Israel self tour by car

wazza99

Hi folks i'm thinking of doing the above , 2 weeks in September, my wife isnt too keen but i'll work on that....anyone done similar, self booked flights, car hire and lodging ? we have done the same in many parts of the world so that isnt a worry just wondering if anyone has any specific advice, tips or a route they did ?

Ballard

I don’t drive but was driven around by my girlfriend at the time.

The traffic and parking in Tel Aviv is appalling so I wouldn’t suggest driving around there.

Places that I would suggest:

Jerusalem (you could possibly take the train from TA and pick up a car there)
The Dead Sea.
The Kinneret (sea of Galilee)
Haifa
Caesarea (Roman ruins)
Netanya has some nice restaurants
Jaffa (pretty much part of Tel Aviv but prettier)

Some notes:

I’ve a feeling that a lot of signs were only in Hebrew but most are also in Arabic and English.

Don’t think about Eilat. It’s miles and miles from Tel Aviv and there’s not much there anyway.

You will be in an Israeli registered car so if you were to drive into the wrong neighbourhood (eg around the Dead Sea) you might not be made as welcome as you might like (Israelis and West Bank number plates are different colours)

Israel is expensive

If you happen to be there for Yom Kippur (it’s generally in the autumn) everything will be closed and you will not be allowed to drive anywhere.


I’m no expert with Israel so these are just a few pointers. There will be better answers than mine.

wazza99

Thanks, we did read about Yom Kippur , best avoided i agree, we would fly into Tel Aviv, bus/train to Jerusalem, hire a car on departure, we we're not planning Eilat or Jordan this time.

silvercar

wazza99 wrote: »

Thanks, we did read about Yom Kippur , best avoided i agree, we would fly into Tel Aviv, bus/train to Jerusalem, hire a car on departure, we we're not planning Eilat or Jordan this time.

This year Yom Kippur will start the afternoon of Tuesday 18 September. Wednesday 19 September everything will be shut.

Easiest is to take a train from the airport to Jerusalem. Jerusalem is fairly compact and you can easily get taxis around.

Tel Aviv driving is a pain in terms of congestion and the drivers.

If you are driving around you should use the Waze app. It is very common in Israel and therefore very accurate in terms of routes and traffic. The network 3 in the UK has a PAYG SIM that includes Israel as one of the take-your-data abroad with you. Putting that in an unlocked phone will be cheaper than buying a local SIM.

Most signs are in English and loads of Israelis speak English, so you shouldn't have any problems getting understood.

silvercar

Flights from easyjet (Look at Gatwick prices that are often cheaper than Luton), Jet2 (Manchester), BA (Heathrow) & ElAl (Heathrow & Luton).

Car hire from most of the major brands. A lot are now on airport (just up the escalator from the main terminal) but off airport on the return, so allow extra time for the courtesy bus back to the terminal.

The weather will be lovely in September, so a great time to go.

wazza99

Thanks all much appreciated