background
General information
You visit Israel for a variety of reasons. Be it because of the numerous sights that date from the time of the Nabataeans, the Romans or even the Crusaders, or to take a cure at the Dead Sea. Most visitors come for one reason, however, to make a pilgrimage in the footsteps of the Bible. From Europe these are predominantly Christians, they visit the biblical places where Jesus of Nazareth lived and worked. Many visitors, however, come from the USA, and very often they are Jewish-Americans. And they flood the tourist spots on their holidays, especially the Passover festival. The prices are accordingly. The same applies, of course, to Easter. And since both dates are close together in the same season, this travel time is very nice and certainly interesting, but also relatively expensive. The best travel time is in spring and autumn. Basically, you get along with English quite well throughout the country, but communication problems can still arise, especially in places with a high proportion of new immigrants. Knowledge of Hebrew and, to a certain extent, Russian will help here.
Travel time
Israel is a relatively small country with an abundance of attractions. Round trips of only one week duration are offered by many tour operators, there are often extension options on the Red Sea in Eilat or for a swim in the Mediterranean.
getting there
Most tourists arrive by plane at Ben-Gurion International Airport in Lod near Tel Aviv. A second option is the smaller Eilat Airport on the Red Sea. A valid passport is required to enter the country, see here for details. Many tourists start in Germany in the morning and arrive in the early afternoon Tel Aviv and are then about 2-3 hours later in Jerusalem. On the day of arrival there is usually nothing special to do.
mobility
Rental car tours are popular in Israel. Many local providers also have minibuses with a driver in their program for small groups; the driver is usually also a tour guide at the same time. The connection by rail is limited to the rudimentary Israeli rail network along the Mediterranean coast and to Jerusalem.
building blocks
2 days Jerusalem
For the capital of the country you should plan at least 2 days, you can easily spend a week here. Pay attention to the opening times: mostly in the morning from 9 a.m., many museums are closed on Fridays, and only open to a limited extent on Saturdays.
Day 1: Visit of Old town. Essential sightseeing points: Jaffa Gate, possibly a visit to the citadel and a short walk on the city wall. The Armenian Quarter. The Roman Cardo, the Jewish quarter with the Sephardic synagogues. The Muslim quarter with the Via Dolorosa. Visit the Western Wall, preferably in the early afternoon. If possible, visit the Temple Mount, but the mosques are closed to non-Muslims. The Church of the Holy Sepulcher in the Christian quarter is definitely worth seeing. In the church processions on the hour.
Day 2: visit of Jerusalem / East Jerusalem. Drive to Mount Scopus and the Mount of Olives. In the morning is the most beautiful view of the old town with the Temple Mount. Drive to around noon West Jerusalem, Visit to the Israel Museum with a model of the Old City and the Shrine of the Book. Visit to the Knesset. Later to the Herzl-Berg with the memorial Yad Vashem, plan about 3 hours.
Options:Bethlehem with the Church of the Nativity. Either attach at the end of the first day in Jerusalem, or plan an extra day in Jerusalem, Mount Zion, Independence Park, Ein Kerem are also worth a visit.
3 days on Lake genezareth
Day 1: Arriving from Jerusalem: travel by road 1 in the direction Jordan Valley. The route goes through that West Bank. There is a control station at the exit of Jerusalem. It goes downhill, you can rest at the height of the sea level. At Jericho one reaches the street 90, it leads up the Jordan to the north. Rest option at Bet She'an. On to the Sea of Galilee, at Dganya A, the first kibbutz, is the baptismal site Jardenit at the Jordan. visit of Tiberias, There are overnight accommodations in a hotel or in one of the Kibuzzim on the lake shore, e.g. in Ha'On. Before that, numerous places can be visited that are already mentioned in the Bible, e.g. B. Tabghawhere the multiplication of the bread took place, very close by is the Mount of Beatitudes, where the Sermon on the Mount took place, the present one Migdal corresponds to the biblical Magdala, the place of residence of Mary Magdalene. And in Capernaum lived the fisherman and apostle Peter. And in many places around the lake, the Petrusfish touted as a specialty. Delicate, but full of bones.
Day 2: trip to Lower Galilee, Visit of Nazareth, the place where Jesus grew up. It is only 10 km away from it Zippori, famous for the mosaics from Roman times. On the way back to Mount Tabor with the Transfiguration Basilica.
Day 3: trip to Upper Galilee, Visit of Safed. Go to Mount Meron or to the Jordan springs Tel Dan, to Kiryat Shemona, ins Hule valley, to the Druze villages in the northern border area.
Options: The Golan Heights on the east side of the Sea of Galilee, view from the mountain Ben valley at Merom Golan to Syria, visit a winery in Katzrin. Bathing in the lake, sailing tours, kayaking on the Jordan. On the Sea of Galilee, a section of the old railway from Haifa to the Hejaz Railway was expanded as a cycle path, and some tour operators offer cycle tours.
2 days Tel Aviv
Day 1: Arrival from the Sea of Galilee to Western Galilee to the Mediterranean coast. Visit the crusader fortress and the old town in Akko. Along the coast to Haifa, View from Carmel Mountains on the sanctuary of the Baha'i. Continue to Caesarea. Visit the ancient port city. Arrival in Tel Aviv. If possible, go to the old part of town in the evening Jaffa.
Day 2: Visit of the white city, the museums, the shopping centers.
Options: From Tel Aviv you can go on excursions to Ashdod or Netanya to the beach.
One day on Dead sea
Day 1: Drive from Jerusalem to the Dead Sea by road 1, at Jericho then the street 90 in a southerly direction. It's not far Qumran. Continue along the lake to Masada, Total distance almost 100 km. You have to reckon with roadside checks, but they don't particularly slow you down. After visiting the rock fortress, take a swim in the Dead Sea. Possibilities either 20 km south at En Bokek or on the return trip e.g. at the oasis En Gedi. Currently (2018) bathing in the Dead Sea is at A Gedi no longer possible due to "sink holes".
Options: Add a few wellness days at the Dead Sea.
Extension options
- Bathing on the Mediterranean Sea, popular seaside resorts are Nahariya, Netanya and Ashkelon
- Hiking in Lower Galilee on Mount Tabor or in the Carmel Mountains.
- Bathing in the Red Sea Eilat. Flight from Tel Aviv to Eilat. Snorkel on the coral beach or swim with dolphins on the dolphin reef.
