Things to do in Israel

25 things to do in Israel

Listed in full below. The running order is set by votes and loads with the page.

• Touch the ancient stones of the Western Wall in Jerusalem

  Place a prayer note between the massive Herodian stones of this sacred Jewish site, alive with whispered prayers day and night.

  Jerusalem

• Float effortlessly on the Dead Sea at Ein Bokek

  Lie back in the hypersaline water and feel your body bob like a cork, surrounded by mineral-rich mud and stark desert cliffs.

  Ein Bokek

• Hike Masada at dawn to watch the desert ignite

  Climb the Snake Path under stars, then stand on King Herod’s mountaintop fortress as the sun floods the Moab mountains and the Dead Sea.

  Masada National Park

• Snorkel among technicolour fish at Coral Beach in Eilat

  Slip into the warm Red Sea from a sandy cove and drift over a protected fringing reef teeming with parrotfish, butterflyfish and occasional dolphins.

  Eilat

• Ascend the terraced Bahá’í Gardens in Haifa

  Walk up nineteen meticulously manicured terraces on Mount Carmel, with the golden-domed Shrine of the Báb crowning the hillside and the Mediterranean beyond.

  Haifa

• Eat legendary hummus at Abu Shukri in Jerusalem’s Old City

  Scoop warm, creamy chickpea paste with pita at this tiny stone-walled eatery on the Via Dolorosa, where the hummus is served with a generous pour of olive oil.

  Jerusalem

• Dive into Tel Aviv’s after-dark scene in Florentin

  Crawl between gritty bars, live-music cellars and late-night falafel stands in this graffiti-covered neighborhood that never truly sleeps.

  Florentin, Tel Aviv

• Remember the Holocaust at Yad Vashem

  Walk the haunting Hall of Names and the tree-lined Avenue of the Righteous on the Mount of Remembrance, an emotional, deeply personal journey through memory.

  Jerusalem

• Rappel into the Ramon Crater

  Strap on a harness and descend vertical desert walls into the world’s largest erosion cirque, then hike among prismatic sands and fossilized seabeds.

  Makhtesh Ramon

• Walk Herod’s port in Caesarea Maritima

  Stroll the wave-lapped Roman aqueduct and the restored hippodrome, then peer into the submerged breakwater of this architectural wonder built to honor Caesar Augustus.

  Caesarea

• Enter the chalky sea caves of Rosh Hanikra

  Ride a cable car down the white cliff face and wander through tunnels carved by the Mediterranean, where turquoise water thunders into echoing grottoes.

  Rosh Hanikra

• Lose yourself in the Crusader halls of Akko

  Descend into the subterranean Knights’ Halls and then roam the vibrant Arab souk in the same walled city where Marco Polo once embarked.

  Acre

• Graze through the stalls of Carmel Market, Tel Aviv

  Weave past pyramids of spices, towers of baklava and piles of ripe sabra fruit while vendors hawk their goods in a cheerful cacophony at the city’s largest shuk.

  Tel Aviv

• Cool off in the waterfalls of Ein Gedi Nature Reserve

  Follow a desert stream through hanging gardens into shaded canyons, then plunge into a freshwater pool beneath a cascade while ibex watch from the cliffs.

  Ein Gedi

• Admire the zodiac mosaic at Beit Alfa synagogue

  Kneel before the stunning 6th-century floor depicting a biblical scene, a Hebrew zodiac wheel and a menorah, remarkably preserved on a kibbutz in the Jezreel Valley.

  Beit Alfa

• Sip cool-climate wines at Golan Heights Winery

  Sample crisp Sauvignon Blanc and velvety Cabernet Sauvignon overlooking the volcanic basalt slopes and vineyards that put Israeli wine on the world map.

  Katzrin, Golan Heights

• Crawl through the Bell Caves at Bet Guvrin

  Squeeze into vast underground chambers carved like giant bells, once quarries for limestone, and hear your echo bounce around the World Heritage-listed city under the city.

  Bet Guvrin

• Stand where Christ was crucified at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre

  Enter this cavernous, incense-scented church that houses Golgotha and the empty tomb, a profoundly sacred spot for Christian pilgrims since the 4th century.

  Jerusalem

• Watch the sun sink into the Med from Tel Aviv Port

  Perch on the wooden deck of the renovated old port as the sky turns coral and sails glide past, with the city lights beginning to twinkle behind you.

  Tel Aviv

• Wade through Hezekiah’s Tunnel in the City of David

  Splash through knee-deep water in a pitch-black 2,700-year-old aqueduct dug beneath the original Jerusalem, emerging into the sunlight of the Pool of Siloam.

  Jerusalem

• Camp beneath sandstone pillars in Timna Park

  Pitch a tent among King Solomon’s Pillars and eerie mushroom-like rock formations, then wake up to a sunrise that sets the red desert ablaze.

  Timna Valley

• Cycle the Yarkon River to the sea

  Rent a bike and pedal through eucalyptus groves and along the landscaped banks of the Yarkon, finishing where the river meets the Mediterranean at the Tel Aviv Port.

  Tel Aviv

• Dig into shakshuka at Dr. Shakshuka in Jaffa

  Crack through the runny yolks of eggs poached in a bubbling spiced tomato sauce at this legendary flea-market spot, where huge metal pans dangle from the ceiling.

  Jaffa

• Witness contemporary dance at Suzanne Dellal Centre

  See a cutting-edge performance by Israel’s top troupes in a restored 19th-century school in artsy Neve Tzedek, the city’s first Jewish neighborhood.

  Tel Aviv

• Explore the Nabatean ruins of Avdat on the Incense Route

  Step through a Roman bathhouse and a Byzantine church perched on a cliff, part of a chain of desert cities that once carried frankincense and myrrh to the Mediterranean.

  Avdat