Israel's Best Tourist Destinations (by Dafna)

Jerusaelem, the old city of course. 1. You can get a fabulous view of the old city by going to the boardwalk (Armon Ha-Natziv in Hebrew) 2. In the old city, wander around a bit. The city has the hands-down best market in Israel. Lots of vendors who can sell you olive wood trinkets, food and spices, water pipes, chess sets, drums, etc. 3. You can follow Jesus's last steps, from the site of the last supper, through all the stations to his burial cross. 4. You can visit the Western Wall, the last wall remaining of the ancient temple.

Outside of Jerusalem, there are some great sites for picnics and exploring. Like the spot where David beat Goliath, etc.

An hour away from Jerusalem is Tel Aviv. Walk along the boardwalk, get some ice cream, enjoy the beach (not the best beach in Israel but definitely one of its most popular). Then visit Shuk Ha-Caramel (the street market). Eat some falafel or shawarma. You can visit the city park along the mighty Yarkon river, rent a little boat, visit the petting zoo, ride a pont, fun. If you want a great big walk, walk north along the beach to Jaffa (or you can drive if you're lazy). Havce some pita at the best bakery, Abulafia. Yummm. Then go find a nice fish restaurant and have fish straight off the boat.

Tel Aviv is very busy at night but I have to admit I don't know what the good spots are anymore. You'll need to discover that on you're own.

The best beaches IMHO are in Herzliah (Hof Ha-Zuk). I also really like the beach in Haifa, which is another really nice town to visit. In Haifa you can also visit the Bahai gardens which are beautiful. Just north of Haifa is Akko which is really cool and worth a visit if you have some time.

Well you'll have to visit the Dead Sea of course. Slather yourself in some mud, float in the salty water, and enjoy the lowest point on earth. If you're there in the middle of summer, you need to go in the early morning before it gets ridiculously hot.

A cool thing to do is climb Massada in time for the sunrise. You go at night, enjoy the sounds & lights show explaining the history of the place, climb at 2am or so, and watch the sun rise at the top. cool.

You must visit the north, the Golan Heights, the Sea of Gallilee (don't go there on weekend or holiday, it gets really busy). There are some great hikes. My favorite is Nahal Yehudiah but there are lots of others that are fantastic.

And then to unwind you should head south to Eilat and snorkel/scuba/sleep the day away. From there you can also head down to the Sinai for some incredible red sea scuba diving. Nothing like it!