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Haifa... Jerusalem... Tel Aviv...


Rich NATA

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I always make a point of staying in the host city for 3 nights and will do the same with Haifa...

 

Obviously want to add Tel Aviv (seemingly TA HQ) to that, but it would be criminal not to allow substantial time for Jerusalem...

 

So, ideally, it needs to be a 3 city trip for, but fitting it all in... taking into account the Sabbath... getting back for the match at Hampden... it's all proving problematic.

 

Seriously considering ditching Tel Aviv for Jerusalem...

Tel Aviv, may be party central, but Jerusalem ought to be allocated time (incidently, Jerusalem is twice the population of Tel Aviv).

 

Anyone on here have any experience of staying in Jerusalem - especially the 'new city' as opposed to the 'old city's.

 

Obviously, I'm trying to combine daytime culture with nightime drinking shenanigans... is that possible in Jerusalem?

 

 

 

 

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I am doing a tour with “Green Olive Tours” that sets off from Tel Aviv early morning (on Friday) which has you in Jerusalem, then get a tour of Jerusalem (major sites) then after lunch time they take us across into the West Bank and show us around all the murals, before transferring us back to Tel Aviv for 7pm (its run by a Arab, so Sabbath is not a issue).

Edited by wanderer
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Having just read the Tel Aviv chapter in the Lonely Planet guide...

 

I've absolutely no doubt Tel Aviv is a wonderful city, but by way of daytime sights, Jerusalem beats it hands down.

The question is; what is Jerusalem like for a night on the lash?

With a population twice that of Tel Aviv, I suspect it is just as good as Tel Aviv... 

Where there are people, there are pubs!

 

Haven't even mentioned visits to Bethlehem, Nazareth and the Sea of Galilee!

No doubt Wanderer will arrange such a tour ;-)

 

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1 hour ago, wanderer said:

I am doing a tour with “Green Olive Tours” that sets off from Tel Aviv early morning (on Friday) which has you in Jerusalem, then get a tour of Jerusalem (major sites) then after lunch time they take us across into the West Bank and show us around all the murals, before transferring us back to Tel Aviv for 7pm (its run by a Arab, so Sabbath is not a issue).

Is this a tour you’re doing personally or a designated TA one like Gori?

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9 hours ago, DoonTheSlope said:

Is this a tour you’re doing personally or a designated TA one like Gori?

Personally, given I have very limited time in Israel after a few days in Lebanon and Jordan, this tour ticked the right boxes as it covered exactly what I was wanting to see and do in Jerusalem. 

Edited by wanderer
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On 6/11/2018 at 8:58 PM, wanderer said:

I am doing a tour with “Green Olive Tours” that sets off from Tel Aviv early morning (on Friday) which has you in Jerusalem, then get a tour of Jerusalem (major sites) then after lunch time they take us across into the West Bank and show us around all the murals, before transferring us back to Tel Aviv for 7pm (its run by a Arab, so Sabbath is not a issue).

I was looking at the same tour for the Friday as well.

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1 hour ago, Scotland Ever More said:

I was looking at the same tour for the Friday as well.

Looked to cover everything I want to see, and as my flight home is not until mid night on the Friday, kills time during the day before being back in Tel Aviv and still got enough time to get some dinner before heading to the airport.

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4 hours ago, wanderer said:

Looked to cover everything I want to see, and as my flight home is not until mid night on the Friday, kills time during the day before being back in Tel Aviv and still got enough time to get some dinner before heading to the airport.

Are you also flying back to Luton from Tel Aviv?

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22 minutes ago, The Kilt said:

Wanderer - are you allowed to get into Israel after Lebanon? I was advised against it when i tried it a few years ago for a depeche mode tour trip

That is why I am going via Amman/Jordan, as I can not go direct from Lebanon to Israel, and having spoke to a tour agent who has arranged transfer from Amman to Tel Aviv, plus asked a few travel bloggers, all have said I will have no bother (just means I will need a clean passport free of any Israeli stamps for future trips to Lebanon)

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3 hours ago, wanderer said:

That is why I am going via Amman/Jordan, as I can not go direct from Lebanon to Israel, and having spoke to a tour agent who has arranged transfer from Amman to Tel Aviv, plus asked a few travel bloggers, all have said I will have no bother (just means I will need a clean passport free of any Israeli stamps for future trips to Lebanon)

You don’t get stamps in your passports anymore so that won’t be an issue.

I have been to Israel twice in the last year. You get a wee card when you clear immigration then another when you leave. These are in effect your “stamps”.

Spent a bit of time in Haifa, it’s well hilly! If you are staying up near the top of Mount Carmel, I suggest taxis.

The German quarter is a nice place for a beer and some food. 

Would have loved to get some time in Jerusalem but we are only over for the three days so wasn’t going to work.

J

 

Edited by Bristolhibby
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3 hours ago, The Kilt said:

Personally after being to Israel i would strongly advise visiting Jerusalem and west bank, over Tel Aviv.

Tel Aviv is "nice" but its a holiday resort like many others. So much to see and experience in Jerusalem & west bank.

