If you have ever wanted to build a time machine and travel back a few thousand years…plan a trip to Israel. It’s easier than building an actual time machine and at least you know that you won’t have to wait for lightning to strike a clock tower like Marty did in Back to the Future before you can return to 2023. Just buy a round trip ticket! Israel is an amazing country where history surrounds you everywhere you go. There is an incredible variety of things to do and the country is a manageable size, so sites and activities are never too far away. After wanting to visit for many years, I finally made the trip. The only deterrent that kept me from going sooner was the news of constant conflict in this part of the world and the ongoing turmoil that Israel is caught up in. A friend of mine said that if I waited for there to be peace in the Middle East, I would never go. Another person told me that their philosophy is that everywhere in the world is safe and nowhere in the world is safe and that’s life. I considered these ideas and off I went! It turned out to be an incredible adventure!! So climb aboard my time machine, but buckle up, my son says I’m a terrible driver….

Getting There

Whoever said that getting there is half the fun was an idiot. The flight from New York to Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport is about 10.5 hours or so if you go non stop. It feels like an eternity. We flew El-Al (Israel’s national airline). The food was ok, but on the outbound flight they did not serve any alcohol. I repeat, they do not serve ALCOHOL. As a nervous passenger, I prefer a drink or two. My solution was to become a modern day bootlegger and smuggle a small bottle of wine that I took from the airport lounge on board. The only drinking problem I have is not having a drink when I fly. Or eat dinner. Or socialize.

Visiting Jeruselum

🚃Transport: To get from Tel Aviv airport to Jeruselum you can take the train. It’s right at the airport exit and tickets can be bought by credit card at machines right there. The trip took about 40 minutes and will bring you to the Jerusalem train station where you can catch a cab to your hotel.

$ train tickets cost $5 (18 shekel) each when we were there.

🚖Taxi Tip- I am not sure that I have been anywhere in the world where taxi drivers are not trying to rip you off. In Israel it feels as though the cab drivers have received advanced degrees in dishonesty and are certified scammers. Do not get in a cab with a set price . It appears to always be double what the price will be by meter. Insist they run the meter before getting in. Have small change because they will always claim that they have none. They also seem to “tip” themselves. Count any change you do get. Oh. Another thing . They drive like they are in the Indianapolis 500 with a blindfold on.

Things to Do in Jeruselum

• Take a free walking tour! We booked 3 separate ones with Guru Tours online. The first one we took was an overview of the old city. It was beyond fantastic! It lasted 2.5 hours and the guide gave 110%. You tip them what you think they deserve in the end. Although I love free things, I give generous tips and he deserved one!
• Visit The Western Wall. This is actually a section that is left from the original temple in Jeruselum which was destroyed centuries ago. Jewish people go to this wall and leave prayers stuffed in the crevices and pray. You must go through a check point and security to get in, but it’s free to enter. Men and woman are separated at the wall but anyone can visit.
• Visit the Church of the Holy Sepulchre– As a person who does not follow any religion (unless we count paganism) I found this to be an amazing site. It is a church built almost 2,000 years ago on the site where Jesus is said to have been crucified and also where you can enter what is believed to be his tomb. The history is incredible here and we were lucky enough to catch a prayer service in Latin performed by monks.
• Explore Temple Mount. This is a very interesting site! started thousands of years ago as a temple, then changed over several times as different religions occupied Jerusalem. As of now, it is under Muslim control (specifically Jordanian control). Non Muslims have a separate entrance and can only visit at a certain time of day. Jordanian guards assess your attire and decide if you have covered yourself head to toe and can go in . I wanted the guard to compliment my fashion sense…he did not. It was about 95° in the shade when we were there, making it hard to not have a heat stroke. This site is very important to Christians, Jews and Muslims making it a very controversial place.
• Haggle in the souks– A skill I still have not fully acquired… depending on my mood. I prefer to shop in a store where I know I’m getting ripped off and just accept it, rather than feel like I’m at an auction yelling out numbers and still feeling like I paid too much for a magnet that says Jerusalem on the front and made in China on the back.
• Walk the Ancient Walls– For 25 sheckels ($7 USD) you can buy a ticket at the Jaffa gate into the old city to walk on top of the walls surrounding the city. Sounds cool, right? It started out that way. The temperature rose to about 96 while we were up there… no breeze… no shade. The walk took about 45 minutes with illustrations and descriptions in Hebrew/Arabic/English (as all signs are in Jerusalem) and beautiful views. You finish at Damascus Gate in the Muslim Quarter and must navigate through a labyrinth to find your way back to the other quarters. I felt like a Dora Dehydrated Explorer who may want to switch her safari shorts for a more conservative dress.
• Tour the tunnels under the Western Wall– we booked our tickets on western wall tunnel tour, the official site. I loved this tour. You can choose from the original tour (excavated wall, streets and temple entrance from 2,000 years ago) or another level down (excavated bridge). We did the first. Our tour guide was hilarious! Tickets cost $11 USD pp and the tour is one hour. It really gave me an understanding of how important this site is to the Jewish people. The explanation the guide gave actually made me emotional about something very unfamiliar to me and helped me make a connection …well done!
• Visit King David’s Tower! The entire site is under excavation. There are several films to watch.. amazing ancient rooms, walls to walk and a large archeological museum. There’s even a night light show if you are interested. You can tour from 9-4 Sun-Thurs and Sat. 9-2 Fri. with an audio guide, or catch a live tour at 10 am . Admission is about $12 USD pp
• Spend time at the Israel Museum… I could have spent the entire day here.. but I’m a museum nerd. it was an archeological museum and art museum all in one. even better than that… you can see the Dead Sea Scrolls on exhibit here! The scrolls were found in caves by the Dead Sea and are thousands of years old. They were stored in vessels and include prayers, hymns, rules for the community and even a hidden treasure map of sorts!!! Speaking of treasure maps, what’s a pirates favorite letter? Rrrrrrrrr. Get it? Admission is about $12 USD pp

