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PLAN YOUR TRIP

Welcome to Israel & the Palestinian Territories ... 2Highlights Map ............... 420 Top Experiences ....... 6Need to Know ................. 16If You Like ........................ 18Month by Month ............. 20Itineraries ........................ 24Crossing Borders ........... 27Travel with Children ....... 31Regions at a Glance ....... 33

YOUR PLANNING TOOL KIT

Photos, itineraries, lists and suggestions to help you put together your perfect trip

UNDERSTAND ISRAEL & THE PALESTINIAN TERRITORIES

Israel & the Palestinian Territories Today .......... 368History ............................. 371People of Israel & the Palestinian Territories .. 387Hummus & Olives: Regional Food ............... 393Daily Life .......................... 400Government & Politics ... 403Judaism, Christianity & Islam ........................... 406Arts .................................. 410Environment ................... 416

Israel & the PalestinianTerritories TodayProspects for Peace Optimism about peace between Israel and her neighbours was wide-spread among both Israelis and Palestinians in the heyday of the Oslo peace process, in the mid-1990s. But following years of suicide bombings,rocket attacks from Gaza and calls by Palestinian Islamists for Israel’s de-struction, many Israelis have become pessimistic about the chances forpeace. Retaliatory strikes from Israel, continuing Israel Defence Forces(IDF) roadblocks, the right-wing composition of Israel’s current government, settlement construction and settler violence have had a similarim act on the assessment of many Palestinians.

Israe i Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu has declared his su ortfor a two-state solution to the Israeli–Palestinian con ict ut since his right-wing coa ition government came to power in 2009, it has continue

tors alf of i i

West BankIsrael Gaza

population per sq km

≈ 360 people

23-israel-pt-today-isr7.indd 368 11/04/2012 10:45:08 AM

Hummus &Olives: RegionalFood In the beginning there was food, and lots of it. Yes, a quick ick throughthe Torah, New Testament or Quran will tell you that food has alwaysplayed a signi cant role in the Middle East. The Scriptures are stu edwith banquets and feasts, and to this day meals mean far more thanscheduled daily breaks from work or play. Food is identity, family andtradition. Here, food is home.

A relatively small area of land, Israel and the Palestinian Territoriesncompass a veritable universe of cuisine. Within Israel, you can genrally divide home cooking into two camps: Ashkenazi (Jews of Eastrn Euro ean heritage) and Sephardi/Mizrahi (Jews of Iberian, Balkan,

North African or Middle Eastern origin). But like its peo le and music,Israeli food is increasin ly becoming a fusion of cultures. The myriad of

Hea Hum

» Ali CarJaffa (p 1 » Humm

Akko (p 1 » Abu S

Abu Gho

26-food-isr7.indd 393 11/04/2012 10:47:15 AM

Holy Sites The Holy Land, cradle of Judaism and Christianity and sacred to Muslims and Baha’is, o ers visitors the opportunity to immerse themselves in the richness and variety of their own religious traditions – and to discover the beliefs, rituals and architecture of other faiths. Ancient Jew-ish sites, found throughout the country, include Jerusalem’s Western Wall, which once surrounded the Second Temple, and Byzantine-era synagogues adorned with sumptuous mosaics. The Roman-era syna-gogues around the Sea of Galilee may have been used by Jews and Christians before they started thinking of themselves as be-longing to separate religions. Both Chris-

tian pilgrims and tourists are welcome to visit sites associated with Jesus’ birth (in Bethlehem), ministry (in Nazareth and around the Sea of Galilee) and cruci xion (in Jerusalem). For Sunni Muslims, only Mecca and Medina are holier than Jerusa-lem’s Al-Haram ash-Sharif, known to Jews as the Temple Mount – perhaps the most contested real estate on earth.

