Israel on your own, on a budget anyone done it?
Discussion
As the title says really, for sometime I've been drawn to head to israel, but everywhere and everyone seems insistent that an organised tour is the way to go; however these seem to cost mega bucks, and I enjoy solo travel for the people I meet.
Anyone done it solo, anyone have any advice?
Anyone done it solo, anyone have any advice?
Not solo, but independent with the kids. Well recommended - I got a flight with Easyjet, stayed in an apartment in Tel Aviv. Really fantastic place. Then hired a car and visited Jerusalem, which is incredible. I can't comment on any tours, but I wuld say that Israel is easy enough to visit on your own.
Amateurish said:
Easier than Jordan in my experience, mainly because we got lots of hassle as independent travellers in Jordan (from hawkers and the like).
We were lucky I think, went out of season so there weren't too many hawkers around, covered the country from Jerash in the North all the way down to Petra via incredible mountain passes, the dead sea and lots inbetween.Have to say I loved the country, the friendliness of the people was great and though it was slightly surreal standing on the banks of the Jordan chatting across the river to people in Israel whilst armed guards looked on, I never got even the slightest whiff of any trouble.
Pleased to hear Israel is easier, I'm heading back to Jordan early next year, going for longer this time in order to accommodate both Aqaba and a trip to Israel.
Amateurish said:
To be fair, the hassle we got was in Petra which isn't that surprising given the level of tourism. We took the bus to Aqaba, and had no trouble there at all. I wonder if things are more difficult there now with all the Syrian refugees?
They're pretty much all concentrated in one main area not far from Jerash, we drove through / past a couple of encampments and other than a lot of pretty miserable looking people there didn't seem to be anything major going on.Talking to the locals there was a bit of displeasure with them being there as the Jordanian state struggles to take care of its own people, never mind thousands of outsiders, I doubt enough to cause a big rucus though.
Yes, Petra is rather full of "tour guides" though a guide is definately necessary if you want to do the place justice.
No reason why you shouldn't do your own fly-drive as long as you don't head off into the West Bank villages on your own. Or, if you're on a tight budget, the bus network is very comprehensive. There are hundreds of hotels of all grades, from super luxurious to hostels. Everyone speaks English. Israeli drivers can be a bit manic, but no more so than French and Italian drivers. Stick to the main cities (TA, Haifa, Jerusalem, Eilat) and you'll be fine. It's a small country so you can cover top to bottom in a week.
t off their shoes and also they aren't all having affairs with Muslims. Orthodox Jewish women apparently wear Burqas too! audidoody said:
No reason why you shouldn't do your own fly-drive as long as you don't head off into the West Bank villages on your own. Or, if you're on a tight budget, the bus network is very comprehensive. There are hundreds of hotels of all grades, from super luxurious to hostels. Everyone speaks English. Israeli drivers can be a bit manic, but no more so than French and Italian drivers. Stick to the main cities (TA, Haifa, Jerusalem, Eilat) and you'll be fine. It's a small country so you can cover top to bottom in a week.
Sound advice, IME hotels are expensive relative to what they offer. Sea of Galilee, Masada, Dead sea worth adding to the list. And Jewish people tend to be a bit brusque
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