Israel itinerary

Finally I am back home (Toronto) and my travelogue can start now.

Shown in the map is the travel itinerary that I followed. Clicking the graphic will enlarge it (albeit in the same window). Highlighted areas show the territorial dispute.

Brief Itinerary

I landed in Israel on Friday, 21 December and headed straight to Jerusalem. That evening I went to the old city to join Shabbat celebration. Next day morning I visited East Jerusalem (Arab area), Bethlehem (in West bank) and explored all the quarters of the Old city on my way back.

On 23 December, I moved north to Tiberias and walked around the town. Next day I rented a mountain bike and rode along the Sea of Galilee visiting various sites. On the third day in this region, I visited the ruins of Beit She’an and the ancient town of Safed.

Christmas day was spent in Haifa and Nazereth, followed by a day in Acre.

Then was the MBA project for 5 days at Tel Aviv. We had two group excursions – one to Masada + Dead Sea and other to Old city of Jerusalem.

Finally I spent last two days relaxing in the old town of Yafo (aka Jaffa), before heading back to Canada.

Political situation
Was it safe? Did you see soldiers at war? Do the Arabs and Israelis fight? Is it safe to travel to Palestinian areas? – Those were FAQ’s I got.

I didn’t spend long enough time in Israel to comment expertly, but from my experience I think it is pretty safe to travel at the moment. I was on Indian passport and there were no problems at all. I went to Palestinian area once and I was warned to be careful because I look more Israeli than Indian, but things were pretty smooth. Everyday, several people asked me where I was from and they lovee India, esp the Israelis. At the internal border (checkpoint) all vehicles from Arab territory are inspected and all the people have to show an ID. Tension was in the air, and it did feel unusual. Newspapers were full of stories about conflicts, but these were mostly pertaining to the Gaza strip and not the West bank. Finally, it was perfectly safe to walk on the streets of Tel Aviv at 3 am in a semi drunk state too.

Overall I enjoyed the trip a lot and I think if the traveler assesses current events, takes calculated risks and leaves a trail, travel should be safe.

Map from mapsofworld.com was used to mark the travel route.

Related posts

• Views of new Jerusalem (11)
• Trip to the Holy Land (21)
• The Western Wall (9)
• Scrolls from the Holy Land – 9 : Beit She’an (27)
• Scrolls from the Holy Land – 8 : Cycling around Sea of Galilee (26)

¶ Blogged by Priyank Thatte | Tags: Israel