Archaeology Human beings have lived in Israel and the Palestinian Territories since long be-fore recorded history, and thanks to the painstaking work of archaeologists, you can explore and ponder what they left behind. If the 10,000-year-old mud-brick

Welcome to Israel & the Palestinian Territories

01-welcome-to-isr7.indd 2 11/04/2012 10:39:21 AM

“All you’ve got to do is decide to go and the hardest part is over. So go!”TONY WHEELER, COFOUNDER – LONELY PLANET

PAGE

2

PAGE

367GET MORE FROM YOUR TRIP

Learn about the big picture, so youcan make sense of what you see

Dome of the Rock

1 The rst sight of the Dome of the Rock (p 47 ) – its gold cap shimmering above a

mystical turquoise-hued octagonal base – never fails to take one’s breath away. Perhaps that’s what the architects had in mind more than 1300 years ago when they set to work on this impossibly gorgeous building. The best view is from the Mount of Olives but don’t miss the chance to see it up close by taking an early morning walk up to the Temple Mount. Dome of the Rock, with Mount of Olives in the background

The Dead Sea

2 You pass a sign reading ‘Sea Level’ and then keep driving downhill, eventually catching

glimpses of the Dead Sea’s (p 284 ) cobalt-blue waters, outlined by snow-white salt deposits, reddish-tan cli s and tufts of dark-green vegeta-tion. At the oasis of Ein Gedi you can hike through unique desert habitats to crystal-clear pools and tumbling waterfalls before climbing to the Judean Desert plateau above – or heading down to the seashore for a briny, invigorating dip. To the south around Mt Sodom, outdoor options include adventure cycling along dry riverbeds.

HA

NA

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T IMA

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©

1

20 TOP EXPERIENCES

66

03-top-experiences-isr7.indd 6 11/04/2012 10:40:40 AM

Top Events

Passover, April

Easter, April

Ramadan, July

Hanukkah, December

Christmas, December

Jewish holidays follow the lunisolar Hebrew calendar and fall somewhere within a four-week window relative to the Gregorian (Western) calendar. The Islamic cal-endar is lunar so each year festivals arrive 11 or 12 days earlier than the Gregorian dates. Jewish and Islamic holidays begin at sundown and last until sundown of the following calendar day; the dates given below in-clude the eve of the holiday. Eastern Orthodox churches

�z� Christmas (Orthodox)

Commemorates the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem (celebrated by Eastern Or-thodox churches on 6 and 7 January and by Armenians in the Holy Land on 18 and 19 January).

�z� Tu Bishvat (New Year of the

Trees) Jews plant trees, and eat nuts and fresh and dried fruits (26 January 2013, 16 January 2014 4 February

�z�Purim Celebrates the

ing of a plot to wipe othe Jews of ancient PeChildren and adults pcostumes for an eveniof revelry (23–24 Febr2013, 15–16 March 20March 2015; celebrateday later in walled citincluding Jerusalem).

�z�Land Day (Yom al-Ard i

Arabic, Yom HaAdamHebrew) A Palestinian

Month by Month

20

06-month-by-month-isr7.indd 20 11/04/2012 10:41:51 AM

I SBN 978 -1 -74179 -936 -1

9 781741 799361

99425

israel-palestinian-territories-7-cover.indd 2israel-palestinian-territories-7-cover.indd 2 19/04/2012 2:51:06 PM19/04/2012 2:51:06 PM

©Lonely Planet Publications Pty Ltd

THIS EDITION WRITTEN AND RESEARCHED BY

Daniel RobinsonMichael Kohn, Dan Savery Raz, Jessica Lee, Jenny Walker

p189

p224& Golan

p156 Sea of GalileeLower Galilee &

West Bank

Jerusalemp108

p38

The Dead Seap284

Tel Aviv p254

Upper Galilee

The GazaStripp333

North CoastHaifa & the

(Jordan)Petra

The Negevp303

p339

Sinai(Egypt)p353

YOUR COMPLETE DESTINATION GUIDE

In-depth reviews, detailed listings and insider tips

SURVIVAL GUIDE

Safe Travel ...................... 422Directory A–Z ................. 425Transport ........................ 436Health .............................. 441Language ........................ 444Index ................................ 453Map Legend .................... 462

VITAL PRACTICAL INFORMATION TO

HELP YOU HAVE A SMOOTH TRIP

ON THE ROAD

GETTING THERE & AWAY Israel has land borders and peace treaties with Egypt and Jordan, so it’s easy to combine a visit to Israel and the Palestinian Territories with a trip to Petra and/or to the Red Sea coast of Sinai. For information on entering and exiting Israel and the Palestinian Territories by land, see p 27 .

For details on visas to Israel, Jordan and Egypt, see p 433 .

For implications on the possible implications of hav-ing an Israeli entry stamp in your passport, see p 30 .

