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Asia Travel Guide

TRAVEL GUIDE

Located in Western Asia, Israel is famous for being the birthplace of Judaism and Christianity. The country is rich in history, culture, and natural beauty, making it a fascinating destination for travelers. Its ancient landmarks, including the Western Wall, Masada, and the Old City of Jerusalem, attract millions of visitors each year.

Why Visit Israel

Culture & history.

Israel has an extensive and interesting history, from the Bible to the Ottoman Empire. It is home to countless historical sites, like the Church of Nativity, the City of David, Church of the Holy Sepulchre and the Western Wall in Jerusalem. Jerusalem is considered to be one of the oldest and the holiest city in the world, as it is holy for Christians, Jews and Muslims.

NATURAL BEAUTY

Israel’s natural beauty is also a major attraction for travelers. The country’s diverse landscape includes lush forests, sparkling beaches, and stark deserts, as well as mountains and valleys. Visitors can hike in the stunning nature reserves of the Galilee or Negev, explore the vibrant coral reefs of the Red Sea, or relax on the Mediterranean coast.

Israel’s food scene is another highlight for visitors. The country’s cuisine reflects its diverse cultural influences, with flavors and ingredients from Jewish, Arab, Mediterranean, and North African traditions. Visitors can sample traditional dishes such as falafel, hummus, and shakshuka, as well as modern interpretations of Israeli cuisine.

Tel Aviv, Israel’s second-largest city, is a hub of art, culture, and nightlife. The city’s beaches, cafés, and museums attract a diverse range of visitors, from families to young travelers. Tel Aviv is also known for its architecture, with over 4,000 Bauhaus-style buildings in the city center, earning it the nickname the “White City”.

Name: State of Israel
Capital: Jerusalem
Official Languages: Hebrew
Currency: New shekel
Time Zone: UTC +2

Explore the Fortress of Masada

Float on the Dead Sea

Take a Ride in the Negev Desert

Tour the old city of Jerusalem

Tour the Western Wall Tunnels

Hit the beach in Tel Aviv

Visit the Rosh Hanikra Grottoes

Marvel at the Baha’i Gardens in Haifa

What to expect

Israel’s official languages are Hebrew and Arabic. Hebrew is the primary language spoken by the Jewish population and is the language of government, education, and daily life. Arabic is the primary language spoken by the Arab population and is also an official language of the country. English is widely spoken and is often used as a common language between different communities.

ELECTRICITY

In Israel the standard voltage is 230V and the frequency is 50 Hz. That’s the standard voltage in the UK, Europe, Australia and most of Asia and Africa; If you are traveling from the US you will need an adaptor.

The Israeli shekel is the official currency in Israel. Other foreign currencies might be accepted at major hotels and tourist attractions but not anywhere else. You are able to exchange your currency at the airport, banks or exchange houses. Credit cards are widely accepted and ATMs are available almost everywhere. 1 USD equals 3.65 shekels (as of 2023).

Israel has a Mediterranean climate, with hot and dry summers and mild and rainy winters. Temperatures can vary widely depending on the region and time of year, with the coastal areas generally cooler than the inland areas. Summers can be very hot, with temperatures often reaching above 30°C (86°F), and humidity levels can be high. Winters are generally mild, with temperatures rarely dropping below 10°C (50°F). The best time to visit Israel is in the spring (March to May) and fall (September to November), when the weather is mild and pleasant.

Israel is generally a safe country for tourists, with low levels of violent crime and terrorism. The country has a well-trained and well-equipped security force, and security measures are in place in public spaces and tourist sites. However, visitors should exercise caution in areas near the borders with Syria, Lebanon, and the Gaza Strip, and should be aware of the potential for political unrest.

How to get around Israel

Bus: Israel has an extensive network of public buses, which are a convenient and affordable way to travel between cities and towns. Most buses are air-conditioned and equipped with free Wi-Fi, and tickets can be purchased at bus stations or on board. Some popular bus companies include Egged and Dan.
Train: Israel also has a train system that connects major cities, including Tel Aviv, Haifa, and Jerusalem. Trains are generally faster and more comfortable than buses, with reserved seating and air conditioning. Tickets can be purchased at train stations or online, and some routes offer express trains for faster travel times.
Taxi: Taxis are widely available in Israel, and are a convenient way to get around cities and towns. Taxis are metered, and fares are regulated by the government. In some cities, such as Tel Aviv, there are also ride-sharing services such as Uber and Gett.
Car rental: For those who prefer to drive themselves, car rental is also an option in Israel. Most major car rental companies have offices at the airport and in major cities. It’s important to note that driving in Israel can be challenging, with narrow roads and aggressive drivers. Additionally, parking can be difficult and expensive in cities.
Bicycle: Israel has a growing network of bike paths and cycling trails, and renting a bike is a great way to explore cities and scenic areas. Many cities, including Tel Aviv, have bike-sharing programs that allow visitors to rent a bike for a short period of time.

Overall, there are plenty of transportation options available for tourists in Israel, depending on your preferences and travel needs. Whether you prefer the convenience of public transportation or the flexibility of driving yourself, getting around Israel is easy and accessible.

Israel has a visa policy that varies depending on the visitor’s nationality. Citizens of over 100 countries, including the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, and many European countries, do not need a visa to enter Israel for stays of up to 90 days for tourism, business, or other purposes. Visitors from these countries will receive a visa waiver upon arrival at the airport or other border crossing point, provided they meet certain requirements, such as having a valid passport, proof of onward travel, and sufficient funds for their stay.

Citizens of some countries, including China, Russia, India, and many African and Middle Eastern countries, are required to obtain a visa before traveling to Israel. Visitors from these countries should apply for a visa at an Israeli embassy or consulate in their home country. The application process typically requires providing proof of travel plans, accommodation arrangements, and financial means to support the stay.

In addition, visitors who have traveled to certain countries with a high risk of infectious diseases, such as yellow fever, may be required to present a vaccination certificate upon arrival in Israel. It’s a good idea to check with your embassy or consulate before traveling to Israel to ensure that you have the necessary documents and meet the entry requirements.

Overall, Israel has a relatively open visa policy for tourists, with most visitors from Western countries able to enter without a visa. However, visitors from some countries will need to obtain a visa in advance, and all visitors should ensure that they meet the entry requirements before traveling.

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The ultimate guide to planning your trip to Israel

Thinking about traveling to Israel? Starting to plan your trip to Israel?

You’re in the right place!

My entire site is dedicated to Israel, the main sites, planning your trip , the best accommodation options, and Israeli society, but I wanted to write one post – this post – that summarizes all you need to know if you’re thinking about traveling to Israel.

So, let’s get started…

Israel is safe

Since no one wants to fly to a place where they don’t feel safe, it is important to say first of all that Israel is a safe destination. I have written a long post about why Israel is a safe country to travel in , but in summary I will say that if you aren’t afraid of flying to New York, you shouldn’t worry about traveling to Tel Aviv or Jerusalem. Before coming to Israel, travelers are often worried about safety issues, but once they arrive they discover the real problem with Israel – it’s expensive…

Flying to Israel

You will most likely land in Natbag (this is what Israelis call the airport; in English it is called TLV, or Ben Gurion Airport). The airport has the perfect location – right in the middle of Israel, between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. It depends on traffic, but generally it takes about 40 minutes to get to the center of Tel Aviv and it is a little bit further to Jerusalem. I would advise you to start your trip to Israel in one of the cities. The 485 bus takes you to Jerusalem . It runs 24 hours a day, excluding the period between Friday afternoon and Saturday night. If you want to take the bus, just follow the signs, as the taxi drivers won’t tell you about it. If you land between Friday afternoon and Saturday night you can take a shared 10-seater taxi or a private taxi to Jerusalem.

You can take a train to Tel Aviv. There are a few stations in Tel Aviv: HaHagana lies the furthest south and is close to the central bus station but this is not an area you will want to hang around in, especially at night. I would recommend taking the train to Tel Aviv’s Savidor station. Located in the center of the city, it is also convenient for lots of different bus routes. But the best way to choose your route on public transportation is perhaps to write to the hotel or hostel in question asking for advice on how to get there.

Israel is not cheap

If money isn’t an issue, then go for the best: sleep at the King David Hotel or the Mamilla Hotel in Jerusalem and at The Norman in Tel Aviv; hire a private tour guide every day; and eat at the best restaurants Israel has to offer (they are really good!). But if money is a consideration, then you will need to budget.

The good news is that there is something you can do about it!

The biggest expense is accommodation, and hotels in Israel are expensive (averaging more than $200 a night). But why not sleep in a hostel? In recent years some great hostels have sprung up in Israel. They all offer private rooms with bathroom, making it comparable to sleeping in a hotel but for far less money and with a much more open atmosphere in the lobby. The price for a night in a good hostel is about $25 in dorms and $100 for a private room with bathroom. Another way to cut costs is to sample Israel’s excellent street food – order a plate of hummus, shawarma, falafel or sabich for lunch for 25-35 shekels, and you are set until evening.

Knowledge is power (and much more)

In order to enjoy the sites in Israel you need to know what you are looking at. Unlike the pyramids in Egypt, which will leave you amazed no matter what your knowledge of them, in Israel many of the sites, even the best-known ones, like the Wailing Wall or the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, are not in themselves impressive. You need to know the history behind them in order to fully appreciate them. Therefore, the best option is to hire a private guide or join a tour for a couple of hours. Another option is to buy my booklets (I may not be objective but I think they’re great :-)) or any other guidebook. Even reading about the places on my site or on Wikipedia is a good idea. The more you know, the more there is to enjoy.

The Jewish calendar

In Israel, two calendars are taken into consideration: the Gregorian (the one you are familiar with that runs from January to December) and the Jewish one (starting in September-October). As a traveler, you will need to know this for a few reasons:

* Public holidays in Israel are dictated by the Jewish calendar. Visiting Israel over a public holiday means that on the one hand the prices are higher but on the other hand you get to experience Jewish culture. The Jewish holidays fall on different dates to the Gregorian calendar, but here I have written about the different holidays and what you can expect to experience from each one.

* On Jewish holidays and every week from Friday afternoon to Saturday night there is no public transportation!

* Unlike Christianity, which throws up few restrictions, in Judaism there are thousands of restrictions that will affect your trip in many different ways – from what you can eat (forget about bacon and eggs for breakfast), to what time you can enter your hotel room, and even to slower elevators…

The best time to travel to Israel

The short answer is March. There is still a chance of rain but other than that it’s perfect. The weather is great, nature is at its best, and seeing as it is still low season, the prices are lower. Winter is a great time to visit Israel if you want to wander in the desert, a topic that I will write more about in the coming months. Summer, from June to September, is really hot. You can expect temperatures of 35°C almost every day. Fall is also a good time and even in November you can expect many nice days of over 20°C.

Basic itinerary for Israel

I use three words to explain the smart way to plan your Israel itinerary – the heart, the line, the land.

Let me explain…

The heart The heart of every tour to Israel is Jerusalem. The Old City of Jerusalem is a must-see: if you haven’t been there, you simply haven’t been to Israel. Jerusalem is one of the most important cities in the world, with some of the major values of the western world having been created here. If you only have a long weekend to spend in Israel, book a hotel or hostel in Jerusalem. I have written a lot about the different sites in Jerusalem but the most important ones are in the Old City, where you will find the Wailing Wall, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, and the Via Dolorosa. Outside the Old City you can head to the top of the Mount of Olives for the iconic view over the Old City, and visit the churches and the Jewish cemetery. And in the New City, be sure to visit the Machne Yehuda Market, Mea Shearim (the ultra-Orthodox neighborhood), the Israel Museum and Yad VaShem (the Holocaust Museum). Two days are the absolute minimum you will need. From Jerusalem you can also take a one-day tour to the Judaean Desert (Masada and the Dead Sea).

The line The line is Highway 1, which traverses Israel from east to west, connecting Tel Aviv (here the highway is called Ayalon, or Highway 20) and Jerusalem before continuing down to the Judaean Desert, where you will find the Dead Sea and Masada (on Highway 90, an hour south from the junction between Highway 1 and Highway 90). In Tel Aviv you will find the ancient port of Jaffa (Yafo in Hebrew), Carmel Market, the Tel Aviv Art Museum, the Museum of the Jewish People at Beit Hatfutsot, many Bauhaus buildings and, of course, the beaches. Although there is a lot to see, Tel Aviv doesn’t have the important sites that Jerusalem does, and many of the buildings look rather neglected. But the charm of Tel Aviv doesn’t lie in the importance of the sites or buildings but rather in the atmosphere. On a warm summer night, you can’t fail to feel it.

The Judaean Desert (about an hour’s drive from Jerusalem and two hours from Tel Aviv) is the nearest and most accessible desert, and presents an opportunity to experience nature at its most grandiose, all just beyond the big cities. The main sites are the Dead Sea, Masada, and the Ein Gedi nature reserve. If you plan to spend five days traveling in Israel, then these places are more than enough. I would recommend staying three nights in Jerusalem, one in the Judaean Desert and one in Tel Aviv. If you like the desert and plan on coming in winter, then maybe spend two nights in the Judaean Desert, and if you prefer the beaches and nightlife, then stay a little longer in Tel Aviv.

This part is basically all the rest, and there is a lot to see. The Negev Desert, Nazareth, Haifa, the Sea of Galilee, the Golan Heights, Akko, Caesarea, and much more. Here I can’t really summarize it all into a few sentences since it really depends on your interests and the activities you enjoy, whether they be visiting religious sites or archeological sites, taking long desert hikes, unwinding in nature reserves or soaking up city life. But as a rule of thumb I will say that if you come in winter, try to make the most of the sun in the desert, and if you are a practising Christian, then a tour to Nazareth and the Sea of Galilee is a must. Here is a good basic itinerary to start with.

Transportation

The most important thing to remember is that there is no public transportation from Friday afternoon to Saturday night. People often book flights that land on a Friday afternoon because they’re cheaper than the ones that land before noon, without understanding that they will have to take a taxi that will cost more than the money they saved on the cheaper flight. In the big cities it is better to move around by foot, bus or taxi. Drive as little as possible in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. Trust me! In the north – Galilee, or in the south – the Negev Desert, it is easier with a car, but also possible with public transportation. On my site I also try to write about public transportation options.

The food in Israel is absolutely wonderful – from street food like falafel or sabich (pita bread with tahini, fried eggplant, boiled egg, and an Israeli salad of tomato, cucumber and onion) to fine dining restaurants. And it is healthy too (or let’s just say it’s healthier than street food in Europe or the US). It comprises a lot of vegetables and olive oil, and far less meat. Another thing to be aware of is that places are open until late, very late. Walk around Tel Aviv in summer on a normal weeknight at one o’clock in the morning and you will see people sitting down to meals on restaurant terraces. Most of the restaurants, street food stands and supermarkets in Israel are kosher. I have written about this in a post, but in summary I will just say that they don’t serve pork or seafood (as opposed to fish, which you will find), and dairy and meat products are not served together.

The people and the land

Last but not least, the people and the land. Israel is a corridor. A corridor between Asia, Africa and Europe, a corridor through which the great empires of Egypt, Europe and the East marched, and where the three Abrahamic religions meet. And just like the land and its history, the people are restless, always on the move, intense. Israel is probably the most interesting piece of land in the world. I would even say it is too interesting! Come and see for yourself.

The boring stuff you need to know about Israel

* The currency is the shekel, which is written ILS (Israeli Shekel) or NIS (New Israeli Shekel). One dollar or euro is equivalent to 3.5-4.5 shekels.

* Hebrew and Arabic are the official languages but many people also speak good English. But don’t let the middling English fool you… Jafa St, Yafo St, Jaffa Road, Rechov (‘street’ in Hebrew) Yaffo… such are the different names for the same street on different maps and street signs. Israelis (and the Israeli authorities) are terrible at spelling. Sometimes the name will be in translation, sometimes the Hebrew name will be anglicized, as in King George St or HaMelech (‘king’ in Hebrew) George. Also, the letters s, c, and q might get switched around, so if it looks kind of like what you are looking for, it may well be it; just ask the closest Israeli you can find to let you know.

What should I bring back from Israel? So, you have been to Israel and want to take something back home with you to remind you of Israel, or get a present for those who were not lucky enough to join you. I would tend to recommend things you can eat: dates, spices, tahini (sesame paste). There is also a very good cookbook called Jerusalem by Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi, which you can order online in case you find you have forgotten someone once back home.

Order my 3 booklets – Jerusalem, Tel Aviv and Masada – from me directly for 19€ right now and get the PDF and EPUB version for free! Or buy the PDF or EPUB for 9.90€. Check out all of my merch . The booklets are also available on Amazon .

Best hotels & hostels in Israel

HOTELS TEL AVIV
HOSTELS TEL AVIV
ABRAHAM HOSTELS
HOSTELS JERUSALEM
HOTELS JERUSALEM
HOTELS DEAD SEA
HOTELS IN THE NEGEV
HOTELS GALILEE
HOTELS GOLAN HEIGHTS

Places to visit

JERUSALEM TRAVEL GUIDE
TEL AVIV TRAVEL GUIDE
JUDAEAN DESERT TRAVEL GUIDE
HOTELS GALILEEE
HOTELS IN THE GOLAN HEIGHTS

Tours in Israel

TOUR OF JERUSALEM'S OLD CITY
THE CITY OF DAVID TOUR
YAD VASHEM TOUR
RAMPARTS TOUR
MASADA TOUR

All my tours

JERUSALEM TOURS
JERUSALEM TOURS - 2 DEVICES
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JERUSALEM YAD VASHEM TOUR
JERUSALEM CITY OF DAVID TOUR
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Museum visits and personal shopping time may be disrupted due to unforeseen circumstances or many religious, state and local holidays observed throughout the world.

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Most motorcoaches used on our tours are equipped with washrooms except safari vehicles, exotic locations, and some of our Explorations tours. These are typically for emergency use, as we make plenty of comfort stops, allowing you the opportunity to use public restrooms and/or stretch your legs.

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Maps and Photos

Maps shown on tour pages are current at the time of printing and may not reflect actual tour routing should the tour change. Photos shown on tour pages are reflective of the area(s) visited, but may not be included in the actual tour itinerary and the conditions you experience may be different than depicted in the photograph(s).

