In the walled Old City, holy to Jews, Muslims, and Christians, tour the Old City walls and visit the Western Wall, the last remnant of the ancient Jewish Temple. Walk through the bazaars to the Muslim Quarter, visit the Al-Aqsa Mosque and Dome of the Rock. See the Christian Quarter and the Holy Sepulchre, and explore the Jewish Quarter and its Cardo.
Start the day with a tour of the Tel Aviv Museum of Art, one of the largest collections of Israeli art in the world. Walk along Rothschild Boulevard, an important artery of Tel Aviv's White City, a UNESCO World Heritage site with the largest collection of Bauhaus architecture in the world. Visit the Carmel Market to explore the fresh produce, spices, and local gourmet food scene.
Drive to Masada, a rock plateau with a palace and fortification Herod the Great built in the classical style in the Roman period. Walk the Roman ramp or take the cable car to the top to see breathtaking views of the desert and the Dead Sea. After that, drive to the lowest point on earth, the Dead Sea, and relax in the uniquely dense, salty waters.
Explore the ancient city and port of Caesarea, with Roman streets, an amphitheater, and a large Crusader fortress. Continue to the Mediterranean port city of Haifa, with its breathtaking Bahai Gardens, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and the Stella Maris Monastery, to enjoy the panoramic views of the Galilee Hills and the Mediterranean Sea.
Visit the medieval walls and fortresses of Akko, or Acre, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, with the Ottoman citadel, the Knights’ Halls, and the underground Crusader city. Drive to Rosh Hanikra, the northernmost point of Israel's coast, and walk down the white cliffs to the grottoes and sea caves carved by the waves.
Drive to Safed, a center of Jewish mysticism, with the old synagogues, the artists' quarter, and the unique cemetery. Then drive to Mount Meron in the Upper Galilee, to visit the ancient Jewish gravesites with breathtaking views of the hills and valleys of Galilee. Visit the Kinneret Cemetery, where the national leaders, poets, and artists of Israel are buried.
Visit the Israel Museum in Jerusalem, the largest cultural institution in the country, where the world-famous Dead Sea Scrolls are exhibited in the Shrine of the Book, and the model of Second-Temple-period Jerusalem is displayed. Drive to Jericho, one of the oldest cities in the world and the lowest city on earth, with the ancient walls, the sycamore tree, and the Mount of Temptation.
Public transportation is available in the major cities of Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, and Haifa, including buses and light rail. Taxis are readily available, but they are more expensive. For longer distances, it is recommended to rent a car or join a guided tour.
The estimated travel cost is around 1,500 ILS for car rental and around 500 ILS for gasoline. Guided tours can cost between 800 to 2,000 ILS per day.
If you have more time, visit the Golan Heights, Nazareth, or Eilat. If you have less time, focus on the main sites in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, and skip the northern and southern regions. Bring a swimsuit and a towel for swimming in the Dead Sea.
Ben Gurion Airport (TLV) is the main international airport in Israel, located about 19 km southeast of Tel Aviv. There are buses, taxis, and a train that connect the airport to Tel Aviv and other major cities. The other airport is Eilat Ramon Airport (ETM), located about 18 km north of Eilat, and serving mainly domestic flights.