" in Eilat. So you could just go straight to Haifa then Jerusalem & then Eilat.

travelchik23

agreed that eilat is a bit far for such a short trip, but petra is amazing and worth seeing! you'll definitely have to cut things if you do decide that though... building off risab's itinerary i'd say:

Tel Aviv 1 day
Haifa 2 days - w/ day trip to Akko & Rosh Haniqra
Golan & Kinneret Area 3 days (lots of archeology in the north, views, religious sites, beauty)
eilat & petra -3 days with trip to Masada
Jerusalem 4 days - Jerusalem has so much to see - walking the old city, archeological sites, museums, shuk, new areas, alot!

when u say 2 weeks, how many days do you actually mean?

woodstockguy

I thank everyone who to my post.I worked out a tentative schedule. I think I am about to post too much information to post on fodors, but here goes anyway --

My partner and I are 56 years old and celebrating our 35th anniversary on the trip. We live in the mountains in the northeast US and have traveled extensively through Europe, the US (especially the southwest, which we love to hike), and the Caribbean (for snorkeling - we're avid swimmers), always traveling independently without tour groups. I am Jewish, my partner is gentile, we are secular agnostics but extremely interested in history, and I feel deeply connected to Israel.

We have never visited Israel. I don't know when we will or can visit again.This is a trip of a lifetime. I'm not going to cut corners with hotels and look for hostels or really cheap accommodations. I promised my partner we would visit Petra - nonnegotiable. I want to see more than is possible, so very careful selection is necessary for us.

I concluded we need to skip some towns, e.g., Nazareth, Sfat, that I would want to visit if we had more time.

So ... if anyone is interested and still reading after that prelude, here is our proposed schedule:

2 nights Tel Aviv
2 nights Tiberias
1 nights Haifa
2 nights Ein Gedi (Dead Sea, Masada)
1 night Elat
1 night Petra
1 night Elat
4 nights Jerusalem

And here are the key highlights I identified for our trip:


Sat Apr 24: Arrive Tel Aviv. Walk for miles. Bauhaus Architecture. Waterfront. Jaffa.
Sun April 25: More Tel Aviv. Maybe bike parts of the city?

Mon Apr 26: Drive to Galilee: Megido, Bet She’an & Bet Alpha. Overnight in or near Tiberias.
Tues Apr 27: North to Golan Hts & Capernuam. Overnight in or near Tiberias

Wed Apr 28: Depart for Haifa. See Zippori & Akko. (skip Zippori if insufficient time?) Overnight in Haifa.

Thu Apr 29: Morning in Caesarea; Drive to Dead Sea (2 hours from Caesarea?). Overnight in Ein Gedi
Fri Apr30: Masada in morning, Dead Sea float in afternoon. Overnight in Ein Gedi

Sat May 1: Drive to Elat in morning (2.5 hours from Ein Gedi?); Snorkel in afternoon (after Caribbean, we HAVE to snorkel in the Red Sea); Overnight in Elat

Sun May 2: Early a.m. departure to Wadi Rum & Petra. Overnight near Petra

Mon May 3 Tour Petra. Back to Elat for overnight.

Tue May 4 Drive from Elat to Jerusalem (3 hour drive?). Surrender car. Stay near Old City in Jerusalem
Wed May 5 Jerusalem
Thu May 6 Jerusalem
Fri May 7 Jerusalem

Sar May 8: Arrange transportation to be at Airport Ben Gurion 8:30 a.m.

If anyone reads through this lengthy posting: Thank you!!

AlexA

Sounds like a full itinerary, but sounds like you'll have a great time. Some of your visits in certain places might be a little short, but at least you'll have seen them.

One thing to consider, driving times might be longer than you expect, depending on timeof day, day of the week and traffic.

for example:
Thu Apr 29: Morning in Caesarea; Drive to Dead Sea (2 hours from Caesarea?). Overnight in Ein Gedi

Tue May 4 Drive from Elat to Jerusalem (3 hour drive?).

I don't know what route you were planning, but I think it will take longer than 2 hours from Caesaria to Ein Gedi.And Eilat to Jerusalem much longer. It may be very hot in the desert by May and you may want to stop for a drink and cool off the car?

