How to See Israel in Seven Days–Suggested Itinerary and extensive Israel Travel Guide
By: Heather Newgen | Twitter: @hnvoluntourist
Israel Travel Guide: With its religious and historical significance, beautiful beaches, delicious local cuisine and fun nightlife, Israel has been a popular tourist destination for quite some time. It’s not only the perfect place for those seeking a meaningful spiritual journey, but for anyone who wants to enjoy Israeli culture, dynamic landscape and an unforgettable adventure. There’s so much to see and do in Israel, but it’s possible to experience a lot of the country in just seven days. Here’s the itinerary I did on my last trip. I booked all my tours and airport transfers through Erez Yarkon Travel.
Note: For this Israel travel guide you will either need to rent a car, which I’ve done before, but Israelis are crazy drivers so beware, or take tours to do everything I did on this trip. Erez Yarkon Travel can provide a driver. I’ve used their services three times now and loved every trip.
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Day 1 Tel Aviv
Israel Travel Guide: Chances are you will fly into Ben Gurion Airport, which is about 12 miles outside of Tel Aviv. Most stay in the area for the first day or so because Tel Aviv is a great city to explore with its amazing beaches, restaurants and a lively night scene. Spend at least one night here. You can also check out Jaffa (also known as Jafo), which is just outside Tel Aviv. This is where it’s believed the Biblical story Jonah and the Whale took place.
Must See Places in Tel Aviv:
Israel Travel Guide: Carmel Market, Yarkon Park, the beach, Yemenite Quarter,Neve Tzedek Quarter, Beit Hatefutsoth (the Diaspora Museum; also known as the Museum of the Jewish People), Tel Aviv Museum of Art and Sarona Market.
Beach in Tel Aviv, Israel Photo by: Heather Newgen
Carmel Market in Tel Aviv, Israel Photo by: Heather Newgen
Must See Places in Jaffa:
Israel Travel Guide: Jaffa flea market (which I loved much more than the Carmel Market), Old City Jaffa (there’s incredible views of the beach and Tel Aviv), the port where you can enjoy a glass of wine at one of the many great restaurants and watch the sunset.
Day 2 Bethlehem
Israel travel Guide: Drive from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem (which is about an hour drive). From there, I went to Bethlehem (a 15 minute drive from Jerusalem) and it’s a must for anyone visiting Israel. It’s actually Palestinian territory, therefore Israelis are not welcome to cross the checkpoint. Erez Yarkon Travel arranged for a Palestinian driver and guide to take me and made sure I was well taken care of. If you go on your own you can find Palestinian taxis near the Damascus Gate in Jerusalem, but I suggest you have a guide so you make the most of your time there. Plus a guide can give you all the historical and religious details of the area.
Must See Places in Bethlehem:
Israel Travel Guide: The Walled Off Hotel (Graffiti artist Banksy owns it and you can buy his work at the hotel). Church of the Nativity (where Jesus was born), The Chapel of the Milk Grotto (where Mary nursed Jesus), Mar Saba Monastery, Shepherd Fields and Aida Refugee Camp.
The Walled Off Hotel in Bethlehem Photo by: Heather Newgen
The view from the lobby of The Walled Off Hotel
Photo by: Heather Newgen
This star marks where it’s believed baby Jesus was born in the Church of the Nativity–Bethlehem
Photo by: Heather Newgen
Israel Travel Guide: The Walled Off Hotel can arrange a tour for you to the Aida Refugee Camp and it’s about two hours long. You will have a guide who walks you over to the camp and from there someone else shows you how people in Aida live. It’s emotional and upsetting so be prepared.
Israel Travel Guide Tips: The best falafel stand is in Manager Square, which is where the Church of the Nativity is. It’s the only one, so you can’t miss it. It’s flavorful and cheap so be sure to stop by.
Falafel stand in Manger Square Photo by: Heather Newgen
Israel Travel Guide: For the most stunning view of the city go to the rooftop of the Blessings Gift Shop and Olive Wood Factory.
Israel Travel Guide: You can graffiti on the wall that separates Israel and Palestine. When you’re at The Walled Off, go next door to Wall-Mart and they will set it up for you.
