Hot answers tagged israel
28
Yes, having an Israeli stamp in your passport can restrict your ability to enter some arab nations including:
Syria
Lebanon
Libya
Kuwait
Iran
Iraq
Pakistan
Saudi Arabia
Sudan
Yemen
What to do about it? Here are some options...
Don't worry about it -- If you aren't interested in travelling to any of these countries, it doesn't matter if you have an ...
17
In short: Come to the airport early, security checks will take longer.
You should expect a longer and more serious security check before your departure and after your landing, including questioning about your whereabouts and activities in Iran or Kuwait. If you just visited there, this should be it - your entrance is very highly unlikely to be refused.
...
17
I live in the Tel Aviv area, and I can confirm that most of Israel is easily accessible from there. I have no idea what tourist infrastructure exists in the Palestinian Authority area, if any, and how to get there from Tel Aviv.
Tel Aviv is something like Miami, in that attractions include the beach and a lively nightlife, while Jerusalem has a lot more ...
17
As an American who just recently traveled to Israel for the first time with a former Israeli, my impression is that you should stay in Jerusalem.
We took a bus that only took about 45 minutes from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. They are very close together. And Jerusalem was much more interesting to me from a tourist perspective (i.e. the rich history and ...
16
Israel side of the map
Israel is like any other western country. The Israelis are warm and kind people. Street thieves and pickpockets are very uncommon. Because of the political/religious tension, Israel security systems and regulations are world class, as is medicine, technology etc.
Of course it has places that you should be extra cautious, or aviod. ...
15
Jerusalem is no longer divided (it was divided between Jordan and Israel between 1948 and 1967). Israel controls all of it, and there are no check points or border control anywhere in the city.
There are security checkpoints at the entrance to the Temple Mount, but they're there to keep the Israelis (and weapons) out, not the foreigners (as opposed to what ...
15
Yiddish is only spoken in very specific neighborhoods by very specific people. Usually you would identify them by being rather old (middle-aged+) and very religious (you can see by their clothing). You would probably encounter them in Jerusalem and Bnei Brak.
Some younger members of the certain Ashkenazi religious communities speak Yiddish, as well as some ...
14
It has an impact, but it isn't problematic. The Sabbath runs from Friday at sundown to Saturday at sundown, though in practice it could extend from Friday afternoon to Sunday morning. In planning your trip, it is much like planning in other countries where shops are closed on Sundays or museums are only open on certain days. The key thing is to plan your ...
14
Re the borders, Jordanian border is the quietest one (taking the honor from the Egyptian & Syrian borders, which now have some potential for danger given the instability there). During the war of 2006 in Israel, land borders with Jordan and Egypt were open and unaffected. Land borders with Syria and Lebanon are only open for the UN personnel and Syrian ...
13
Background
The Shabbath (pronounced Shabbat in Israeli Hebrew) imposes some travel limitations but offers some exciting experiences. If you plan your trip correctly, you can greatly benefit from it.
The first important thing to know about Shabbat is that its character varies greatly among different areas in Israel. Ultra religous quarters in Jerusalem ...
12
Because of the lack of diplomatic relations with so many countries to the East, El Al has a very limited number of flights that go Eastbound from Tel Aviv, and most of those flights (Beijing, Bangkok) take very circuitous routes to avoid flying over countries which are technically at war with Israel including Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, etc. So if you were ...
12
Trains in Israel are hardly long distance. The longest is an hour and a half, two at a stretch. And yes, they have restrooms, but you can always go out at a station, and take the next train, if there's a real problem:-)
Your ticket is valid for a travel, once you pass the gate at the entrance of the origin station, till you exit at the gate of your ...
11
We stayed in a kibbutz at Ein Gedi which was nice. I liked that we avoided the big 'glitzy' hotels on the dead sea and while it wasn't luxurious it was very comfortable. Plus, it was interesting to learn more about kibbutz life which is a big part of the culture in Israel and we were close to the Ein Gedi spa where we took a dip in the dead sea.
We stayed ...
11
Geographically, it might make sense if you are travelling from Johannesburg to St. Petersburg; there don't appear to be any direct flights between those two cities, yet they are both serviced by El Al (with a transfer in Tel Aviv).
11
Are all countries between the "near east" and the "far east" then
"middle eastern" countries?
