I'll be headed to Herzliya at the end of the month for work. I'll have the weekend to myself and the boss said I should try to sign up for one of the tours for Jerusalem or other historic areas. Any recommendations of what to see or do? I won't have a car so stuff that is tour bus based or similar preferred.

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Any recommendations of what to see or do? I won't have a car so stuff that is tour bus based or similar preferred.

No personal knowledge, son was there last year on mostly personal tours/rental car.

Make sure you hang on to your cell phone/other valuables very securely, and DON'T PARK in the wrong zones.

Petra & many many other sites he recommended.

I did a project for work with IMI a few years ago and stayed in Hertilya at the Sharon Hotel.You can sign up for a one day Jerusalem tour and they will pick you up at the hotel and drop you off. Fast paced but well worth it.

Enjoy, awesome country with awesome people. I would love to go back.

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Originally posted by signewt

Petra & many many other sites he recommended.

Petra is in Jordan. Unless there's another one I don't know about.

I want to go to Israel, partly so I will be banned from various other middle eastern countries that refuse entry to anyone who has set foot in Israel...

My work had me traveling to Israel five times over the last eight years. I've spent considerable time in Tel Aviv, Haifa, and Jerusalem. The food was healthy and good. People we're intense, yet very friendly. Security (armed) is high-level and everywhere.

Some of the things I did was:

Tel Aviv - Modern metropolitan city. Many great shops/bars along the beach.

Haifa - Good hotels and restaurants. Attended a Disco one night (me - 55 y.o. white guy) with local friends. For the first time in my life I was starred at and felt/was a minority. No issues, good times but, I wasn't sure if I was starred at because I was white or old. LOL

Jerusalem - I toured the "Old City", "The Wailing Wall", The church of the Holy Sepulchre. I walked the Via Dolorosa. These we're all great tours.

Have fun and keep.a vigilant eye open.

Coincidentally, I was talking about Israel with some friends the other day after one of them returned from there, and friend's father-in-law had gone as well. With that discussion and the stories ya'll have, it's rapidly becoming a bucket-list destination.

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Originally posted by Lunasee:
Jerusalem - I toured the "Old City", "The Wailing Wall", The church of the Holy Sepulchre. I walked the Via Dolorosa. These we're all great tours.

Definitely these if you get a chance. Even if you are an aetheist, these areas have had a huge influence on world history.

The one caveat is that there really is such a thing as "Jerusalem Syndrome." You can feel the intensity when you are there.

I would recommend emptying your bladder before going into the old city--not easy to find a public restroom.

I would also recommend Yad Vashem while you are in Jerusalem. You can't really understand modern Israel till you visit the Holocaust memorial and museum.

The Galilee area is really pretty if you can get up there.

I would also recommend Yad La Shiryon, but don't go on Shabbat like I did (it was a timing issue, I had no choice). Yad La Shiryon is a must stop for anyone who is interested in armored warfare. It's about half-way between Tel Aviv and Jerusalem.

Tel Aviv is a thoroughly modern city with beautiful beaches and worth a visit if you have the time.

Israel Defense Forces History Museum in Tel Aviv is kind of a hidden gem on the corner of Yehezkiel Kaufman str. and Ha-Mered. Worth a visit, (especially if you have an interest in small arms). If you go, bring a little point-and-shoot camera or use your phone's camera because they will not let you take your DSLR into the actual museum (they will hold it for you at the front office).

I would also try to learn a few phrases of "visitor's Hebrew." Most Israelis I encountered spoke English at least passibly, but they really opened up when they heard me say as simple a word as "toda" (thank you).

Email sent.

quote:

Originally posted by signewt:

quote:

Any recommendations of what to see or do? I won't have a car so stuff that is tour bus based or similar preferred.

No personal knowledge, son was there last year on mostly personal tours/rental car.

Make sure you hang on to your cell phone/other valuables very securely, and DON'T PARK in the wrong zones.

Petra & many many other sites he recommended.

No car

Thank you everyone for the replies and Jon for the detailed email! I spent some time looking at tours online last night and have a few that look promising. Hopefully I can get some feedback from the hotel for recommendations too as some aren't done every day and the only free days I have are the weekend (Friday and Saturday there).


Becoming a bit of a history fan the past few years so getting to see sites mentioned in the bible holds a huge appeal to me.

