Israel attractions

The history of any country is just a bundle of important events which have significantly influenced its development. And only Israel has a special history, that of the Old and New Covenants.

And it is another question whether these events have ever happened. There have been many disputes on the existence of Jesus Christ or Solomon. It doesn’t much matter. The main thing is that no one who has ever been to the Land of Promise can have any doubts about the reality of Biblical events. You just believe in all this demanding no scientific proofs.

When approaching the Wailing Wall you began to believe in existence of the Solomon`s Temple which was then reconstructed by Irod the Great. And you can not express all the feelings which grip you at entering the Lord`s Tomb Temple in Jerusalem or within Gefsiman Garden. You just have to look at its olive trees to believe that they were there for over two thousand years ago. And when going on Via Dolorosa, you can see Jesus Christ bearing its cross. And there a lot of such singular places in Israel.

First of all you must visit the capital of Israel, Jerusalem. It has fully preserved its Old Town belonging to early Middle Ages. Actually, it was an original ancient Roman camp which was encircled by a wall Suleiman the Magnificent in the 16th century. The Older Jerusalem is divided into three sections – Arabic (the largest one), Christian and Jewish. So, don’t agree to any one-day trips to Jerusalem (which can be offered in Turkey or Cyprus). Generally, it takes at least 3 days to see this city.

Apart from Jerusalem you should visit Bethlehem to see the Church of Nativity. Bethlehem is on the territory of Palestinian Autonomy. It is encircled by a very high wall and the only sensible way to get there would be to ask some Arab taxi driver to take your there. It takes only half an hour to get from Jerusalem to the Church of Nativity. You shouldn’t risk going there alone because of some problems which can arise at the pedestrian checkpoint. Very often it is closed because of permanent Arab-Israel conflicts, while car are always let in.

If you want to visit places connected with Jesus Christ, you should also go to Basilica of the Annunciation in Nazareth, Mount Thabor, where the Transfiguration of Our Lord, God and Saviour Jesus Christ took place, Cana of Galilee, where water was turned into wine by Jesus Christ, and Mount of Beatitudes where the Sermon on the Mount was preached by Jesus Christ.

The best beach resorts are in Eilat. And though it is far from Jerusalem or Tel Aviv (over 300 km), it is worth visiting. Coral beaches of the Red Sea are much more pleasant than those of the Mediterranean Sea. Any day you can take a bus to Eilat in Jerusalem or Tel Aviv. Also, you can get there by air.

If you have no time for Eilat, you can have a good vacation on some Mediterranean resort in between of Tel Aviv and Haifa. And if you love active night entertainments, you must stay for several days just in Tel Aviv.

Also, you can go and restore your health at Ein Bokek on the coast of the Dead Sea. Bathing in the Dead Sea can give you a peculiar feeling, a kind of weightlessness. However, if you`d like to get just this experience but don’t want to stay at any seaside hotel, you can make a short trip to Ein Gedi. It has a good beach infrastructure (it is important that each beach has a shower booth) and a beautiful gorge.