Baggage Disclaimer

Although every effort is made to handle passengers’ luggage as carefully as possible, Collette is not responsible for and does not assume liability or accept claims for loss of or damage to luggage due to breakage, theft or wear and tear through hotel and group carrier handling. It is recommended for your own self-interest and protection that you have adequate insurance to cover these eventualities. There are limitations by coach and air carrier as to the number and size of bags which can be carried onboard and in bulk storage. Be sure to ask your travel professional about such restrictions before departing for your tour.

Checked Baggage Charges: Some airlines may impose additional charges if you choose to check any baggage. Please contact your airline or refer to its website for detailed information regarding your airline’s checked baggage policies. Please be advised baggage fees may apply on most trans-border flights. This is a fee levied by the airlines, not Collette, and may be subject to change.

Collette Compass App

Precise Location in Background: The Collette Compass app collects location data to display the real-time risk alerts and personalized assistance notification features, even when the app is closed and not in use. This option can be changed later by going to the device settings.

Explanation of Responsibilities and Tour Conditions for Collette

Each client is responsible for proper documentation and inoculations that may be required and/or recommended to participate on tour. Please contact your local travel clinic or personal physician for specific details on the destinations you are traveling to and from. If you decide to make a reservation, you acknowledge and agree that you are physically well enough to travel and understand that medical facilities may not be similar to what you are accustomed to at home. You must bring enough medication with you for the trip.

Any person reserving or purchasing any Collette product published on this website accepts the condition that Collette reserves to itself the exclusive right to cancel, re-schedule or make other adjustments to any guided vacation departure in any circumstances deemed necessary, including in accordance with operating requirements or circumstances beyond its control, including for tours designated as “guaranteed departures.” If cancellation is made by Collette any time prior to the departure date of the guided vacation, except when a customer fails to pay the final balance on time, Collette, at its sole discretion, will offer a comparable vacation on an alternate departure date, or reserves the right to offer a future travel credit. Collette will refund any difference in price if the alternative date is of a lower price, however the guest will be responsible for additional costs if the alternative is priced higher. Collette will not be liable for cancellation, delay, rescheduling or other adjustment or impact to a departure or itinerary or other aspect of the vacation brought about due to force majeure or other circumstance beyond its control that prevents or interferes with any aspect of the tour, also including governmental and administrative actions. Collette is not responsible for other travel arrangements affected due to our cancelations or change costs or penalties incurred on other travel arrangements, including air tickets. Published times on itineraries are as accurate as possible but subject to change due to traffic, weather, mechanical and any other conditions beyond Collette’s control that prevent Collette from operating as scheduled. Collette expressly disclaims any liability for any damages that may be incurred for any changes, cancellations or delays on any itinerary on any Collette tour.

All rates on foreign tours are subject to fluctuations of currency and may be changed when necessary without advance notice prior to deposit.

All rates published are per person as indicated and are based on double occupancy when only one rate is shown. Reservations will be accepted subject to availability at the time of request and will be considered confirmed only upon receipt of a minimum deposit. Child land rates are available and are valid for ages 5-12, sharing a room with two full-paying adults.

Collette does not accept liability in the case of any passenger being denied boarding by any airline carrier due to the carrier’s overbooking of a flight.

GENERAL DISCLAIMER

Collette monitors security situations around the world as well as government travel advisories. Conditions may require Collette to change or even cancel trips. You accept the risks involved in travel, both foreign and domestic, and accept responsibility for your own travel decisions. Guests may be required to review and sign a participation agreement prior to engaging in certain activities on the trip.

Neither Collette Travel Service, Inc., its affiliated entities and its and their employees, shareholders, officers, directors, successors, agents, and assigns (collectively “Collette”), own or operate any person or entity which is to or does provide goods or services for these trips. You agree to be bound by the conditions of carriage for all transportation providers. Collette does not maintain control or operate the personnel, equipment, or operations of these suppliers it uses and as such Collette assumes no responsibility for and cannot be held liable for any personal injury, death, property damage or other loss, accident, delay, inconvenience, or irregularity which may be occasioned by reason of (1) any wrongful, negligent, willful or unauthorized acts or omissions on the part of any of the suppliers or other employees or agents, (2) any defect in or failure of any vehicle, equipment, or instrument owned, operated or otherwise used by any of these suppliers, or (3) any wrongful, willful or negligent act or omission on the part of any other party.

Client shall indemnify and hold harmless Collette Travel Service, Inc., its affiliated entities and its and their employees, agents, shareholders, officers, successors and assigns (collectively “Collette”), from all suits, actions, losses, damages, claims or liability for any personal injury, death, property damage or other loss, accident, delay, inconvenience or irregularity which is occasioned by any negligent acts or omissions of Collette arising out of any goods or services provided for this or these trips.

Additionally, responsibility is not accepted for losses or expenses due to sickness, lack of appropriate medical facilities or practitioners, weather, strikes, theft or other criminal acts, war, terrorism, computer problems, or other such causes. Other risks may arise such as, but not limited to, hazards of traveling in foreign countries including undeveloped areas, the hazards of travel by aircraft, bus, van, train, automobile or other motorized vehicle, differing safety standards, sickness, criminal acts committed by others, allergic reactions, and/or animal encounters. You are voluntarily participating in the tour and Collette, and as lawful consideration for the agreement to travel with Collette, you agree not to make a claim against Collette, its related companies, officers and employees for injuries, death, or any other claim and agree to release Collette, its related companies, officers and employees from any such claim. This release is binding on all members of your traveling party, as well as your Estate and heirs and this provision shall be enforceable even after your trip has ended. If you make your own air reservations, Collette is not responsible and shall provide no refund if your flight schedule changes so that you are not able to enjoy the entirety of your tour. All services and accommodations are subject to the laws of the country in which they are provided. Collette reserves the right to make changes in the published itinerary whenever, in their sole judgment, conditions warrant, or if Collette deems it necessary for the comfort, convenience, or safety of the tour. Collette reserves the right to withdraw any tour announced. Collette reserves the right to decline to accept any person as a member of the tour, or to require any participant to withdraw from the tour at any time, when such action is determined by the Tour Manager to be in the best interests of the health, safety, and general welfare of the tour group or of the individual participant. If you are traveling with children, you are solely responsible for their behavior and monitoring them throughout the tour. Neither does Collette accept liability for any carrier’s cancellation penalty incurred by the purchase of a nonrefundable airline or other ticket to the tour departure city and return or otherwise. Baggage and personal effects are the sole responsibility of the owner at all times.

Collette is not responsible, and will not be bound by, representations made by third party representatives, travel agents, unaffiliated websites, or any other party.

Participants may be photographed for the promotional purposes of Collette. In addition, any comments that you submit as a review or your social media posts may be used for Collette’s promotional purposes.

Payment of the deposit to Collette constitutes acceptance of these terms and conditions. Collette reserves the right to modify these terms and conditions at any time, without notice.

FORUM SELECTION AND CHOICE OF LAW THIS AGREEMENT SHALL BE GOVERNED AND INTERPRETED PURSUANT TO THE LAWS OF THE STATE OF RHODE ISLAND BY MUTUAL AGREEMENT OF THE PARTIES HERETO AND THE FEDERAL AND STATE COURTS IN RHODE ISLAND SHALL HAVE EXCLUSIVE AND SOLE JURISDICTION OVER ANY DISPUTE, CONTROVERSY OR SUIT ARISING RELATIVE TO THIS AGREEMENT.

DISPUTES/CLASS ACTION WAIVER

YOU AGREE THAT YOU WILL ONLY BRING CLAIMS AGAINST COLLETTE IN YOUR INDIVIDUAL CAPACITY AND NOT AS A PLAINTIFF OR CLASS MEMBER IN ANY PURPORTED CLASS ACTION OR REPRESENTATIVE PROCEEDING. COLLETTE SHALL NOT IN ANY CASE BE LIABLE FOR OTHER THAN COMPENSATORY DAMAGES, AND YOUR PAYMENT OF A DEPOSIT ON A TOUR MEANS THAT YOU AGREE TO THESE CONDITIONS OF SALE AND EXPRESSLY WAIVE ANY RIGHT TO PUNITIVE DAMAGES.

ERRORS AND OMISSIONS

While every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of information in our brochures, on our website or communicated by our reservation staff, errors or omissions are possible and Collette is not responsible for such error. If a mistake is made in billing, we reserve the right to correct the invoice and you will be responsible for proper payment.

SEVERABILITY

In the event that any clause in this agreement is determined to be invalid, the remaining provisions are valid and enforceable. The invalid provision shall be replaced by Collette by a clause as similar as practicable.

Consumer Protection Plans

Collette is a member of the following organizations: the National Tour Association, the United States Tour Operators Association, the Alliance of Canadian Travel Associations, the Travel Industry Council of Ontario, and the Association of British Travel Agents. Some of these associations operate a consumer protection plan to cover deposits placed with any tour operator member.

Collette is proud to be a member of USTOA (United States Tour Operators Association), an association that represents the tour operator industry. The USTOA logo on our brochures signifies that Collette is a member in good standing and is backed by their $1 Million Travelers Assistance Program. Collette, as an Active Member of USTOA, is required to post $1 million with USTOA to be used to reimburse, in accordance with the terms and conditions of the USTOA Travelers Assistance Program, the advance payments of Collette customers in the unlikely event of Collette’s bankruptcy, insolvency or cessation of business. Further, you should understand that the $1 million posted by Collette may be sufficient to provide only a partial recovery of the advance payments received by Collette. Complete details of the USTOA Travelers Assistance Program may be obtained by email to [email protected] or by visiting their website at www.USTOA.com . Collette is pleased to give this additional protection to our clients.

Collette’s Travel Protection Plan

For anyone who traveled prior to December 31, 2022 and purchased a Travel Protection Plan, click here for plan details: www.tripmate.com/wpF430C For anyone traveling on or after January 1, 2023, click here for plan details: https://policy.travelexinsurance.com/365ZA-0123

The following is an outline of the Non-Insurance Pre-Departure Cancellation Fee Waiver, Insurance Benefits and non-insurance assistance services that make up the Travel Protection Plan.

Part A Waiver Only provided by Collette Travel Service, Inc.: The Pre-Departure Cancellation Fee Waiver is provided by Collette, is not an insurance benefit and is not underwritten by Zurich American Insurance Company. Payment of a per person Travel Protection Plan fee guarantees a full refund of all payments (including deposit), except the Travel Protection Plan fee itself, made to Collette for travel arrangements in case of cancellation of your travel plans for any reason prior to the day of departure. The Cancellation Fee Waiver only reimburses airline tickets you have purchased from Collette.

Exception: If you originally purchased Instant Purchase airline tickets, this Part A Travel Protection Plan does not provide a refund for the airline tickets, taxes or fees, in the event of a cancellation. This air ticket may be covered by Collette’s Travel Protection Plan under Part B if you cancel your trip for covered reasons (see Part B for more details).

The Part A Waiver portion of Collette’s Travel Protection Plan protects you from penalties in the event you have a need to cancel your entire inclusive tour package up to the day prior to departure. The Part A Waiver portion of the Travel Protection Plan does not indemnify you from penalties if you choose to cancel partial tour components or air. If you choose to partially cancel your tour, you will be responsible for a revision fee as well as any penalties that are incurred at the time of the cancellation.

For Residents of MN, MO, NY and WA Only: The Pre-Departure Cancellation Fee Waiver (Part A) can be purchased separately without the purchase of the Travel Protection Plan. Contact Collette at 1-800-832-4656 in order to purchase the Pre-Departure Cancellation Fee Waiver separately.

Collette’s Part A Waiver portion of the Travel Protection Plan does not reimburse any single supplement charges which arise from an individual’s traveling companion electing to cancel for any reason prior to departure. In this case, the single supplement will be deducted from the refund of the person who cancels. (However, the Part B Benefits referenced below include a single supplement benefit for certain covered reasons, as detailed in Part B.) Division of this charge between the two passengers involved is solely their responsibility. If insufficient funds are deducted from the canceling client, the traveling client will be charged the remaining portion of the single supplement.

Your Payment for the Travel Protection Plan (if chosen) must be received by Collette with your deposit. The fee is nonrefundable, nontransferable and valid for each applicant only.

Collette can assume no responsibility for and cannot be held liable for any wrongful, negligent or unauthorized acts or omissions of any travel agent or travel agency other than that of Collette Travel Service, Inc. itself, and its own employees.

Where to Present Part A Claims

To request a refund under the Part A Pre-Departure Cancellation Fee Waiver portion of the Travel Protection Plan, please call Collette and send any unused airline tickets to:

Collette ATTN: Customer Service Department 162 Middle Street, Pawtucket, RI 02860

If cancellation occurs prior to departure, contact the Collette Reservations Department. When a client cancels prior to departure, any refunds are processed through the booking agent.

The following is an outline of the Non-Insurance Travel Assistance Services and Insurance Benefits provided in Part B.

Part B Insurance Benefits are provided by Zurich American Insurance Company: On tour, insurance benefits can be provided if you: must interrupt your trip or return home early for a covered reason; incur medical expenses for a covered sickness or injury; need to be evacuated due to covered medical reason; suffer a baggage loss or delay of more than 24 hours; are delayed on tour for 12 hours or more for a covered reason.

*This benefit is only applicable to Instant Purchase air tickets and any single supplement penalties you are assessed if your Family Member or Traveling Companion has his/her Trip Canceled. This does not cover any other land, air or water Travel Arrangements.

PART B Insurance Benefit Exclusions & Limitations

Unless otherwise stated in the plan, this plan will not pay for any loss arising directly or indirectly out of, or as a result of, or from, or that occur to, or are as a result of the actions of, the Insured or the Insured's Family Member, or Traveling Companion, or Business Partner for the following:

1. suicide, attempted suicide, or intentionally self-inflicted injury, while sane or insane (while sane in CO and MO); 2. mental, nervous, or psychological disorders; 3. being under the influence of drugs or intoxicants, unless prescribed by a Physician; 4. Normal Pregnancy, resulting childbirth, and elective abortion; 5. participation as a professional in athletics while on a Covered Trip; 6. Participation in organized amateur or interscholastic athletic or sports competition or related practice events; 7. riding or driving in any motor competition; 8. off-road driving, whether as a driver or as a passenger; 9. declared or undeclared war, or any act of war; 10. civil disorder; 11. service in the armed forces of any country; 12. Nuclear reaction, radiation or radioactive contamination; 13. operating or learning to operate any aircraft, as pilot or crew; 14. mountain climbing, bungee jumping, snow skiing, skydiving, Parachuting, free falling, cliff diving, B.A.S.E. or base jumping, hang gliding, parasailing, travel on any air supported device other than on a regularly scheduled airline or air charter company, or extreme sports; 15. mountaineering where ropes or guides are commonly used including ascending and descending a mountain requiring specialized equipment, including but not limited to anchors, bolts, carabineers, crampons, lead/top-rope anchoring equipment and pick-axes; 16. scuba diving if the depth of the water exceeds 75 feet; 17. The Insured’s commission of or attempt to commit a felony; 18. elective medical or holistic treatment or procedures; 19. Failure of any tour operator, Common Carrier, other travel supplier, person or agency to provide the bargained-for travel arrangements/services; 20. a loss that results from a sickness, disease, or other condition, event or circumstance, that occurs at a time when this Policy is not in effect for the Insured; 21. Epidemic or Pandemic; 22. a diagnosed sickness (if insurance is purchased after such diagnosis) from which no recovery is expected and that only palliative treatment is provided and that carries a prognosis of death within 12 months of the effective date of the applicable coverage under this Policy; 23. sickness, injury or death if the plan is purchased after entering a hospice facility or receiving hospice treatment; 24. any Trip taken outside the advice of a Physician; 25. or a Pre-Existing Condition including death that results therefrom (within the stated lookback period within your insurance policy. Does not apply to the Emergency Medical Evacuation and Repatriation benefit.) Additionally, this plan will not pay for any loss arising directly or indirectly out of, or as a result of, or from, or that occur to, or are as a result of the actions of, the following that occur to the Insured: any amount paid or payable under any Worker's Compensation, disability benefit or similar law; a loss or damage caused by detention, confiscation or destruction by customs, or; medical treatment during a Covered Trip, or arising from a Covered Trip undertaken for the purpose or intent of securing medical treatment. The following additional exclusion applies to Accidental Death and Dismemberment Benefits: We will not pay for loss caused by or resulting from sickness of any kind.

Excess Insurance Limitation: The insurance provided by this Plan shall be in excess of all other valid and collectible Insurance or indemnity.

The Part B Insurance Benefits are underwritten by: Zurich American Insurance Company, a New York domiciled company with its principal place of business at 1299 Zurich Way, Schaumburg, IL 60196 (NAIC # 16535).

Non-Insurance Services

Non-Insurance Services are not insurance benefits underwritten by Zurich American Insurance Company. Travel Assist Services are provided by: Zurich Travel Assist

INFORMATION YOU NEED TO KNOW:

This is intended as a general description of certain types of insurance and services available to qualified customers through the companies of Zurich in North America, provided solely for informational purposes. Nothing herein should be construed as a solicitation, offer, advice, recommendation, or any other service with regard to any type of insurance product underwritten by individual member companies of Zurich in North America, including Zurich American Insurance Company, 1299 Zurich Way, Schaumburg, IL 60196. Your policy is the contract that specifically and fully describes your coverage, terms and conditions. The description of the policy provisions gives a broad overview of coverages and does not revise or amend the policy. Coverages and rates are subject to individual insured meeting our underwriting qualifications and product availability in applicable states. If you have questions about coverage available under our plans, please review the policy found at https://policy.travelexinsurance.com/365ZA-0123 or contact us. Travelex Insurance Services Inc. 810 N 96th Street, Suite 300, Omaha, NE 68114. Toll Free 844.246.8481. Email: [email protected]. Consumers in California may also contact: California Department of Insurance Hotline 800.927.4357 or 213.897.8921. Travelex Insurance Services, Inc. CA Agency License #0D10209. Consumers in Maryland may contact: Maryland Insurance Administration 800.492.6116 or 410.468.2340. Insurance coverages underwritten by individual member companies of Zurich in North America, including Zurich American Insurance Company (NAIC # 16535). Any inquiry regarding claims may be directed to Zurich Travel Assist at [email protected], P.O. Box 968019, Schaumburg, IL 60196-8019; 1-888-700-0925. Inquiries regarding new, existing or denied claims and any other claims questions may also be directed to this address.