Google maps is actually pretty helpful for estimates of driving distances in Israel but I find the times a little off.
Also after work rush hours in Israel can really tie up traffic, and since most office workers are off Fridays, Thursday evenings are the beginning of the weekend. Just plan for some trips (like Caesaria to Ein Gedi) to take longer than you think, and check the opening hours of the sites you must see so you aren't disappointed

woodstockguy

AlexA - thank you for your comments. My toughest research concerns driving time - determining the driving time rather than distance between sights. Do you have any thoughts as to which of our visits we may find a bit short on time? For example, is it too much to plan to see Zippori and Akko when leaving the Sea of Galilee for Haifa?

risab

You definitely need to take into account driving time (estimated) and traffic because there are certainly certain areas where you can run into a lot of traffic. We had a lot of traffic driving from Netanya to Tiberias in the evening and it took a lot longer than we anticipated.

I would do Tel Aviv, Caessaria, Haifa & Akko first
Then head over to Tiberias then to Jerusalem for 4 days (break from driving) you can do a day tour to Masada, then head down to Eilat & Petra - head home.

You can also just fly down to Eilat from Tel Aviv.

AlexA

For example, is it too much to plan to see Zippori and Akko when leaving the Sea of Galilee for Haifa?

I think answers to a question like that depends on how much time you like to spend in any one type of place. A typical historic site could be a 30 minute run through for some people, or 3 or 4 hours if you like to look at every ruin, follow every path or hiking trail , read every sign or follow along with a guidebook.

For example, I spent an entire day in Akko--so many different sites that could fill up a day, then a lunch break, flea market, etc. But Zippori is one specific site, you take a tour, walk around and could be done in a hour or 2.
Assuming good weather (that time of the year is great) that part of the country isn't terribly crowded the way the center is --not many commuters clogging the roads. I think it's a doable plan.

For other parts of the country, assume that any road between Haifa, Tel Aviv and Jerusalem is subject to slower speeds that google or other maps would indicate, unless you're traveling on a Friday morning, or Saturday, or late evening.

Do you like to picnic? Israel is packed with national, regional and local parks and you can save a lot of time by not looking for restaurants. Pack a cooler with drinks, sandwiches, cheese and fruit from the supermarkets, and you can sightsee , take a break and eat in one stop.

KatPen

I agree with what Alex has to say. Your itinerary is doable but you must add some driving time. Monday, 26th will be a long day with a long drive and 2 heavy sites. Tzipori and Akko are also doable on the way to Haifa...but I would try to get to Tzipori almost as it opens (8am - but check again) to leave most of the day for Akko. I assume you will be getting to Haifa just to sleep, but I recommend eating in one of the restaurants in Ben Gurion street below the beautifully lit Bahai temple and gardens. I hope you get to do a bit of hiking. I guess Ein Gedi, Masada (you can walk up the snake path instead of taking the cable car), Wadi Rum will be your hikes. I am sure it will be amazing for you both. Enjoy.

woodstockguy

Once again, thanks to everyone for all your helpful advice. We have decided to visit Petra on a day trip only from Elat, skipping the Wadi Rum. That means fewer hotel changes and an extra day to spend elsewhere. We are thinking of allocating the extra day to Jerusalem, meaning we will spend our last 5 nights there after changing hotels every other night as follows:

2 nights Tel Aviv
2 nights Kinneret
1 night Haifa
2 nights Dead Sea
2 nights Elat
5 nights Jerusalem

We are still debating using the extra night in Galilee/Haifa rather than Jerusalem, but my 2 closest friends who have spent much time in Israel keep urging us to focus on Jerusalem and spend as much time as possible there, even using it as a base to go elsewhere.

We are also still negotiating what we will see and skip, for example, we may skip Zippori to have more hours in the day to tour Akko, which sounds like it could command lots of time.

Now comes the difficult details - hotels, car rentals, Petra tour operators, but I think it best to post these questions under separate headings.

Thanks again to everyone for your help. If inclined, check in when I post other questions.

takemealong

In addition to this forum, you should take a look at the very active Israel forum on Trip Advisor. There are many Israeli citizens and a number of individuals who have taken multiple trips to Israel and who contribute regularly to that forum on a wide range of topics.

risab

I agree with the recommendation to check out Trip Advisor - Fodors is great for Europe but TA has an excellent and very active Israel Forum.