Heather Newgen at The Walled Off Hotel spray painting on the wall that separates Israel and Palestine
Israel Travel Guide: And finally, there’s also great souvenir shopping in Bethlehem, near the Milk Grotto where you can purchase beautiful olive wood Biblical carvings and other items. Most shops will offer you complimentary tea and make sure you bargain.
Since I’d been to Bethlehem before, I mostly wanted to hang out at the Walled Off Hotel. So I was only there a few hours. I went back to Jerusalem to stay the night and volunteer in the afternoon at the Yad Ezra V’Shulamitfood distribution center.
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Day 3 Jerusalem
Israel Travel Guide: Full day guided tour of Jerusalem. You need at least a day, if not two days here because there’s so much to see and do. This is one city where you don’t want to rush through. I started at the Garden Tomb, which is located outside of Jerusalem’s city walls. This is where many believe is the burial and resurrection site of Jesus Christ. Then I ventured my way into the narrow streets and alleyways that make up the labyrinth-like Old City, that’s divided into four different religious quarters-Christian, Jewish, Muslim and Armenian.
Must See Places in Jerusalem:
Christian Quarter (Runs North from the Jaffa Gate, which is the traditional pilgrim to the city)
Israel Travel Guide: The Church of the Holy Sepulchre is the other location where many believe is the true place of Jesus’ crucifixion and burial. It’s one of the holist sites for Christians, the Neo-Romanesque Lutheran Church of the Redeemer, the Muristan, a marketplace built over the ruins of a longtime Knights Hospitaller hospital for pilgrims and Jerusalem residents and the Christian Quarter Shuk.
Jewish Quarter
Israel Travel Guide: Hurva Synagogue (must take a tour to visit), the Cardo was Jerusalem’s main street 1500 years ago and it’s now lined with shops and part of the Cardo has been restored to look like it would have in Roman times and the Wailing Wall also known as the Western Wall. It’s the last remaining part of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem, which was destroyed in 70 CE by Titus and the Roman Legions. Here you will see people praying at the wall and leaving notes and prayers in the cracks for God to read. It’s considered the holiest place for Jews, but anyone is welcome to visit.
Israel Travel Guide Tips: You will go through a metal detector and your bags must go through an ex-ray machine before you’re allowed to enter. Men and women are separated when praying, never turn your back to the wall because it’s considered to be disrespectful, so you will literally see people walking backwards to avoid this, you should wash your hands before entering–there’s a fountain outside for this purpose, and dress modestly.
Muslim Quarter
Israel Travel Guide: The Temple Mount (No Jewish or Christian pray allowed), Dome of the Rock (Non-Muslims are not allowed inside), Damascus Gate (Main entry point to the Muslim Quarter), Olive Press Street (Lively market with souvenirs to fresh produce) and Church of St. Anne.
Armenian Quarter
-St. James Church
Israel Travel Guide: Other must see things in Jerusalem: Via Dolorosa, which is believed to be the path where Jesus took his final steps. It runs throughout the Old City and if you have a guide they can explain the significance of each point on the route. Garden of Gethsemane is where Jesus prayed and slept with his disciples the night before his crucifixion, The Last Supper Room, Mount of Olives, City of David and Hezekiah’s Tunnels, Mahane Yehuda, which is a cool market place where everyone hangs out at night and the Israel Museum.
Day 4 Dead Sea and Masada
Israel Travel Guide: You can do both in a day, but I would visit Masada first so you can spend the rest of the day relaxing at the Dead Sea. There are some resorts at the Dead Sea that have showers so you can get ready again, but that’s such a hassle. Do Masada first, then the Dead Sea.
Israel Travel Guide Tips: Do not get the water in your eyes at the Dead Sea because it will badly sting. Make sure to lather up with mud since it’s good for your skin and beware of sink holes in certain locations. They can open up without warning and it’s dangerous.
Dead Sea
Photo by: Heather Newgen
Day 5 Caesarea, Haifa Gardens, Golan Heights
Israel Travel Guide: Head north of Israel to see Caesarea, a town on the coast, which is known for having Roman ruins on the beach. It wasn’t my favorite thing to do, so if you’re running short on time, this would be the one thing to skip. Next up is the famous Haifa Gardens, which are beautiful, then Golan Heights for wine tasting, which was fantastic.