Travel Retailers Disclaimer: The purchase of this product is not required in order to purchase any other travel product or service. Your travel retailer might not be licensed to sell travel insurance and will only be able to provide general information about the product. An unlicensed travel retailer may not answer questions about the terms and conditions of the insurance offered and may not evaluate the adequacy of your existing insurance coverage. The products being offered provide insurance coverage that only applies during your covered trip. You may have insurance coverage from other sources that provide similar benefits but may be subject to different restrictions depending upon the coverage. You may wish to compare the terms of the travel policy offered through Travelex with any existing life, health, home and automobile insurance policies you may have. If you have questions about your coverage under your existing insurance policies, contact your insurer or insurance agent or broker.

Collette’s Travel Protection Plan Pricing (per person)

The cost charged is for the full Travel Protection Plan, which includes a Pre-Departure Cancellation Fee Waiver Provided By Collette Travel Service, Inc., insurance benefits underwritten by Zurich American Insurance Company, as well as non-insurance assistance services provided by Zurich Travel Assist and Travelex. Individuals looking to obtain additional information regarding the features and pricing of each travel plan component, please contact Travelex.

Land Only Clients:

$149 adult/$149 child for all domestic escorted tours under 6 days
$299 adult/$199 child for all domestic escorted tours of 6 days or more
$399 adult/$249 child for all international tours (not otherwise listed below)
$449 adult/$299 child for all Canadian Rockies train tours
$499 adult/$349 child for all cruises, Australia, New Zealand, Africa, South Africa & Egypt tours
$499 adult/$349 child for Galapagos tours
$949 adult/$499 child for Antarctica tours

When purchasing pre- and post-night accommodations, including optional extensions, the number of days will be added to the total number of tour days, and may subsequently alter your Travel Protection Plan cost. Please confirm with your reservation agent at time of booking.

Air-Inclusive Clients (Collette Flex Airfare is purchased through Collette)

$199 adult/child for all domestic tours under 6 days
$349 adult/child for all domestic tours of 6 days or more
$449 adult/child for all international tours (not otherwise listed below)
$499 adult/child for all Canadian Rockies train tours
$599 adult/child for all cruises, Australia, New Zealand, Africa, South Africa & Egypt tours
$599 adult/child for Galapagos tours
$999 adult/child for Antarctica tours

Collette’s Travel Protection Plan for air inclusive clients can only be purchased by individuals who have purchased Collette Flex Airfare or Instant Purchase air through Collette. Instant Purchase air and its associated taxes, fees and surcharges require full payment at time of reservation and are 100% nonrefundable. This air ticket may be covered by Collette’s Travel Protection Plan under Part B if you cancel your trip for covered reasons. Tickets may only be changed for a fee up to $300 plus any difference in airfare for travel in the following 12 months; specific fees and policies may vary by airline.

To review full plan details online, go to https://policy.travelexinsurance.com/365ZA-0123 .

Private Touring Information

Land rates are per person, double occupancy, unless otherwise noted. Land rates are guaranteed at time of deposit. Tiered pricing for private tours is based on a minimum tier of 10 guests. All names and deposits are required at time of booking. Private tour reservations cannot be converted to published standard packages at standard prices. Additional guests may be added later subject to availability. If your party size increases or decreases to the next tier level the surcharge will be adjusted accordingly.

Private touring is not available on the following tour products: Ocean & River Cruises, Canadian Rockies tours, National Parks itineraries, Special Event tours inclusive of all Oberammergau 2022 Departures, Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta, Edinburgh Military Tattoo.

A $1000 non-refundable deposit is due with your reservation.
A $1300 non-refundable deposit is due with your air inclusive reservation.
If you have selected Instant Purchase Air, the deposit required is the full cost of the airfare plus a $1000 deposit, all of which is non-refundable

Should you decide to purchase our per-person Travel Protection Plan, you must do so at the time of booking. This Plan includes the Pre-Departure Cancellation Fee Waiver which protects you from penalties in the event you have to cancel your entire tour package for any reason up to the day prior to departure (see Part A for more details). If you originally purchased Instant Purchase airline tickets, Part B of the Travel Protection Plan reimburses airline tickets, taxes, or fees in the event of a cancellation for a covered reason (see Part B for more details).

Unless otherwise noted, the balance is due 90 days before departure on all tours, except cruises and trains. Payment may be made by charging to clients’ Mastercard, Visa, American Express, or Discover (card imprint and signature required) or by sending a check or money order. All land rates are guaranteed upon deposit. Payment may also be made online at https://reservations.gocollette.com/payment.aspx .

Cancellations of confirmed bookings and transfers to new travel dates both result in penalties and fees assessed by travel suppliers. If you need to transfer or cancel for any reason prior to tour departure, the following cancellation fees will be assessed on your land or cruise product. If the number of guests in the private group changes prior to final payment the tour price for all passengers will be adjusted accordingly. Once all final payments are made the guest canceling would be responsible for their own cancellation fees plus the increased cost to the remaining passengers. If a cancelation results in a passenger in a single room a single room supplemental charge will be deducted from any refund due to the canceling passenger. Air is 100% nonrefundable once paid in full. If canceled prior to being paid in full, the following cancellation fees will also apply to air.

More than 90 days prior to departure: a nonrefundable deposit will be retained.
90 - 61 days prior to departure: 30% of land price
60 - 31 day prior to departure: 50% of land price
30 - Day of departure and after: 100% of land price

* Instant Purchase air and its associated taxes, fees and surcharges are 100% nonrefundable at time of reservation.

For your convenience, we offer airfare for purchase with all tour packages. If you purchase an air-inclusive program, your airfare will be quoted inclusive of all fuel, taxes and fees. Your rates are subject to change until paid in full. Seats are limited and may not be available on every flight or departure date.

Instant Purchase Airfare includes roundtrip airport/hotel transfers (excluding pre- or post-days and extensions). Instant Purchase airfare requires full payment at the time of booking. If you purchase the Travel Protection Plan, the Instant Purchase airfare may be reimbursed, if you cancel your trip for a covered reason (see Part B for more details). Tickets will be issued immediately and once issued are nonrefundable, and may only be changed for a fee up to $300 plus any difference in airfare for travel in the following 12 months; specific fees and policies may vary by airline. These tickets include an administration fee and roundtrip airport-to-hotel transfers, of which both hold no airline reissue value. Once issued, there can be no fluctuation in price due to an increase in government taxes or in airline fuel surcharges. Therefore, any such fees or airport-to-hotel transfers are not refundable under any circumstances.

You must report any disability requiring special attention to Collette at the time the reservation is made. *Collette will make reasonable efforts to accommodate the special needs of tour participants. Such participants, however, should be aware that the Americans with Disabilities Act is inapplicable outside of the United States and facilities outside the United States for disabled individuals are limited. It is strongly recommended that persons requiring assistance be accompanied by a companion who is capable of and totally responsible for providing the assistance. Neither Collette nor its personnel, nor its suppliers, may physically lift or assist clients into transportation vehicles. If a traveler thinks he or she might need assistance during a trip, he or she should call Collette to determine what assistance might reasonably be given. Collette cannot provide special individual assistance to tour members with special needs for walking, dining or other routine activities.

Museum visits and personal shopping time may be disrupted due to unforeseen circumstances or many religious, state and local holidays observed throughout the world.

There are limitations by coach and air carrier as to the number and size of bags which can be carried onboard and in bulk storage. Be sure to ask your travel professional about such restrictions before departing for your tour.

The following is an outline of the Non-Insurance Travel Assistance Services and Insurance Benefits provided in Part B.

This benefit is only applicable to Instant Purchase air tickets and any single supplement penalties you are assessed if your Family Member or Traveling Companion has his/her Trip Canceled. This does not cover any other land, air or water Travel Arrangements.

Excess Insurance Limitation: The insurance provided by this Plan shall be in excess of all other valid and collectible Insurance or indemnity.

Zurich American Insurance Company, a New York domiciled company with its principal place of business at 1299 Zurich Way, Schaumburg, IL 60196 (NAIC # 16535).

$299 adult/$199 child for all domestic escorted tours of 6 days or more
$399 adult/$249 child for all international tours (not otherwise listed below)
$949 adult/$499 child for Antarctica tours

Air-Inclusive Clients (Collette Flex Airfare is purchased through Collette)

$449 adult/child for all international tours (not otherwise listed below)
$999 adult/child for Antarctica tours

To review full plan details online, go to https://policy.travelexinsurance.com/365ZA-0123 .

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Top 10 Places To Visit...

The Most Beautiful Places to Visit in Israel

Take a dip in the Dead Sea and embrace the health-giving properties of the salty water

From the wave-lapped beaches of Tel Aviv to the craggy peaks of Masada and the mirror-like expanse of the salty Dead Sea, Israel packs a lot of impressive scenery into its compact landscape. Take a few days to enjoy the cosmopolitan delights of the thriving cities, then strike out into the sun-baked wilds to fill your Instagram grid. Here’s our pick of the most beautiful places to see when you visit Israel.

Did you know you can now travel with Culture Trip? Book now and join one of our premium small-group tours to discover the world like never before.

Paraglide around Mount Tabor

Even if you’re not familiar with its religious significance, Mount Tabor is sure to impress. With a distinctive curve, rising above the pancake-flat Jezreel Valley, it is easy to spot from miles away. It’s actually only about 600m (1,968ft) high – although it looks taller in this landscape – and its accessibility makes it a natural spot for hiking through lush pine forest. This is also the most popular spot for paragliding in Israel – ideal if you’re a thrill-seeker.

DWGDH9 Red canyon in Eilat mountains, Israelattraction,. Image shot 2012. Exact date unknown.

A 20-minute drive from the popular Red Sea resort of Eliat, the Red Canyon feels like another planet – Mars, to be precise – as you zig-zag your way along a path carved through swirling rock. When the sun hits, it illuminates red, white and even yellow. With multiple routes, it caters for all kinds of walkers. Ty the easy green trail if you’ve got kids in tow, or the black for a more challenging descent.

Admire the beauty of Timna Park

Parched and photogenic, rugged Timna Park is an essential stop-off point in the impressive Negev Desert. It’s not just good looks either, the attraction also lies in the rich regional history. Here you’ll find the first copper mine in the world and remains of smelting furnaces dating back to ancient Egyptian times. The artful sandstone columns known as Solomon’s Pillars – basically frozen-in-time drips of volcanic magma emerging from the cliffs – are arguably the most impressive natural highlight. Camp overnight and enjoy amazing stargazing.

Hear the tale of David and Goliath in the Valley of Elah

The site of the battle between David and Goliath, this triangle-shaped valley – lush with green fields – provides a surprisingly gentle hike. Many visitors choose to come with a guide so they can hear the tale while touring the landscape but you can just as easily enjoy a spring visit on your own when the valley is filled with purple blooming lupines.

Explore religion on Mount Zion

Outside the old walls of Jerusalem, Mount Zion is a holy site for Jewish, Christian and Muslim worshippers. It is also a great place to learn more about the history of Israel. Packed with beautiful old buildings and famous spots including King David’s Tomb and the Room of the Last Supper, it’s a must-visit for history buffs as well as religious pilgrims. It’s especially atmospheric late in the afternoon, when some of the surrounding structures turn golden in the honeyed light. Pack your camera.

Stroll along the ancient port in Acre

Various cultures have inhabited Acre – or Akko – throughout its history, including the Crusaders and the Ottomans, each leaving their mark on the region. With fascinating architecture, cultural ruins and sights around every corner, this city in the north west is essential viewing on any Israel trip, and considered as one of the top Israel attractions. Take a romantic evening walk alongside the 2,000-year-old port, relax into a meal at one of the lovely local restaurants – keep an eye open for the irresistible crunchy-syrupy pudding kanafeh on menus – or have a leisurely stroll through the city markets.

Discover the religious significance of Nazareth

An hour or so’s drive from Tel Aviv in the Lower Galilee region of northern Israel, Nazareth is the biggest Arab city in the land. It is also a major spiritual destination for tourists and Christian pilgrims from around the world, who come here to see the Basilica of the Annunciation built where Joseph and Mary had their home. In addition to its religious value as the childhood home of Jesus, Nazareth is a city brimming with culture, history, old Ottoman architecture and fascinating archaeology. Prepare for a heady rush of Middle Eastern charm.

Go wild with watersports on the Sea of Galilee

The Sea of Galilee (or, as Israelis call it, the Kinneret) is the largest freshwater lake in the country and a major national supply source. Its history goes way back. According to the New Testament, many of Jesus’s miracles occurred here, including his walk on the water. Today, visitors to the Sea of Galilee can immerse themselves in the tranquillity of the beautiful environs, have fun building rafts, or enjoy motorboat trips, water-skiing, banana-boat rides and kayaking.

Take a spring stroll through the Golan Heights

Northern Israel is home to the Golan Heights, controversially captured from Syria in 1967. It is a beautiful, mountainous place with breathtaking landscapes, glorious nature reserves and intriguing historical attractions for the whole family. If hiking is your thing, there are paths of varying levels of difficulty, depending on the time of year. Things are especially impressive during spring, when irises, crocuses and tulips bloom abundantly and the fields are green. In winter, Hermon Mountain is a playground for skiers and snowboarders.

Embark on a free tour of Haifa

After Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, Haifa is the third-largest city in Israel, with a kaleidoscope of neighbourhoods and blend of cultures that makes it a lively place for visitors. There’s a vibrant port and lively beach, which attracts surfers and offers water sports and tuition. If you want to be at one with nature, pay a visit to the most celebrated attraction in Haifa, the Bahai Gardens, on the flanks of Mount Carmel. Join a free daily tour at noon and admire the fountains, terraces and manicured flowerbeds of this precious place for followers of the Bahai faith, and learn more about the Israel culture history.

Join a celebration in Tel Aviv

Tel Aviv is a dream city beside the Mediterranean, where vibrant nightlife and local markets meet mouth-watering food and photogenic architecture – visit the bauhaus-style buildings of the White City if you want some seriously sexy Instagram images. Society here is diverse and people are very open-minded, so you’ll find your place here whoever you are. As the entertainment centre of Israel, Tel Aviv offers a full calendar of events throughout the year. These include the Gay Pride Parade, Purim Street Party and Tel Aviv Fashion Week.

Uncover the ancient world in Jerusalem

view of the Jerusalem wailing wall, Israel

Home to important spiritual sites for three major religions – Islam, Christianity and Judaism – Jerusalem is one of the holiest cities in the world, and you can now explore it with local expert guides on Culture Trip’s specially curated small-group Israel trip . Come for a few days and you’ll feel as if you’ve travelled back centuries. In the Old City, surrounded by a grand wall, you can learn a lot about the religious history of Jerusalem by visiting places such as the Al Aqsa Mosque, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and the Western Wall (aka the Wailing Wall). This part of town is divided into four quarters: Muslim, Armenian, Christian and Jewish. If you can, visit one of the museums outside the Old City, such as Yad Vashem, a Holocaust remembrance centre.

Take a hot-air ballon tour of the Ramon Crater

TBNMJC Landscape of the Negev desert. Makhtesh Ramon Crater in Mitzpe Ramon, Israel

Head to Mitzpe Ramon, a town in the Negev desert midway between Jerusalem and Eilat, and you’ll be able to visit the Ramon Crater ( Makhtesh Ramon in Hebrew). It’s not technically a crater – that would have involved a meteorite – but rather a makteshim (erosion cirque), formed during millions of years of erosion. Discovered as recently as 1945, it is quite a beast: 40km (25mi) long and 10km (6mi) at its widest point. You can tour by Jeep, Segway, or even helicopter, but a hot-air balloon flight will give you the most spectacular views from on high.

Slather on mud in the Dead Sea

The lowest point on earth, at more than 430m (1,412ft) below sea level, the Dead Sea is not only fun to float in, it’s also healthy, historic and surrounded by breathtaking beauty. This endorheic lake, which has no outflow, is one of the saltiest bodies of water on earth, creating the perfect buoyancy for floating. Dead Sea mud is also great for your skin, so slather it on. Two sights not to be missed while you’re in the Dead Sea area are Masada, with its archaeological merit and amazing views, and Ein Gedi, a twinkling oasis in the desert.

Go diving in Eilat

After you’ve explored Israel, taking in history, nature and culture, Eilat is all about relaxing in its many beautiful hotels and resorts. In the very south of Israel, it offers many activities: go diving among the stunning coral reefs of the Red Sea, swim with dolphins or laze by the pool. Beware, summer temperatures can be more than 40C (104F); in winter it’s a more tolerable 19C (66.2F).

Ellie Hurley contributed additional reporting to this article.

Since you are here, we would like to share our vision for the future of travel - and the direction Culture Trip is moving in.

Culture Trip launched in 2011 with a simple yet passionate mission: to inspire people to go beyond their boundaries and experience what makes a place, its people and its culture special and meaningful — and this is still in our DNA today. We are proud that, for more than a decade, millions like you have trusted our award-winning recommendations by people who deeply understand what makes certain places and communities so special.

Increasingly we believe the world needs more meaningful, real-life connections between curious travellers keen to explore the world in a more responsible way. That is why we have intensively curated a collection of premium small-group trips as an invitation to meet and connect with new, like-minded people for once-in-a-lifetime experiences in three categories: Culture Trips, Rail Trips and Private Trips. Our Trips are suitable for both solo travelers, couples and friends who want to explore the world together.

Culture Trips are deeply immersive 5 to 16 days itineraries, that combine authentic local experiences, exciting activities and 4-5* accommodation to look forward to at the end of each day. Our Rail Trips are our most planet-friendly itineraries that invite you to take the scenic route, relax whilst getting under the skin of a destination. Our Private Trips are fully tailored itineraries, curated by our Travel Experts specifically for you, your friends or your family.

We know that many of you worry about the environmental impact of travel and are looking for ways of expanding horizons in ways that do minimal harm - and may even bring benefits. We are committed to go as far as possible in curating our trips with care for the planet. That is why all of our trips are flightless in destination, fully carbon offset - and we have ambitious plans to be net zero in the very near future.