5 night in Jerusalem is great because there is so much to see and do there. I would consider adding another night to Haifa because there is also a lot to see in the Haifa area or another night in the Kinneret area where there is so much to do- because you can do several day trips in the north and there is a lot to do and see.

Your trip sound wonderful.

risab

Also - you may want to look into Eldan Rental Cars you can pick up the car in Tel Aviv and drop off in Jerusalem, both locations are very convenient- if you do it online you get a discount. They also have a hotel in Jerusalem and you get a discount if you stay there and rent a car. It is across the street from King David hotel- never stayed there but it gets good reviews.

You should also check out Trip Advisor for hotel review and recommendations.

I can recommend the following:
Tel Aviv - Metropolitan Hotel (not far from Eldan car rental, not fancy, good location, clean and really nice staff).

Haifa - Meridian Hotel - nice rooms, great food and service., on beach and there is a promenade that has restaurants and is great for walking in the morning or night. A car is needed to drive to other areas of Haifa but it is right off the highway and a good location. Loved Haifa!

Tiberias - Scot Hotel - gorgous, great food, beautiful gardens, and pool facing Kinneret. Really special,a bit pricey but we thought it was worth the money. Tiberias is a good area for venturing out for day trips. It is an okay place- a bit folksy.

Other options for north are tzimmers - fancy cabins that are rented out all over. There is a website (sorry don't have it avail) but you can google. We're staying in Amirim - a vegetarian moshav that is quite popular with residents who rent zimmers it is not far from Tzfat & Rosh Pina and a good location for northern excursions. We're staying at Eretz Hagalil. They have a website.

Jerusalem - Dan Panorama- nice staff, good location, great breakfast & good rooms, rooftop pool. Stayed there a few times and enjoyed it but this time we are going to stay at the Harmony Hotel - smaller hotel, "boutique" - no pool, fits our budget better for this trip.

I have booked all of my hotels for the last few trips with regent travel in israel- [email protected] - they will give you the best possible rates. I highly recommend using them.

It is good to have a travel agent in Israel because if you need to change your plans due to anything that could come up they are there and can assist (I was in Israel when the Lebanon war started and most of my hotels were in the north so I was so glad to have them be able to assist me in cancelling hotel reservations and getting alternate plans).
There a lot of places and again, if you read reviews on Trip Advisor that will be helpful.

woodstockguy

Wow. I thought I would have to start a new posting for more information but the tips keep coming from all of you. You're the greatest!

I'm going to check Trip Advisor - I had been checking it a bit for hotels and never thought of using it to find a general travel forum.

Since you have been kind enough to respond to all my other questions, I might as well post yet one more. We are locked into our arrival and departure dates, so we have just 1 extra day to allocate after deciding to ditch the overnight excursion to Petra. We thought it best to add that day to our stay in Jerusalem (making a total of 5 nights) rather than Haifa (1 night currently scheduled) or the Kinneret area (2 nights currently scheduled). Our friends have argued to add the extra day to our stay in Jerusalem rather than the other locations. Any thoughts on this choice?

Gardyloo

I know it's a bit late to chime in, but will do so.

I think two nights in Tel Aviv is too few, especially if you're flying in all the way from the US at the beginning. TA is full of life, and IMO immersing oneself in the buzz of modern Israel only helps illuminate all the historical sites and landscapes you'll encounter subsequently. If adding a day means taking a day off the Jerusalem stay at the end, so be it. (And if you're secular and one of your Jerusalem days is Shabbat, there ain't much going on.)

Go to Jaffa, go to the Diaspora Museum, go to the beach, go to the Carmel market, wander around the Neve Tzedek district and see why TA is a World Heritage Site for its Bauhaus architecture... there's just too much to do in two days, especially for a couple of jet-lagged newbies. IMHO.

We have family that live on an historic kibbutz in the Galilee, and we've stayed at a variety of places in Tiberias during our visits. Our current (and future, no question) lodging of choice is the Scots Hotel, owned by the Church of Scotland - http://www.scotshotels.co.il/en/ Not Kosher of course, but a fine wee bar, terrific food, and a great location a block or two from the lakefront.

The Galilee in April/May is so drop-dead gorgeous that one could spend the whole time there IMO. By all means see Safed, but don't miss lovely Rosh Pina while you're nearby.