Flights and tours can be booked online at www.lonelyplanet.com/bookings.

Air Airports Israel’s main gateway is Ben-Gurion International Air-port (IATA code: TLV; %arrivals & departures 03-972 3333; www.iaa.gov.il), situated 50km northwest of Jerusalem and 18km southeast of central Tel Aviv. Its ultramodern inter-national terminal, nished in 2004 at a cost of US$1 bil-lion, handles about 11 million passengers a year. For details on arrivals and departures, go to the website and click ‘Ben Gurion Airport’, then ‘Passenger Services’ and nally ‘On Line Flights’.

Airport security is tight, so international travellers should check in at least three

%1-700-705 022; www.iaa.gov.il), 60km north of Eilat.

Airlines Israel’s privatised ag carrier, El Al (LY; %03-977 1111; www.elal.co.il) has direct ights to several dozen cities in Eu-rope and the Former Soviet Union, as well as long-haul non-stop services to New York, Newark, Toronto, Los Angeles, Mumbai, Bang-kok, Seoul, Hong Kong and Beijing; some ights to Asian destinations are codeshares. Known for having the tightest security in the business, the company was privatised in 2005, leading to a signi cant improvement in service. El Al is not a member of any of the three global airline alliances (Star Alliance, OneWorld and Skyteam). Sundor (www.sundor.co.il) is El Al’s charter subsidiary.

Some of the cheapest ights from North America

to Tel Aviv are o ered by Air Canada (www.aircanada.com) via Toronto, or US Air-ways (www.usairways.com) via Philadelphia. A variety of European carriers o er trans-Atlantic services with a stopover in their hub city, making it easy to combine travel to Israel with a visit to London, Paris, Frankfurt, Amsterdam or Rome.

Almost all the major Euro-pean airlines have ights to

Transport

CLIMATE CHANGE & TRAVEL

34-transport-isr7.indd 436 11/04/2012 10:46:25 AM

PAGE

36

PAGE

421

Every listing is recommended by our authors, and their favourite places are listed first.

F No payment required

Look out for these icons:

o Our author’s top recommendation S A green or

sustainable option

On the Road

See the Index for a full list of destinations covered in this book.

JERUSALEM . . . . . . . .38AROUND JERUSALEM . . . . 105Abu Ghosh . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105Sorek Caves . . . . . . . . . . . .106HaElla Valley . . . . . . . . . . . .106Beit Guvrin & Tel Maresha . .106Latrun . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107

TEL AVIV . . . . . . . . . . 108AROUND TEL AVIV . . . . . . . 146Jaffa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146Herzliyya . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151Netanya . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152Ramla . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153

HAIFA & THE NORTH COAST . . . . . . . . . . . . 156Haifa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158Daliyat al-Karmel . . . . . . . . 173Carmelite Monastery of St Elijah . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 174Atlit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 174Ein Hod. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 174Zichron Ya’acov. . . . . . . . . . 175Mey Kedem . . . . . . . . . . . . . 176Caesarea . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 176Megiddo (Armageddon) . .180Akko (Acre) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181Around Akko . . . . . . . . . . . . 186Nahariya . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 187North of Nahariya . . . . . . . 187

LOWER GALILEE & SEA OF GALILEE . . . . . . . . 189Nazareth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191Kafr Kana . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 200

Tzipori . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .201Mt Tabor Area . . . . . . . . . . .201Jezreel & Beit She’an Valleys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 203Tiberias . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 206Sea of Galilee . . . . . . . . . . . 212Hamat Gader . . . . . . . . . . .223

UPPER GALILEE & GOLAN . . . . . . . . . . . .224THE UPPER GALILEE . . . . . 226Tsfat (Safed) . . . . . . . . . . . .226Mt Meron Area . . . . . . . . . .235Rosh Pina . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .238Around Rosh Pina . . . . . . 240Hula Valley . . . . . . . . . . . . . 240Kiryat Shmona & Tel Hai . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 241Metula . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 241East of Kiryat Shmona . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .243THE GOLAN HEIGHTS . . . . 244Katzrin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .244South of Katzrin . . . . . . . . .247North of Katzrin . . . . . . . . .249Northern Golan . . . . . . . . . . 251

