Israel can satisfy all kinds of traveller, from the gastronome and culture vulture, to the hiker and seeker of spiritual experience. The compact nature of the country – Jerusalem is reached in an hour by car from Tel Aviv – makes it easy to see and do a lot of different things in a short period of time.
Jerusalem will be high on any list of places to visit in Israel. Over a long and often turbulent history the city has become central to many conflicts. The why of this history can be explained, in part, by the fundamental importance of the city in three major faiths – Islam, Judaism and Christianity.
For the traveler looking to gain insight into this spiritual significance, a day tour of the Old City of Jerusalem is highly recommended. Place a prayer note in the Wailing Wall (one of the most important religious sites in the Jewish faith), be awed by the beauty of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre (which some believe to be the site of Jesus’s burial) and climb up to the Dome of the Rock (home to the Foundation Stone, under which is conjectured to be the resting place of the Ten Commandments).
Also in Jerusalem is Yad Yashem. This is the site of Israel’s memorial to the six million victims of the Holocaust. A series of inter-connected museums, monuments and exhibition halls aim and hope to convey and explain the magnitude of the twentieth century’s defining tragedy. Found on the Western edge of Jerusalem, this is large site, easily a half day or more worth of activity.
Party time
Tel Aviv is the gateway into the rest of Israel. Ben Gurion International Airport, Israel’s main airport, serves both Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. Wherever you plan go after touching down, bear in mind that the observance of the Sabbath will shut down almost all public transport, with the exception of a few locations, from sundown Friday to sundown Saturday (this includes buses, trains etc to and from the Ben Gurion). Car hire is thus a very handy option – many of the major providers, like National Car, are available at the airport.
Tel Aviv, Israel’s capital, has is its own charms. Renowned for its incredible nightlife (ranked by Lonely Planet as one the top ten party cities in the world) and gorgeous beaches, the city is, in many ways, the polar opposite of its spiritual neighbour. It attracts a youthful crowd, drawn by bars and clubs like Radio E.P.G.B and Bungalo bar, and palm-tree lined shopping zones like Rothschild Blvd. Placate the effects of a wild evening by chilling out in one of the many cafes which adjoin Tel Aviv’s long beach.
The great outdoors
Go beyond the cities to find some of the Israel’s most incredible sites. The mountain fortress of Masada, built into the very rock of a mountainous plateau in southeastern Israel, is the site of a defining moment in Jewish history. The inhabitants of the fortress, numbering almost a thousand, committed suicide rather than face capture by the besieging Roman legions. The fit and the brave can take the winding snake path to the summit of the plateau; the less adventurous can travel in the ease and style of a cable car.
The world’s lowest point has a morbid name and incredible properties which make it a popular destination for a day out. A visit to the Dead Sea makes for a great spa day – all the big hotels in the area offer treatments based on its famous mud.
Finally, the Ramon crater, in Israel’s desert south, offers the chance, at the expense of a little effort, to enjoy spectacular views of the world’s largest crater. Outdoor enthusiasts are well-catered for here with trails for the hiker and mountain biker.
And so much more
There’s much more than this to see and do – haggling in Tel Aviv markets, camel rides in the desert or exploring the ruins of the ancient city of Avdat, to name just a few. The incredible variety makes Israel one of the exciting places to visit in the world.
