Israel for a week with infant (and wife)
Mar 13, 2006, 5:27 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Jun 2001
Location: TXL
Posts: 827
Israel for a week with infant (and wife)
The plan so far:
Arrive at TLV and go to Jerusalem for a day (David Citadel, good choice?)
Next day fly TLV-ETH on Israir
Stay 3 or 4 nights in Eilat (Isrotel, the one with the artificial river in front of the rooms), relax, maybe a daytrip to Petra or Sinai
Rent a car go up to the Dead sea stay 2 or 3 nights at Ein Gedi Spa, explore Massada and the dessert by car
Last day drive to TLV
A couple of questions:
Plan above too ambitious and hectic, rather skip Jerusalem? Arrival TLV 15.00 leave next day 16.30 ...
My wife will not allow any use of a public bus (I know, I know ...women!!!), what is the best (economical) way for TLV-Jerusalem? Any Hotel buses?
Any recommended driven tours (no bus) of Jerusalem (do not want to schlepp the daugther around town)
At what time does it get dark in April (wife is not allowing drives after sunset as well, might be a problem if we skip Jerusalem and go by car to Ein Gedi just after arrival (immigration, luggage, rental car pick up at TLV - more than 1 hour?)
Another option would be a day trip by rental to Jerusalem while staying in Ein Gedi. I have read the route through the West Bank (Hwy 90, Hwy 1) is safe and very scenic, any comments?
Any place you have to see not on our list?
Arrive at TLV and go to Jerusalem for a day (David Citadel, good choice?)
Next day fly TLV-ETH on Israir
Stay 3 or 4 nights in Eilat (Isrotel, the one with the artificial river in front of the rooms), relax, maybe a daytrip to Petra or Sinai
Rent a car go up to the Dead sea stay 2 or 3 nights at Ein Gedi Spa, explore Massada and the dessert by car
Last day drive to TLV
A couple of questions:
Plan above too ambitious and hectic, rather skip Jerusalem? Arrival TLV 15.00 leave next day 16.30 ...
My wife will not allow any use of a public bus (I know, I know ...women!!!), what is the best (economical) way for TLV-Jerusalem? Any Hotel buses?
Any recommended driven tours (no bus) of Jerusalem (do not want to schlepp the daugther around town)
At what time does it get dark in April (wife is not allowing drives after sunset as well, might be a problem if we skip Jerusalem and go by car to Ein Gedi just after arrival (immigration, luggage, rental car pick up at TLV - more than 1 hour?)
Another option would be a day trip by rental to Jerusalem while staying in Ein Gedi. I have read the route through the West Bank (Hwy 90, Hwy 1) is safe and very scenic, any comments?
Any place you have to see not on our list?
Mar 14, 2006, 3:13 am
#3
Join Date: May 2000
Location: Kfar Saba, Israel
Posts: 4,172
The plan sounds good in general and not too hectic. If you contact the hotel in Jerusalem, I'm sure they'll be able to arrange you a private guide for 1/2 day with a car. You'll need a very early start if you want to be in Tel Aviv for a 4:30PM departure.
Is your flight to ETH from TLV or SDV? - allow an extra hour for SDV from Jerusalem.
From TLV to Jerusalem - your best bet will be a taxi. The more economical way will be a "Sherut" (shared taxi) which is usually a 10 seat van (if this is not considered a bus). There is also a train option but for this you will have to take a train to Tel Aviv and change there (including going up and down escalators with your luggage).
DST (we call it "summer clock" in Israel) starts on April 2nd so it should get dark around 7 PM or so in April.
The route from the Dead Sea to Tel Aviv via Jerusalem (going through the west bank) is beautiful and much shorter than the other way (around the west bank from the south). OTOH, I'm not sure how the wife who is afraid of buses will react to going through army road blocks.
Is your flight to ETH from TLV or SDV? - allow an extra hour for SDV from Jerusalem.
From TLV to Jerusalem - your best bet will be a taxi. The more economical way will be a "Sherut" (shared taxi) which is usually a 10 seat van (if this is not considered a bus). There is also a train option but for this you will have to take a train to Tel Aviv and change there (including going up and down escalators with your luggage).
DST (we call it "summer clock" in Israel) starts on April 2nd so it should get dark around 7 PM or so in April.
The route from the Dead Sea to Tel Aviv via Jerusalem (going through the west bank) is beautiful and much shorter than the other way (around the west bank from the south). OTOH, I'm not sure how the wife who is afraid of buses will react to going through army road blocks.