Guides & Tips

Jerusalem catacombs: an ancient underground burial practice comes to life.

Passover in a Pandemic: How the Jewish World Can Celebrate This Ancient Tradition

Tel Aviv: A Mix of Cultures and Communities

Places to Stay

The best hotels near the sea of galilee, israel.

The Best Spa and Wellness Hotels to Book Near the Dead Sea

The Best Hotels in Tiberias, Israel

A Guide to Visiting Masada National Park, Israel

A Traveller’s Guide to Accessing the Temple Mount/Haram esh-Sharif

The Best Resorts on the Dead Sea

Architecture

Rechter: three generations of an israeli architecture dynasty.

The Best Resorts to Book in Israel

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Shalom - meaning peace

Welcome to Israel—a land of contrasts and wonderful surprises. Join hundreds of years of voyagers who have flocked to this dynamic country. Ancient and modern, secular and sacred, Israel beckons visitors with its magnificent sites, holy places and warm Mediterranean climate. Here, age-old sacred shrines exist alongside futuristic skyscrapers and posh resorts with swaying palms alongside desert wasteland. No matter where you look, the legendary stories of mankind’s collective history come to life in this magnificent place.

Destination Must-See's

Dome of the Rock:

This structure dominates the old city. It is the shrine for Islam’s third most holy site. It covers a black stone in the mountain where Muhammad is said to have ascended to heaven. It was the first dome shrine to be built and is a masterpiece of Islamic architecture. It’s made of wood with marble slabs inside and covered with Persian tiles on the outside.

Known in the bible as Sea of the Arabah or Salt Sea, it gets its name from the high mineral content preventing anything from living in it. The lowest point of dry land on earth is the shoreline of the Dead Sea. Nearly 7 million tons of water evaporate from it every day, but the minerals remain.

Dead Sea Scrolls:

The first seven of many Dead Sea Scrolls were found by 3 brothers while gathering their goats high in the mountains. The brothers were not aware of what they found and sold the scripts. Years later, all scripts made their way to one location where the full content was finally revealed. See the Shrine of the Book at the Israel Museum to view the scrolls on display.

This is the birth place of Jesus. Christians all over the world consider this a holy site, but it is also significant to Jews because it is the burial place of the matriarch Rachel and birth place of King David. Manger Square is the main focus during Christmas celebrations three times a year.

Destination Must-Do's

Explore Jerusalem:

This historic location plays a major part in the 3 monotheistic religions. The heart of Jerusalem is in the Old City. This section is surrounded by a wall divided into 4 quarters: Armenian, Christian, Jewish and Muslim. Inside are important holy sites of the 3 major religions. Jerusalem also has a New City as well that still captures the original charm of the city.

Sea of Galilee:

This is a mountainous region in Israel’s north that is divided into two parts. It is densely populated and has the largest variety of ethnic communities in Israel. Its natural beauty and landscapes make it a main tourist destination. However, it is also popular for its national antiquities parks, farming communities, nature reserves, Jewish holy sites, Christian holy sites, and the Jordan River. One of the best ways to experience Galilee is to take a boat ride on the Sea of Galilee.

Visit the Western Wall:

Located in Jerusalem's Old City, the Western Wall is one of the holiest Jewish sites in Israel. Also known as the Wailing Wall or the Kotel, this sacred place is visited by millions of pilgrims each year so that they may pray and reflect. It is the only intact remnants of the Second Temple of Jerusalem and dates back to 2nd century BCE.

Enjoy Tel Aviv:

Tel Aviv is Israel’s economic and cultural center and it’s referred to as the “city that never stops.” It is the country’s first modern Jewish city in Israel, but it still holds quite a bit of history. Visitors can find several important Christian sites there, but it’s also teeming with restaurants, shops, old courtyards, fishing ports and night clubs that attract tourists from all over.

Expert Advice

As you prepare to explore Israel, enjoy a casual dress style and be sure to pack comfortable walking shoes. Please dress conservatively when visiting holy sites throughout the country; shorts and sleeveless shirts are not permitted when visiting churches and other religious sites.

You’re in for a treat as you explore the many delicious flavors of Israel. Israeli food is based off Middle Eastern and Turkish cuisine. Common ingredients include lentils, nuts, raw vegetables, lamb and beef. Common beverages include mint tea, mint lemonade, egg cream and fruit shakes. Coffee lovers will enjoy Israel's Turkish style cup of java with its sweet notes of cardamom and caramel.

In Israel, religious items make popular souvenirs; these are not too hard to find in the "Holy Land." Many travelers love to collect beautiful glass-made products, ceramics and silver in Israel. Olive wood carvings are extremely popular here. For those who love beautiful jewels and jewelry, Israel is one of the world's leading diamond manufacturing and trading centers.

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Asia Tours & Trips

Whether you have your heart set on gazing at India's Golden Triangle , eating the best Pad Thai you've ever tasted or ticking off your bucket list at the Great Wall, an Asian vacation offers a multitude of experiences hard to find anywhere else in the world. Ride a camel in the Gobi Desert, climb the mighty Mount Everest, relax on the golden beaches of Bali and explore the incredible Korean capital, Seoul . From cultural immersions to unbeatable hiking adventure opportunities , a tour throughout Asia will not fail to delight even the toughest of critics.

250+ Asia tour packages with 77,966 reviews

In-depth Cultural
Christmas & New Year

Best of Cambodia & Northern Thailand

Phil was great! We really enjoyed our vacation with G Adventures! It was great to experience Cambodia and Thailand

Southeast Asia Discovery: Seasides and Street Food

Pimm is one of the best tour guides/general people ever, she’s so calm patient and kind. Willing to help no matter what, she took me to the pharmacy to get antibiotics when she could have just pointed out where to go. She goes above and beyond and made my trip incredible! Xx

Coach / Bus

10 Days in Vietnam From South to North

Vietnam South to North Good tour well run. Favorite spots Hoi An and Halong Bay. One big city was enough for us, Hanoi not so appealing.

10 Days Beauty of Indochina

Excellent tour. Very well arranged and everything was taken care of. At our age, it was hectic and a bit tiring , but we thoroughly enjoyed. If you can afford, take the flight option for travel from Ho Chi Minh City to Siem Reap.

Wanderlands Bali & Lombok - 13 Days

I had a really fun time in Bali and the group was really nice. Our Tourguide Bapo was really nice and helpful to show us around the Islands. We got to see a lot of different things and experience the culture. It was a great experience. The only negative aspect that I have is that sometimes it was too hot and tiring to have this much program. I would have liked a bit more free time to.

€145 deposit on some dates Some departure dates offer you the chance to book this tour with a lower deposit.

Sightseeing

Bali Bucket List Original 10 Day Tour

This tour is perfect for anyone wanting to explore Bali in a safe and fun way! Everything is arranged for you, so you can sit back and relax. There is a perfect mix or arranged activities and free time to enjoy extra things you’d like to see! All the hotels were really nice and the areas we stayed in were brilliant. This trip did not disappoint at all… it was perfect <3

€55 deposit on some dates Some departure dates offer you the chance to book this tour with a lower deposit.

Bangkok to Singapore

Had a lovely time with Ae our tour leader. The activities were amazing and the sites were very beautiful. We were busy all day everyday with things to see and do! Never a dull moment. Ae was an amazing tour leader! Very calm, patient and helpful. She’s quite funny and kept the group laughing. Loved her positive upbeat energy and just had an amazing time! The optional Phi Phi Island tour is not to be missed, inner tubing down the lake at the rainforest hotel and the eco bike ride in Malaysia

Cambodia Adventure

Intrepid had a good itinerary. The guides knew what they were doing and managed the trip well. Angkor Wat was the highlight. The one problem; a breakdown in communication between tour radar and intrepid. Intrepid didn’t know I had booked a single room but they upgraded the booking once tour radar had informed them. Tour radar doesn’t have a phone number, only an email. So the delay didn’t help.

Japan One Life Adventures - 10 Days

Great tour of Japan covering all the best spots in the time spent there. Hayley is an excellent and knowledgeable tour guide.

Island Hopping

Thailand Island Hopper

Tolle Tour mit super Guides

Bali Experience

We had 10 beautiful days, and even tho the weather was kinda off sometimes we still always had a great time. The accomodations were nice everytime as well. Loved our tour guide Wira:) Thanks for this experience

Philippines One Life Adventures - 10 Days

Just completed the 14 day tour with Lini & loved it. The itinerary was well planned with a great mix of sightseeing, activities & time to relax. Highly recommend this tour.

Thai Intro 18 Day

What an incredible experience the 18-day Thailand tour has been!!! I’ve made some amazing memories with wonderful new friends and visited so many beautiful places! Our Group Leader Dan went above and beyond to make sure we had the best experiences! Dan was full of charisma and enthusiasm, so kind and caring, and passionate about the land of smiles! Everything was so well organised which made the trip stress-free! Dan was always patient and understanding, going out of his way to help others. Our group was lucky to have both Dan and trainee Joe who kept us laughing and in good spirits! I was supported with onward travel & and am delighted to be going on another Intro trip soon! I would highly recommend! :)

Cambodia Intro

Best experience and Chris was an amazing leader !!!

Glimpse Of Indochina In 16 Days (Vietnam,Cambodia,Thailand,Laos)

In Total the trip was good in that we were able to see a part of the world that we had never and might never again) see. However there were various things that were surprises to us. The fact that it was our responsibility to check in for flights booked by Tour Radar was a surprise and added a level of stress in the midst of the trip that could have been dealt with by advance communication or by Tourradar offering another element to the package which includes a concierge type service which gets boarding passes (ie could use the in country tour guides). Not all hotels had staff that could communicate effectively (if at all) in English which would have made the first days in a city easier . Finding good restaurants, ATMs, drug stores etc. Some of your guides were helpful in providing a lot of that information when they dropped us off at the hotel. Chang our Bangkok guide did not do that and with th e challenges of hotel staff to communicate , our first day or two in Bangkok was the low point of our tour. Also the next day city tour was poorly done and the length of the tour could have been extended a little so the city tour was more comprehensive. Also I am told Thailand is a beautiful country but we saw nothing of the beauty that might have made Thailand famous. We enjoyed the Hare Residence in Siem Reap and would suggest keeping it in the program.. Also Laos was enjoyable , as was the hotel but the only suggestion would be to add or provide the opportunity for a visit to see one of the elephant reserves near to Luang Prabang. A city tour of Na Noi (and Saigon) would have been good to include. We came early so were able to book our own tours in Ha Noi but feel we really did not see Saigon at all. Overall the trip was good. I would suggest (as previously mentioned) a concierge type service for older travellers and maybe expanding the tour groups to 8-10 would make that more cost effective

Book With Flexibility This operator allows you to rebook your dates or tours with them for free, waiving change fees.

What people love about Asia Tours

This tour gives and opportunity to travel by many types of vehicles for sight seeing. Accommodations are varied from hotels to resorts including spending night on raft-house or houseboat on river. The tour is well planned and conducted by efficient tour Chief Experience Officers (CEOs). Wish that the information on Optional Tours were more detailed in the brochures of descriptions of the tour.

This was my first time ever travelling without family and it was amazing! One of the best months of my life. Our CEO Tong was brilliant and full of knowledge about where we were going and what we would be doing. He made sure to have enough time for anyone and helped in anyway he could to make things run smoothly for everyone on tour including myself. If you go on this tour, make sure you ask for Tong or (Phanet Tep) as your CEO!

Was a great experience! Thank you

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Beyond Israel’s Sacred Treasures Lies an Adventure Wonderland Unknown to Most

While many travel to Israel to explore the sacred sites of Jerusalem and the coastal city of Tel Aviv, the country’s wealth of outdoor experiences remains largely unknown to many.

Check out Isram’s expanded programs for 2024 to Italy, Morocco, South East Asia, India and China!

844.947.7235 or 844.9ISRAEL

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Tour Dates: Dec 10 – 25

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Thursday departures (9 nights), the ultimate family tour & bar/bat mitzvah celebrations, sunday departures (10 nights), there's something for everyone in israel - the choice is yours.

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Israel & Beyond Egypt, Jordan, UAE & Morocco

Beresheet hotel, mitzpe ramon — featured in the israel 360° program, client testimonials.

” The trip was awesome – thanks so much for all of your help. The guide was really great, the ship was fun, the staff was really good. It was kind […]

Our trip to Jordan was INCREDIBLE! We were super sad to not be able to enter Israel for the other portion but I wanted to thank you for an epic […]

Everything was great! Flights, Israel and Egypt hotels, tours, etc. all were excellent. Loved the pyramids in Giza and Luxor. Had terrific guides and drivers in Egypt. Thanks!

… our tour guide Was absolutely fabulous!!!! (we really also liked our driver) They made the trip so enjoyable. Also, the Movenpick and Petra House were wonderful hotels. I also […]

“Our tour guide was extremely knowledgeable .. extremely warm & personable & attentive to our needs.. made our Egypt tour a memorable one. We will remember him always. Seeing the […]

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3 Other destinations
4.1 Geography
4.2 History
6.1 By plane
6.2 By train
6.3 By boat
6.4 On foot
7.1 By plane
7.2 By boat
7.3 By train
7.6 Local transport
8.1 Natural places
8.2 Cultures and religions
8.3 Itineraries
8.4.1 Asian Games
13.1 Armed conflicts
13.3 Natural disasters
14 Stay healthy

Asia is the world's largest continent by land area and population, home to 4.4 billion people, more than half of the world's population.

The continent is too massive and diverse to conceptualize as a single digestible travel "destination". Travel options range widely, from the desert ruins and modern mega-malls of the Middle East to the magnificent ancient monuments and giant mountains in South Asia , from the beach bungalows and jungle treks of Southeast Asia to the mega-cities and technology capitals of East Asia .

Asia gets a tremendous number of travellers, both for tourism and business. Many of the world's most-visited cities are in Asia, including Bangkok , Beijing , Dubai , Hong Kong , Jerusalem , Mumbai , Seoul , Singapore , and Tokyo .

Asia offers intriguing destinations for every type of traveller, be they a novice or an experienced road-warrior. Easier options include modern, prosperous countries like Japan and the East Asian Tigers of Singapore , Hong Kong , Taiwan , and South Korea , where people enjoy very high standards of living.

There are also poor Asian countries with significant levels of malnutrition, such as Cambodia , Afghanistan , Laos , and East Timor . Some countries are well-established on the budget tourist trail, including Thailand , Vietnam , and Indonesia .

There are countries that strictly restrict tourism to certain regions or types of tourism, such as Bhutan and the Maldives . North Korea and Turkmenistan , easily the world's most isolated and repressive states, take it even further, with constantly-watched group tours dedicated to their "great leaders".

Of course, there are also many countries lying somewhere in the middle, which is where one might place the emerging powerhouses of China and India ; those huge, populous lands make wonderful travel destinations in themselves due to their long history, traditions and diversity.

Regions [ edit ]

The traditional Asia–Europe border through Russia is the Ural Mountains and the Ural River. For cultural and historical reasons, some parts of the Caucasus are considered European. The Bosphorus bisecting Istanbul is also regarded as the border between Asia and Europe. Sinai is geographically in Asia but politically a part of Egypt. And at the other end of Asia, the continental plate of Australia also includes parts of Indonesia , which is generally counted as part of Southeast Asia . Similarly, the island of Cyprus is geographically part of Asia, but usually considered part of Europe.

Cities [ edit ]

13.75 100.516667 1 Bangkok — Thailand's bustling, cosmopolitan capital with temples, nightlife and fervor
39.90403 116.407526 2 Beijing — the capital of China with Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City, and many cultural sights.
25.269722 55.309444 3 Dubai — the most modern and progressive Emirate in the UAE, developing at an unbelievable pace
22.278333 114.158611 4 Hong Kong — a truly world-class metropolis with a unique mixed Chinese and British heritage
31.778889 35.225556 5 Jerusalem — containing the UNESCO World Heritage Site of the Old City, sacred to Jews, Christians and Muslims
19.075833 72.8775 6 Mumbai — the financial heart of India is an extraordinarily diverse, busy and cosmopolitan city, known for its nightlife and for being the capital of Bollywood.
37.56 126.99 7 Seoul — with beautiful palaces, great food and a hopping nightlife, Seoul is a frenetic way to experience the Asia of old and new
1.3 103.8 8 Singapore — a modern, affluent city-state with a medley of Chinese, Indian, Malay and British influences
35.683889 139.774444 9 Tokyo — the world's largest city brings a huge, wealthy and fascinating metropolis with high-tech visions of the future side by side with glimpses of old Japan

Other destinations [ edit ]

These are some of the largest and most famous destinations apart from major cities.

13.4333 103.8333 1 Angkor Archaeological Park — the magnificent remains of several capitals of the Khmer Empire
31.5207 35.4845 3 Dead Sea — stay afloat in this extremely salty lake
40.416667 116.083333 4 Great Wall of China — several thousand kilometers long, its condition ranges from excellent to ruined
53.302778 108.004722 5 Lake Baikal — the biggest and deepest freshwater lake in the world, containing over one fifth of the world's supply
27.988056 86.925 6 Mount Everest — the world's tallest mountain straddling the border of Tibet and Nepal
30.328889 35.440278 7 Petra — an ancient city carved out of sandstone and one of the new Seven Wonders
39.654722 66.975833 8 Registan — the impressive historic heart of Samarkand, a major trade city on the Silk Road
27.174167 78.042222 9 Taj Mahal — the incomparable marble tomb in Agra

See also UNESCO World Heritage List#Asia .

Understand [ edit ]

Asia is the birthplace of eleven major religions : namely, Hinduism , Buddhism , Islam , Christianity , Judaism , Zoroastrianism , Sikhism , Shintoism, Taoism, Jainism and the Baha'i Faith , not to mention countless other tribal faiths. It is also home to the world's fastest growing cities, a wide range of exotic cuisines, the world's highest mountain ranges and some of the world's most ancient cultures.

Geography [ edit ]

Asia is by far the largest continent and as such is extremely varied geographically. Asia contains virtually every possible climate and terrain from the frozen plains of Siberia to the jungles of Indonesia to the deserts of Arabia.

