Insight Guides Explore Jerusalem & Tel Aviv (Travel Guide eBook)
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About this ebook
Pocket-sized travel guides featuring the very best routes and itineraries.
Discover the best of Jerusalem and Tel Avivwith this indispensably practical Insight Explore Guide. From making sure you don't miss out on must-see attractions like Jerusalem's old city, Tel Aviv's seafront and the Dead Sea, to discovering hidden gems, including Jaffa, the easy-to-follow, ready-made walking routes will save you time, help you plan and enhance your visit to Jerusalem and Tel Aviv.
Practical, pocket-sized and packed with inspirational insider information, this is the ideal on-the-move companion for your trip to Jerusalem and Tel Aviv.
- 13 walks and tours: detailed itineraries feature all the best places to visit, including where to eat along the way
- Local highlights: discover what makes the area special, its top attractions and unique sights, and be inspired by stunning imagery
- Insider recommendations: where to stay and what to do, from active pursuits to themed trips
- Hand-picked places: find your way to great hotels, restaurants and nightlife using the comprehensive listings
- Practical maps: get around with ease and follow the walks and tours using the detailed maps
- Informative tips: plan your visit with an A to Z of advice on everything from transport to tipping
- Inventive design makes for an engaging, easy-reading experience
- Covers old and new Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Jaffa, the Dead See, and much more
About Insight Guides: Insight Guides is a pioneer of full-colour guide books, with almost 50 years' experience of publishing high-quality, visual travel guides with user-friendly, modern design. We produce around 400 full-colour print guide books and maps as well as phrase books, picture-packed eBooks and apps to meet different travellers' needs. Insight Guides' unique combination of beautiful travel photography and focus on history and culture create a unique visual reference and planning tool to inspire your next adventure.
Insight Guides
Pictorial travel guide to Arizona & the Grand Canyon with a free eBook provides all you need for every step of your journey. With in-depth features on culture and history, stunning colour photography and handy maps, it’s perfect for inspiration and finding out when to go to Arizona & the Grand Canyon and what to see in Arizona & the Grand Canyon.
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Insight Guides Explore Jerusalem & Tel Aviv (Travel Guide eBook) - Insight Guides
How To Use This E-Book
This Explore Guide has been produced by the editors of Insight Guides, whose books have set the standard for visual travel guides since 1970. With top-quality photography and authoritative recommendations, these guidebooks bring you the very best routes and itineraries in the world’s most exciting destinations.
Best Routes
The routes in this book provide something to suit all budgets, tastes and trip lengths. As well as covering the destination’s many classic attractions, the itineraries track lesser-known sights, and there are also excursions for those who want to extend their visit outside the city. The routes embrace a range of interests, so whether you are an art fan, a gourmet, a history buff or have kids to entertain, you will find an option to suit.
We recommend reading the whole of a route before setting out. This should help you to familiarise yourself with it and enable you to plan where to stop for refreshments – options are shown in the ‘Food and Drink’ box at the end of each tour.
Introduction
The routes are set in context by this introductory section, giving an overview of the destination to set the scene, plus background information on food and drink, shopping and more, while a succinct history timeline highlights the key events over the centuries.
Directory
Also supporting the routes is a Directory chapter, with a clearly organised A–Z of practical information, our pick of where to stay while you are there and select restaurant listings; these eateries complement the more low-key cafés and restaurants that feature within the routes and are intended to offer a wider choice for evening dining. Also included here are some nightlife listings, plus a handy language guide and our recommendations for books and films about the destination.
Getting around the e-book
In the Table of Contents and throughout this e-book you will see hyperlinked references. Just tap a hyperlink once to skip to the section you would like to read. Practical information and listings are also hyperlinked, so as long as you have an external connection to the internet, you can tap a link to go directly to the website for more information.
Maps
All key attractions and sights mentioned in the text are numbered and cross-referenced to high-quality maps. Wherever you see the reference [map] just tap this to go straight to the related map. You can also double-tap any map for a zoom view.
Images
You’ll find lots of beautiful high-resolution images that capture the essence of the destination. Simply double-tap on an image to see it full-screen.
© 2019 Apa Digital (CH) AG and Apa Publications (UK) Ltd
Table of Contents
Recommended Routes For...
