We actually took this trip back in June 2011; just updating here to highlight pieces we actually did that we especially enjoyed.
Finding kibbutz lodging (I can't decide if I like this site.)
IsraLimo - Could be easier than dealing with rentals, though this isn't clear
Van Service Israel - And another option
Upon Arrival:
Sleep (Nights 1 and 2): Netanya
BOOKED: Seasons Netanya: On beach; family suites; Fodor rec; TA feedback hilariously bipolar
EDITED: OK, nothing special. Food is especially uninspiring. That said, I really enjoyed being in Netanya, a large and bustling seaside town that tourists don't go to. The kids thoroughly enjoyed the public beaches, and it was easy to get to Caesarea and further up the coast.
(Also considered: Dan Caesarea; TA feedback so cooked as to be useless)
Day 2: Caesarea; return to Netanya
Van Service Israel - And another option
Upon Arrival:
Mini Israel (ARD and Fodor rec): Miniature overview of whole country with description of all must-see sites giving physical and historical overview of whole (15 minutes from airport; open until 6 on except Fridays)
EDITED:
EDITED:
This was cute, in a kitschy kids' way, but not worth going out of your way for. It's not geographically accurate, which is frustrating if your purpose is to orient yourself. Upon examination my brother-in-law confessed he'd never actually BEEN there, only heard about it. Sheesh. It *is* extremely accessible from the airport.
Sleep (Nights 1 and 2): Netanya
BOOKED: Seasons Netanya: On beach; family suites; Fodor rec; TA feedback hilariously bipolar
EDITED: OK, nothing special. Food is especially uninspiring. That said, I really enjoyed being in Netanya, a large and bustling seaside town that tourists don't go to. The kids thoroughly enjoyed the public beaches, and it was easy to get to Caesarea and further up the coast.
(Also considered: Dan Caesarea; TA feedback so cooked as to be useless)
Day 2: Caesarea; return to Netanya
Overview: Roman port city, into Byzantine capital, into Crusader stronghold; 30 minutes S of Haifa)
Must-sees: Roman theater, Herodian Ampitheater, Roman aqueduct; Byzantine Street; Crusader City (Read kids Josephus account)
EDITED: Caesarea was AWESOME. Not to be missed. The bulk of the ruins are within a well-run national park, and then the aqueducts are slowly sinking into a public beach -- you can climb right atop them.
EDITED: Caesarea was AWESOME. Not to be missed. The bulk of the ruins are within a well-run national park, and then the aqueducts are slowly sinking into a public beach -- you can climb right atop them.
Also: Time Trek (kid-friendly historical re-enactment with big picture overview)
Day 3: Haifa for day; drive onto Tsafat for night
Haifa Overview: Seaside; world center of Baha'i faith; pretty gardens & promenades; 3rd largest city in country. Must-sees: Bahai Shrine and gardens (UNESCO WH site); German Colony pedestrian street
EDITED: Haifa's rare in that different populations actually intermingle on the streets, in restaurants, etc. Gardens are lovely. You can't see much of them unless you carefully time to hit one of the tours, which are given in various languages.
EDITED: Haifa's rare in that different populations actually intermingle on the streets, in restaurants, etc. Gardens are lovely. You can't see much of them unless you carefully time to hit one of the tours, which are given in various languages.
Also: Carmelite monastery and nearby Elijah's Cave; National Museum of Science and Technology
Tsafat (Nights 3-4):
Overview: center of Kabbalah. Must-sees: Abouhav and Caro synagogues, Hameiri House, walled city.
BOOKED: Villa Galillee: outside town center; TA feedback largely positive, if confusingly verbatim with Artists' Colony (?!) (Also considered: Artists' Colony - B&B (no restaurant); TA feedback generally positive; looks beautiful but 8 year olds aren't welcome. Makes it easy... and Ruth Rimonim (Fodors; TA feedback mixed)
EDITED: LOVED Villa Galillee -- it was by FAR our nicest hotel in Israel, and among the nicest I've been in anywhere -- beautiful, tranquil, small enough to be intimate but large enough to support a real restaurant, whose food was terrific -- you (ahem) wouldn't even know it's kosher, though it is. You do need a rental car for it to work -- it's quite high up on a steep hill, with no transportation.
Also loved Tsafat.