Asia's (and the world's) highest point is Mount Everest, in the Himalayas along the border of Tibet and Nepal , which rises to 8,848 m (29,029 ft) above sea level. Its lowest point is the Dead Sea , located at the meeting points of Israel , Palestine and Jordan , whose surface is 400 m (1,300 ft) below sea level. Asia's longest river is the Yangtze , which runs 6,300 km (3,900 mi) through China all the way from the high Tibetan Plateau to Shanghai . Its largest lake is the 386,400 km² (149,200 square mile) Caspian Sea, which is surrounded by several Central Asian nations. Asia is bounded by the Pacific Ocean to the east, by Australia to the southeast, and by the Indian Ocean to the south. It is bordered by the Red Sea to the southwest, by Europe and the Urals to the west, and by the Arctic Ocean to the north.

East Asia (China, Japan, Korea) is relatively temperate with distinct seasonal differences. South and South East Asia (Thailand, Indonesia, India, Burma etc.) has a monsoon climate. Generally hot all year round but with a wet and dry season. Most of Asia's rainforests and beaches are to be found here. West Asia (Iran, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon etc.) is hot and often dry. Winters can be mild but summer can be extremely hot. Central and north Asia have continental climate with the coldest winters outside Antarctica and hot summers; in some places the difference between all-time highs and lows can be over 100°C.

History [ edit ]

The history of Asia is long, complex and diverse enough that some universities have whole departments devoted to it and a full account would be a multi-volume work. Even a reasonable summary would be much more than a travel guide could sensibly attempt.

Most of our country articles, and some region or city articles, include summaries of the relevant history. Consult those for basic information, or see Wikipedia, other sites, or a library for more detail. Most Wikivoyage articles include a link to the corresponding Wikipedia article; it is found in the menu to the left of the text.

Also, some articles here cover historically important things in Asia:

Asian empires: Ancient Mesopotamia , the Persian Empire , Alexander the Great , the Caliphates , the Ottoman Empire , the Mughal Empire , Imperial China , the Mongol Empire , pre-modern Korea , pre-modern Japan , the Khmer Empire
Colonial empires: British Empire , Russian Empire , Japanese colonial empire , Dutch Empire , Portuguese Empire , Spanish Empire , French colonial empire
Routes: Silk Road , On the trail of Marco Polo , On the trail of Kipling's Kim , and Istanbul to New Delhi over land
20th century: Soviet Union , Chinese Revolutions and Pacific War

All the UNESCO lists — World Heritage , Intangible Cultural Heritage , Biosphere reserves , Geology parks and Creative Cities — include sites in Asia. So do the Wikivoyage articles on Archaeological sites , Historical travel , Architecture , and Old towns .

Talk [ edit ]

English proficiency varies widely between countries and regions. English is the main working language in Singapore , and widely spoken as a second language by educated people in many former British and American colonies such as Malaysia , Brunei , the Philippines , Hong Kong , most of South Asia , the small Arab states of the Gulf , Jordan and Israel . Elsewhere, English proficiency is rudimentary at best. Refer to the guide for individual countries for how well you are likely to fare.

It is not possible to list all the languages and dialects throughout Asia. We can however detail the major groups you are likely to encounter:

Sino-Tibetan — The Chinese languages ( Mandarin , Cantonese , Minnan etc.), Burmese , Tibetan , Dzongkha and some languages in North-Eastern India .
Turkic — Turkish , Azerbaijani , Uyghur , Turkmen , Kazakh , Kyrgyz , Uzbek , Tatar and several local languages throughout Siberia
Semitic — Arabic is spoken in Arab countries throughout the Middle East, and Hebrew is spoken in Israel .
Iranian — Persian , Pashto , Tajik , and Kurdish are widely spoken in the Middle East and Central Asia. Also includes the Ossetian language in the Caucasus , and some minority languages in Xinjiang , China.
Indo-Aryan — the descendants of Sanskrit , including Hindi , Urdu , Bengali , Punjabi , Marathi , Gujarati , Sinhala , Sindhi and Nepali are found through much of the Indian sub-continent .
Armenian is the official language of Armenia , and also spoken by the ethnic Armenian minorities in neighbouring countries such as Turkey , Iran , Iraq , Syria and Russia .
Russian , spoken in Russia and serving as a lingua franca in much of the Caucasus and Central Asia . Also the most widely spoken foreign language in Mongolia
Portuguese is an official language in Macau and East Timor , where it is spoken by a significant minority. It is also spoken by a small, mainly upper class, community in Goa , while a Portuguese-based creole is spoken by the Portuguese Eurasian community in Malacca .
Dravidian — A distinct language group of South Indian languages including Tamil , Kannada , Malayalam and Telugu . These are completely unrelated to the north Indian languages such as Hindi and Urdu, though they contain a number of loan words from Sanskrit.
Tai–Kadai — Thai and Lao are spoken in Thailand and Laos respectively. Other languages in this family are spoken by ethnic minorities in Myanmar, Vietnam and China.
Austroasiatic — Vietnamese and Khmer are spoken in Vietnam and Cambodia respectively. Other languages in this family are spoken by ethnic minorities in Myanmar, Thailand and China.
Austronesian — Malay and Indonesian are mostly mutually intelligible; most other local languages in Malaysia and Indonesia such as Javanese , Sundanese , Balinese , Iban and Kadazan are not mutually intelligible, but also belong to the same language family. Most languages of the Philippines — the most important are Tagalog and Cebuano — are also in this group. Tetum , the main language spoken in East Timor , also falls in this family. Other Austronesian languages are spoken in Madagascar , throughout the Pacific islands, and by the indigenous Taiwanese.
Mongolic — Mongolian , as the name suggests, and some minority languages in Russia such as Buryat and Kalmyk

Asia has a few significant isolated languages not proven to be related to others including Korean , Japanese (except the Ryukyuan languages spoken in the Ryukyu Islands ) and Georgian .

Some linguists group Japanese, Korean, the Mongolic languages, the Tungusic languages (e.g. Manchu , Xibe , Evenki , Even , etc.) and the Turkic languages into a single language family called the Altaic or Transeurasian languages, but this is controversial. All these languages share similar grammatical structures, which make the others easier to pick up if you already know one of them.

Get in [ edit ]

By plane [ edit ].

Asia's busiest airports include Hong Kong ( HKG IATA ), Dubai ( DXB IATA ), Beijing ( PEK IATA , PKX IATA ), Singapore ( SIN IATA ), Kuala Lumpur ( KUL IATA ), Bangkok ( BKK IATA ), Seoul ( ICN IATA ), Tokyo ( NRT IATA , HND IATA ) and Jakarta ( CGK IATA ). If you're heading to anywhere in Asia, chances are that you'll pass through at least one of these airports whether in transit or as a final stop. Fortunately for those with long transit times, they are some of the best equipped airports in the world, known for their efficient service and ample distractions. Additionally, Shanghai ( PVG IATA ) and Guangzhou ( CAN IATA ) are major hubs for travel to China, and New Delhi ( DEL IATA ), Mumbai ( BOM IATA ) and Chennai ( MAA IATA ) for the Indian sub-continent. For the Middle East, Doha ( DOH IATA ) and Abu Dhabi ( AUH IATA ) also have reasonably good connections.

By train [ edit ]

If you are coming to Asia by train, you'll likely be coming in through Russia or Turkey , although other options may exist. For an interesting experience, try the Trans-Siberian Railway , or alternatively some of the lines from Moscow to Central Asia.

By boat [ edit ]

Asian ports are cruise destinations, and various companies such as Royal Caribbean and Princess [dead link] run cruises from Australia , while Holland America travels across the Pacific from North America . Freighter travel is another option, including if you wish to travel to ports in the Asian part of Mediterranean. Coming from Africa sea piracy is a threat to take seriously. Piracy in the Strait of Malacca has declined, but may still be relevant.

As the Bosporus is considered to be the boundary between Europe and Asia, one of the various ferries in Istanbul can also get you into Asia.

There is ferry access from Asia to Africa and reverse via Jordan and Egypt. As of 2019 Ferries still connect African Egypt with Asia via ABMarine. However you will not be permitted to leave Sinai into the rest of Africa unless you take the Nuweiba, Egypt ferry from Aqaba, Jordan. Leaving Asia to Africa via Israel, will cause you to not be able to leave Sinai into the rest of Africa as you can not get permission to go further into Africa when using the Israeli borders or even the Taba, Egypt port as well. The Nuweiba ferry is the only way to go if you want to travel via ferry and land to Africa. If you enter Asia this route, several nationalities can enter visa-free as long as you exit Jordan via the same city within 30 days because of the AZEA Trade Agreement.

On foot [ edit ]

Some cities, including Yekaterinburg are built across what is commonly considered the dividing line between Europe and Asia and you can comfortably walk across that line if you are in the city already. Istanbul is also nominally in this category, but pedestrians aren't normally allowed in any of its intercontinental bridges and tunnels.

Get around [ edit ]

Air travel is a good mode of transport between this large region's many travel destinations. Fares are lower on average than in Europe or America, and low-cost airlines in Asia are rapidly expanding their networks particularly in Southeast Asia. In addition, Asia is also home to some of the world's best regarded full service airlines, such as Singapore Airlines , Hong Kong's Cathay Pacific , South Korea's Korean Air and Asiana Airlines , Japan's All Nippon Airways (ANA) and Japan Airlines (JAL) , Taiwan's EVA Air and the big three Middle Eastern airlines Emirates , Qatar Airways [dead link] and Etihad Airways , which make good options for those willing to spend some extra money to fly in relative comfort with better service.

Ferry services connect China , South Korea and Japan in East Asia . There are also very many international and domestic ferry services for the island nations in South East Asia including the Philippines , Indonesia , Singapore and Malaysia .

There are highly developed train networks in India , China , South Korea , Taiwan and Japan , as well as less developed services throughout South East Asia . Most of these countries, but especially China have also been investing a lot in high speed rail , and even for longer distances trains might be a worthwhile option not only in terms of views and comfort but also in terms of price and speed, especially if you figure in the time and money saved while you sleep on sleeper services. In Russia and India, big parts of the country are mostly served by slow rail and it is a superb way to get into contact with locals (bring a phrasebook) or just see the country pass by the window. China and Japan are expanding their high speed networks, with China even planning to build international links to South East Asia and possibly North or South Korea. South Korea's relatively young network of high speed lines is also planned to expand within the next decades, however due to the political situation, international links are unlikely in the immediate future.

By bus [ edit ]

Travel by bus is an option for the budget conscious traveler in most Asian countries, and often a good way to come into contact with locals. Quality of services ranges wildly from luxurious buses on par with or even more comfortable and faster than some trains to beat up old school buses where you might conceivable actually sit next to a live chicken. (Hence their nickname "chicken bus")

By car [ edit ]

As Asia has a high population density in many places and new road construction has not always kept up with growing traffic, congestion is a major problem, especially in urban centers. That being said a car is often a good and sometimes the only way to explore more remote areas. Keep in mind that bringing a car might necessitate a number of forms and permits; you will probably need an international driving permit and for some countries a Carnet de Passages for the vehicle.

Mainland China (excluding Macau and Hong Kong) does not accept international drivers licenses . If you want to go to or through China by car, you need to either obtain a local drivers license or hire a driver; see Driving in China for details.

Local transport [ edit ]

Many places have taxis, many of the major cities have good urban rail or bus systems, it is possible to walk or bike in some places, and some travellers will get around mainly on tour buses. While Japan has had world class (if expensive) urban rail for decades, China but also some more unlikely countries have followed suit and are still expanding and improving vast light and heavy rail networks. Where those exist they are usually the best option for tourists and locals alike.

However in many places other options are available as well, and often these are what the locals mainly use. If "When in Rome, do as the Romans do" is part of your travel philosophy, then you should definitely consider these. In much of Asia there are various sorts of truck or van modified to carry passengers: angkots in Indonesia, jeepneys and UV Express in the Philippines, marshrutka in the ex-Soviet states, songthaews in Thailand, or similar vehicles elsewhere. In many places there are also pedal-powered or motorcycle-based tricycles, see Thailand#Tuk-tuk , Philippines#By_tricycle or India#By_auto-rickshaw .

Some areas also have motorcycle taxis, each with their local names ( habal-habal in the Philippines, ojek in Indonesia, xe ôm in Vietnam). These are too risky and uncomfortable for many travellers, but some like them.

See [ edit ]

Natural places [ edit ]

While all continents have a huge number of things to see, what sets Asia apart is the incredible variety of things to see . From the desolate Siberian tundra and taiga in the far north to colorful Indian street scenes, from ruins along the Silk Road to glitzy, futuristic metropolises and from the camels in the Arabian Desert to the Komodo dragons roaming the jungles of Flores , it is safe to say that Asia has something for everyone.

Stretching from the Arctic all the way beyond the Equator, Asia is home to virtually every kind of climate and ecosystem that exists in the world and a corresponding number of different plants and animals. Almost all parts of Asia feature iconic animals, such as pandas, brown bears, tigers, monkeys, elephants, crocodiles, camels, and birds – though many of them are threatened in the wild. While north and central Asia is part of the palearctic region , south and southeast Asia makes up the Indomalayan region . There is also no lack of amazing landscapes either. Vast boreal forests cover the northern part of the continent interspersed by some of the longest rivers in the world. Further south, Asia is dominated by an enormous system of mountain chains reaching from the highlands of Turkey across Iran , Pakistan and Central Asia into China where it forks into a northern section including the Altai mountains and continuing all the way through the Russian Far East , and into a more southerly section including Himalayas , which feature the world's highest summits, and then the highlands of Southeast Asia. Many mountains in the easternmost parts of the continent are volcanic , and Indonesia and Kamchatka are indeed great destinations for volcanic tourism. Central Asia features steppe, which turns into desert when traveling south, and if you've always wanted to experience a desert environment , the Middle East is definitely a good choice. Another large desert is the Gobi at the borders of Mongolia and China. Finally, tropical Asia covering a part of East and most of South and Southeast Asia , where not cultivated or urbanized, is dominated by various kinds of tropical forests and thousands of beaches ranging from secluded paradise islands like the Maldives to some of the world's most popular beach resorts in Thailand .

Cultures and religions [ edit ]

Home to more than half of the world's population, the birthplace of all major world religions and using all the most widespread writing systems in the world, the different peoples and cultures you may encounter on this continent are likely even more varied than the landscapes. Almost all regions of Asia have ruins of some of the oldest civilizations in the world, often stretching back several millennia. The Holy Land of the Abrahamic religions can be found in the Middle East. Similarly, the Indian subcontinent is the wellspring of Hinduism , Buddhism , Sanamahism , Sikhism and Jainism, and East Asia of Confucianism, Taoism and Shinto. Asia also bears witness to the spread of the great religions in the form of amazing religious architecture , including the ancient tombs and houses of worship in Angkor Wat , Borobudur , Samarkand , the Taj Mahal and countless thousands of others. There are also other kinds of historical sites such as the Great Wall , Petra , Ayutthaya and the royal and imperial palaces of both present and past dynasties. Even in the latter case the royal traditions may be experienced as in the royal change of guards at the Gyeongbokgung Palace in Seoul .

Colonial influences aren't as prominent as in Africa, the Americas or Oceania, but this doesn't mean that they aren't there. Virtually all of South and Southeast Asia were for centuries ruled by various European empires who introduced things like western architecture and foodstuffs (some of it from the Americas), as well as Christianity, European languages and the Latin alphabet. We should not forget Russian Asia as well as Central Asia which was part of the Russian Empire and the Soviet Union for a century and a half. 20th- and 21st-century history , though for much of Asia featuring many wars and other sad things, are also present in memorials and museums. Finally if you want to plunge into modern cities with most the world's tallest buildings, glass, steel and huge LED-screens, extensive and modern transportation systems, and entertainment and amusement centers, Asia is the place to go too, especially the Gulf States and East Asia.

Itineraries [ edit ]

Istanbul to New Delhi over land
Hajj , the Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca
Ho Chi Minh City to Shanghai overland
Karakoram Highway , China to Pakistan
Moscow to Urumqi
On the trail of Kipling's Kim
On the trail of Marco Polo
Trans-Siberian Railway
Russia to Japan via Sakhalin

Sports [ edit ]

Asian games [ edit ].

The Asian Games [dead link] are an international multi-sport event similar to the Olympics, albeit with participation restricted to Asian countries, as well as some dependent territories in Asia. The games were first held in 1951, and following that were held every four years starting from the 1954 games, two years apart from the Summer Olympics, and feature all Olympic sports, as well as several non-Olympic sports such as tenpin bowling, Asian martial arts and squash. Mind sports such as Chess , Go and Xiangqi , and even e-sports are also included.

The previous edition of the Asian Games was held in Hangzhou , China in 2023 (one year delayed due to COVID-19), while the next edition will be held in Nagoya , Japan in 2026.

Do [ edit ]

Cruise between the dramatic limestone Karsts, islets and islands, in the emerald blue sea of Ha Long Bay .
Sleep on board a houseboat in the backwaters of Kerala in India .
Experience the architecture of the Taj Mahal Agra in India .
See Mount Everest , the highest point of land on earth ( Nepal ) or K2 , second highest, in Gilgit-Baltistan .
Explore Borneo , an island divided between Indonesia , Malaysia and Brunei that contains one of the oldest rainforests in the world.
Take a Tour to Yogyakarta , Indonesia's Cultural hub, and gateway to see the magnificent Buddhist temple Borobudur and Hindu temple of Prambanan .
Explore Lake Toba , The largest volcanic lake in Indonesia and the world.
Climb Mount Fuji , an icon of Japan
Asia has a huge number of dive sites from snorkeling to scuba, with much interesting undersea life and quite a few wrecks. For details, see Scuba diving#Asia .
Visit Cox's Bazar , the longest sea beach in the world, and the Sundarbans , the largest mangrove forest of the world, in Bangladesh and India .
Watch a sumo wrestling match live in Japan.
Go shopping for Persian rugs in the Central Asian bazaars.
Gamble in some of the world's largest casinos in Macau .
Experience the old Silk Road caravanserais like Samarkand in Uzbekistan .
Relax on a beach in the Maldives .
Visit the Holy Land in Israel and Palestine .
Ride the Trans-Siberian Railway from Moscow to Vladivostok and experience Siberia from the comfort of a train car.
Travel through the Asian cradles of civilisation, in the Indus River Valley , Yellow River Valley , and Ancient Mesopotamia .
Go dune bashing in the Empty Quarter .

