kacollier

My husband and I are thinking of doing a 9-12 day trip to Israel with a sidetrip to Petra. We are active, adventurous travelers and he would like to do this as a self-drive. However, we would plan to leave the car in Israel and do a guided tour in Petra. Please provide us with any itinerary suggestions or what are your "must sees and do's" for first-time, non-Jewish visitors. Also, we will be celebrating our anniversary so I would like to stay in some nicer hotel properties (prefer boutique) and any suggestions would be appreciated. Our plans are to travel in September but after Yom Kippur.

AlexA

Hi, kacollier. I'm rushing out now so no time for a detailed response, but I wanted to mention that you should check the dates you want to travel. Shortly after Yom Kippur is the weeklong holiday of Sukkot/Simchat Torah. Availability of hotels go down and prices go up because people in Israel travel and overseas vistors also take up space on the roads and national parks and other locations. The holidays also begin and end with holy days where many sites are shut and there's no public transportation.

If you can travel right after the end of the holiday you'll still have great weather but things will have quieted down a little The holiday this year starts on the eve of September 18th and ends on the 26th.

Chako

What are the exact dates of your visit? As mentioned above, after Yom Kippur there is a 7 day holiday called Sukkot which will make your trip much more expensive with alot of crowds at sites. This week long holiday has the entire country on holiday, with crowded sites and extreme traffic delays. I would recommend putting off your arrival until after September 27th if at all possible.

Elkaz

I too think you should come visit after Succot.

Self-Drive is a common method and easy to do in Israel. However , Tel Aviv and Jerusalem are two places where you do not want a vehicle. The traffic is hard and parking is horrendous Besides there is a good, easy to use public transportation system in both places. So, you should really be starting in Tel Aviv and then renting a car as you leave the city.

In terms of where to go--I suggest your pick up a tour book--try Foders--they are the best and read a little about Israel and what it has to offer. THen come back and ask specific questions.

alan43

Hi
They are right about coming to Israel after the Holidays. We have visited 3x and once to Petra. You really don't want a car in Tel Aviv or Jerusalem. For the rest of the trip a car is great. In tel Aviv we've stayed at the Melody Hotel near the beach thre times. we like the hotel. It is a small boutique hotel and it includes bkfst and a happy hour abouyt 4pm with wine and snacks. It's part of the Atlas chain so look it up.

When we went to Petra, we left from Eilat and traveled by taxi to the Movenpick Hotel, right outside the entrance to Petra. It was wonderful, as when it got too hot we could go back to the hotel within a 3 minute walk. We stayed 3 nights. We ate in town (Wadi Musa) rather than the hotel except for bkfst and a fast lunch once.

Please be more specific as to the type of information you are looking to get.

A trip to Tiberius would be suggested to you, there is Caperneum located nearby. Tiberius is a good place to visit.

dgunbug

Alan43 - what did you do with 3 nites in Petra? We are trying to determine whether to do the day trip or overnight.