WEST BANK . . . . . . . .254Bethlehem . . . . . . . . . . . . . .259Around Bethlehem . . . . . . 266Ramallah & Al-Bireh . . . . 268Around Ramallah . . . . . . . . 274Jericho & Around . . . . . . . . 274Hebron . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .278Nablus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 280Jenin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .282

THE DEAD SEA . . . . .284Ein Gedi . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 289North of Ein Gedi . . . . . . . 294Masada . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 296Ein Bokek . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 298Sodom . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 300Neot HaKikar . . . . . . . . . . .301

THE NEGEV . . . . . . . .303Arad . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 305Be’er Sheva . . . . . . . . . . . . 305Around Be’er Sheva . . . . . . 311Sde Boker . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 312Mitzpe Ramon. . . . . . . . . . . 316The Arava . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 321Eilat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .323Around Eilat . . . . . . . . . . . .332

THE GAZA STRIP . . .333Gaza City . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 336Elsewhere in the Gaza Strip . . . . . . . . . . . . . 338

PETRA . . . . . . . . . . . .339The Ancient City . . . . . . . . . 341Wadi Musa . . . . . . . . . . . . . .345Siq al-Barid (Little Petra) 352

SINAI (EGYPT) . . . . .353Taba . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .356Nuweiba . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .357Ras Abu Gallum Protectorate . . . . . . . . . . . .359Dahab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .359St Katherine’s Monastery & Mt Sinai . . . . . . . . . . . . . 364

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OUR STORYA beat-up old car, a few dollars in the pocket and a sense of adventure. In 1972 that’s all Tony and Maureen Wheeler needed for the trip of a lifetime – across Europe and Asia overland to Australia. It took several months, and at the end – broke but inspired – they sat at their kitchen table writing and stapling together their fi rst travel guide, Across Asia on the Cheap. Within a week they’d sold 1500 copies. Lonely Planet was born.

Today, Lonely Planet has offi ces in Melbourne, London and Oakland, with more than 600 staff and writers. We share Tony’s belief that ‘a great guidebook should do three things: inform, educate and amuse’.

Daniel Robinson Coordinating Author, Lower Galilee & Sea of Galilee, Upper Galilee & Golan, The Dead Sea Brought up near San Francisco and Chicago, Daniel spent part of his childhood in Jerusalem, a bit of his youth at Kibbutz Lotan and many years in Tel Aviv, where he worked on a PhD in late Ottoman history, covered suicide bomb-ings for the AP, and helped lead the local Critical Mass campaign for bike paths. A Lonely Planet author since 1989, he holds a BA in Near Eastern Studies from

Princeton and an MA in Jewish History from Tel Aviv University. His favourite activities include cycling Tel Aviv’s historic avenues, hiking around Ein Gedi, and birdwatching in the Hula and Arava Valleys.

Michael Kohn Jerusalem, Haifa & the North Coast, West Bank After studying journalism at the Uni-versity of California, Michael hopped an overseas fl ight and launched a career as a foreign correspondent, reporting for media outlets including the BBC World Service and Reuters. His fi rst trip to Israel was in 1987 when at age 15 he embarked on a six-week student tour. He returned years later to update Lonely Planet’s Middle East guide and a reconnection with Israel commenced. He has since worked on three

editions of Israel & the Palestinian Territories. When not travelling for LP he lives northern California.

Dan Savery Raz Tel Aviv, The Negev, The Gaza Strip Dan travelled around Europe and North America for Channel 4’s A Place in the Sun magazine before moving from leafy London to sandy Tel Aviv with his wife in 2008. Now a real ‘Tel Avivi’, he can often be found walking his dog, Boots, or dipping into a plate of hummus. A contributor to Lonely Planet’s Best in Travel, Happy and Street Food, he has also written articles for Haaretz. Dan occasionally dabbles in fi ction and published The Last Stanza – a

poetry anthology that fundraised for African refugees in Tel Aviv; for details see www.danscribe.com.

Jenny Walker Petra Jenny Walker’s fi rst involvement with Arabia was as a student, collecting but-terfl ies for her father’s book on entomology. Convinced she and her mum were the fi rst Western women to brew tea in the desolate interior, she returned to university to see if that were true. Her studies resulted in a dissertation on Doughty and Law-rence (BA Hons) and a thesis on the Arabic Orient (MPhil, University of Oxford). Jenny has travelled in more than 100 countries from Panama to Mongolia. She is

Associate Dean (Professional Development) at Caledonian University College of Engineering, Oman.