Eat [ edit ]

Asian cuisine is incredibly diverse, from Turkish kebabs to Arabic pita bread to Indian curries and Chinese noodles, there is really no shortage of different food that you can try. Rice, in its many varieties, is a very common staple throughout Asia. Street food is also available almost anywhere in myriads of variations. Southeast Asia offers a great variety of tropical fruit and wonderful food at inexpensive prices.

Wikivoyage has in-depth guides to various cuisines of the continent: see Middle Eastern cuisine , South Asian cuisine , Thai cuisine , Chinese cuisine , Korean cuisine , Japanese cuisine , Filipino cuisine , Malaysian cuisine , and Indonesian cuisine . Many parts of Asia have also developed their own unique takes on Western food that cannot be found in their respective areas of origin; most of these are covered in the respective regional cuisine articles, but see Western food in Asia for an overview of these.

Drink [ edit ]

Tea is the most common beverage, especially in both South Asia and East Asia . In tropical areas, enjoy fresh fruit and coconut juices. Fresh sugar cane juice is readily available in many cities in India. It can be served plain or with ginger and lemon. In some areas, fresh water and clean drinking water may not easily be available. Yoghurt-based drinks are common in some areas, lassi in India and Pakistan and doogh in some western parts of Asia like Iran and Armenia .

Alcohol is widely available throughout North, Southeast and East Asia. Often the larger cities or tourist areas have a modern nightlife scene. Alcohol is illegal in some parts of India and in some countries in the Middle East. While beer is commonly available in the countries that serve alcohol it often uses rice as the basic grain which affects taste somewhat. Another common beverage - especially in Japan, Korea and China - is "rice wine" (closer to beer as it contains more starch than sugar) sold and produced under various names and with a range of variations on the basic recipe.

Sleep [ edit ]

Depending on where you are everything from a tent with only the most basic facilities (if any) to a full blown five star hotel is available. Prices tend to reflect that.

There are all kinds of traditional local lodging too: try a ryokan in Japan , a yurt in Mongolia , a caravanserai along the Silk Road, or a Bedouin tent in Israel . Any of these is not just a place to lay your head, but a unique cultural experience.

Stay safe [ edit ]

Armed conflicts [ edit ]

Due to the vast size, safety in Asia varies wildly. It is a safe place in general and most tourist attractions on the continent are far from conflict, There are, however, some regions in which conflict and/or general lawlessness exists. The most obvious examples are Afghanistan , Syria , Yemen , and big parts of Iraq . Afghanistan's government controls only parts of the country and also Iraq is in a state of continued armed conflict. There are full-scale civil wars in Syria and Yemen . These countries are considered no-go areas and should be completely avoided by travellers (if you absolutely must go, consult War zone safety and the authorities of your country beforehand).

Although much of the Middle East can be visited without any major risks, it is known for its political tensions and there are no-go areas, for the moment especially Syria. The Gaza Strip is at times a war zone between Palestinian factions and the Israeli army, and kidnappings of foreigners have occurred. Israel has coped with missile attacks as well as suicide bombings by radical militant groups, such as Hamas and Hezbollah, but mostly in areas close to the Gaza Strip and Lebanon (and attacks from Lebanon happen only occasionally), and by far the biggest threat in most of the country is from dangerous drivers. Lebanon and the West Bank (Palestinian National Authority) generally cope with an unstable political situation and internal conflict.

Some regions of the Caucasus are considered dangerous due to active insurgent groups, particularly the North Caucasus ( Chechnya ), Abkhazia and South Ossetia .

Bahrain has experienced some political violence in the past, so check on current conditions before you go.

More dangerously, Pakistan is active in a full-scale war in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the Federally Administered Tribal Areas , both of which should not be visited. Kashmir , claimed by both Pakistan and India, is also a region with tens of thousands of casualties since 1989 due to political strife and insurgency. In 2009, the Naxalite-Maoist insurgency in India has resurfaced, particularly in some parts of Chhattisgarh and other parts of Eastern India . Northeastern India also copes with dozens of insurgent groups, some of which have armed factions. The safest areas of Indian for all travellers including women travelling solo are in the Western Himalayan states of Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand .

Southeast Asia is a major travel region and most of it is perfectly safe to visit. A notable exception is Myanmar , which has longstanding ethnic and political conflicts, and is in a state of civil war, particularly in the border regions. But even in some popular countries, there are some areas that should be avoided. Bangsamoro , a Muslim autonomous region in Mindanao in the south of the Philippines , is an area of conflict between the government and the Muslim separatist movements. The rest of the country is safe. Thailand , the most visited country in Southeast Asia, is generally safe with the notable exception of four deep southern provinces , where fighting between the Thai military and Islamic insurgent groups still continues, though tourists are rarely if ever the targets of violence. Indonesia is a very diverse country, with armed groups fighting for independence in Papua , while Maluku and Aceh are relatively safe now.

East Asia is generally the safest area in the continent for visitors, but political tensions also exist in this region. You should be aware that North Korea and South Korea are still officially at war and hostilities could in theory resume at any time, although the border between them is still a worthwhile tourist destination in its own right (check current conditions if you plan a visit). Some visitors have also been arbitrarily arrested in North Korea, and less often, China. China , a vast and diverse country, is a very safe destination with regard to violent crime, yet the restive provinces of Tibet and Xinjiang still often bar foreigners at any hint of trouble.

Crime [ edit ]

Refer to the specific country pages and the authorities of your country for more information. As a precaution, always know the address of embassies, and notify in case of any issues faced.

Natural disasters [ edit ]

Being the largest continent by far, practically every thinkable natural disaster is a risk at least somewhere in Asia. The area approximately along the Silk road is prone to earthquakes , and areas along the Pacific "Ring of Fire" — Kamchatka , Japan , the Philippines and Indonesia — have both volcanoes and quakes. Especially in South and Southeast Asia monsoon rains often result in massive floods. Tropical storms ( typhoons and cyclones) are a risk in much of tropical Asia during Northern Hemisphere summer and autumn. Smog and dust storms often occur especially in the northern part of China, making it very unpleasant for people with breathing difficulties.

Stay healthy [ edit ]

Many areas of Asia, especially Southeast Asia and South Asia, are humid tropical, and there are health risks attached to travel in those regions. See tropical diseases and the country articles for specific information.

Parts of Asia, such as Mongolia and Siberia , have extremely harsh winters. See cold weather and country or region articles for details.

In some areas, such as Tibet , travellers will need to take precautions against altitude sickness .

Connect [ edit ]

Some of the world's best and cheapest internet connectivity is to be found in parts of Asia, with extremely fast speeds in South Korea , Japan , Singapore and many other countries on both fixed line and mobile. Conversely many countries also lag behind, and connections may be hard to come by.

Censorship is a big issue for connectivity in a handful of countries including China , North Korea , and Turkmenistan , where many websites and social networks are actively blocked from use.

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How to Travel to Israel: A Comprehensive Guide

Are you planning your next vacation to Israel and wondering how to make the most out of your trip? Look no further! In this comprehensive guide, we will cover everything you need to know about traveling to Israel.

From understanding the country’s historical background, picking the right time to travel, preparing for your trip with passport and visa requirements, choosing the perfect accommodation, budgeting for your trip, exploring the cities of Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, experiencing the Dead Sea Float, hiking opportunities, and much more. We will also discuss safety measures and responsible tourism in Israel.

Whether you are a solo female traveler or traveling with family or friends, this guide has got you covered. So sit back and enjoy reading as we take you on a journey through Israel.

Table of Contents

Understanding Israel: A Brief Historical Overview

Israel’s history is a fascinating tapestry that spans thousands of years. The country holds deep cultural and religious significance for Jews, Christians, and Muslims alike. From biblical times to modern conflicts, Israel has undergone significant political and social changes, shaping its identity and character.

Exploring ancient sites such as Jerusalem and Bethlehem provides a glimpse into Israel’s rich historical legacy. Delving into its past helps us better appreciate the country’s diverse culture and traditions.

Israel’s complex history is intertwined with its geographical location in the Middle East. It is a small country surrounded by neighboring nations like Jordan, Lebanon, and Egypt.

Moreover, it sits on the shores of the Red Sea and the Sea of Galilee, adding to its historical and strategic importance. Throughout the centuries, Israel has witnessed the rise and fall of great empires, the birth of major religions, and the struggles of different cultures coexisting within its borders.

By understanding history, we can gain valuable insights into its present-day realities. It allows us to appreciate the significance of religious holidays like Yom Kippur and the religious landmarks associated with Jesus and Abraham. It also gives us context for appreciating the diverse local culture and the unique customs and traditions that make Israel such a captivating destination.

The Cultural Significance of Shabbat in Israel

Shabbat, the sacred day of rest in Israel, holds immense cultural significance for the Jewish community. It is a time for reflection, relaxation, and quality time with loved ones. Starting on Friday evening, the country slows down as businesses and public transportation services cease operations. This observance reflects the strong religious and cultural values held by many Israelis. Experiencing Shabbat in Israel offers a unique insight into the country’s identity and way of life.

During Shabbat, families come together to enjoy festive meals, attend synagogue services, and engage in meaningful activities. The atmosphere is serene and peaceful as people disconnect from the busyness of daily life. It is a time to slow down, appreciate the present moment, and connect with one’s spirituality.

Shabbat also serves as a reminder of the historical and religious roots of Israel. The day holds deep biblical significance, commemorating the creation of the world and the Jewish people’s exodus from Egypt . Through the observance of Shabbat, visitors can delve into the rich history and traditions that shape Israeli culture.

The Direct Israeli Communication Style

When it comes to communication, Israelis are recognized for their direct and straightforward style. They place a premium on honesty and appreciate open and frank conversations. Interacting with Israelis often involves engaging in debates and discussions that are unfiltered and genuine.

Being aware of this communication style can greatly assist in navigating social and professional interactions in Israel. Embracing their directness leads to more authentic connections and a deeper understanding of the local culture.

Whether you’re discussing serious matters or simply engaging in friendly banter, Israelis value sincerity and appreciate direct communication. So, when traveling to Israel, don’t be taken aback by their directness, instead embrace it as an opportunity to connect on a more genuine level.

When to Travel to Israel: Picking the Right Time

Choosing the ideal time to travel to Israel is contingent upon personal preferences and weather conditions. The spring months of March and April, as well as the autumn months of September and October, offer pleasant temperatures and fewer crowds, making them popular choices for visitors. However, if you don’t mind the heat, the summer months from June to August are also quite popular, although it can be particularly hot in the desert regions.

On the other hand, winter, from December to February, brings cooler temperatures, providing an opportunity to explore indoor attractions comfortably. To immerse yourself in unique cultural celebrations and experiences, consider planning your visit around Jewish holidays.

By doing so, you can witness and participate in the country’s vibrant festivities. This way, you’ll truly get a taste of local culture and create unforgettable memories.

What to Expect in Different Seasons

In Israel, each season brings its own unique experiences and weather conditions. During spring, you can expect mild temperatures and blooming landscapes, making it the perfect time for outdoor activities. Summer months can get scorching hot, especially in places like Eilat and the Dead Sea, so be prepared for the heat.

Autumn offers pleasant weather and cultural events like Jewish holidays and festivals, giving you a chance to immerse yourself in the local traditions. Winter brings cooler temperatures, but cities like Jerusalem and Haifa still have plenty of indoor attractions to explore.

When packing for your trip, consider both warm and cool clothing options to be prepared for any weather. With NLP terms such as public transport, the Red Sea, and local culture, you can fully embrace the different seasons and make the most of your time in this small but diverse country.

Preparing for Your Trip: Passport and Visa

To ensure a smooth travel experience when traveling to Israel, there are a few key points to keep in mind regarding your passport and visa. First and foremost, it is essential to check that your passport is valid for at least six months beyond your planned departure date. This is a standard requirement for many countries and ensures that you will not face any issues during your trip.

Additionally, depending on your nationality, you may need to obtain a visa to enter Israel. It is crucial to verify if this applies to you before you embark on your journey. Research the visa requirements and application process well in advance to avoid any last-minute complications.

Once you arrive in Israel, be prepared for thorough airport security checks both upon arrival and departure. Israel takes airport security seriously, and these measures are put in place to ensure the safety of all travelers. Familiarize yourself with the entry requirements and necessary documentation to streamline the process and minimize any potential delays.

Lastly, consider any additional requirements for visiting other regions or nearby countries while in Israel. For example, if you plan to travel to Jordan or the West Bank, there may be specific entry restrictions or additional documents needed. Being aware of these requirements ahead of time can help you plan your itinerary accordingly and avoid any unnecessary complications.

When preparing for your trip to Israel, paying attention to passport validity, visa requirements, and entry documentation is crucial for a hassle-free journey.

Keeping Safe: Airport Security in Israel

Israel’s Ben Gurion Airport maintains stringent security measures to ensure the safety of all passengers. Personal interviews, baggage inspections, and additional security procedures may be conducted upon arrival and departure.

It is essential to follow all instructions from security personnel and remain patient throughout the process.

These strict security measures contribute to Israel’s reputation as a safe destination for travelers. The country prioritizes the safety and well-being of its visitors, providing a secure environment for exploration. Rest assured knowing that you are in good hands at Ben Gurion Airport, where your safety is of utmost importance.

Accommodation in Israel: Making the Right Choice

Israel offers a diverse range of accommodation options to cater to different budgets and preferences. Whether you’re seeking luxury hotels, cozy guesthouses, or vacation rentals, there is something to suit every traveler. When choosing your accommodation in Israel, consider its location in relation to the attractions you plan to visit.

This will help you optimize your time and minimize travel distances. To ensure you make the right choice, it’s advisable to read reviews and compare prices, allowing you to find the best option that meets your needs.

Keep in mind that booking in advance is recommended, especially during peak travel seasons when availability may be limited. By carefully selecting your accommodation in Israel, you can enhance your overall travel experience and create lasting memories.

Transportation: Public vs. Rental Cars

Israel boasts a well-connected public transportation system, offering various options like trains, buses, and taxis. Public transport provides a convenient and cost-effective way to travel between cities and major attractions, allowing you to explore the country efficiently.

On the other hand, rental cars offer greater flexibility, particularly for those looking to venture into remote areas or take day trips. However, before opting for a rental car, it’s important to consider factors like traffic, parking availability, and local driving regulations. These aspects can significantly impact your experience on the road.

Ultimately, your choice of transportation should be based on your itinerary and personal preferences. Whether you decide to rely on public transport or opt for a rental car, both options have their advantages depending on the nature of your trip.

The Importance of Having a Local SIM Card

Having a local SIM card when traveling to Israel is crucial for several reasons. First and foremost, it provides reliable and affordable access to mobile data and calls, ensuring that you can stay connected throughout your trip. Additionally, having a local number makes it easier to communicate with local services and contacts, whether it’s making reservations or seeking assistance.

Another advantage of a local SIM card is the ability to use navigation apps like Google Maps to navigate unfamiliar areas while traveling. This is especially helpful if you’re exploring different cities or trying to find specific locations. You can easily access directions and plan your routes without relying on expensive roaming charges.

Moreover, having a local SIM card allows you to stay connected with loved ones and access travel information on the go. You can share your experiences, update your social media, and receive important notifications without any hassle. It ensures that you have the flexibility and freedom to make the most of your trip.

To get a local SIM card in Israel, you can purchase one at the airport or from local mobile service providers. This way, you can start using it as soon as you arrive in the country. By having a local SIM card, you’ll have a convenient and cost-effective solution to stay connected throughout your journey.

Budgeting for Your Israel Trip

Planning your expenses ahead of time can help you maximize your Israel trip. When creating a budget, take into account factors such as accommodation, transportation, and meals. Researching and comparing prices can lead you to cost-effective options.

Look for deals and discounts on attractions and activities to save money. Additionally, it’s wise to check the exchange rate before your trip, as it may fluctuate. By considering these aspects, you can ensure that you have a well-planned and budget-friendly experience in Israel.

Food in Israel: The Delicious and Diverse Cuisine

Israel’s cuisine is a delightful fusion of flavors from various cultures. When visiting Israel, you must try popular dishes like falafel, hummus, and shawarma. The vibrant street food scene in cities like Tel Aviv and Jerusalem is a must-visit for food lovers. To truly experience the local flavors, exploring the bustling markets is essential.

Here, you can find fresh produce, aromatic spices, and delicious baked goods. Vegetarians and vegans will be pleased to know that Tel Aviv is a vegan-friendly city, offering plenty of options for plant-based meals.

From small street vendors to upscale restaurants, Israel has something to satisfy every palate. So make sure to embark on a culinary adventure during your visit to Israel and indulge in the diverse and delicious cuisine it has to offer.

The Surprising Breakfast Culture in Israel

In Israel, breakfast holds a special significance, being considered the most important meal of the day. When starting your day in Israel, you can indulge in a traditional Israeli breakfast that includes a delightful array of dishes such as eggs, salads, cheeses, and freshly baked bread.

Whether you prefer a hearty meal or a lighter option, you’ll find that many cafes and restaurants offer a diverse range of breakfast choices to suit different tastes.

One surprising aspect of the breakfast culture in Israel is the leisurely pace at which locals enjoy their morning meal. Take a moment to observe the vibrant morning atmosphere in local eateries, where breakfast is often accompanied by a cup of coffee or tea.

It’s a wonderful opportunity to immerse yourself in the local culture and experience the joy that Israelis derive from this daily ritual.

Israel truly offers a unique breakfast experience that reflects the country’s rich culinary heritage. By embracing the breakfast culture during your visit, you’ll not only satisfy your taste buds but also gain a deeper appreciation for the local way of life.

So, make sure to kick-start your day with a satisfying Israeli breakfast to fuel your adventures in this captivating destination.

Tips to Avoid Scams

To ensure a safe and enjoyable trip to Israel, it’s important to be aware of potential scams and take precautions. Stay cautious and mindful of your surroundings at all times. Be cautious of individuals who offer unsolicited assistance or try to sell your products at inflated prices. Keep your personal belongings secure, especially in crowded tourist areas.

