Israel
Country: Israel
Highlights: Gastronomy ★, Art / Museums ★★, Historical sites ★★★★★, Natural Beauty ★★, Shopping 0; Sports/Adventure ★, Geographic extremes ★, Glamour 0; Other :Religion pilgrimage ★★★★★
When to go: Mid-seasons
Where to go: Jerusalem, Tel Aviv/ Yafo, The Dead Sea, Eilat and the Red Sea
Downside: Dry and sandy air climate. Heavily armed guards everywhere.
Our Experiences: As Christians we think this is very illustrating and important for us to visit Israel. The city of Jerusalem has been divided into 3 religion sectors and the land has been disputed for the last 1,000 years, sometimes with bloody wars. ( So sad that religion may kill people ) The most important spot for the Jews (Western Wall ) is here. The most important Christian sites are all here. The 3rd most important spot for the Muslims is also here (The Dome of The Rock). So we may regards Jerusalem as the most important religious city for half of the world´s population. Amazing! But besides religious spots, the country has not many tourist things to offer. For us the Dead Sea is something amazing that deserves a visit. At 423m below sea level, it is the lowest elevation on Earth! Very interesting but not beautiful (The Jordanian Dead Sea shore side is prettier anyway ). We have entered the super salty waters and felt how strange it is having half of your body outside the water when you float. Crazy stuff! The only portion of the country with a beautiful landscape is the city of Eilat in the extreme south. The waters of the Red Sea are one of the clearest in the entire world, and it is perfect for snorkeling. We passed by Eilat driving on the way to Egypt. (What we don´t recommend, as it may take over 4 hours to clear customs each way). We didn´t go to Galilee region, that seems to be interesting to.
Hotels we love and recommend: Sheraton ( Tel Aviv )