Read more about Daniel at:lonelyplanet.com/members/daniel_robinson

Read more about Dan at:lonelyplanet.com/members/Dansaveryraz

OUR WRITERS

Although the authors and Lonely Planet have taken all reason-able care in preparing this book, we make no warranty about the accuracy or completeness of its content and, to the maxi-mum extent permitted, disclaim all liability arising from its use.

Published by Lonely Planet Publications Pty LtdABN 36 005 607 9837th edition – July 2012ISBN 978 1 74179 936 1© Lonely Planet 2012 Photographs © as indicated 201210 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1Printed in ChinaAll rights reserved. No part of this publication may be copied, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic, mechanical, recording or otherwise, except brief extracts for the purpose of review, and no part of this publication may be sold or hired, without the written permission of the publisher. Lonely Planet and the Lonely Planet logo are trademarks of Lonely Planet and are registered in the US Patent and Trademark Office and in other countries. Lonely Planet does not allow its name or logo to be appropriated by commercial establishments, such as retailers, restaurants or hotels. Please let us know of any misuses: lonelyplanet.com/ip.

OVERPAGE

MORE WRITERS

Jessica Lee Sinai Jessica escaped small-town New Zealand and high-tailed it for the road at the age of 18, spending much of her twenties traipsing extensively through Asia, Africa and Latin America. She washed up in Egypt in 2004 where she fell in love with the Arabic language and the incredible hospitality of the people. Since 2007 she has lived in the Middle East full-time, mostly based in Cairo, and has authored several guidebooks to the region. She tweets about things

Middle Eastern @jessofarabia.

Contributing Author Professor Alon Tal co-wrote the Environment chapter. He founded the Israel Union for Environ-mental Defense and the Arava Institute for Environmental Studies, and has served as chair of Life and Environment, Israel’s umbrella group for green organisations. He is a professor of the Desert Ecology Department at Ben-Gurion University, and heads the Jewish National Fund’s sustainable development committee.

Read more about Jess at:lonelyplanet.com/members/jessicalee1

Itiner-aries

EGYPT

JORDAN

SYRIA

LEBANON

SAUDIARABIA

Mt Carmel

MEDITERRANEANSEA

Dead Sea

Sea of GalileeHaifa

JERUSALEM

Masada

Sea of Galilee

Nazareth

Dead Sea

JaffaTel Aviv

Caesarea

Akko

Rosh HaNikra

Tiberias

Beit She’an

#_

Welcome Footsteps

EGYPT

JORDAN

SYRIA

LEBANON

SAUDIARABIA

Mt Carmel

MEDITERRANEANSEA

Dead Sea

Sea of GalileeHaifa

JERUSALEM

Masada

Sea of Galilee

Nazareth

Dead Sea

JaffaTel Aviv

Caesarea

Akko

Rosh HaNikra

Tiberias

Beit She’an

#_#_

#•

#•

#•

#•

#•

#•

#•

#•

#•

R

#•

#•

#•

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É

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Two WeeksBest of Israel

Spend your fi rst four days in and around Jerusalem, including a couple of days wandering the alleys of the Old City, walking from the Western Wall up to Al-Haram ash-Sharif/Temple Mount, and following the Via Dolorosa to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. Break out your swim suit and hiking shoes for a full-day excursion

down to the Dead Sea and up the storied stronghold of Masada. Then head to the Mediter-ranean coast for three days around Tel Aviv and Jaff a, dividing your time strolling, cycling, lounging on the beach, fi ne dining and watching the world go by. Next, head up the coast for a peek at Roman-era Caesarea before pushing on to Haifa. Check out the views from atop Mt Carmel and the Baha’i Gardens before a day trip to the walled city of Akko and the grottoes of Rosh HaNikra. After a day in Nazareth, concluded with a tongue-tingling ‘fusion’ dinner, head to Tiberias for a day exploring the shores of the Sea of Galilee. On the drive back to Jerusalem, stop at the Roman ruins of Beit She’an.

