bertsirkin

mbgg:

We're going in April - we won't be doing any long hikes (we're in our 60's, but in reasonable physical shap) - we can/will do walks of about a mile or less. We may want to snorle or scuba dive in Eilat during one day we're there, so Eilat does offer us something to see. We may drive through Mitzpe Ramon when we go from Eilat to Neʼot HaKikar, but we won't have any significant time there.

Timna looks like a perfect day-trip from Eilat. Thanks for that suggestion.

I looked up Akko, and it looks like it's also called Acre. It's interesting because I just finished reading a novel (Rise, A Novel of Contemporary Israel) that took place in Acre, along with other places - it's where I first learned of Mitzpe Ramon. It looks like Akko is about an hours drive from where we're staying in the Galilee, so it's an easy day-trip from there.

We may still change our reservations as we learn of more places to go from forums like this. Thanks for your suggestions and help! We started planning this trip last June, so we've had plenty of time to learn more about Israel, but it seems, more than other places we've visited, there are more "secrets" to uncover here!

bert

mbgg

Bert:
I can recommend dozens of "secret" places to visit ....
You have listed where you will spending the nights, but have you started planning the days ? Other than the Petra tour you have not told us what you plan to do on each day. Can you post a list so that we can comment and give suggestions ?

bertsirkin

mbgg:

We really haven't planned much yet. Just so you know, we're mainly interested in history (ancient and during the Roman occupation), and photography is an important aspect of our travel - that usually means being up before dawn and going to bed early! Here's what we know:

Tel Aviv doesn't interest us as much as the rest of the country - but the Neve Tszedik neighborhood seems interesting, along with old Jaffa, plus just walking along the sea.

Eilat: We'll be visiting Petra and may snorkel or dive one day. Would like to get into the desert (Timna, etc).

Ne'ot HaKikar/Dead Sea: Masada, the Dead Sea and the moshav.

Galilee: Nothing firm yet - Safed may be a place we want to visit, along with Acre (Akkor?), and maybe mount Tabor. The religious aspects of this area are less interesting to us.

Jerusalem: We know that we want to see the main sites in Jerusalem: the wailing wall, the markets, churches, synagogues, etc.

thanks,
bert

mbgg

Bert:
You have to start working on a detailed itinerary, otherwise you won't know whether you are spending too much or too little time in any hotel. Three weeks is great (most tourists wish they could spend that much time here), but it requires a lot of detailed planning. I will post more suggestions and links to web sites during the next few days.
BTW, what day of the week do you arrive ?

mbgg

Bert:
Here are some general web sites that you should look at:

1. National Parks and Nature Reserves:
http://www.parks.org.il/parks/ParksA...sReserveSearch
Click on "לגן\שמורה" ("Reserve/Park") under each site to read a description and general information.
Note that you can buy a two-week ticket for unlimited entry ticket to all the sites for 147 NIS or a six-entry ticket for 107 NIS (each site costs 20-40 NIS individually). This is a good deal and you buy it at the first site that you visit (probably Massada in your case).

2. A list of all museums in Israel:
http://ilmuseums.com/

3. A non-commercial travel guide written by an American tourist who has visited Israel about a dozen times:
http://amateurtraveler.com/travel-gu...el%20guide.pdf

Next installment : Tel-Aviv

P.S. What day of the week are you arriving ?

mbgg

Bert:

Look at the City of Tel-Aviv tourism web site; it has a lot of information and gives the addresses and hours of the tourist information offices:
http://visit-tlv.com/

Note these two pages:
1. The city offers five free walking tours every week:
http://visit-tlv.com/?CategoryID=191...eID=480&Page=1
2. and offers discounts for attractions, restaurants, stores, etc:
http://www.iandm.co.il/Campaign/TLV/.../city_Pass.pdf

There is also a lot of information in the monthy "Time Out" magazine, Tel-Aviv edition:
http://digital.timeout.co.il/english/

One of the highlights of Tel-Aviv is the old "Bauhaus" neighbourhood, centered mainly along Rothschild Blvd. The city offers a free tour every Saturday morning (see above) but if that day is not convenient you have two choices:
1. A guided tour or audioguides offered by the Bauhaus Center on Dizengoff St:
http://www.bauhaus-center.com/tours.html
2. A self-guided tour:
http://www.white-city.co.il/english/index.htm
Click on [Tourism] and print out the brochure for each street.