Mar 14, 2006, 3:22 am
#4
Join Date: May 2000
Location: Kfar Saba, Israel
Posts: 4,172
Mar 14, 2006, 7:05 am
#5
Join Date: Aug 2005
Programs: AA, UA, DL,
Posts: 588
thank you for link.... now how about driving?
Originally Posted by apirchik
Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! That website is terrific. I already have it bookmarked and will be forwarding the link to a friend.
Part of me would love to drive through Israel. Is driving going to be a concern? I am afraid of this and afraid of that.... but like being independent. Usually I take taxis or hire a driver. But it looks awfully expensive to hire a driver.
Any insights anyone?
Oh, yes, my driving habits: I can follow directions and I like being independent, and I am not afraid to drive. But diagonal streets throw me -- I will never ever drive in Washington, DC -- too many damn diagonal streets!
Thank you.
David
Mar 14, 2006, 9:01 am
#6
Join Date: May 2000
Location: Kfar Saba, Israel
Posts: 4,172
The website is a part of a campaign by the Israeli ministry of tourism - focused on the UK and USA. They have signed an agreement with the football club of Arsenal to be the "official travel destination" of the club (ironically, this club will play next year in Emirates Stadium ...). You can also see ads of this website in major travel journals and even on taxi cabs in London.
Mar 14, 2006, 9:05 am
#7
Join Date: May 2000
Location: Kfar Saba, Israel
Posts: 4,172
The major cities in Israel are not as "square" as NYC or LA. Tel Aviv is full of one-way streets and diagonal roads and Jerusalem and Haifa are built on mountains so there are many twists and turns there.
In general, driving in Israel is easy as long as you keep in mind that you are on a racetrack. Even if you are not, many other drivers think this way
Signs are mostly also in English so this is easy.
In general, driving in Israel is easy as long as you keep in mind that you are on a racetrack. Even if you are not, many other drivers think this way
Signs are mostly also in English so this is easy.
Mar 14, 2006, 10:13 am
#8
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Feb 2002
Location: San Francisco/Tel Aviv/YYZ
Programs: CO 1K-MM
Posts: 10,762
The website is a part of a campaign by the Israeli ministry of tourism - focused on the UK and USA. They have signed an agreement with the football club of Arsenal to be the "official travel destination" of the club (ironically, this club will play next year in Emirates Stadium ...). You can also see ads of this website in major travel journals and even on taxi cabs in London.
and they say that Azrieli is the tallest building in Israel....
Mar 14, 2006, 11:04 am
#9
Join Date: Aug 2005
Programs: AA, UA, DL,
Posts: 588
Originally Posted by apirchik
The major cities in Israel are not as "square" as NYC or LA. Tel Aviv is full of one-way streets and diagonal roads and Jerusalem and Haifa are built on mountains so there are many twists and turns there.
In general, driving in Israel is easy as long as you keep in mind that you are on a racetrack. Even if you are not, many other drivers think this way
Signs are mostly also in English so this is easy.
In general, driving in Israel is easy as long as you keep in mind that you are on a racetrack. Even if you are not, many other drivers think this way
Signs are mostly also in English so this is easy.
Well, that settles that -- I won't be driving in Tel Aviv. For sake of me and the Israeli drivers.
Thank you for response, Aprichik.
David
Mar 14, 2006, 11:10 am
#10
Original Poster
Join Date: Jun 2001
Location: TXL
Posts: 827
Thanks apirchik, that helped a lot.
Road blocks are not a problem for the wife (she is quite used to it driving in Brasil, Cambodia, etc ...) she just has something with buses in Israel (media hype made her nervous).
I will contact the hotel in Jerusalem for transfer to town. We will fly tlv-eth, so I think it will be 1hour to the airport and another two hours for check-in and security, so we will leave Jerusalem at 13.30 which will give us plenty of time to see some of the city by bus errr... car
Driving on a racetrack sounds good to me. At least it will not be at those high speeds as in my country ... at least not for me, I hear Israeli rental cars are grossly underpowered ....
Road blocks are not a problem for the wife (she is quite used to it driving in Brasil, Cambodia, etc ...) she just has something with buses in Israel (media hype made her nervous).
I will contact the hotel in Jerusalem for transfer to town. We will fly tlv-eth, so I think it will be 1hour to the airport and another two hours for check-in and security, so we will leave Jerusalem at 13.30 which will give us plenty of time to see some of the city by bus errr... car
Driving on a racetrack sounds good to me. At least it will not be at those high speeds as in my country ... at least not for me, I hear Israeli rental cars are grossly underpowered ....