Whether you’ve got one week or Whether you’ve got one week or four, these itineraries provide a four, these itineraries provide a starting point for the trip of a starting point for the trip of a lifetime. Want more inspiration? lifetime. Want more inspiration? Head online to lonelyplanet.Head online to lonelyplanet.com/thorntree to chat with other com/thorntree to chat with other travellers.travellers.

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PLAN YO

UR TRIP ITIN

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SAUDIARABIA

JORDAN

EGYPT

LEBANON

SYRIA

MEDITERRANEANSEA

GULF OFSUEZ

SuezCanal

Mt Carmel

Tel AvivJaffa

Beit GuvrinJERUSALEM

Jericho

MasadaDead Sea

Mitzpe RamonMakhtesh Ramon

Eilat

Petra

CaesareaZichron Ya’acov

HaifaAkko

Rosh HaNikra

Tiberias

Katzrin

Banias Nature Reserve Nimrod Fortress

Tsfat

NazarethBeit She’an

Gamla

Daliyatal-

Karmel

SAUDIARABIA

JORDAN

EGYPT

LEBANON

SYRIA

MEDITERRANEANSEA

GULF OFSUEZ

SuezCanal

Mt Carmel

Tel AvivJaffa

Beit GuvrinJERUSALEM

Jericho

MasadaDead Sea

Mitzpe RamonMakhtesh Ramon

Eilat

Petra

CaesareaZichron Ya’acov

HaifaAkko

Rosh HaNikra

Tiberias

Katzrin

Banias Nature Reserve Nimrod Fortress

Tsfat

NazarethBeit She’an

Gamla

Daliyatal-

Karmel

SAUDIARABIA

JORDAN

EGYPT

LEBANON

SYRIA

MEDITERRANEANSEA

GULF OFSUEZ

SuezCanal

Mt Carmel

Tel AvivJaffa

Beit GuvrinJERUSALEM

Jericho

MasadaDead Sea

Mitzpe RamonMakhtesh Ramon

Eilat

Petra

CaesareaZichron Ya’acov

HaifaAkko

Rosh HaNikra

Tiberias

Katzrin

Banias Nature Reserve Nimrod Fortress

Tsfat

NazarethBeit She’an

Gamla

Daliyatal-

Karmel

SAUDIARABIA

JORDAN

EGYPT

LEBANON

SYRIA

MEDITERRANEANSEA

GULF OFSUEZ

SuezCanal

Mt Carmel

Tel AvivJaffa

Beit GuvrinJERUSALEM

Jericho

MasadaDead Sea

Mitzpe RamonMakhtesh Ramon

Eilat

Petra

CaesareaZichron Ya’acov

HaifaAkko

Rosh HaNikra

Tiberias

Katzrin

Banias Nature Reserve Nimrod Fortress

Tsfat

NazarethBeit She’an

Gamla

Daliyatal-

Karmel

Welcome Footsteps

SAUDIARABIA

JORDAN

EGYPT

LEBANON

SYRIA

MEDITERRANEANSEA

GULF OFSUEZ

SuezCanal

Mt Carmel

Tel AvivJaffa

Beit GuvrinJERUSALEM

Jericho

MasadaDead Sea

Mitzpe RamonMakhtesh Ramon

Eilat

Petra

CaesareaZichron Ya’acov

HaifaAkko

Rosh HaNikra

Tiberias

Katzrin

Banias Nature Reserve Nimrod Fortress

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NazarethBeit She’an

Gamla

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Four WeeksIsraeli Odyssey

After four or fi ve days in and around Jerusalem, including a couple of days explor-ing the Old City and a half-day visit to the Israel Museum, take a day trip down to the wondrous caves at Beit Guvrin, stopping at a winery on the way. Next, stir it up in Tel Aviv for a few days, strolling along the beachfront promenade to historic