I always thought Middle East and Near East are mostly synonyms. (For me, this is probably influenced by the fact that the Finnish word for Middle East is Lähi-itä, literally Near East.)
Even if we stick to English terms, Wikipedia tends to agree (emphasis ...
11
Israel is quite a safe country. However, due to its particular geopolitical situation, there can be surprises. Travel to some regions should be avoided, such as the immediate surroundings of the Gaza Strip and the surroundings of the Lebanese border. Due to the war in Syria, there might be some trouble in the Golan Heights. If that's the case, the region ...
10
I was very concerned about renting a car when we went to Israel because most all of the car rental companies are very particular about not driving in the West Bank. And driving around the West Bank can be a much longer trip than driving through it! It turned out not to be much of a concern for two reasons.
The highway that goes through the West Bank is ...
10
Basically, yes, but you'll have to be in a hurry all the time.
I personally don't love my trips in a rush.
Driving from Haifa to the Golan is about 1.5-2 hours.
The Banias reserve is a one day trip. It consists of 2 parts, the waterfall itself, and the antiques.
It is very close to Castle Nimrod, and Castle Nimrod can be covered in 2-3 hours:
The ...
9
Yes, (as of 2002) you can cross at Allenby bridge and then take a mini-bus to Petra; however, you'll want to get your visa in advance. Crossing at Eilat would probably be faster.
You will probably want to spend two nights at Petra, so that you can have a travel day, a day to visit the ruins, and then another travel day. There are many inexpensive hostels ...
9
Indeed, you cannot check in your luggage in Marrakech directly to Tel-Aviv. You have to recover it at Paris CDG and check it in again. In theory it could work, but if you want to be on the safe side, spend the night in Paris. There are some not too expensive hotels around (Campanile, Etap, ...). Or look for an alternative routing.
There are two bottlenecks ...
9
I've been there a few years ago so I don't really know how recent facts affected the safety of that area but since it has always been a "conflict zone" I'll give you my two cents.
Jerusalem isn't considered to be in the West Bank. Fully equipped Israeli soldiers are deployed everywhere in the city as are security cameras. It's a very sensitive area but I've ...
8
Here are my notes from July 2002:
The Jordanian Embassy in Tel Aviv is located on the tenth floor of the highrise "Beit Oz" (home of Oz Investments Ltd) at 14 Abba Hillel Silver Street, phone 03-751-7722. Single-entry, 3-month visas are 88 shekels for all nationalities and NIS 168 gets you a 6-month multiple-entry visa. The consular department is open ...
8
My friends visited Neve Zohar (map, possible accommodation) last year and were very pleased with it.
Also there are more zimmers (this name for "hostel" in Israel, it is German word, it means "room") accross the Dead sea, you can easily find them.
8
Here we go:
List of visa requirements for travel to Israel
United States citizen is exempt and no fee is charged. The document is from the Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
8
As can be seen from Wikipedia, the legality even in European countries varies greatly from country to country.
In Latvia, Estonia's neighbour, for example, pepper spray in canisters is classified as a self-defense device and can be bought and carried by anyone over 16 years of age. Pepper spray handguns can be bought and carried without any license by ...
8
Since you are now of the drafting age you should probably resolve your Army status before attempting to visit Israel.
You can look at this post on Expat Exchange that seems to be specifically on point for your issue.
EDIT
Since there seems to be a question about the Expat Exchange Post here are a few more:
http://idf-law.com/idf-army-status-faq/
...
7
From what I know going into to Jordan from Israel is harder than going from Israel to Jordan. If you haven't booked your trip yet I would consider flying into Jordan then making your way to Israel. If possible I would stay for 2 nights for what it's going to cost you ro get there. You can see the Wadi Rum while you are there as well. I didn't look into ...
7
If you are planning on visiting/climbing Masada, it is in a convenient location close to the Dead Sea. There is a great, relatively new hostel at the foot of Masada connected to the cable car. It's about half-way between the Dead Sea resorts of Ein Gedi and Ein Bokek (~15 minute drive from each). There is something to be said about staying at a hotel ...
7
Between major cities in Israel the bus is a very good option. The Egged 480 bus from Jerusalem to Tel Aviv costs about 20NIS and takes about an hour. It runs about every 10 minutes or so. In Tel Aviv you pick it up at the Central Train station.
There are also frequent buses from J-m and TA to most major cities in Israel. Just be careful when traveling ...
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