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Originally posted by Lefty Sig:
I want to go to Israel, partly so I will be banned from various other middle eastern countries that refuse entry to anyone who has set foot in Israel...

Side benefit. Work sent me to Saudi Arabia 5 times between 2012-2016. I got a new passport last fall so an Israeli entry stamp will put an end to visiting there or any of the other middle east countries for the next 9 years. Totally okay with that.

I visited Tel Aviv and Haifa a couple times. I felt strangely "secure" with all the armed military everywhere. Maybe that's because I'm from Utah.
It is a bit unnerving to timidly approach people who are jabbering away in Hebrew and start to slowly ask questions in English and have them just immediately answer in completely fluent, accent-free English. But that happened to me many times.

If you go to Haifa, make sure to see the Baha'i Temple Gardens.


Baha'i is an offshoot of Islam, but they were not "pure enough" so they got kicked out of every "Islamic" country. Ironically, only Israel would accept them, and Haifa is their world headquarters.

quote:

Originally posted by MikeNH:
Thank you everyone for the replies and Jon for the detailed email! I spent some time looking at tours online last night and have a few that look promising. Hopefully I can get some feedback from the hotel for recommendations too as some aren't done every day and the only free days I have are the weekend (Friday and Saturday there).


Becoming a bit of a history fan the past few years so getting to see sites mentioned in the bible holds a huge appeal to me.

quote:

Originally posted by Lefty Sig:
I want to go to Israel, partly so I will be banned from various other middle eastern countries that refuse entry to anyone who has set foot in Israel...

Side benefit. Work sent me to Saudi Arabia 5 times between 2012-2016. I got a new passport last fall so an Israeli entry stamp will put an end to visiting there or any of the other middle east countries for the next 9 years. Totally okay with that.

Israel does not stamp passports. They will print out and give you an "entry visa" which you should tuck in your passport and carry with you. It's a very small piece of paper with your passport picture on it.

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Originally posted by 1gkek:

Israel does not stamp passports. They will print out and give you an "entry visa" which you should tuck in your passport and carry with you. It's a very small piece of paper with your passport picture on it.

I learn something new on this forum every day. I have seen stamps from Israel before, but it appears in 2016 they stopped stamping and just do the visas like you mentioned. Thanks for the info as it's pertinent knowledge for my job.

email sent

Scuba dive Eilat or Sharm el sheik. Amazing

quote:

Originally posted by Lunasee:
My work had me traveling to Israel five times over the last eight years. I've spent considerable time in Tel Aviv, Haifa, and Jerusalem. The food was healthy and good. People we're intense, yet very friendly. Security (armed) is high-level and everywhere.

Some of the things I did was:

Tel Aviv - Modern metropolitan city. Many great shops/bars along the beach.

Haifa - Good hotels and restaurants. Attended a Disco one night (me - 55 y.o. white guy) with local friends. For the first time in my life I was starred at and felt/was a minority. No issues, good times but, I wasn't sure if I was starred at because I was white or old. LOL

Jerusalem - I toured the "Old City", "The Wailing Wall", The church of the Holy Sepulchre. I walked the Via Dolorosa. These we're all great tours.

Have fun and keep.a vigilant eye open.

That's a great list, the only thing missing is a visit to the Jordan river and Dead Sea.

I know this, not by having been there, but by watching a movie last night on Amazon Prime, something about Israel, a short film with a reporter being taken around by Prime Minister Netanyahu.

OP. If you have a chance to see the film, I think it will prime you for your visit. Enjoy your trip.

Got back home last night after being on the go for like 30 hours. Israel was great. All the people I met for work were great and the tour I signed up for took me to Jerusalem and Bethlehem. Tour guide was real good and knew his stuff.

I only know Israel Flemstien from Borough Park, Brooklyn...But I would love to visit The country.

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Originally posted by MikeNH:
Got back home last night after being on the go for like 30 hours. Israel was great. All the people I met for work were great and the tour I signed up for took me to Jerusalem and Bethlehem. Tour guide was real good and knew his stuff.

That’s great to hear! Where in Herzliya did they put you up? If you had your head on a swivel, you probably spotted a lot of short barreled x95’s sporting Trijicon acogs, especially at the airport.