Beaches
Foodies
History buffs
Markets
Museums
Night owls
Sacred sites
Views
Explore Jerusalem and Tel Aviv
Geography and Layout
Labyrinth and grid
Day trips to the rest of Israel
History
Jerusalem
Tel Aviv
Climate
Population
Local customs
Politics and economics
Food and Drink
Local cuisine
Eating Kosher
Where to eat
Fruit and Vegetables
Meat
Cheese and Milk
Breads
Drink
Soft Drinks
Coffee and Tea
Alcohol
Shopping
Jerusalem
Jerusalem Markets
Tel aviv
Tel Aviv Markets
Sales Tax
Religious Festivals and Holidays
Jewish holidays
January/February
March/April
April/May
May/June
July/August
September/October
November/December
Muslim holidays
Christian holidays
January
March/April
May/June
December 24/25
Entertainment
Music
Dance
Theater
Movies
Nightlife
History: Key Dates
The Biblical period
The Christian and Muslim Eras
Crusaders, Mamelukes and Ottomans
The Birth of Zionism
Independent Israel
Jerusalem’s Old City
Jaffa Gate
Muslim Quarter Market
Jewish Quarter
The Western Wall
The Temple Mount
Dome of the Rock and El-Aqsa Mosque
Western Wall Tunnels
Via Dolorosa
The Church of the Holy Sepulchre
Church of the Redeemer
Tower of David Museum
The Armenian Quarter
Outside the Old City Walls
Montefiore Windmill
Mount Zion
City of David
The Mount of Olives
Garden Tomb
Me’a She’arim
Jerusalem’s New City
German Colony
The First Station
King David Street
Mamilla Mall
Jaffa Road
Russian Compound
Downtown
Zion Square
Makhanei Yehuda Market
Jerusalem’s National Institutions and Parks
Valley of the Holy Cross
Hebrew University
Israel Museum
Knesset
Mount Herzl to Ein Kerem
Mount Herzl
Yad Vashem
Ein Kerem
Hadassah Medical Center – Chagall Windows
The Dead Sea
Dead Sea
Kumran
Ein Fashka
Ein Gedi
Masada
Ein Bokek Beach Resort
Tel Aviv Seafront – Port to Port
Tel Aviv Port
Tel Aviv Marina
Beach Sports
Jaffa
Jaffa
Clock Tower
Mahmoudiya Mosque
Museum of Antiquities
Kedumim
Simon The Tanner’s House
The Jaffa
Bauhaus - Central Tel Aviv
Rothschild Boulevard
Bauhaus Begins
Habima Square
Dizengoff
Bauhaus Center
Art Galleries
Yitzhak Rabin Square
Markets of Tel Aviv
Jaffa Flea Market
Florentin
Levinsky Market
Neve Tzedek
Suzan Delal Center
Carmel Market
Kerem Hatamanim
Bezalel Market
Nakhalat Binyamin
Bialik Street
Sarona Market
North Tel Aviv
Little Old Tel Aviv
River Yarkon
Eretz Israel Museum
Yitzhak Rabin Center
Palmach Museum
Tel Aviv University
Museum Of The Jewish People
Mediterranean Coast
Herzliya And Netanya
Mikhmoret Beach
Caesarea
Zikhron Ya’akov
Mount Carmel National Park
Haifa
Along the seafront
German Colony
Akko
The Galilee
Tel Megiddo
Nazareth
Mystical Safed
The Galilee Panhandle
Sea Of Galilee
Monastery of the Beatitudes
Capernaum
Ein Tabgha
Tiberias
Spa treatments
Baptism in the Jordan
Beit She’an
Accommodations
Jerusalem
Jerusalem Hills
Tel Aviv and Jaffa
Herzliya
Restaurants
Jerusalem
Tel Aviv
Akko
Caesarea
Galilee
Haifa
Nazareth
Nightlife
Jerusalem
Tel Aviv
A-Z
A
Age Restrictions
B
Budgeting
Food and Drink
Hotel Prices
Transport Costs
Admission Charges
C
Children
Clothing
Crime and Safety
Customs
D
Disabled Travelers
E
Electricity
Embassies & Consulates
Jerusalem
Tel Aviv
Emergencies
Etiquette
H
Health
Hours and Holidays
I
Internet
L
Language
LGBTQ Travelers
M
Media
Newspapers and News Websites
Radio and Television
Money
Currency
Credit Cards
ATMs
Changing Money
Tipping
Taxes
R
Religion
Restrooms
S
Smoking
T
Telephones
Landline Area Codes in Israel
Overseas Calls
Cellphone Operators
Useful Numbers
Time Zone
Tourist Information
Canada
UK
US
Israel
Tours and Guides
Transportation
Arrival
Airport
Public Transportation
Driving
Toll roads
Car Rental
V
Visas and Passports
W
Weights & Measures
Women travelers
Language
Useful words and phrases
Essential expressions
Greetings
Communication difficulties
Emergencies
Exclamations
Everyday words
Sights
Eating out
Drinks
Travel
Colors
Numbers
Days
Dates
Accommodations
Payments
Books and Film
Books
Movies and TV series
Recommended Routes For...
Beaches
Tel Aviv has 14km (8 miles) of beaches; Israel has a Mediterranean coastline that stretches for 273km (170 miles). Explore Tel Aviv’s beaches (route 7) and its northern coastline (route 12).
iStock
Foodies
Sample Israel’s unique culinary fusion in Jerusalem’s Makhanei Yehuda market (route 3), or Tel Aviv’s Kerem Hatamanim (route 10).
Haim Yosef
History buffs
Israel is as much about history as it is religion. Visit the Herodian fortress of Masada (route 6), the historic village of Ein Kerem (route 5) and the ancient ports of Caesarea and Akko (route 12).
iStock
Markets
Practice your bartering skills at Jerusalem’s Arab market (route 1), immerse yourself in the sensory paradise of Makhanei Yehuda market (route 3) or tour Tel Aviv’s markets (route 10) in search of hidden gems.