Where to Stay

21st Floor 360 Suitop –

This was a great place to stay if you want a little extra room! The apartments are on the 21st floor with fantastic views of the city. Our apartment was one of the smaller ones but still had 2 floors. The walk to Jaffa Gate was about 20- 25 minutes.

Dan Panorama –

Amazing place to stay with a beautiful roof deck/pool and great breakfast! About 10 minutes to Jaffa Gate .

Where to Eat

🍎Mamilla Mall – We ate at several restaurants at this mall and loved them all. It’s an outdoor mall with some good shopping as well.

🍎Versevee Restaurant Bar and Cafe – Great place for skewers and other yummy meals. Added bonus: they gave us a plate of olives for an appetizer and watermelon for dessert on the house and they are open during Shabbat.

Visiting Masada, Ein Geti and the Dead Sea

For some unknown reason I decided that climbing something called the Snake Path up to the ancient fortress of Masada when daytime highs reach about 107 would be a fun time. To increase our suffering, I also came to the conclusion that we must do this climb at 5 am to witness the sunrise over the Dead Sea. I told my son that we would regret not having the experience. During the climb, he regretted HAVING the experience! This meant we needed to wake up at 220 am and walk 10 minutes to another hotel for our tour bus. When we arrived at Masada it was already 90 plus degrees and still dark. How could this be? It was quite an adventure to ascend 1100 feet in the dark over large rocks in such heat. You’re welcome, James Henry! As for the sunrise? Magnificent. After touring the ruins of Herod’s 2,000 year old fortress, we had to climb back down, in the direct sun. I thought I might pass out from heat stroke. The climb is challenging. Wear good shoes and bring a liter of water. There is a cable car, but it does not run until 8 am…. but what fun would that be anyway?

After Masada, the tour took us to Ein Gedi.. an amazing oasis in the middle of the desert. This national park had nicely maintained trails that led to springs with waterfalls to swim in… not to mention the cutest animals roaming around called Ibexes. The entrance fee was $8 USD and I wished we had more time here!

Our last stop on the day tour was The Dead Sea… the lowest point on earth. It was much cooler at the Dead Sea. Only 105° that day. My face actually looked like it was melting off of me. So they say you can float completely in the Dead Sea. This is a fact! It’s such a strange feeling. They also say that the mud has healing properties and makes your skin look younger… I covered myself in it just in case this could be true. I now look 10 years younger… but since I lie about my age… who knows what that number really is?! If you go.. do not get the salt water in your eyes or mouth. We saw someone being led out of the water because the water temporarily blinded her. She couldn’t sea. Sorry… I had to.

Prices not included in tour;

-$ entrance fee to Masada- 8. USD

– $ entrance fee to Ein Gedi- 8. USD

– $ Dead Sea entrance fee-around 7. USD

Things to know – all sites took credit cards. There was a cafe at Ein Gedi and the Dead Sea to grab water and snacks. Don’t read about the sinkholes at the Dead Sea unless you want anxiety before you go. Bring water shoes and don’t shave for a day or two before…unless you like pain! The tour we took was with Tourist Israel and cost about 85. USD pp

Travel to the northwest of Israel and visit Caesarea, Akko, and Haifa

For this part of our trip we rented a car in Jerusalem and drove about an hour and a half to stay a few nights in Netanya. Netanya is a town with beautiful Mediterranean beaches . The town of Caesarea is about 30 min north by car . Haifa is not much further and Akko is under 2 hrs. There are several other towns worth a visit, but we only made it to these 3.