Jaff a, biking along the Yarkon River to the Tel Aviv Port, and working on your Mediter-ranean tan. On your way north to Haifa, stop at the Roman ruins of Caesarea and the quaint town of Zichron Ya’acov, famed for its vintage winery. After touring Haifa’s sublime Baha’i Gardens, visit Mt Carmel and the Druze village of Daliyat al-Karmel. The next day, continue north to Akko, with its enchanting mixture of Crusader ruins and Ottoman relics. Then go as far north as politics permit, to the subterranean grottoes of Rosh Ha-Nikra, before heading inland for a couple of days in Nazareth, exploring Christian sites and dining on traditional Arab delicacies and East–West fusion dishes. Based in Tiberias for a couple of days, relax around the Sea of Galilee, combining ancient synagogues and Christian sites with quiet beaches and, perhaps, white-water rafting on the Jordan River. Loop east to the Golan Heights, visiting the hilltop ruins of Gamla, the Golan Archaeo-logical Museum in Katzrin and towering Nimrod Fortress; sleep in a B&B. Circle west via the lush vegetation of Banias Nature Reserve to the wetlands of the Hula Valley, beloved by migrating birds; the quaint, cobbled streets of Rosh Pina; and Tsfat (Safed), suff used with the spirituality of the Kabbalah (Jewish mysticism). Finally, head south through the Jordan Valley, strolling the colonnaded Roman thoroughfares of Beit She’an and visiting the Palestinian city of Jericho, whose ruins go back to the very beginning of civilisation. After a starlit night on the shores of the Dead Sea, rise early to catch the sunrise from high atop Masada. Continue south into the Negev Desert for a day or two around Mitzpe Ramon, including a hike into Makhtesh Ramon. Next stop, for a spot of sea, sun and snorkelling, is Eilat. Finally, cross into Jordan to visit the awe-inspiring ‘red city’ of Petra; plan on at least two days if you’re keen to do some hiking in the area.

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PLAN YO

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ERA

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Welcome Footsteps

EGYPT

JORDAN

SYRIA

LEBANON

SAUDIARABIA

Mt Tabor

Mt Gerizim

MEDITERRANEANSEA

Sea of Galilee

Dead Sea

Haifa

RamallahJericho

Hebron

JERUSALEMBethlehem

Qumran

Masada

Tel Megiddo

Nazareth

Tsfat

Taybeh

Nablus

Jenin

Herodium

WadiQelt

Sea of Galilee

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Welcome to the West BankIn the Footsteps of Prophets

One WeekWelcome to the West Bank

From the Arab bus station in East Jerusalem, hop on a bus to Ram-allah, where you can drop in on the Muqata’a, last resting place

of Yasser Arafat. Spend the afternoon sip-ping coff ee, scooping hummus and clack-ing backgammon tiles, then get ready for a night on the town. The next day, drop by the only brewery in the Palestinian Territories, Taybeh, returning to Ramallah to catch a concert or theatre performance at one of the city’s many arts venues. Next, head north – through olive orchards and terraced hills – to Nablus for a day of shopping in the en-chanting market, scrubbing up at an ancient hammam, visiting the Samaritans atop Mt Gerizim, and feasting on kunafeh (a warm, syrupy cheese-based pastry). Then travel north to the Christian sites near Jenin and that city’s renowned Freedom Theatre be-fore looping east and south to Jericho for some extraordinary hiking in Wadi Qelt. Then slip southwestward to beautiful Beth-lehem, with its winding lanes and ancient churches. Finally, stop off at Roman-era Herodium before heading down to the West Bank’s troubled gem: the extraordi-nary city of Hebron, passionately sacred to both Jews and Muslims.

Two WeeksFootsteps of Prophets

Even travellers who aren’t religious will be intrigued by the vibes that make the Holy Land holy to so many. Jerusalem is, of course, the coun-

try’s crown jewel, and you could spend days visiting sites sacred to Judaism, Christianity and Islam – and, in some cases, to all three. Take a day trip below sea level to Qumran, where the Essenes hid the Dead Sea Scrolls, and Masada, where Jewish Zealots defi ed the Roman legions. Then head south of Je-rusalem to friendly Bethlehem, birthplace of Jesus, and the troubled city of Hebron, burial place of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and their wives (except for Rachel, who’s back in Bethlehem). In the north, the for-mal beauty of the Baha’i Gardens in Haifa inspires people of all faiths. Doomsdayers might want to visit Tel Megiddo, better known as Armageddon, mentioned in the New Testament as the venue of the last great battle on earth. To the northeast, there are inspirational views from atop Mt Tabor and in Nazareth, boyhood stomping ground of Jesus. Continue northeast to the Sea of Gal-ilee, where Jesus spent much of his ministry and the Jerusalem Talmud was redacted, and to spiritual Tsfat (Safed), renowned centre of Kabbalah (Jewish mysticism).

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