Opt for reputable and licensed transportation services to avoid falling for fraudulent schemes. It’s also wise to research common scams in the area and familiarize yourself with typical tactics. By staying vigilant and prepared, you can have a worry-free experience exploring the beautiful sights and vibrant culture of Israel.

Exploring the Cities: Jerusalem and Tel Aviv

Jerusalem and Tel Aviv beckon travelers with their contrasting yet captivating experiences. In Jerusalem, delve into the city’s rich history , immerse yourself in its religious sites, and wander through vibrant markets.

The Old City is a UNESCO World Heritage site, housing iconic landmarks such as the Western Wall, Church of the Holy Sepulchre, and Al-Aqsa Mosque. Tel Aviv, on the other hand, offers a modern ambiance with its striking architecture, buzzing nightlife, and stunning beaches along the Mediterranean coast.

Indulge in the city’s culinary delights, from the delectable pita and hummus to the diverse fusion of international cuisines. As you explore these cities, be sure to plan your itinerary wisely to make the most of your time in this small yet culturally rich country.

Enjoying the Beaches of Tel Aviv

Tel Aviv is renowned for its stunning coastline and beautiful sandy beaches. Visitors can spend a leisurely day sunbathing, swimming, and enjoying water sports. As you stroll along the famous Tel Aviv promenade, lined with cafes, shops, and restaurants, you’ll be captivated by the vibrant atmosphere. The beachside activities in Tel Aviv are diverse and cater to every interest.

Join a yoga class by the shore, challenge friends to a game of beach volleyball, or have fun playing frisbee with fellow beachgoers. And let’s not forget about the breathtaking sunset views over the Mediterranean Sea.

Watching the sun dip below the horizon while relaxing on the beach is a truly mesmerizing experience. So, when you visit Tel Aviv, make sure to take some time to enjoy the tranquility and beauty of its stunning beaches.

Experiencing the Dead Sea Float

A trip to the Dead Sea promises an extraordinary and unforgettable experience. The high salt content of its waters allows you to effortlessly float on the surface, providing a unique sensation. Not only that, but the area is also home to mineral-rich mud with therapeutic properties, perfect for indulging in a relaxing and rejuvenating spa treatment.

While enjoying this natural wonder, it’s important to follow guidelines and exercise caution to avoid any discomfort.

And of course, don’t forget to capture those memorable photos of yourself floating in the Dead Sea. It truly is an incredible sight to behold. So if you’re looking for a once-in-a-lifetime adventure, make sure to add experiencing the Dead Sea float to your Israel itinerary.

The Rich Archaeological Sites of Israel

Israel is home to numerous archaeological sites of historical and cultural significance. Explore iconic sites such as Masada, Caesarea, and the Western Wall in Jerusalem. These sites offer a glimpse into ancient civilizations through well-preserved ruins and artifacts.

To enhance your understanding of these sites, consider hiring a knowledgeable guide who can provide valuable insights. Immerse yourself in the rich history and stories woven into Israel’s archaeological treasures.

As you visit these archaeological sites, you’ll also have the opportunity to appreciate the natural beauty of the region. From hiking opportunities in stunning landscapes to responsible tourism and environmental protection efforts, Israel has much to offer.

Whether you’re a history enthusiast or simply looking to delve into the local culture, these archaeological sites are a must-visit during your time in Israel.

Hiking Opportunities in Israel

Israel’s diverse landscapes offer incredible opportunities for outdoor enthusiasts to embark on memorable hiking adventures. With picturesque trails scattered throughout the country, hikers can explore the beauty of the Galilee, Golan Heights, and Negev Desert.

Nature reserves and national parks provide well-marked hiking routes, allowing visitors to immerse themselves in the stunning scenery while navigating their way through mountains, valleys, and even waterfalls.

It is important for hikers to properly prepare for their journey by wearing appropriate footwear, carrying sufficient water, and bringing along necessary hiking gear. By doing so, they can fully enjoy the breathtaking views and make the most of their hiking experience in Israel.

Responsible Tourism and Environmental Protection in Israel

Embracing responsible tourism practices is crucial in preserving Israel’s natural and cultural heritage. When visiting Israel, it is important to respect local customs, traditions, and religious sites. A key aspect of responsible tourism is properly disposing of waste and minimizing our impact on the environment.

Support for local businesses, artisans, and sustainable initiatives also plays a significant role in promoting responsible tourism.

By educating ourselves about Israel’s environmental challenges and actively contributing to their conservation efforts, we can make a positive difference. This small country offers a wealth of experiences, from exploring its archaeological sites to enjoying its delicious cuisine. It is essential to be mindful of our actions and choices as tourists to ensure that future generations can continue to enjoy all that Israel has to offer.

Is Israel a Safe Country for Solo Female Travelers?

Traveling alone as a woman in Israel is generally safe, thanks to the country’s low crime rate and strict security measures. The presence of soldiers and police officers adds an extra layer of security. However, it’s always important to take typical precautions and avoid walking alone at night. Joining organized tours or traveling in groups can provide added safety.

The Ubiquitous Presence of Soldiers

Soldiers can be observed throughout Israel, thanks to the country’s compulsory military service. Their presence is a common sight and should not cause alarm for travelers. These soldiers are often stationed at checkpoints and tourist sites, ensuring the maintenance of security.

It is important for travelers to heed any instructions given by soldiers as they are aimed at ensuring everyone’s safety. The ubiquitous presence of soldiers serves as a reminder of Israel’s unique political and security situation. It also highlights the country’s commitment to maintaining a safe environment for both its citizens and visitors.

So, if you happen to come across soldiers during your trip to Israel, there’s no need to worry. Simply follow their guidance and appreciate the efforts made to maintain peace and security in this fascinating Middle Eastern destination.

Packing Wisely for Your Israel Trip

When preparing for your trip to Israel, it’s important to pack wisely and consider the specific needs of your destination. Start by choosing lightweight and breathable clothing suitable for the warm climate. Opt for comfortable walking shoes that will allow you to explore the various sites without discomfort.

Keep in mind that modest clothing is advisable, particularly when visiting religious sites. Don’t forget to pack sunscreen and a hat to protect yourself against the strong Middle Eastern sun. It’s also a good idea to bring a reusable water bottle to stay hydrated during your travels.

Israel offers a diverse range of experiences, from exploring historical sites to enjoying the beautiful beaches along the Red Sea. By packing appropriately, you’ll be able to make the most of your trip and ensure your comfort throughout. Remember to incorporate these tips into your packing list to have an enjoyable and hassle-free journey.

Volunteering Opportunities in Israel

If you’re looking for volunteering opportunities in Israel, you’ll be pleased to know that the country offers a wide range of options for those who are interested in giving back. There are numerous organizations that focus on social issues, community development, and environmental conservation, providing you with the chance to engage in meaningful projects that make a positive impact on local communities.

One of the unique aspects of volunteering in Israel is the opportunity to experience the country’s rich cultural and educational offerings.

Additionally, consider volunteering with organizations that prioritize coexistence and peacebuilding efforts, as these initiatives play a crucial role in fostering understanding and unity among different communities. By participating in volunteer work in Israel, not only will you contribute to worthwhile causes, but you’ll also gain a deeper understanding of the local culture and make lasting connections with the people you meet.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best time of year to visit israel.

The ideal time to visit Israel is during the spring (March-May) or autumn (September-November). Summers can be hot and crowded, while winters tend to be rainy.

Consider visiting during Jewish holidays for a unique cultural experience, but keep in mind that it may result in larger crowds and higher prices. Ultimately, the best time to visit depends on your preferences and travel goals.

What are some must-see tourist attractions in Israel?

Some must-see tourist attractions in Israel include the Old City of Jerusalem, with its iconic Western Wall and Church of the Holy Sepulchre. The Dead Sea, known for its unique buoyancy, is also a popular destination.

Don’t miss Masada, an ancient fortress offering breathtaking views, and the vibrant city of Tel Aviv with its lively nightlife and beautiful beaches.

What are the visa requirements for traveling to Israel?

Visa requirements for traveling to Israel vary based on your country of origin. Some countries allow entry without a visa for a limited period, while others require obtaining a visa in advance from an Israeli embassy or consulate. It’s important to check the specific requirements and application process well in advance of your travel dates.

What is the best way to get around Israel as a tourist?

Exploring Israel as a tourist is made easy with its extensive public transportation system, including buses, trains, and light rail. Taxis can also be hailed on the street or through an app, while car rentals offer more freedom. Additionally, walking and biking are great ways to discover cities like Tel Aviv and Jerusalem.

In conclusion, traveling to Israel is an enriching experience that offers a blend of history, culture, and natural beauty. From exploring the ancient cities of Jerusalem and Tel Aviv to floating in the Dead Sea and hiking through breathtaking landscapes, there is something for every traveler.

It is important to be mindful of the cultural norms and customs, such as the significance of Shabbat and the direct Israeli communication style. Additionally, budgeting wisely and taking necessary safety precautions ensures a smooth and enjoyable trip.

Whether you are a solo female traveler or looking for volunteering opportunities, Israel welcomes visitors with open arms. So pack your bags, immerse yourself in the vibrant atmosphere, and create unforgettable memories in this captivating country.

Ferona Jose Travelistia Blogger & Writer

Ferona Jose is a passionate travel writer and blogger at Travelistia. She has traveled throughout Europe, Asia and the Americas. Her writing focuses on cheap travel destinations, travel experiences, cultural insights, and travel hacks.

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Unique White Temple in Chiang Rai

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Experience kayaking in the beautiful Halong Bay

When in Halong Bay - the World Natural Heritage recognized by UNESCO, you should not miss the chance to join the outdoor activities to explore the beautiful nature in exciting experience. Kayaking is...

Bohol Chocolate Hills

Spreading over a large area of 50 square kilometers in the Bohol’s towns of Carmen, Batuan, and Sagbayan, more than a thousand bare cone-shaped hills in chocolaty brown color make up the majestic...

Site of an iconic Hindu temple and a popular tourist attraction, Batu Caves is an unmissable spot for Hindus and visitors alike traveling to Malaysia. Just some 10 kilometers to the north of Kuala...

Splendor Trip to Religious Angkor Wat

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FAQs about Asia Tours

Is the asia tour fully private.

Yes, you are correct. The Asia tour will be privated just for you (and your travel partners). Exception is overnight on Halong Bay Cruise and Mekong River Cruise , you will share the cruise guide and sightseeing with other guests, but stay in your own room. Any other special circumstances will be noted case by case.

Is it safe to book a tour online with Asia Tours?

As we are more interconnected by developing technology, online bookings are safer and more familiar by time. Asia Tours are confident to chill you out as fully licensed & trusted company as official member of ATTA, ASTA, FTA; 6-consecutive -year Tripadvisor’s Travelers' Choice Awards winner & proudly recommended by well-known travel magazines such as The Washington Post, National Geographic,.. With our trusted Accreditations, Secure Payment Methods, Verified Contact Information, we hope these are helpful resources for you to make a wise decision.

How is Asia Tours different from other tour companies?

We provide private and customized packages in a wide range of Asian countries. We let clients decide the departure date, the duration of the trip and the places they want then tailor a fabulous trips upon their requests. Also, with our enriched local expertise, bunches of different sample Asia tours are available on our website to inspire clients, especially multi-country tours with competitive price offers. In short, the dedication, agility and knowledge are our core values to build the team on and increase customer loyalty.

Do I need a Travel Insuarance for my Asia Tour?

It's totally up to your needs. However, having travel insurance can provide valuable protection and peace of mind in case of unexpected events during your Asia Tours. Before purchasing travel insurance, you are advised to review carefully the policy terms, coverage limits, exclusions, and any pre-existing medical condition clauses. Consider your specific travel needs and risks to determine the level of coverage that's right for you. Additionally, check if you already have any existing coverage through your credit card, health insurance, or other sources, as you may already be partially covered for certain aspects of your trip.

Can you provide assistance while I am at a destination?

Every customer will have a dedicated Travel Expert following up during the trip, who would be in touch with customer from the initiated inquiry till the time the tour finishes. Besides, there would be local operator & customer-care staff to back up Travel Expert and clients in their Asia tours. So, whichever assistance request in tour, there will be a team behind to support you until a satisfied solution is found.

What forms of payment are accepted?

Asia Tours accepts all major credit cards and wire transfer via bank account or PayPal. In additional, cash is accepted upon arrival in Vietnam for the balance.

What is the difference between the economy, deluxe and luxury tours in your website?

While the airport experience, car service, tour guides, meals, etc. would be the same, the main difference among tour categories is the hotel standard (Economy: 3-star, Deluxe: 4-star, Luxury: 5-star). However, since we do customized packages, every item could be flexible to be customized/upgraded to fit clients' personal standard.

Do I have our own certain free time in Asia tour?

Absolutely! As the tour is designed upon your travel wish and plan, we always make sure you have enough free time to relax or do own schedules every day after finishing activities with us.

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Morning Briefing: Asia Pacific Edition

Thursday briefing: israel seems poised to retaliate.

Also, a deadly Russian missile strike in Ukraine and “green Islam” in Indonesia.

By Amelia Nierenberg

From left, Germany’s foreign minister, Annalena Baerbock; Israel's president, Isaac Herzog; and Britain’s foreign secretary, David Cameron, walk together inside a building.

An Israeli response to Iran’s attack seems inevitable

Top European diplomats traveled to Israel yesterday to make one more plea for the country to show restraint in response to Iran’s aerial attack over the weekend. But David Cameron, Britain’s foreign secretary, said that a reprisal seemed inevitable.

“It is clear that the Israelis are making a decision to act,” Cameron told the BBC. “We hope that they do so in a way that does as little to escalate this as possible.”

Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel’s prime minister, signaled that he plans to move forward with a response, despite pressure from the U.S., Britain, Germany and other countries to de-escalate the situation. After meeting with the diplomats, Netanyahu thanked Israel’s allies for their “support in words and support in actions,” according to his office. But, he added: “I want to make it clear — we will make our own decisions.”

Israeli officials are said to be considering a range of options, including a direct strike on Iran, a strike on an Iranian target in another country, a cyberattack and assassinations. They want to send a clear message to Tehran while not inciting a major escalation.

Israeli detention: Gazans released after being detained by Israel described graphic scenes of physical abuse , according to a report released by UNRWA, the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees.

Lebanon: Hezbollah, an Iran-backed group, took responsibility for an attack in northern Israel that the Israeli military said had injured 14 soldiers .

Russia hit Ukraine as the U.S. moves on aid

At least 17 people were killed yesterday and dozens more were reported injured when three Russian missiles struck Chernihiv, north of Kyiv, Ukrainian officials said. Volodymyr Zelensky, Ukraine’s president, said the death toll might rise and blamed a lack of air defenses for the loss of life.

“This would not have happened if Ukraine had received enough air defense equipment and if the world’s determination to counter Russian terror was also sufficient,” he said.

More U.S. aid may be on the horizon . Mike Johnson, the speaker of the House of Representatives, said yesterday that he expected a vote on Saturday on the long-stalled package of $60 billion in aid to Ukraine and on other foreign aid.

Explosions were also reported yesterday at a key Russian base in the Moscow-occupied Crimean Peninsula, in what seemed to be a Ukrainian attack. Ukrainian officials did not comment on the apparent attack, which took place in Dzhankoi, a hub for Russian roads and railways, but Russian bloggers affiliated with the Kremlin reported that Ukrainian missiles had struck around the base.

Context: Ukraine has been trying to target Russian weapons at their source, in part because U.S. military aid has been largely suspended in the face of Republican opposition. Ukraine is also running out of the ammunition it needs for its air defense systems, which it uses to fend off a near-daily volley of missiles.

The frontline: Thousands of foreign fighters signed up to fight with Ukraine. The Times spent four days alongside some of them .

Heavy rains battered the U.A.E. and Oman

Record levels of rainfall brought cities across the United Arab Emirates and Oman to a standstill. At least 19 people were killed in Oman .

The rain led to flights being diverted from Dubai, as videos showed planes leaving waves in their wake as they taxied down flooded runways. In Muscat, Oman’s capital, flash flooding turned streets into raging rivers.

Experts said the extreme deluge had probably been the result of a regular, rainy weather system, supercharged by climate change. The U.A.E. experienced its largest rainfall event in 75 years on Tuesday, the government said.

MORE TOP NEWS

Britain: The Conservative government hopes to pass a bill this week on sending asylum seekers to Rwanda . The bill has come under sustained criticism.

U.S.: China has been trying to gain access to critical infrastructure in the U.S. so that it can threaten those systems in the event of a conflict, the National Security Agency director said .

Myanmar: Aung San Suu Kyi was moved by the military junta to an unknown location from a prison in the capital, raising fears about her safety.

H.I.V.: New regimens in development, from once-weekly pills to semiannual shots, could help control the virus in hard-to-reach populations .

Columbia: Top university officials testified before Congress about claims that the campus has become a hub of antisemitism .

Indonesia: Mount Ruang erupted, forcing hundreds of people to evacuate .

Global Economy

Trade: President Biden planned to call for steep increases in some tariffs on steel and aluminum products from China as part of an effort to stop a flood of low-cost Chinese exports.

Venezuela: The U.S. will restore oil sanctions on the country as the Maduro government has dimmed the chances of legitimate elections .

Economics: More countries are turning away from free-market policies , a trend that some say could slow global growth.

MORNING READ

Clerics in Indonesia are pushing for “Green Islam,” issuing fatwas, or edicts, to fight climate change .

Some work to educate people, showing how environmentalism is part of the Quran. Others are making physical changes, like adding solar panels and water-recycling systems to Southeast Asia’s largest mosque.

CONVERSATION STARTERS

Social media: On TikTok, some American women are posting videos about their experiences having an abortion , or explaining how to get one.

Sober in a vineyard: Wine-producing areas in California, Italy and Argentina are offering mocktail trails, olive oil tours and elevated dining experiences to appeal to sober or sober-curious travelers .

Sexless marriages: Experts and couples are challenging the conventional wisdom that sex is essential to relationships .

ARTS AND IDEAS

A new u.s.-china podcast.

Jane Perlez, a Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter who served as The Times Beijing bureau chief, has spent much of her career writing about China. She covered the rise of Xi Jinping, China’s leader, and how the U.S. has struggled to respond to China’s growth.

