Budget Travel - Help about Egypt & Israel hostels & budget hotels

Hi.

I'm headed to Egypt & Israel for the first time, and loking for suggestions in the $2-10/night price range. Some of the guide books suggest low-end hotels in Egypt. No reviews for Hurghada, Egypt in hostels.com or hostelz.com.

I'm flying AA to HRG (Hurghada, Egypt) on the $362+ special. Going for 2 weeks. Probably taking bus to Cairo for a few days. Maybe hike Mt Sinai. Then Jerusalem & Tel Aviv. Return to Egypt for Luxor and maybe snorkel in Hurghada before flyign back.

Thanks for any suggestions!
Mitchell

P.S. I'm doing Morocco in March. Looking for help there too!

I stayed at the Hotel Berlin in Cairo about 4 years ago. The entrance looked scary, but once I got on the elevator to the hotel itself, all was fine. They had someone at the front desk 24/7 & offered transportation to/from the airport, as well as to Giza.

I'd be scared to stay anywhere in Israel that you can get for $2. But hey, that's just me.

The main YHA hostel in Tel Aviv is located in Bney Dan street right on Hayarkon park and roughly 10 minutes walk from the beach. Their prices are around 15USD per bed. There are a few in Jerusalem but I would recommend the one in Agron st for its location.

http://www.youth-hostels.org.il/english.html

The main YHA hostel in Tel Aviv is located in Bney Dan street right on Hayarkon park and roughly 10 minutes walk from the beach. Their prices are around 15USD per bed. There are a few in Jerusalem but I would recommend the one in Agron st for its location.

http://www.youth-hostels.org.il/english.htmlGeeze - it never even occurred to me that someone might happen across a site like that and consider staying at Bayit V'gan. It was a great facility when I was last there, and I stayed there many times, but for someone touring Jerusalem by foot, you'd definintely want to go with apirchik's advice. Bayit V'gan is right near Har Hertzel and Yad Vashem. It's a considerable bus ride from the heart of Jerusalem.

Thanks Jakebeth, apirchik, and KFinTX for your help.

Any suggestions for transport between Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Mt Sinai, and Cairo, (maybe) Bethlehem, (maybe) Gallilee?

I'm thinking to take it easy on my first trip to Egypt & Israel.
I'd like to see more, but I'll probably wait until the next trip.
Thu 2/22 Arrive Hurghada, Egypt - Take bus to Cairo
Fri 2/23 - Sun 2/25 Weekend in Cairo
Mon 2/26 - Thu 3/1 Jerusalem
Fri 3/2 - Sun 3/4 Tel Aviv
Mon 3/5 Travel Tel Aviv to Mt Sinai,
Tue 3/6 Hike Mt Sinai
Wed 3/7 - Thu 3/8 Luxor, Aswan
Fri 3/9 Fly back to US
Mitchell

The budget way to travel Israel is by bus and train. The main intercity bus company is called Egged and it provides the best connection between Tel Aviv, Jerusalem and the north. The train mainly covers central Israel and the coast. The train between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv is recommended for its scenery route but it takes more than double the time of a bus ride and drops you in a place you will need another bus ride to city center.

In Tel Aviv, Dan and Kavim cover all the city and main suburbs. They have a daily pass valid from 9AM to midnight for 11.80NIS. In Jerusalem, Egged is the local bus company.

I have no idea about regular public transport to Bethlehem (in the west bank) but there might be some Egged bus going there.

Between Cairo and Tel Aviv there should be a bus but I'm not sure how and where. There are flights with Air Sinai.

I have no idea about regular public transport to Bethlehem (in the west bank) but there might be some Egged bus going there.



I don't believe that Egged goes into Bethlehem and I would not (for safety's sake) suggest making the trip.

Mitchell, another thing I would recommend about travelling in Egypt is to use an Egyptian travel agency to make your arrangments in that country. I made my Cairo-Luxor flight arrangements through a US travel agency, had the tickets & everything, only to show up in Cairo to be told my tix had been cancelled because I had not confirmed AT THE AIRPORT 3 days' prior. NOWHERE on the EgyptAir website does it say this & I did call EgyptAir in the US to confirm and again, NOTHING was said about this "requirement." I was re-ticketed at both ends, thanks to the travel agency I used for my tour of Luxor. Save yourself a ton of aggro. I can't recall the name of the agency I used, but I found it in Lonely Planet, the one run by an American who lives in Egypt.

There are tons of flights from Luxor to Cairo (& vice versa) & I'd recommend flying that route instead of taking the bus or train.

Thanks everyone. All the advice helps a lot...

Here's Egged's Site (http://www.egged.co.il/Eng/)

I don't believe that Egged goes into Bethlehem and I would not (for safety's sake) suggest making the trip.

Back in my army service days I was a frequent traveller on Egged bus number 474 that goes from Kfar Saba to Jerusalem via the west bank, stopping in almost every settlement along the way. The bus used to go via downtown Ramallah and next some unfriendly villages. The buses they use on the west bank routes are special ones that are better protected against bad things that might happen to them. Route 474 was getting shot at once in a while.

Anyway, there are no Egged buses from downtown Jerusalem to downtown Bethlehem. If there is a Jewish settlement somewhere near Bethlehem, there might be a bus going there.

Anyway, there are no Egged buses from downtown Jerusalem to downtown Bethlehem. If there is a Jewish settlement somewhere near Bethlehem, there might be a bus going there.

Try bus 166 to Tekoa (quite near Bethlehem) which is really worth visiting for nearby Herodion national park which is up the hill from the bus stop. You probably can't get to Bethlehem that way -- rather, only through the checkpoint between Jerusalem and Bethlehem which is on a different road.

Herodion's antiquities are fascinating -- if you're worried about security, it's worth the expense of hiring a taxi to drive you there and back from J'lem directly, and walk round the site with you. Find some people to share it with to lower the cost.

http://www.parks.org.il/ParksENG/company_card.php3?CNumber=337735