Day 4: See Tsafat, raft the Jordan; back to Tsafat for the night
Day 5: Golan/Galilee for day; drive down to Jerusalem by evening
Jerusalem (Nights 5-8):
BOOKED: Inbal (HB, Fodor and TA; SW of SW corner of Old City and N of German Colony); Tripadvisor feedback generally positive, if somewhat cooked
Also considered: YMCA Three Arches (TA feedback generally positive); Ramat Rachel (Fodors, DK; TA feedback reasonable, and it looks perfectly suitable but I thought it'd be better to be right in Old City)
EDITED: Inbal was perfectly adequate, though no value. Its food was good, it's well located. A little irritating that its pool closed at 5p every day. We went to a reception at Ramat Rachel, and I think it would have worked well for families as well, though it is located beyond the true town limits and you'd really need a rental car to make it work.
EDITED: Inbal was perfectly adequate, though no value. Its food was good, it's well located. A little irritating that its pool closed at 5p every day. We went to a reception at Ramat Rachel, and I think it would have worked well for families as well, though it is located beyond the true town limits and you'd really need a rental car to make it work.
Be sure to see:
Old City (DK recommends walking on the surrounding wall, starting just to left of Jaffa Gate)
Tower of David museum (at Jaffa Gate)
Herodian Quarter / Wohl Archaelogical Museum
Hezekiah's Tunnel (off Ophel Road) (EDITED: this was awsome)
Machenah Yehuda (market; West Jerusalem)
Yad Vashem (Holocaust memorial, West Jerusalem; open late on Thursday)
Chagall Windows (West Jerusalem; Sun-Thurs 8-1 only; click for times of English tours)
Garden Tomb (East Jerusalem; closed Sundays)
Garden of Gethsmane (Jericho Road, east of city near Mount of Olives)
Chutzot Hayotzer (artists' colony)
Day 9: Dead Sea dip in late morning; Masada in afternoon (or light show)
Dead Sea (Night 9):
BOOKED: Kibbutz Ein Gedi (unstarred but positive Fodor): in Ein Gedi; 175 rooms; related with/free shuttle to Ein Gedi spa; Tripadvisor feedback is mixed
EDITED: I really think this place is the way to go. The options on the true Dead Sea part of the Dead Sea are really, really limited (everyone seems to do it as a day trip from Jerusalem). The accommodations were fine, the scenery gorgeous, and the food was more than fine. We also did a tour of the kibbutz in the morning was really solidified the whole movement.
Also considered: Le Meridien (Fodor): in Ein Bokkek; 509!! rooms and 68 suites; Starwood; Tripadvisor feedback is, alas, unpromising; and Isrotel (HB rec): in Ein Bokkek; 298 rooms; unstarred by Fodors and Tripadvisor feedback makes it sound like a tour group mill... EDITED: all these places are below the dam -- not the true river-fed Dead Sea -- and it's a pretty unattractive crowded factory mill scene. Skip it.
Don't miss:
Link to Josephus' account of Masada (read to kids)
Day 10: Stop at Ben Guvrim National Park; on to Negev
Ben Guvrim (35 miles south, little bit west of Jerusalem)
Overview: Bet Guvrin national park (ARD, Fodor rec): Underground, well-preserved Roman and Crusader ruins; can register for (expensive!) three-hour Dig for a Day (investigate times).
EDITED: Dig for a Day - priceless. Anyone with kids, should do this.
Night 10 and 11: Negev
BOOKED:Accommodations: Kibbutz Lotan - Very nice location; looks fun and hot; TA feedback limited and mixed
Also considered: Ramon Inn (Fodors) Tripadvisor feedback mixed up because there used to be an old one in town; now is the new (linked) one overlooking the crater; and feedback includes both; and
Desert Days Ecolodge (very little info available); where GoEco organizes mud-brick-building jaunts and which I'd love to do but they're just.too.darn.hard.to.get.ahold.of.
Be sure to see:
Mahtesh Ramon (Ramon Crater; ARD + Fodor rec)
Avdat National Park (Nabatean / Roman / early Christian ruins)
Avdat National Park (Nabatean / Roman / early Christian ruins)
Genesis Land (Fodor; TA feedback hilariously uneven): Israeli, or maybe Australian, actors re-enact biblical scenes. You can stay overnight in a tent just like Abraham's. (Perhaps mercifully) short camel rides.
Day 11: Head back up to Tel Aviv, stopping in ___
Night 12: Tel Aviv
Night 12: Tel Aviv
Accommodation Options:
BOOKED: Sheraton (Fodor rec); TA feedback generally OK; 2 adjoining rooms plus 1 other- 2/2/3
Also considered: Renaissance Marriott (HB rec); TA feedback generally OK
Be sure to see:
Diaspora Museum (ARD; Fodors)
Independence Hall (ARD)
shopping & beaches (ARD)
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