Shutterstock
Museums
Visit the Israel Museum in Jerusalem to see the Dead Sea scrolls (route 4) and the Museum of the Jewish People in Tel Aviv (route 11) to experience the story of the Diaspora.
Nowitz Photography/Apa Publications
Night owls
Tel Aviv is the city that never sleeps. For the best nightlife, try the western end of Rothschild Boulevard (route 9), Tel Aviv Port (route 7) or Jerusalem’s Makhanei Yehuda (route 3).
Alamy
Sacred sites
Israel is the Holy Land and Jerusalem is the Holy City. The Old City (route 1) and the Galilee (route 13) take in the most sacred sites.
Nowitz Photography/Apa Publications
Views
Israel is a country of hills and breathtaking panoramas. Get a unique perspective of Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives (route 2), look out over Haifa from the Bahá’í Gardens (route 12) and take in the Sea of Galilee from Mount Tabor (route 13). Don’t miss the stunning Dead Sea landscapes either (route 6).
Nowitz Photography/Apa Publications
Explore Jerusalem and Tel Aviv
Jerusalem prays while Tel Aviv plays. A 30-minute drive separates Israel’s two largest cities, yet they are worlds apart. Sacred and profane, Jerusalem and Tel Aviv represent the country’s religious past and its high-tech future.
Tel Aviv’s seafront
iStock
Jerusalem is as old as Tel Aviv is new. Sacred to Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, the alleyways of Jerusalem’s Old City resonate with three millennia of religious significance, from the remnants of King Solomon’s Temple, to Christ’s last journey down the Via Dolorosa, to the Dome of the Rock, from where it is believed Mohammed ascended to heaven.
Outside the city walls, Jerusalem is home to its parliament and national institutions, and has been revived over the past century by the Jewish return to Zion. Controversy shrouds Jerusalem’s status as Israel’s capital; both Israelis and Palestinians regard the city as their capital. Whilst Jerusalem is not universally recognised in the world as Israel’s capital, Israelis feel passionately that it should be. It is a city of nearly 1 million, fiercely contested by the Israeli majority and Palestinian minority, home to a socially fragmented Jewish population, from the fast-growing black-hat ultra-Orthodox enclaves, through an array of modern-Orthodox and traditional communities and onto a dwindling secular minority. Yet the city hangs together in an uneasy truce with a surprising degree of harmony and an even more surprising flourishing nightlife scene.
In contrast, Tel Aviv, Israel’s commercial capital, the capital of cool, is brazen and brash. It is the city that never stops, from its golden beaches and glistening high-tech office towers, to its innovative culinary and cultural scene and pulsating nightlife. Tel Aviv itself has a population of 550,000, and is at the heart of a metropolitan area that is home to over 4 million.
Geography and Layout
The contrasting characteristics of Tel Aviv and Jerusalem are also reflected in their geography and layout. Although a relatively small country – roughly the size of New Jersey or Wales – Israel is geographically diverse. Tel Aviv is on the fertile coastal plain while beyond the orange groves and vineyards of the inland plains and foothills, Jerusalem is 750 meters (2,500ft) high in the Judean Mountains. Jerusalem is a continental divide with forests to the west leading down to the Mediterranean, and deserts to the east leading down to the Dead Sea, the lowest accessible point on earth, and part of the Great Syria-African Rift Valley.
Dome of the Rock, Jerusalem
iStock
Labyrinth and grid
City streets in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv are also contrasting. Jerusalem’s narrow, labyrinthine streets and alleys coil confusingly around hillsides, up to breathtaking mountain views of desert and forest; Tel Aviv is laid out in US-style grid fashion with wide avenues and Parisian-style boulevards running north–west parallel to the Mediterranean seafront, or east–west.
Day trips to the rest of Israel
The rest of Israel is easily accessible from Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. Head north from Tel Aviv along the Mediterranean coast to the port of Haifa, which is built on Mount Carmel and is the world center of the Bahá’í Faith, with its sumptuous hillside gardens. Further north is the ancient port and Crusader fortress city of Akko. Inland are the mountain landscapes of the Galilee hills, Nazareth and Sea of Galilee, fed by the River Jordan, which is where Christ spent the majority of his life. To the east, you’ll find the Golan Heights and majestic snow-capped Mount Hermon.
Praying at the Western Wall
Shutterstock
Just south of Jerusalem, in the Palestinian territories, is Bethlehem, birthplace of Christ; to the east is the Dead Sea, where bathers can float in the highly saline waters. Several hours south through the desert is the Red Sea resort of Eilat, a diverse paradise with its remarkable marine life and coral formations.
History
Archeological evidence suggests that farming evolved in this region some 12,000 years ago and there are remains of human settlements on the Mediterranean coast, Judean Desert, and Jordan Valley. Canaanite city kingdoms developed in the heart of the ‘fertile crescent,’ along trading routes between the two regional powers – Egypt and Mesopotamia. Genesis tells us that Abraham moved here from Mesopotamia in about 2000 BC, settling in Be’er Sheva and buried in Hebron. According to