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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 ...

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 ...

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. ...

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

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.

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 ...

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 ...

The security situation in this region is a bit precarious, but that's nothing new. It has always been so. This means that you can go there, but that you have to be cautious. The Syrian crisis is not a reason to stop traveling to Israel. The same if true for the West Bank. Indeed, there are some more dangerous places in the West Bank, especially in the ...

It would be safer and easier to find accommodation in Israel, and look for an organized ride to Bethlehem, instead of being in the PA areas on your own. Although Bethlehem is (relative to other Palestinian cities) safe for foreigners and the Palestinians are making special efforts during the Christmas season, it's better not to take extra chances. Also, the ...

Tel Aviv and Jerusalem are both large cities near the center of the country, which is to say that they are both good choices for you. Tel Aviv has the advantage of being on the coast, and therefore closer to Haifa, the other large city in the north (away from the Gaza Strip), meaning that it is the better base for visiting Israel alone. But Jerusalem is ...

No. Stay in Tel-Aviv to visit Tel-Aviv and then move on. Tel-Aviv is a cool city, the coolest in Israel, but exploring the whole country from there is cumbersome. One of the highlights in Israel is Jersualem. Visiting Jerusalem takes some days. This means that you have to travel several times back and forth along the same road. The roads are congested. You ...

We rented a car in Jerusalem and drove along the West Bank (to Ein Gedi), back up to to Tiberius, and down to Tel Aviv. No problems at all, other than being search pretty thoroughly at a checkpoint while going back north (i.e. after driving down the West Bank and back). They were stern but nice, and implied that they were not suspicious of us, but had to ...

I'm currently living in Bethlehem in West Bank (for three months), I'm Spanish. It is safe if you are tourist and don't go to demonstrations or activist events. Israeli security forces will make you a lot of questions in the Ben Gurion airport (or in the airport in your country) about your visit for "security reasons" and maybe some will be private (of ...