Places to Go and Things to See

Holidays by Destination Middle East Israel Places to Go and Things to See 

Away from the seaside, most attractions are geared to adults plus local school groups and families. Museums cover subjects ranging from local archaeological finds to folk costumes, natural history and contemporary art. However, a stroll round a town like Jerusalem is probably more compelling, offering if nothing else a glimpse of a different way of life. Potentially an equal draw is the natural environment, including the desert and the wildlife of the Red Sea. However, children should probably know that it is an offence to pick wild flowers anywhere in the country.

The Mediterranean Coast

This offers modern resorts and older cities along with around 100 miles of bathing beaches, though some of these suffer dangerous undertow. The beaches generally offer life-saving services plus facilities such as showers.

Tel Aviv
The capital of Israel, a busy, modern city. Museums include the Ha'aretz Land of Israel focusing on the country's past. This, along with the university and Hatfutsot Museum of the Jewish Diaspora is based round the excavation site of a Philistine city. The Ramat Gan Zoo includes a safari park. The beach is close to the downtown area with a busy promenade and offshore dykes offering extra safety. Just a mile from the centre is the renovated old port of Jaffa.
For tours the reader who recommends a taxi driver in Eilat also recommends Iyad Nidal and brother on 972 7 050 651 647.

Herzlia
Considered the most exclusive resort so pricey, just north of Tel Aviv, with a marina.

Netanya
The most popular resort so crowded, on a cliff with pedestrian walkways and street cafes, plus long, sandy beaches. It is also a diamond polishing centre. Nearby are nature reserves, fishing parks, and even a parrot farm.

Ceasarea
Founded by Herod and named after the Roman emperor, one of the more historic centres, just south of Haifa with a ruined amphitheatre, aqueduct, plus Byzantine and crusader remains. Also offers Israel's only 18-hole golf course and just to the north Dor, considered one of the country's best beaches.

Haifa
More of a working city, a modern centre - the country's third largest city - built round the slopes of Mount Carmel, with fine views to Haifa, Acre and Northern Galilee. Known for green spaces, the Bahai Temple and a port.

Southern Coast

Eilat
At Israel's narrow point of access to the Red Sea, squeezed between Egypt and Jordan, the country's most international resort and the one most geared to families. In the hot summer months it caters almost exclusively to Israelis.

The resort divides into the North Beach, the main and smarter hotel area closer to shops, bars and restaurants, and Coral Beach a few kilometres south towards the Egyptian border.

This second is the main area for watersports and diving. The Red Sea gulf is considered one of best sites in the world for diving, with thousands of extraordinary and brilliant fish, plus a multitude of coral. Snorkelling is a good alternative. (Children's snorkel sets and fins are a good buy.)

Red Sea Sports Club (020) 8991 4626 or through major operators, is the main diving centre, offering courses from 12 years up or for 8+ accompanied introductory dives and bubblemaker courses in the pool teaching basic skills. It also offers for example jeep desert safaris, windsurfing, underwater observatory and boat outings.

Waterskiing, parasailing, and diving or swimming with dolphins are also available at the Dolphin Centre .

An underwater observatory takes non swimmers to the sea bed and offers a theme park style underwater film ride plus submarine outings.

There is a Birdwatching Centre, best in spring and autumn with migrating species.

There is also a field school offering hiking for families .

An IMAX theatre is planned.

Trips can be arranged further afield including to Petra in Jordan. One reader has recommended a taxi driver Laurent (972) 7 633 2393 mobile 0588 140 40. He can apparently organise everything or helps if you have to do it. Taxis are of course more flexible than organised tours with children.

Inland

Jerusalem
Home to three of the world's major religions and with the history to match. Usefully, most of the interesting parts of town can be covered on foot. Sights include the Western Wall, the Dome of the Rock, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, Mount Zion, site of King David's tomb, and Garden of Gethsemane.

There are Roman remains (Cardo is a reconstruction of the main street when the Romans ruled), fifth century water tunnels visited by candlelight, Byzantine moats, Crusader walls and Ottoman ramparts.

The Dead Sea Scrolls are housed in the Israel Museum.

The Tisch Family Zoological Gardens specialises in biblical animals.

Galilee
In a greener part of Israel, <>BUpper Galilee offers hills and valleys and is home to wildlife as well as rare flower species. Activity options include riding, bird watching, fishing, skiing and kayaking, canoeing and river rafting.

The major city is Safed, source of the Kabala and today an artists' colony. The town is usually used as a base for exploring the Banias Waterfall, the Hula Nature Reserve and the ruins of Hazor.

The Lower Galilee's Jezreel Valley has been battled over by Egyptians, Mesopotamians, Assyrians, Persians and Romans.

West of the valley is Megiddo (Armageddon).

The mountain fortress of Zippori was once the capital of the Roman province of Galilee and offers well preserved mosaics. Bet Shean is the country's best preserved Roman Byzantine town.
Hammet Gader has Roman baths, an active spa, and an alligator farm.

The area also includes Nazareth and the regional capital and resort Tiberias, with the multi-screen Galilee Experience, designed to bring to life the region's history, plus bases for sailing water skiing and speedboats on the Sea of Galilee. A fishing vessel from the time of Christ has been preserved on the lake at Ginosar.

Nowadays there is tubing and kayaking on the Jordan river. At Hamat Tiberias there are hot springs.

The Tel Dan is a particularly attractive nature reserve including the Dan river.

Palestinian Territories

Although harder to visit, these include Bethlehem, Jericho, reported the oldest inhabited town on earth, and Nablus with its casbah of narrow streets.

The Dead Sea

Famous for its dense, salt water, it is fun to bounce in but stings like crazy on cuts or in your eyes so is not ideal for small children. The salts are reported to offer numerous health benefits, for example for skin problems, treated with water or black mud. As the lowest point on earth, 400m below sea level, the air contains 10% more oxygen than usual and is pollen free because of high barometric pressure and filtered sunlight. This is helpful to people suffering from related allergies and breathing difficulties. However, note that most of the hotels are spa ones and some do not take children.

Nearby is the fort of Masada, Herod's mountain-top palace and symbol of Jewish revolt against the Romans, reached by cable car. There is also the very popular Ein Gedi Nature Reserve. Qumran is the settlement where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found.

The Deserts

The deserts are not the conventional sand ones but rather austere and sometimes spectacular rock. To Negev on the Spice Route and just north of Eilat, outings are by jeep, quad bike, horse or camel. Avdat offers the best preserved remains of a Nabatean-Roman-Byzantine city. Ein Avdat is a nature reserve with dry hills and icy water pools. Hai Bar reserve close to Eilat, is dedicated to restoring biblical fauna to the region. Makhtesh Ramon is the largest of five erosion craters, a phenomenon found only in this desert. There is the option of climbing to King Solomon's Pillars/Mines in the Timna Valley National Park.