Summer has come, holidays are coming soon. Many people have long ago chosen a destination for their summer rest but some still wonder where to go. For those who cannot decide, I recommend a vacation in Israel. You can get here from Europe or US for „pennies” and from all countries of the world, all thanks to the advertisement and agreement between airlines and the Ministry of Israeli Tourism. Enjoy it while the contract continues.

Israel is a small country. Erroneously also considered a country at war, because we will not see one here, although the conflict will always hang in the air. Although it is a small country, it is called the land of 4 seas. The largest coastline has the Mediterranean Sea, the smallest, 5 km from the Red Sea. There is also the famous Dead Sea and the Sea of Galilee, although the latter two are actually lakes.
In the summer I do not recommend rest on the Red Sea. It is too hot to spend a pleasant time there, because during the day the temperature fluctuates at 40 degrees Celsius and at night around 30 degrees Celsius. It is worth considering a rest in this place in winter if someone wants to escape from the harsh winter in his country. In the months of December-March we will find pleasant temperatures around 20-25 degrees and cool nights around 15-18 degrees. The sea has a temperature of 21 degrees C throughout the year, regardless of the temperature of the air. Similarly, when we talk about a temperature, it is a matter of the Dead Sea, but this is another fairy tale, because if someone has problems with the skin and only time in summer – what is not done for health? You have to survive hot air and even more hot bath. Here, however, you can use the hotel with a swimming pool, where in an air-conditioned room we can take a relax in the pool, which has a connection to the sea. The same effect, only in more pleasant conditions. In winter, however, temperatures rarely drop below 20 degrees Celsius, the sea is always about 2 degrees warmer than air and very rarely falls a rain in this place.

So, what do I recommend for a summer vacation? The shore of the Mediterranean Sea. The most popular holiday destinations are Haifa, Natanya, Herzliya and of course Tel Aviv. If you are not keen on all day lying on the beach, want to try the local cuisine and still have something to explore then choose hotels or apartments only in Tel Aviv and preferably the closest to the beach. There are more and more apartments available for rent in the network. They are much cheaper than the hotel and give you the opportunity to prepare your own meals, as they are with a kitchenette, which is important at a lower budget, as going to a restaurant in this country costs a minimum of 100 shekels (USD 30) per person, and usually ends a higher expense, because for dinner we will take also something to drink and then a dessert would be useful, which is often more expensive than the main course. But there are also ways to do it, because many restaurants offer business lunches in time between 12-18, where for about 50-70 shekels we have a starter, a main course and something to drink and sometimes even a dessert.

But let’s get back to the apartments. Although they have a lot of pluses, you should take into account that after landing we do not find what we saw in the pictures on Internet. This is because people who rent them usually have several such objects and of course the pictures are of the best one.

Let’s assume that we have already chosen the apartment, we have a ticket and we’re flying. What’s next? At the airport we can choose to go by train to reach our accommodation or we can take a taxi. You can also order transfers from the airport of Ben Gurion with our company, where the driver will be waiting at the airport and will take you to the indicated address. It should also be remembered that from Friday around 12-14 to Saturday around 20-21 there is no public transport because the Sabbath is on.

Being already in Tel Aviv, it is worth considering to know better this wonderful country. You can start with Tel Aviv, which is a vibrant city around 24 hours. It is said the this city never falls asleep and always has fun, as opposed to the ever-praying Jerusalem and eternally working Haifa. However, this is a very young city, created at the beginning of the 20th century. There are not as many monuments as in old Jerusalem. What is worth visiting in Tel Aviv?: the Old Jaffa, the Carmel market and the Rotschild Blv., where there are most examples of the famous Bauhaus architecture, thanks to which Tel Aviv was included on the UNESCO list as the so-called „White City”. For gourmets, I recommend the Carmel market, where you can taste cuisine from different countries, because everyone here is „from somewhere.” The country was founded only in 1948 and the Jews began to come here in time of the 19th and 20th centuries bringing with them the culture and cuisine of the countries in which they were born. Near Carmel there is a district of Yemeni Jews, where you can taste their specialties in small, inferior, home-style bars. It is also worth going to Neve Tzedek, a picturesque and full of pubs, a district built by Polish Jews.

When you get bored of this cosmopolitan city and want to get to know real Israel, go on a one-day trip to Jerusalem. There you will encounter the local culture, religion and diversity. It is a city where even I, living in Israel for 9 years, have not seen everything yet. There, apart from wonderful cultural monuments and 3 monotheistic religions, you will meet orthodox Jews, Christian monks and Muslims. You will also find here a completely different landscape of the Judean Desert, so different from the green, full of date palm trees of Tel Aviv. Right next door is Bethlehem. It is true that it already lies in the area of the West Bank, that is in the Palestinian Autonomy, but you can freely enter and see a completely different, more Middle Eastern world. Unfortunately, you cannot drive to Bethlehem by rented car, because the rental companies reserve that the insurance does not work in Palestine. Therefore, the best solution is to use the offered day trips. Anis Pol Travel organizes such trips twice a week. We take and deliver you to the door of your apartment or hotel and provide an all languages-speaking guides.

If only time allows you and also funds, it is worth going on a trip to Jericho and the Dead Sea as well as to Galilee, where you can see wonderful places related to the teaching of Christ on the Sea of Galilee and the place of his childhood – Nazareth.

We cordially invite you to a holiday in Israel.
Text: Anna Szczypińska, 09.09.2018

Tagi: Holidays in Israel, City Break in Tel Aviv, Guide of Israel, Tour,