Flowersfade Posted November 26, 2011 Share Posted November 26, 2011 Tel aviv has some fab museums including Independence Hall Museum. Walk through the old jaffa . Go clubbing there are some fab clubs around. Visit the wailing wall in Jerusalem.Dome of the Rock (al-Haram al-Sharif) well worth a visit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Agent Orange Posted November 26, 2011 Author Share Posted November 26, 2011 Tel aviv has some fab museums including Independence Hall Museum. Walk through the old jaffa . Go clubbing there are some fab clubs around. Visit the wailing wall in Jerusalem.Dome of the Rock (al-Haram al-Sharif) well worth a visit. Cool. I will look those up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amyvictoria Posted November 26, 2011 Share Posted November 26, 2011 I’ve just come back from three weeks in Israel. I had a fantastic time. In Jerusalem I stayed at the Jerusalem Hostel http://www.jerusalem-hostel.com/ which was cheep and very central but a bit run down and noisy. The new tram runs literally meters from the front door. I met a few people who were staying at the Abraham Hostel which has recently been refurbished and the people I met all had good things to say about it http://www.abraham-hostel-jerusalem.com/ . While in Jerusalem do all the religious stuff. This is the best tour that I went on http://www.neweuropetours.eu/ they do a free tour that people said was good. However, on the paid for tour they get you up onto the temple mount which people that were not on the tour said that they had had trouble doing – it is only open at special times to non Muslims – and the times change daily – and it can be shut to non Muslims at short notice. So well worth paying. There are also tours that concentrate upon the excavations that have been done which reveal life in Jerusalem thousands of years ago. Be sure to get up to the Museum area and go to the Israel Museum. It is fantastic. There are several Museums’ and the parliament all together in a complex with fantastic grounds. The Israel Museum has several synagogues from around the world rebuild inside it. It also has a fantastic display of clothes worn by Jewish people through the ages and across the globe. Also in Jerusalem is Yad Vashem which is the holocaust memorial. The start of it is a museum to the Jewish people of Europe detailing the rise of Nazism, measures taken against the Jewish people by the Nazi’s. It details every ghetto and concentration camp with original artefacts and information. I was in there several hours and did not look at everything. It is all too much. The grounds are memorials to different people and things – such as one dedicated to children lost and one to every Jewish community lost. Yad Vashem also hold a huge repository of documentaries and survivor testimony that can be accessed while there. Oskar Shindler’s grave is in Jerusalem. There isn’t much to see but it was nice to be able to go and pay my respects. The market in Jerusalem is amazing – so try to be able to have access to a kitchen to cook for yourself at least some of the time. Although, the restaurants are lovely. As usual, I fund the ‘lonely planet’ to be a reliable source. So did many other people. The only thing was that they recommended ‘Mike’s tours’ and I did not rate them. They are the cheapest but did not include any tour guide or entrance fees. The national bus company do tours http://www.eggedtours.com/tours/?format=html I did not do any of their except the hop on hop off tour of Jerusalem which was interesting and helped me get my bearings (it goes from the front of the central bus station so you do not need to go inside the bus station – but it is worth doing to experience that level of security checks for a bus station and see that amount of soldiers all together!). Jerusalem is easy to get about. The tram is frequent and well signed in English and the bus drivers are helpful. Most people speak English. Generally I only had to stand still for a moment holding a guide book and someone would approach me and ask if I wanted any help. I then moved on and stayed in Tel – Aviv. I stayed at the http://www.hayarkon48.com/ which was cheerful but not cheap. Nothing in Israel is cheap. It is definitely European prices. This hostel is one street back from the wonderful beach. The beaches in Tel Aviv are free and have life guards. The sea can get rough so the safe places are marked out by flags. It is a lovely walk along the cost to Jaffa. This is an ancient sea port and has a huge flea market every day. The centre of Tel Aviv is a bit run down but there are plenty of gentrified neighbourhoods just a short walk away with small shops and pavement cafes. Tel Aviv’s are very active people and there are all sorts of different sports and activities to take part in. And, as already said, Tel Aviv has a lively night life. Day trips include trips to Masada which originally was Herod’s winter palace and then the site of a tragic last stand against the Roman’s by the Jews at the time. Nearby, is where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found and the excavations of the buildings of the community that wrote and hid them thousands of years ago. It is fun to relax for a while in the Dead Sea. Although, I was told by a couple that had travelled through Jordon and Egypt before Israel that the facilities are better on the Jordanian side of the Dead Sea. I used these companies – Alternative tourism group http://www.atg.ps/index.php?page=one_day and Green Olive tours http://www.toursinenglish.com/2007/11/bedouin-in-negev-and-west-bank.html to visit the West bank and meet some Palestinians. They were really interesting tours. Prices are considerably lower in