Your post seems to tie in with my thinking i.e. Tel Aviv is a nice place, but when it comes to sights and experiences, there is no contest; Jerusalem wins hands down.

 

By way of daytime culture, I need no convincing, but what's Jerusalem like by way of nightlife?

I know I keep saying this, but with a population twice the size of Tel Aviv, I suspect you can enjoy a night on the lash in Jerusalem just as much as in Tel Aviv.

 

 

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6 minutes ago, Bristolhibby said:

You don’t get stamps in your passports anymore so that won’t be an issue.

I have been to Israel twice in the last year. You get a wee card when you clear immigration then another when you leave. These are in effect your “stamps”.

Spent a bit of time in Haifa, it’s well hilly! If you are staying up near the top of Mount Carmel, I suggest taxis.

The German quarter is a nice place for a beer and some food. 

Would have loved to get some time in Jerusalem but we are only over for the three days so wasn’t going to work.

J

 

What's Haifa like at the bottom of the hill?

 

 

 

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24 minutes ago, Rich NATA said:

What's Haifa like at the bottom of the hill?

 

 

 

That’s where the German Colony is. There are bars and restaurants all along the Main Street.

Haifa are known as the worker bees amongst Israelis. Haifa works, Tel Aviv parties.

J

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2 hours ago, Bristolhibby said:

That’s where the German Colony is. There are bars and restaurants all along the Main Street.

Haifa are known as the worker bees amongst Israelis. Haifa works, Tel Aviv parties.

J

Haifa sounds more like my kind of place, if I could be arsed working :unsure:

The stadium is over the hill from most of the bars and such (from maps anyway;  I've not been).   There seem to be just a few restaurants and bars near the stadium, west of the mount.

We're staying there, but want to bus round to the docks/centre/German qtr. or whatever to sample the Shepherds Ale or whatever.

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1 hour ago, Grim Jim said:

Haifa sounds more like my kind of place, if I could be arsed working :unsure:

The stadium is over the hill from most of the bars and such (from maps anyway;  I've not been).   There seem to be just a few restaurants and bars near the stadium, west of the mount.

We're staying there, but want to bus round to the docks/centre/German qtr. or whatever to sample the Shepherds Ale or whatever.

I think there are places between the stadium and the centre... 

Firstly, The Duke... Then Frankies... Then The Bear and then Charlies... All in a row...

However, according to Google Maps, you don't hit The Duke until you've been walking an hour :-(

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6 hours ago, Rich NATA said:

Your post seems to tie in with my thinking i.e. Tel Aviv is a nice place, but when it comes to sights and experiences, there is no contest; Jerusalem wins hands down.

 

By way of daytime culture, I need no convincing, but what's Jerusalem like by way of nightlife?

I know I keep saying this, but with a population twice the size of Tel Aviv, I suspect you can enjoy a night on the lash in Jerusalem just as much as in Tel Aviv.

 

 

I'd have thought a bit differently. Tel Aviv is surely more like a normal 'western' city where things like nightlife and going on the lash are more at home.

Jerusalem is surely a different kettle of fish, though I have not personally attempted to do drinking/partying there but just seems a different vibe. It's still a pretty divided city with different quarters and armed police and probably places you wouldn't want to go after dark.

Of course there are bars and restaurants but I'd imagine you would have more choice of type of 'nightlife' in Tel Aviv

The population figures could be deceptive. According to one stat I looked at, Tel Aviv metro area is the largest metro area and 42% of Israel lives there. Jerusalem, if you count the whole city including east Jerusalem, and also devout areas both orthodox Jew and Muslim, may not exactly be a happy hunting ground for alcoholic refreshment, and people probably expected to dress modestly.

Security wise, I'd check out the foreign office advice, from time to time they issue warnigns of no go areas, for example sometimes areas on the eastern side are out of bounds, sometimes advised not to go on bses, or even parts of the tram system in certain areas.

I'd say Tel Aviv more relaxed for traditional nightlife/refreshment if that's what you're after, though Jerusalem has its own magic at night, the city walls at sunset etc. As usual, depends what you want, each to their own, etc.   

Edited by exile
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OK so I just checked a guidebook and it says there's almost nowhere to drink in the old city but in west Jerusalem there is a concentration of nightlife in a place called Nakhalat Shiva - including places with live music/DJs every night, - some of them even stay open on Shabbat.  Maybe that's the kind of place you'd be after.

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15 hours ago, Bristolhibby said:

You don’t get stamps in your passports anymore so that won’t be an issue.

I have been to Israel twice in the last year. You get a wee card when you clear immigration then another when you leave. These are in effect your “stamps”.

Spent a bit of time in Haifa, it’s well hilly! If you are staying up near the top of Mount Carmel, I suggest taxis.

The German quarter is a nice place for a beer and some food. 

Would have loved to get some time in Jerusalem but we are only over for the three days so wasn’t going to work.

J

 

Read that, but someone was telling me that the border guards do not find it hard to put 1 and 1 together when they see certain exit stamps from Jordan in my passport (especially the King Hussein Bridge/Allenby Bridge, as is one of the major crossing points into Israel by land, and its not hard to guess where I was traveling to with that stamp on my passport)

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