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Planning a trip to Israel but not sure what to expect? Get started with our beginner’s guide to Israel travel tips. Important packing tips, airport security, shopping and tours.
Travel Tips Jerusalem
If you were to ask me on January 1, 2023, where I would like to travel for the New Year, Israel would not have made the list. Someday in the future? Yes Less than 2 months to 2023? No.
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In less than 16 days in January, I found myself invited on a trip to experience the food, culture and people of Israel. And how can I say no to that?
I and a handful of other food bloggers traveled to Israel with Vibe Israel, a non-profit organization that brings digital creatives to experience Israeli culture, experience people, learn the story of Israel and share it with their readers. It’s you.
As a foodie myself, the focus of our trip was centered on the diverse cuisines of Israel. We not only ate at the best restaurants Israel has to offer, but also visited local farms, ate at Israeli families’ homes and learned about new food technology companies.
Vibe Israel (and our leader Bar) hosted us the entire trip. Every detail was taken care of and I am so grateful for this experience.
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Our beautiful little group! I knew about half of these people before the trip so it was fun to reconnect. We had a lot of fun together.
I love to travel, but I haven’t been on many international trips. Mexico and Thailand were the only ticks on my international travel list, both pre-Covid.
Because it has been a few years since I traveled internationally, I was naturally a bit hesitant. Add that ambivalence to all the opinions I have about immigration to Israel. I mean, isn’t it a place of violence and political turmoil? I had everything I had ever heard on the news flash through my mind like a movie scene.
But I can’t say no. And a few friends who recently traveled to Israel and loved it helped ease my fears.
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It feels strange to write about traveling to Israel when I’ve only been there once and that with every detail taken care of. But when I first started this trip, I had a lot of questions and basic things that I needed answers to so I knew what to expect.
I call this a beginner’s guide. If someone asks me what they expect from Israel, this is the top list of things I would suggest. My Instagram followers also helped me with questions they had while following my journey.
We had Shabbat dinner with a local family. It was a sweet time to meet their culture and laugh around the table. Food brings family (and friends) together!
I wanted to collect all these beautiful rugs and tapestries and take them home.
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I gasped when I saw this light coming out of a window in this restaurant called Al Baik in Nazareth.
Questions? I will take it and do my best to get you the answers if I don’t have them. Also, stay tuned for two new recipes coming your way, inspired by the delicious food that Israel has to offer.
I’m Julie Clark, CEO and food producer at Taste of Lizzy T. With a B.A in education and over 30 years of cooking and baking, I want to introduce you to the best of our family recipes. There is no place in the world like Jerusalem. This city has some of the most holy places in the world for three religions and has been the cause of almost constant conflict for more than 1,000 years.
In Jerusalem you are surrounded by history everywhere through the beautiful churches, mosques and synagogues or by simply walking through the souks and streets of the Old City. It is a melting pot of many cultures and the whole city is alive with music, sights, smells and intense noise.
Things To Do In Jerusalem, Israel
We can see why some people come here and start feeling spiritual. The whole city was created by religions that want to instill fear and that’s for sure. Even the most famous of people will feel something when they look at places like the Holy of Holies, the Western Wall or the Dome of the Rock and the worship of these places inspires.
Put simply: you will not regret a trip to Jerusalem. It is one of our favorite cities in the whole world and a must see place to visit in Israel.
The best way to start your trip to Jerusalem is by simply walking around the Old City. Although it’s surprisingly small, it’s really easy to get lost in its myriad of narrow streets and alleyways. There are signs for the main places like the Holy of Holies, the Western Wall, the Temple Mount and the main exits, but otherwise not much help.
However, enjoy this road lab and you will find new surprises around every corner. There are many unmarked places here that would be top things to see in many other countries of the world. Any walk through the Old Town will take longer than you expect with lots of things to do along the way.
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Although this is the most touristy area, it is a great place to start. If you are looking for less people, then the Jewish Quarter in the south is the best option.
The main thing is that many observation points are easy to connect with these routes, so you can easily see a lot in one day in the Old Town, especially when you consider that you can walk from the Holy Church. From the cemetery to the Wesern wall in 15 minutes.
Walking through the old town is never boring and there is plenty to see as you aimlessly wander the streets as there are plenty of cafes, restaurants and souvenir shops to check out or simply people watch. Even on Shabbat, you’ll find places open in the Old City and plenty going on.
As part of the Old City walk, be sure to head to the Western Wall which is located in the Jewish Quarter at the far end of the Jaffa Gate.
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After the destruction of the Second Temple, the Western Wall on the Temple Mount became the holiest place in Judaism. It’s very busy most days, but even more so on Shabbat or holidays.
This is the wall closest to where the Second Temple was built and you will see hundreds (thousands on religious holidays) of Jews praying by pressing their hands or even heads against the wall.
The Western Wall is unlike any other religious site we have ever seen. For one, it is simply a wall of sand with no carvings, signs, symbols or anything to indicate that it is an important place.
Secondly, it has a festive atmosphere here, unlike the peace and piety of most mosques, temples and churches. Along the way you will hear music, horns and the noise of people celebrating Bah Mitzvahs.
The History Of Jerusalem
The wall is divided into male and female sections, but you often see women participating in Bah Mitzvahs standing on chairs on the dividing side to participate in the ceremony.
There is also a mix of young and old, and several sects of Judaism. If you want to experience a microcosm of this religion, the Western Wall is the best place to be.
The men’s section also has a library and a prayer section where men go to read scriptures and pray on the side of the wall out of the sun and for some peace and quiet.
The Western Wall is located on the far east side of the Old City and will take about 20 minutes to walk from Jaffa Gate. You can get a taxi and walk for 2 minutes if you want to rest your legs!
Things To Do In Jerusalem Israel
Depending on where you enter the wall you will have to go through a body scan and check your bag.
If you’d like to take in the whole site, you can get a higher view on Ha Kotel Street to the west of the wall.
Although there was construction going on when we were there, it was still a good place to take in the wall, the crowds, the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock.
To get to the view, leave the West wall through the North-West exit. From here take a sharp left and up the stairs until you see an opening. Here you will get a great view of the Western Wall Plaza.
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The Holy of Holies was not what we expected. After reading about it for years (the study of the First Crusade was Joe’s degree) we hoped for the main point of Christianity to stand alone, proud and strong.
Rather