The second major attraction in Tel-Aviv is the old city of Jaffa. The main sites to see are:
- the old port
- the Old City, above the port (churches, artist studios, etc). There is a Visitors Center.
- the clock tower square (Yefet Street), to the east of the Old City
- the flea market, on the east side of Yefet Street.
This web site gives a good summary:
http://igoogledisrael.com/2012/04/th...affa-tel-aviv/

The major museums in Tel-Aviv are:
- Jewish Diaspora Museum:
http://www.bh.org.il/visitors-center.aspx
- Palmach Museum (must be booked in advance):
http://info.palmach.org.il/show_item...859&itemType=0
- Rabin Center:
http://www.rabincenter.org.il/Web/En...m/Default.aspx
- Eretz Israel Museum:
http://www.eretzmuseum.org.il/e/
- Tel-Aviv Museum of Art:
http://www.tamuseum.com/

There are many more smaller museums (e.g. Independence Hall, Ben-Gurion House, Rubin Art Museum, etc). You can see a list here:
http://ilmuseums.com/

Markets:
There are three big outdoor markets in Tel-Aviv:
- Jaffa Flea Market (see above) - daily, except Saturday.
- Nachlat-Binyamin Arts&Crafts Fair - every Tuesday and Friday.
http://www.nachlat-binyamin.com/en-Default.aspx
- Carmel Market (food, clothing, houseware, etc) - daily, except Saturday.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1SH5XwE-LdA&feature=fvsr

Entertainment and restaurants:
There are two sites that have been developed as entertainment areas with restaurants, pubs, clubs, etc:
-Tel-Aviv port, in north Tel-Aviv (not the same as the Jaffa Port):
http://www.namal.co.il/en/default.aspx
- HaTahana (the restored Old Turkish train station) in Neve Zedek:
http://www.hatachana.co.il/Home

bertsirkin

I've been traveling the past week - I'm just getting back to "normal" things. I'm a bit overwhelmed at the moment! You've supplied SO MUCH information, it will take me a while to go thru everything. I've stored all of the links and will be going thru them in the next week.

Right now the only two tours we are planning are both out of Eilat. One is a 2-day tour of Petra and Wadi Rum, and another is a 4-hour afternoon/evening tour in the desert outside of Eilat - part of which is spent star-gazing - one of my favorite things to do when outside the city environs. Both tours are with Desert Eco Tours.

As much time as we have, it's still not enough to do everything, and one thing that we've learned is that we don't try to cram too much into a trip. We know that we need "rest" days thrown into the mix, hence what seems like extra time in some locations.

I'm sure I'll have questions - stay tuned!

thanks,
bert

Thumper

Bert, I am down the road on Rte 84, and there are many people in West Hartford who have visited as well as have children living in Israel. ( I lived there many years and spend a part of every there now)

If you are interested in some people I might recommend to chat with, that might be a conversation better suited for private messages.

gregomck23

Acre and Akko are the same city. Acre is the French/ European name of the city. It was a base for the crusaders and called Saint-Jean-d'Acre by them. They added the "r" thinking it was where the ancient city Ekron was, apparently. Akko is the Hebrew name. Akka is the Arabic name. To add to what others have said here, I would definitely recommend a visit there because it is very beautiful.

Rosh Ha-Nakra is also quite beautiful, and it's definitely an interesting feeling, to say the least, seeing the Israeli-Lebanese border which is right there. Haifa is also a beautiful city, just to reiterate what others have said. The botanical gardens/ Baha'i temple there are quite lovely.

But I do agree with spending some extra time in one place like Jerusalem and really taking it in for a while. Israel is a small country, but it is chalk-full of sites and things to do. Although you can easily see every region and major site, I think people often think they can do it all while they are there, but it can be a lot to take in, and I find picking and choosing is a good way to go. I lived in Israel for years, and to be honest, I am sure there are places in the country I haven't seen. Places some would say it is important to see... Don't feel bad if you miss something. Whatever you do choose to do, I am confident that it will be a trip you remember for the rest of your life. Just my two cents.

bertsirkin

gregomck23:
Thanks for your information. I haven't traveled as much as many on this forum, but I have learned several things about travel:

1) You can't see everything, so don't try;
2) Since you can't see everything: plan, plan, plan - seek out the best "bang-for-the-buck";
3) Make use of local guides - no matter how much research I do, it's amazing what a local guide can provide;
4) Learn basic phrases in the local language - at least enough to be friendly;
5) Be sure you have enough time to have "rest days" sprinkled in - these days allow you to interact with locals as well as rest; and
6) Don't stay in large chain hotels, if you have the choice - we typically stay in small "boutique" hotels (typically 20 or less rooms), B&Bs, etc - these hotels give you a more "local" perspective.

We originally planned a 2-week trip, but quickly realized that it would have to be a "whirl-wind" trip, with little to no "rest". Although we pack very lightly (no checked luggage), we typically don't like to stay in a location less than 3 nights. That's the VERY MINIMUM that it takes, IMHO, to get a good feel for a location and it's people.

Based on these guidelines, we set up our schedule in Israel.

Now, it's time to do more planning - this forum has provided a wealth of information on what there is to see - now, it's just a matter of filtering the huge list to what provides the best "bang-for-the-buck" for us - and since we're photographers, that will obviously influence our choices.

Also, it would also be nice to learn a little Hebrew and Arabic!!

bert