Caesarea– so apparently King Herod got around a lot. He also built a fortress here on the ocean and created a man made harbor to increase trade in this region in around 30 BC . The fortress can be explored and includes an impressive amphitheater, hippodrome (where they raced chariots) as well as many ruins. There are even ancient mosaics to see. I need the name of King Herod’s contractor…I bet he didn’t use tiles from Home Depot. Don’t miss the maritime museum inside the visitors center! There are also shops, art galleries and restaurants along the water inside this park. We spent hours here.

$ Admission to Caesarea-There were several options, but if you want to do the ruins and the waterfront it’s 12. USD pp parking is free.

Haifa– this is another town worth a visit along the northeast coast of Israel. One of the sites worth visiting here is the Haifa Baha’i Gardens. The gardens were designed by a religious group known as the Baha’i and they are beautifully manicured and impressive to visit . They offer free one hour tours that can be booked online. There is also a monastery you can visit across from the gardens.

Akko– This town is a little further up north than Caesarea and Haifa. It’s actually about 9 miles from the Lebanon border.. but don’t let that deter you! A cool reason to visit? There is a Crusader Nights Hall built and used by the Nights Templar along with their underground tunnels that lead down to the waterfront for a quick escape during medieval times. I was waiting for Indiana Jones to swing in on a rope in search of the Ark of the Covenant. He didn’t.

Tips for visiting; you can go on an organized bus tour or drive there yourself. There is paid parking outside of the gates for about 10 USD for the whole day. Buy a ticket to all 5 city attractions at the visitor center that includes the crusader tunnels and Nights Hall. The tickets also includes admission to an art museum , Turkish baths and a synagogue.

$ Price for ticket- 12 USD pp

Fun fact– the Crusader Tunnels are low. You have to bend down to go through them .. I felt claustrophobic, but managed to get through them.

🍎Eat at Roots -this was one of our best meals in Israel. The food was a mix of Syrian, Lebanese and Israeli . The fresh bread, hummus and dips were incredible! Root’s is right next to the visitors center.

Stop along the way at a local winery while you are visiting the northern region of Israel. We went to Bat Shlomo Vineyard in Bat Shlomo (about 20 minutes from Haifa) where we got to taste 5 different wines and snack on homemade breads, tapenade, local cheese and fruits from their farm. You had me at Merlot….

Tasting, tour and snacks at Bat Shlomo Vineyard – 40 USD Pp. we booked online the day before.

Spend time at the beach! We went to Sironit Beach in Netanya… the most beautiful water and baby powder sand. You can rent chairs and an umbrella, or just lie out on a stolen hotel towel as we did.

Parking lot is uphill- pay at the meters. Get there early, the lot is small.

$ Chair rental cost – About $14 USD for two chairs and an umbrella

Where to stay – Vert Hotel in Netanya. Rooftop infinity pool and walking distance to beaches and promenade.

Where To Eat

NiShi Asian fusion. One of our other better meals in Israel.

Bar Italia – Very good food

Jorno Bakery – right under hotel. After 8 pm they sell their sandwiches “one plus one” meaning 2 for 1 . We scored a great lunch for the next day for about 10.USD including 2 small fresh squeezed OJ’S .

Additional Tips

🌞Israel gets really hot in the summer … it’s fine if you don’t mind the heat , but it’s stifling.

🧣Pack a scarf and a few long skirts for visits to religious sites. Men need a few pairs of longer shorts or pants.

🚰The water is safe to drink throughout Israel.

🏎️If you rent a car, beware that they drive like absolute lunatics. I live in New York and this was a whole new level of crazy road rage.

📸Speaking of car rentals, use a credit card that covers insurance in Israel. I think chase cards do. Take photos of any damage on cellphone before leaving with rental!!!!!

🌅Throughout the country of Israel, they celebrate Shabbat from Friday at sundown until Saturday at sundown and many restaurants shut down, as well as stores. Keep this in mind.

So either set your time machines for the year 70 BC …. or better yet, book a non stop flight to Tel Aviv.. pack your scarf, sunglasses and a sense of adventure. Bring along a little curiosity and an open mind to learn about other traditions, cultures and religions. Have conversations with locals…the Israeli people have a tough exterior, but are truly amazing and resilient people once you get to know them ! If you do go, and see me there driving around and around in a traffic circle , don’t try to cross the street… there are still several locals who one might refer to as “near misses” as they attempted to step into the crosswalk while I was trying to navigate the damn circle.

Shalom to my friends old and new….