Mar 14, 2006, 2:21 pm
#13
Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: NYC
Posts: 8,498
To get from TLV to Jerusalem, I'd recommend either taking a sherut (shared taxi), or just taking a private taxi. I can't imagine the hotel will be able to arrange anything better without spending considerably more money.
Sheruts look like minibuses, but don't operate like buses. From the airport to town, they don't pick anyone up along the route. They just drop people off where they ask to be dropped. And going to the airport, they only pick people up who have called to request a pickup. Because of the way they operate, and because they only hold about 10 people, sheruts don't make very inviting terrorist targets--especially not coming from the airport, since the terrorist would have to get to into the airport complex before getting into a sherut, and the airport is very well patrolled.
Sheruts look like minibuses, but don't operate like buses. From the airport to town, they don't pick anyone up along the route. They just drop people off where they ask to be dropped. And going to the airport, they only pick people up who have called to request a pickup. Because of the way they operate, and because they only hold about 10 people, sheruts don't make very inviting terrorist targets--especially not coming from the airport, since the terrorist would have to get to into the airport complex before getting into a sherut, and the airport is very well patrolled.
Mar 14, 2006, 2:29 pm
#14
Join Date: Aug 2003
Location: New York, NY
Posts: 284
I was just in Israel for 11 days. I would suggest that you need more time in Jerusalem. It is amazing. I would also like to encourage you to go to Petra, Jordan. It has to be one of the most impressive places I have ever been.
It may be a matter of taste, but I would not spend as much time in Eilat. It's nice, but an awful far way to go for a beach.
Have a nice time
It may be a matter of taste, but I would not spend as much time in Eilat. It's nice, but an awful far way to go for a beach.
Have a nice time
Mar 14, 2006, 2:42 pm
#15
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Midwest
Programs: AA, UA, DL, LUV, SPG, HHonors, Avis, Hertz
Posts: 3,033
My 2 cents:
* Between the taxi and sherut to J-Town, I say taxi if you're with wife and baby. Much easier.
* I believe apirchik is referring to the Eilat-Jerusalem-Tel Aviv route that goes by the Dead Sea, past Jerhico, and up the back way into Jerusalem via French Hill. If so, as he notes, there are roadblocks, but that route is almost always considered pretty 'safe' and not 'really' a trip through the West Bank. I've never met an Israeli who wouldn't make that trip, and many I know are pretty cautious. (I believe it's even ok to take rental cars through there, even though you're not typically supposed to travel into the West Bank per se.)
* I wouldn't have much reservation about the city-to-city driving. The roads are fine (maybe even better than where you live if you're in a cold climate), the signage is good, and you don't have to worry about wacky drivers too much. That said, I wouldn't recommend driving IN Jerusalem, other than going directly in and out of town unless you were born there. I keep doing it out of stubborness, and it's a mess every time. I've literally gotten lost WITH a map in my lap. Part of the problem is that by the time they print an updated map, it's already out of date for Jerusalem. They build a new road there about every 15 friggin' minutes.
* I'm not the Jerusalem lover that many others are, but unless you've been to Israel a lot, or expect to return soon, actually skipping Jerusalem is not an option. You have to go there no matter who you are or what your background is.
Have a fantastic trip!
* Between the taxi and sherut to J-Town, I say taxi if you're with wife and baby. Much easier.
* I believe apirchik is referring to the Eilat-Jerusalem-Tel Aviv route that goes by the Dead Sea, past Jerhico, and up the back way into Jerusalem via French Hill. If so, as he notes, there are roadblocks, but that route is almost always considered pretty 'safe' and not 'really' a trip through the West Bank. I've never met an Israeli who wouldn't make that trip, and many I know are pretty cautious. (I believe it's even ok to take rental cars through there, even though you're not typically supposed to travel into the West Bank per se.)
* I wouldn't have much reservation about the city-to-city driving. The roads are fine (maybe even better than where you live if you're in a cold climate), the signage is good, and you don't have to worry about wacky drivers too much. That said, I wouldn't recommend driving IN Jerusalem, other than going directly in and out of town unless you were born there. I keep doing it out of stubborness, and it's a mess every time. I've literally gotten lost WITH a map in my lap. Part of the problem is that by the time they print an updated map, it's already out of date for Jerusalem. They build a new road there about every 15 friggin' minutes.
* I'm not the Jerusalem lover that many others are, but unless you've been to Israel a lot, or expect to return soon, actually skipping Jerusalem is not an option. You have to go there no matter who you are or what your background is.
Have a fantastic trip!
Last edited by Jakebeth; Mar 14, 2006 at 8:34 pm