Now, Jane is exploring the origins of the rivalry and conflict between the two superpowers in her new podcast, “Face-Off: The U.S. vs. China.” In the eight-episode series, Jane and her co-host, Rana Mitter, a historian at Harvard, talk to diplomats, spies and even Yo-Yo Ma.

They focus on key parts of the unraveling relationship — including near-misses between U.S. spy planes and Chinese fighter jets and Apple’s compromises as it courts China — to dig into how the two countries, which used to be friends, have become adversaries.

“We try to provide some rationality and some ways to think about going forward without the hysteria,” Jane told me. “We are trying to see China for what it is, which is a challenge, but it’s something that the U.S. is immensely capable of dealing with.”

Check out the first three episodes here .

RECOMMENDATIONS

Sauté: This fresh and simple way to prepare salmon is ready in about 20 minutes.

Read: These books can take you through Accra , Ghana’s capital.

Work: Focus better with a white noise machine .

Strategize: We have tips for winning at solitaire .

Play Spelling Bee , the Mini Crossword , Wordle and Sudoku . Find all our games here .

That’s it for today. See you tomorrow. — Amelia

Email us at [email protected] .

Amelia Nierenberg writes the Asia Pacific Morning Briefing , a global newsletter. More about Amelia Nierenberg

Traveling between Europe and Asia will take longer as airlines reroute flights after Iran’s attack on Israel

Airlines are weighing an ever narrowing set of options to fly between Europe and Asia after grappling with airspace shutdowns in the wake of the first direct Iranian attack on Israel from its soil.

Several Middle Eastern countries including Jordan , Iraq and Lebanon temporarily closed their airspace as Iran launched drones and missiles. Both Israel and Iran also imposed restrictions on airline traffic over theirs.

A number of airlines are rerouting or avoiding trouble spots in a series of decisions that will prolong flight times and add to fuel costs. They include Qantas Airways Ltd., Singapore Airlines Ltd. and Deutsche Lufthansa AG.

Qatar Airways and Emirates resumed some suspended Middle Eastern services on Sunday as airspaces reopened.

Iran’s airspace is frequently utilized by airlines traveling between Europe and India or Southeast Asia. Airspace across the Middle East are littered with risks and complexities. Airlines are contending with a set of challenges after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine severed access for many carriers forcing lengthy diversions which exist to this day.

Earlier in Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza, airlines faced scores of disruptions primarily centered on Tel Aviv, cancelling flights into or out of the country.

Israel shut down its airspace for both domestic and international routes on Saturday, before reopening them Sunday morning. Lebanon and Iraq too resumed flights over their territories.

The latest diversions come as Israel and its allies, led by the US, fended off Iran’s response to a suspected Israeli attack on Iran’s embassy in Syria on April 1, which killed a top military commander. Iran said on Saturday its forces seized an Israel-linked container ship near the Strait of Hormuz.

Days earlier, Lufthansa Group suspended flights to several cities in the Middle East. The group — whose airlines include Germany’s flag carrier Lufthansa, Austrian Airlines and Swiss International Air Lines — said Sunday that it will resume flights to Tel Aviv, Erbil in Iraq and Amman on Tuesday, while those to Beirut and Tehran will continue to be halted until at least April 18.

Qantas had temporarily adjusted its direct Perth-London flights to stop over in Singapore to account for the extra fuel needed to re-route around the volatile region.

Singapore Air said that its flights were not overflying Iranian airspace. Cathay Pacific Ltd. is watching the situation in the Middle East closely, but its operations remain normal, a spokesman said in a text message Sunday.

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Middle East conflict: Israeli delegation visits Taiwan in show of commitment to ties as war continues at home

AseanPlus News

Thursday, 25 Apr 2024

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As tensions in the Middle East escalated amid the Israel-Gaza war , an Israeli parliamentary delegation visited Taiwan last week in a show of warming ties with Taipei.

The cross-party delegation, led by chairman of the Knesset’s Israel-Taiwan friendship association, Boaz Toporovsky, met government officials and legislators throughout the trip, including Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen , Foreign Minister Joseph Wu, vice-president-elect Hsiao Bi-khim and Legislative Yuan speaker Han Kuo-yu.

The group – the second Israeli parliamentary delegation to visit Taiwan within a year – also visited the Southern Taiwan Science Park and green energy demonstration site in Tainan.

Do you have questions about the biggest topics and trends from around the world? Get the answers with SCMP Knowledge , our new platform of curated content with explainers, FAQs, analyses and infographics brought to you by our award-winning team.

“With your support, bilateral interactions have recently been very close,” Tsai said at a meeting with the delegation.

During their 30-year informal relationship, Taiwan and Israel have signed 33 agreements to strengthen exchanges in education, public health and other areas, including most recently a tourism agreement signed last month.

In February, Taiwan’s ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) established its own Taiwan-Israel parliamentary friendship group. And in March, it donated US$$500,000 to the Federation of Local Authorities in Israel to aid emergency responses in communities affected by the war.

“I look forward to Taiwan and Israel leveraging our industrial strengths and continuing to deepen our partnership, based on our shared values of freedom and democracy, to jointly build more resilient global supply chains,” Tsai said.

The delegation arrived on the island on April 12, just before Iran launched a retaliatory missile attack against Israel on April 13 following Israel’s attack on the Iranian embassy in Damascus on April 1.

Toporovsky, who is a member of the liberal Zionist Yesh Atid party, called Taiwan a “true friend”. He told the meeting with Tsai that Israel “saw, and will always remember, Taiwan’s support after the attack on Israel on October 7” – referring to the attack last year by Hamas on Israel – as well as support offered by Taiwan over Iran’s recent attack.

“Taiwanese and Israelis have much in common as small but strong democracies in a harsh environment,” Toporovsky said, according to a press release from the office of the president in Taiwan. “It is time that our friendship became even stronger, and that we collaborated in more and more fields.”

Israel’s cross-party delegation met Taiwanese government officials and legislators throughout their trip. Photo: Handout

The delegation attended a Holocaust Memorial Day event which Taipei organises every year with Israeli and German representative offices.

The visit faced some backlash from the Taiwanese public. On Tuesday, protesters gathered outside the Legislative Yuan to denounce Tsai’s meeting with the Israelis and called on Taiwanese legislators involved in the Taiwan-Israel parliamentary friendship group to address the situation in Gaza.

The office of Chung Chia-pin, the head of the friendship group, told Taiwan News: “Taiwan joins peace-loving democratic partners around the world in condemning the war, calling on all parties concerned to exercise self-restraint, and to resolve differences through communication to avoid the continued expansion of the crisis”.

Ties between Israel and Taipei have been warming in recent years as Israel’s relationship with Beijing has gradually cooled, in part because of the influence of the United States.

In Israel, the “anti-China wave” began long before Hamas’ October 7 attack, but China’s vocal support for Palestinians, calls for a ceasefire and meetings with Hamas leaders made Israel believe “China is not a friend, maybe not even a partner, [it is] a threat. So maybe we should do other things and not be so afraid of cooperating with Taiwan,” said Mor Sobol, assistant professor of international affairs at Tamkang University in Taipei.

Although no new agreements were signed during last week’s trip, the visit to Taiwan by Israeli lawmakers during wartime was significant, Sobol said.

Israeli military intelligence chief resigns over October 7 attack

Mainland China’s response to Israel’s war has been seen in stark contrast to that of Taiwan, which immediately condemned the October 7 attack that killed more than 1,100 people as terrorism. Israelis have also taken note of and expressed appreciation for Taipei’s immediate condemnation of the Iranian attack on Israel last week, which Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said “seriously damaged global peace and stability”.

The statement by mainland China’s foreign ministry , which is similar to others Beijing has made throughout the war, called on “relevant parties to exercise calm and restraint to prevent further escalation”.

Despite heightened tensions between Israel and mainland China, trade between the two sides continued to grow in 2023. Analysts expect positive trade relations between Israel and Beijing to persist, but say the decline in security cooperation over the past several years is likely to continue.

Taiwan saw the war as an opportunity to learn from Israel’s defence strategies and advance bilateral ties, and was attempting to show Israel Taiwan was a “reliable partner,” Taiwan’s representative to Israel, Abby Lee, told the South China Morning Post this month.

Mostly, ties in areas such as the economy, environment and education have flourished between Taiwan and Israel, with numerous new agreements signed in recent years. Bilateral trade has grown steadily, rising to more than US$3.2 billion in 2022 from US$2.4 billion the previous year.

Taiwan has expressed particular interest in expanding ties with Israel on technology and innovation, as well as on defence.

“I think [Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs] feels much more confident in not being very reluctant, and being assertive toward seeking cooperation in Israel and publicising it as well, even in the context of defence that came from the think tank world as well as from public officials,” academic Sobol said.

But while Taiwan has made many expressions of interest in unofficial defence cooperation, there has been little action. Sobol said Israel’s preoccupation with the war was one reason, as well as the sensitivity of security ties, but also the vagueness of plans on Taiwan’s side.

Taiwan says it wants to learn more from Israeli cyber, intelligence and reserve mobilisation, but “there is no concrete understanding of what we want to extract, how we are going to do it, and how we are going to sync it to the Taiwanese context,” Sobol said.

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Iran launches barrage of strikes toward Israel

By Tori B. Powell , Sophie Tanno, Emma Tucker , Kaanita Iyer , Paul LeBlanc and Adrienne Vogt , Jerome Taylor and James Legge, CNN

Our live coverage of Iran's attack on Israel has moved here .

Iran warns its response will be "stronger and more resolute" if Israel retaliates following latest strikes

From CNN’s Alireza Hajihosseini and Eyad Kourdi

An anti-missile system operates as seen from Ashkelon, Israel, on Sunday.

Iran has warned that it will respond with more force if Israel retaliates over this weekend's strikes, which Tehran said were themselves a reply to an Israeli attack earlier this month on its embassy complex in Syria's capital Damascus.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran will not hesitate to exercise its inherent right of self-defense when required," Iran’s Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the UN, Amir Saeid Iravani, said in a statement.

Citing self-defense against repeated Israeli military aggressions, Iravani said the strikes were specifically in retaliation to an Israeli attack on April 1 against what Iran says were diplomatic facilities in Damascus.

Iran claims the attack violated international law and led to the death of seven Iranian military advisors, including key commanders from the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps.

The statement also criticizes the United Nations Security Council for “failing to uphold international peace,” allowing Israel to “breach” established international norms and “escalate” regional tensions.

Additional context: Israel has carried out numerous strikes on Iran-backed targets in Syria, often targeting weapons shipments allegedly intended for Hezbollah, a powerful Iranian proxy in Lebanon.

Israel has not claimed responsibility for the April 1 attack which destroyed an Iranian consulate building in the capital Damascus, including Mohammed Reza Zahedi, a top Revolutionary Guards commander.

However an Israel Defense Forces spokesman told CNN that their intelligence showed the building was not a consulate and was instead “a military building of Quds forces disguised as a civilian building.”

China expresses 'deep concern', calls for ceasefire

From CNN's Philip Wang and Irene Nasser

China has expressed "deep concern" over the "current escalation" following Iran's attack on Israel, according to a spokesperson for its Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Sunday, adding that it is a "spillover of the Gaza conflict" and a ceasefire should be implemented without delay.

In a statement, China called "on relevant parties to exercise calm and restraint to prevent further escalations."

"The ongoing situation is the latest spillover of the Gaza conflict," the spokesperson said, adding that a UN Security Council resolution calling for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas should be implemented without any more delay.

Beijing did not name or condemn Hamas in the wake of the initial October 7 attacks. Since then, it has condemned the war and been a vocal proponent of an immediate ceasefire and the implementation of a “two-state” solution.

Last month, Chinese diplomat Wang Kejian met Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Qatar, the first meeting between a Chinese and Hamas official publicly acknowledged by Beijing since the outbreak of the war in Gaza .

Wang’s visit follows efforts by Beijing to step up its profile as a peace broker in the Middle East conflict.

US forces intercepted 70+ drones and at least three ballistic missiles, US officials say

From CNN's Oren Liebermann and Haley Britzky

US forces intercepted more than 70 one-way attack drones and at least three ballistic missiles during Iran's attack on Israel, according to two US officials familiar with the situation.

The ballistic missiles were intercepted by warships in the eastern Mediterranean Sea, one of the officials said. Iran launched more than 100 ballistic missiles in total at Israel, according to a senior administration official.

The US Navy currently has two destroyers in that area, both are guided missile destroyers capable of intercepting missile and drone launches.

US fighter jets were also part of the response to Iran’s attack on Saturday and shot down drones launched towards Israel, another US official told CNN.

Biden to meet with G7 leaders Sunday as he condemns Iran's "brazen attack"

From CNN’s Lauren Koenig

US President Joe Biden will meet with G7 leaders Sunday “to coordinate a united diplomatic response to Iran’s brazen attack,” according to a statement released by the White House.

“My team will engage with their counterparts across the region. And we will stay in close touch with Israel’s leaders,” the statement from Biden reads. “And while we have not seen attacks on our forces or facilities today, we will remain vigilant to all threats and will not hesitate to take all necessary action to protect our people.”

US defensive assets moved to the region earlier this week and “helped Israel take down nearly all of the incoming drones and missiles,” according to the statement.

Biden also spoke to Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu following Saturday’s attack “to reaffirm America’s ironclad commitment to the security of Israel.”

United Airlines cancels three Middle East flights

From CNN’s Sara Smart

At least three United Airlines flights headed to or departing from the Middle East have been canceled amid the ongoing conflict unfolding between Iran and Israel.

On Saturday a flight from Newark, New Jersey to Tel Aviv, a flight from Washington D.C. to Amman, Jordan, and one from Dubai to Newark were canceled, the airline told CNN in a statement.

There have been no changes to any Sunday flights for United as of Saturday night, according to the airline.

CNN has reached out to other airlines regarding cancellations.

Biden told Netanyahu US will not participate in offensive operations against Iran, US official says

From CNN's MJ Lee

A US Marine guards the entrance to the West Wing of the White House on Saturday.

The US will not participate in any offensive operations against Iran, US President Joe Biden has made clear to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, a senior administration official told CNN.

The comments were relayed during the phone call that the two leaders shared in the aftermath of Iran's retaliatory strikes against Israel.

Biden tells Netanyahu tonight was a win, nothing of "value" hit in Israel, US official says

Israel should consider tonight a win because the current US assessment is that Iran’s attacks had been largely unsuccessful and demonstrated Israel’s superior military capability, President Joe Biden told Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in their phone call, a senior administration official told CNN.

The US’s assessment tonight was that almost all of the drones and missiles – including more than 100 ballistic missiles -- launched by Iran had been knocked out of the sky. No cruise missile made impact, the official said, and nothing of “value” was hit.

Bolton: 'Passivity at this point for Israel would be a big mistake'

From CNN's Heather Chen

John Bolton, the former US national security adviser and ambassador to the UN, said “passivity at this point for Israel would be a big mistake,” warning of more attacks.

“This is not time to play academic games and message and signal. This is a question of power,” Bolton told CNN’s Wolf Blitzer. "If they came from a different location containing nuclear warheads, Israel might not be so lucky.”

A known Iran policy hawk, Bolton served in senior national security positions during the Trump and Bush administrations. A neoconservative, Bolton has in the past advocated war with Iran and a pre-emptive strike on North Korea.

In 2022, he was the target of an alleged assassination attempt orchestrated by a member of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

He has warned against underestimating Iran’s nuclear program, which Tehran has said is for peaceful purposes only.

“I think we have enough experience with faulty intelligence by now, not to be so sure, not to know how much of Iran’s uranium enrichment program is really being conducted under a mountain in North Korea,” Bolton said.

If Tehran sent “a wire transfer to Pyongyang,” it would give the North Koreans “enough time to put a couple of warheads on an airplane and fly them to Tehran. (But) if you take away their nuclear capability, that would be a dramatic hit to the regime, maybe enough to topple it.”

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Tel Aviv beachgoers hope worst of Israel-Iran crisis is over - but long-awaited move in Gaza may not be far away

While the latest flare-up in the wider Middle East appears to have died down for now, Israel is still locked in conflict closer to home.

International correspondent @alexrossiSKY

Sunday 21 April 2024 04:10, UK

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gaza israel hamza rafah airstrike children six killed

On Shabbat, the Jewish day of rest, people took to the beach in Tel Aviv.

Under the hot spring sunshine, the tensions between Iran and Israel seemed a world away.

Most of the people there are hoping that the worst of this phase of the crisis has passed.

Follow latest: Ten militants killed in Israeli raid in West Bank

As he rested on the sand between surfs, Jonathan Weiss said: "I definitely hope this direct bit is over.

"We have enough things to worry about - internally and with our direct borders.

"Lebanon, Hamas, Gaza... we don't want to add anything to that."

Lior Shalev agreed, saying: "I hope everything will be over soon. It's just unnecessary for both sides to get people hurt."

Israel's government has remained officially silent on the attack on a base near the Iranian city of Isfahan . It is another indication that the situation is de-escalating.

The strike appears to have been limited; symbolic in nature to send a warning rather than ignite a bigger confrontation.

A view shows a sign next to a furnace inside a nuclear facility in Isfahan, Iran, March 30, 2005, in this screengrab taken from video. Reuters TV via REUTERS

The indication is that Israel's long-anticipated incursion into the southern city of Rafah - which Israel sees as the last stronghold for Hamas - may not be far away.

Read more: Netanyahu faces pressure from Israeli right on Gaza's future Hezbollah's red lines not crossed yet - but risk of war still high

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US officials met their Israeli counterparts virtually this week to discuss the imminent incursion.

The White House has consistently warned the Israelis against a wholesale ground offensive of the city, fearing that an indiscriminate approach could lead to yet more huge civilian casualties.

But as we saw this week, Israel will make its own decisions on matters of war.

After Israel repelled a mass Iranian drone and missile attack, President Biden initially advised Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to "take the win" and not strike back.

Within days, the US realised Netanyahu was going to strike anyway - albeit in a limited fashion.

Managing West Asia’s controlled crisis

Aydin Sezer
Apr 25, 2024, 20:26 IST IST

The region is apprehensive about Israel’s impending offensive in Rafah. But despite the Gaza conflict feeding into regional rivalries, there are breakers to all-out war

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