Places to See in Israel

Amazing Israel

The promised land, the Holy Land - The origin of the Judeo-Christian religions. Five thousand years of history, the lowest point on Earth, birthplace of the digital age, crossroads between East and West. The most hotly contested piece of real estate for millennia and a tiny geographical package that includes every conceivable micro-climate. A land of legacies and national rebirth – a place of great battles and strife. Travel throughout Israel and meet people of many cultures – dig down below the country’s surface and find relics of countless ages. History, religion, culture, nature, business, food, architecture, music, technology, agriculture - find them all in an unbelievable destination just 300 miles long and in places no more than 10 miles wide.

The world of global travel is chock full of truly breathtaking destinations. When you think about it, most locations that are considered prime travel destinations have a given set of experiential offerings. European destinations offer architectural splendor, majestic history, religious heritage and cultural legacies that are unique to their particular geographic region. North America has breathtaking scenic beauty, the allure of modern culture and enticing urban experiences but is historically young. Resort destinations offer beaches, sports and sun.  Asia is ancient, exotic, culturally complex and visually stunning but its diversity is partitioned across a vast geography.

Jerusalem – City of Gold – Israel’s largest city by population and arguably one of the most important and interesting travel destinations on Earth. Spiritually uplifting, historically exhilarating, visually stunning, and geographically striking – arriving in Jerusalem generates goosebumps as the city unfolds before a traveler’s eyes. Roaming the city, visitors travel in time from the days of King David, past the empires of Greece and Rome, Orders of Crusader Knights, Saladin’s Caliphate and relics of Ottoman British rule – all the way to the icons of Judaism's tragedy and revival. A bustling modern city, geopolitically complex, ethnically diverse, modern and ancient at the same time, overlooks a walled enclave to which radiate the yearnings of three faiths. Jerusalem is a surreal city whose spirituality is accented by the ghosts and legends of millennia past. Holier than holy to Jews, Muslims and Christians - the city’s ancient core is quartered into an intense mechanism of culture and faith that bubbles like the hot lava at a crater’s mouth spewing passion and faith across the globe. The capital of world religion, the vortex of faith, the interface between man and his God is spread across these rocky hills and gullies in a mingle of domes and minarets. And beyond this vortex, a metropolis of contemporary rebirth, capital and governing seat of an amazingly robust and successful social, cultural, political and technological revival un-matched in human history. Brightly lit by the contrasting lights of history, modern Jerusalem is a study of humanity’s disparities. The intellectual stimulus of fascinating museums, the solemn weight of Yad Vashem and Mount Herzel, the earthly pleasures of Mamilla Mall and the scents of fragrant fare - all melding into one experiential journey whose intensity defines the amazing one-of-a-kind uniqueness of the ‘City of Gold’.

Tel-Aviv – Named by Lonely Planet as the third “Hottest” city on Earth. Museums, art, entertainment, food, beaches and shopping – Israel's main city and commercial center is a tightly packed cauldron of experience. From open air eastern markets, to stylized plazas and boulevards, from Bauhaus 1930’s condos to streamlined skyscrapers, Tel-Aviv embodies Israel’s energy and social vitality. A young city by global standards, Tel Aviv is a showplace for architectural genres of which International Bauhaus is the dominant style. Bauhaus buildings with white painted facades led Tel-Aviv's city center to be named the "White City" - the largest group of buildings anywhere built in the International Bauhaus style and declared by UNESCO a World Heritage treasure. As early as the 1920's, fledgling Tel-Aviv was already an oasis of culture and cuisine in the largely desolate Mideast. Gourmet restaurants such as the eponymous Carlton, staffed by a chef from the Kempinsky, served filet mignon and foie mousse, and George Bernard Shaw lauded Habima Theater's rendition of the Dybbuk. Today Tel-Aviv is not only a cultural, arts and gastronomy hub but also a bustling financial cauldron and the ventricle driving Israel's technology industry. Passionate and compact, Tel-Aviv pulsates with an energy unknown in other parts - a stimulating, oft sultry amalgamation of experiences that quickly saturates the beholder with a rush of surprise and amazement.

The Galilee – A natural heaven of fertile valleys and steep precipices – the cradle of a landlocked sea whose significance and beauty are unmatchable. Vineyards, olive groves, herds of sheep and cattle, farmstead cheese factories and wineries, ancient cities and places of worship, bunkers and aqueducts and a moon-scaped plateau of volcanic rock – coalesce into a concerto of sights and scents just an hour’s drive from the coast’s steamy beaches. From the eastern Carmel slopes stretching east across the Jezreel Valley to the lowlands of the Jordan Rift Valley and Beit Shean stretches the lower Galilee, a sprawling swath of farmland and rural communities. From the heights of Mount Tabor to the bubbling ponds of the Valley of the Springs, the lower Galilee is a short distance from, and a great contrast to, Israel's bustling center coastal region. Fifty miles northeast from Haifa the hilly plains drop abruptly in Tiberias as the countryside descends sharply to the shores of the Sea of Galilee - the hallowed core of Israels northern districts. From here northwards lie lands of natural and historic wonder - the true embodiment of the saying "A Land Rich with Milk and Honey". And to the northeast, the great volcanic plateau of the Golan Heights, high above the sea with commanding views from Mount Hermon in the east, to Mount Meron in the west. The spectacular basalt landscapes of this lunar region are dotted with vineyards and orchards, ancient dolmens, menacing bunkers and the ghostly remains of abandoned towns. The Galilee, Israel's northern treasure, lavishly endowed and sweet scented, passionately revered and bravely defended - laden with water and fertility - this region is the breathtakingly amazing jewel of Israel's landscapes.

The Negev – Another direction leads to different realms. Sandy desolate expanses, craters and canyons, ancient forts of famed rebellion and brass-tinted pillars bordering a salty sea that’s hardly “Dead”. And at the very tip of this tiny land – a paradise of sultry sensations and exotic reefs that easily match in their splendor and brilliance the most sought-after oases of tropical tourism. Covering more than half of Israel this arid region is chock full of geological and cultural wonders. Crater canyons bordered by sandy wadis, bronze rocky mountains, dunes and high plateaus are just some of this region's scenic marvels. Nomadic Bedouins camp in colorful tent settlements next to lush Kibbutz communities and the region's capital city - Beer Sheba. Desert agriculture, archaeological sites, solar furnaces, phosphate mines, universities and tourism enrich this region's commerce and economy. From the heroism of Masada to the ghostly bible-time Tels of Arad and Beer Sheba, the Negev is rich with ancient history. And for those who just yearn to savor the leisures of tropical beaches, coral reefs and resort luxury - Eilat's amazing amenities are just the place.