Tel Aviv - Post Report Question and Answers
What have been the highlights of your time in this country? Best trips or experiences?
While here, you definitely have to visit the Sea of Galilee, Ein Gedi, Masada, and Ramon Crater, where you have to do a star tour. You also should definitely drive to Jordan, it's pretty easy and amazing. If you want to spend time on the Dead Sea, go to the Jordan side; it's cleaner, cheaper, and has nicer people. Don't bother with Haifa unless you are going to the Bahai Gardens. Eilat is fine, but has great diving opportunities. Jerusalem is interesting as well. - Jan 2022
Quality of life is high here. I love taking walks around our neighborhood and strolling Rothschild Blvd and going to the beach and sitting at a cafe and finding the best hummus/pitas/falafel and going to concerts and biking around the city. It's such a small country that taking day trips or weekend trips to wineries/hikes/historical sites is really easy and you can find yourself walking among amazing ruins just by driving 30 minutes outside of the city. Jerusalem is also a quick drive, depending on traffic. There are some truly amazing parks and hikes in this country; the pools and waterfalls around Ein Gedi are a must; a sunrise hike up Masada is a must; visiting the Golan Heights is a must; splurging for a weekend at the Beresheet Hotel in Mitzpe Ramon is a must. Since most of our time here has been in COVID times with limited options to travel abroad, we've been able to explore most of the country quite easily. This country is a dream for foodies and people who like to spend time outside. - Apr 2021
Spending much of the time outdoors, going to the beach, easy short weekend trips to national parks and historic sites, water hikes, camping, snorkeling in Eilat, taking in the city vibe in Tel Aviv, eating really well. - Oct 2019
Beach camping on the Mediterranean; visiting wineries in the Golan Heights; and meeting local friends. Keep an eye on flights, you can get great deals to Europe. Jordan is lovely, and it's a short drive away. - Nov 2018
We must have visited Jerusalem 40 times. You can never see every nook and interesting cranny. It’s one of the great cities of the world (though I personally wouldn’t want to live there). Probably went to the Dead Sea a dozen times with guests, which is always one of the exciting highlights. Petra is a great weekend trip option, though guests can make a daytrip out of it by hiring a tour company. There are nearly 100 parks in the Israel National Park system, some of which are no more than a 100 square meters, but highlight some historical moment, battle, site, or vantage. There are dozens of wineries to visit. More secluded beaches all along the coast. Lots of outdoor hiking opportunities. Overnights for camping in wilderness, on the beach, in mud huts in the middle of the desert. Water activities abound - snorkeling and scuba in the Red Sea, kite surfing the Sea of Galilee, yachting from Jaffa. Plus swimming and beach lounging. Tel Aviv is also a great jumping off point for regional travel. Turkey is about $150 r/t to any number of great locations. Jordan is fairly straightforward (once you navigate the border crossing, which can be a struggle) once you arrive and has tons of historical and religiously significant sites to visit. Cyprus is a $100 flight away and a real hidden gem. There are more expensive, but short, flights to Greece and Egypt. Plus, there are dozens of cities in Europe you can visit for less than $200 if your timing is right. Lots of budget carriers now have stops in Tel Aviv, including RyanAir and EasyJet, but also lots of others that will get you all over Eastern Europe, Scandinavia, and Italy for cheap. Flights to the east coast of the US can be as cheap as $600 r/t if you catch a good deal. - Aug 2017
As a posting, this place has it all as professionally. It is career-enhancing when you do well in Israel. I think it's a great place to live as long as there's not an active conflict (and even then in many regards life goes on fairly routinely save the daily trips to the bomb shelters). That the country is so small and offers so many incredible day trips would be a a group highlight. - Oct 2016
Travel is very easy from Tel Aviv! Only problem can be Friday nights. - Jul 2016
Great food and nightlife, wonderful hiking, exploring thousands of years of diverse history in a country that's about the size of New Jersey. - Apr 2016
Seeing the Mediterranean Sea every day, the Golan Heights, Haifa, the Old City in Jerusalem, the Negev, proximity to Jordan - Petra, the Dead Sea. - Nov 2014
The dead sea is amazing. Visiting some of the places that I heard about in bible studies. The local wine is great. - Apr 2013
Hiking in the Negev desert, exploring Golan Heights, seeing Masada and Petra - Aug 2010
Getting out - Israel is a very easy country to travel. - Jul 2010