the Palestinian Territories so here is the place to do your present shopping! Bethlehem was particularly pleasant – away from Manger square which was busy. It was much easier than I expected to travel about the West Bank. I went for a day to the Galilee which was lovely. So refreshing after the dessert the rest of Israel is. I wish that I had, had longer to stay there and intend to go back at some point. Around the Sea of Galilee is a popular holiday and camping region for Israelis. Nazareth was nice and although I only saw Tiberius briefly I would have liked to explore further. There are spas taking advantage of the natural hot springs in this area. I did not get to the National park but would have liked to. I was told several times how beautiful it is. Over all, I did meet a lot of people who held strong religious beliefs of one sort or another but I also met a lot of people who were open minded and just wanted to visit this place that is so frequently on our nightly news and try to understand things a bit more. There are lots and lots of things to do and see in Israel. It depends upon your interest. Feel free to PM me if you have any questions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mapleboy Posted November 27, 2011 Share Posted November 27, 2011 All of what AmyVictoria said above plus Haifa is nice, especially the views from Mount Carmel. Egged do good day/half day coach tours starting from different cities, going all over the place. A day trip up onto the Golan is interesting. A small enough country that a fortnight or so of hard coach tripping and you'll see the majority of it. Eat felafal. Then eat some more. Then for afters, eat felafal. I'm drooling at the thought of it!!! Oh and please take CXC with you. Don't feel obligated to bring him back though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
upinwath Posted November 27, 2011 Share Posted November 27, 2011 Ag with passports, I have never heard or seen 'removable pages'. There are only a small amount of countries that have issues with an Israel stamp... Iran and Syria being the most obvious. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arab_League_boycott_of_Israel In addition to goods and businesses, many Arab states refuse to allow entrance to anyone who uses an Israeli passport or who has any Israeli stamp in their passport. Algeria [2] Bangladesh [3] Brunei [4] Djibouti [5] Iran [6] Kuwait [7] Lebanon[8] [8] Libya [9] Malaysia (Clearance permit needed from the Ministry of Internal Security). [10] Pakistan [11] Saudi Arabia [12] Sudan [13] Somalia[citation needed] Syria[9] [14] United Arab Emirates [15] Yemen[10] [16] I'd have little interest in visiting many of those countries but other travellers may and that could be a problem for them. Malaysia is a very nice place for starters. http://www.frommers.com/community/forum.cfm/middle-east-africa/israel/avoiding-passport-stamp-israel Travel sites suggest the extra page stamp is in use but that needs checking. http://www.gomideast.com/israel/fastfax.htm Visa: You should be aware that apart from Egypt and Jordan, it is very difficult to gain entry into Arab or Muslim countries with an Israeli stamp in your passport. Most people visiting Israel leave it as their last country to go to in the region because of this. At Israeli customs/passport control you can usually request a removable slip of paper if you are traveling on after Israel although it is at the customs official's will that this could happen or not. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest sibon Posted November 27, 2011 Share Posted November 27, 2011 If you have an issue with the moderation of the forum, please use the Helpdesk. Now, back on topic please. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mapleboy Posted November 27, 2011 Share Posted November 27, 2011 If you have an issue with the moderation of the forum, please use the Helpdesk. Now, back on topic please. Thank you. I have done so. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mapleboy Posted November 27, 2011 Share Posted November 27, 2011 Back on topic: Eilat is a great place for a winter break. It's out of season for Israelis, so it's pretty quiet. Daytime temperatures are low 20's celsius but it can get a bit chilly at night. Not enough to require a coat though. A trip into the desert by jeep, a visit to the undersea observatory, or just laze on the beach/by the hotel pool. A day trip to Jerusalem is a bit of a haul though, you'd be better doing that from Tel Aviv or actually stay in Jerusalem. If you do go to Jerusalem, the Old City is a must, as is Yad Vashem. I'm not too keen on Tel Aviv myself, it's a bit of a concrete jungle, but the seafront is nice, plenty of good places to eat and it's great base to explore the centre of the country. I wouldn't drive in Israel, Israeli drivers are nuts and traffic volumes around Tel Aviv aren't pleasant. Edit: Bethlehem, OK but a bit of a tourist trap IMHO. I wouldn't go twice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rossyrooney Posted November 27, 2011 Share Posted November 27, 2011 Lol, did you ever see Dom Jolly's "Holidays in the Axis of Evil" series on BBC4? A dip in the Dead Sea and mud bath is meant to be good. The only problem is that when you've been floating you have a real job getting your feet to go down again,especially if you have a bit of timber on you like i have. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glamrocker Posted November 27, 2011 Share Posted November 27, 2011 Iv heard its OK apart from the big mosquitoes buzzing around all day from across the border Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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