Caesarea Photo by: Heather Newgen
Israel Travel Guide: For the Golan Heights Winery, Erez Yarkon Travel set up a private tour for me, which included lunch, a tour of the facility and a jeep tour to the vineyards. It was one of the highlights of my vacation. From there we went to De Karina Boutique Chocolate Factory and learned how to make candy. If you’re looking for activities you can do with kids, this is a fun one. We stayed the night in the area.
Day 6 Nazareth and Cana
Israel Travel Guide: You can visit both places in the same day. The main thing to see in Cana is the Wedding Church, which is where Jesus performed His first miracle of turning water into wine. It’s also fun to walk around the area where the church is because the streets are really cute and there’s shops where you can get items like olive oil and wine, but I only spent two hours in Cana, which was plenty of time.
Must See Places in Nazareth
Israel Travel Guide: Basilica of the Annunciation, which is where the angel Gabriel descends from Heaven to tell the Virgin Mary she was pregnant with Jesus. Even if you aren’t Christian, you should visit the site because it’s one of the most beautiful churches. Mary’s Well where the water is supposed to have healing powers, St. Gabriel’s Church is the other site where people believe Mary was informed of her pregnancy, Nazareth Village, the Shuk, Chapel of Fright and the Salesian Church of Jesus the Adolescent is a stunning gothic style church that is worth seeing, but you must climb 250 stairs so wear comfortable shoes.
Day 7 Mitzpe Ramon to Eilat to Jordan
Israel Travel Guide: This was an ambitious travel day, but I wanted to spend the night in Wadi Rum Desert in Jordan so we quickly drove through Mitzpe Ramon to see the crater, which is like a mini version of the Grand Canyon and so amazing to see, then to Eilat where we didn’t spend much time, but it’s great for people who dive, then to the border where Erez Yarkon Travel had a driver waiting for me once I walked across into Jordan.
Israel Travel Guide Tips: There’s a cool alpaca farm in Mitzpe Ramon that you must check out. From there it’s a 20 minute hike to see the crater and it’s something you should make time to do.
Heather Newgen at Alpaca Farm in Israel
Israel Travel Guide: Another unique thing to do, which I did on a previous trip was Rosh HaNikra. They’re under water caves near the Lebanon border. You can only get to them by a short cable car ride.
Israel Travel Guide: And finally other things to see include the Sea of Galilee and the two spots where it’s believed Jesus was baptized Qasr al-Yehud and Yardenit.
Qasr al-Yehud
Israel Travel Guide: Christians view this as the traditional site where Jesus was baptized. Located on the Jordan River it can be hard to find on your own, so while you don’t need a guide to be there, it’s better to have one so you won’t spend all day searching for the location. There are groups of tourists there daily, but there isn’t anyone official on site, meaning religious leaders aren’t hanging around waiting to baptize tourists. It’s just a small place on the river that doesn’t look very impressive, but is considerably meaningful for so many. Anyone can be baptized there and I saw some people who had a minister with them, but I also saw people who went in by themselves, dunked their heads under the water and then got out. So it’s really your preference as to what you’d like to do, but in terms of having a religious leader there, that’s something a tour guide could arrange for you.
Yardenit
Israel Travel Guide: If you’re looking for a more commercialized experience, then Yardenit is the location you should visit. This is the other spot where it’s believed Jesus was baptized and it’s also on the Jordan River and much easier to find. There’s a gift shop where you can pick up souvenirs from the Dead Sea, beauty products or religious items. There are showers, restrooms and a small juice stand. In addition, you can arrange for a religious leader to be there for your baptism through Yardenit, but you need to ask them a few days in advance to have someone there. I’m not sure what the fee is because I didn’t do it, but another option is to ask a minister who is already there with a group to baptize you. I was told that was perfectly acceptable to do so.
Yardenit in Israel Photo by: Heather Newgen
Israel Travel Guide: Erez Yarkon Travel arranged my entire trip from flights to tours to accommodations and ground transportation. They even set up my tours in Jordan and Cairo. The guides and drivers were professional, knowledgable and I had an incredible time.