Places to visit in Central/North Israel

[Tikva]

I'm making an itinerary for my trip after Birthright and am trying to make sure I do not miss anything important!

Sites/places/kibbutzim that I'm visiting on birthright:

Jerusalem (Old City, Machane Yehuda, etc)
Yad Vashem and Har Herzl
Kfar Saba
Ein Ovdat
Sde Boker
Arad
Masada and the Dead Sea
Mt Bental
Kfar Blum
Tzfat
Jaffa
Beit Ha'atzmaut

I'm staying for an additional 20 days after Birthright ends and will be staying in Tel Aviv for a week, then Jerusalem for the duration of my trip.

Whilst in Tel Aviv I planned one day to venture outside of the city and have rented a car. I plan on going to Beit She'arim National Park in Kiryat Tiv'on to visit Judah haNasi's tomb and then to Tiberias to visit Maimonides memorial site.

I'm planning on doing a tour through my hostel in Jerusalem that will take me to Hebron to visit the Cave of Machpelah.

If anyone has an ideas of places to see, daven at, or eat, please let me know!

[charolastra00]

I just wanted to say that I'm so jealous that you're able to stay an additional 2 weeks! I had always planned on extending my Birthright trip at least a week, but my office is so understaffed (and I'm the only one who does what I do) that it was like pulling teeth just to get the two weeks off. I might be able to extend a day or two if I'm willing to pony up for a flight from NYC to Boston on the return trip rather than taking a bus.

Luckily, I was able to get on an urban focused trip so I'll waste less time hiking (other than Masada of course) and more time with people and in the cities, which is the whole reason I travel in general.

So, no advice but a lot of living vicariously!

[Pruzhany]

For Masada, whatever is in your mind don't hike up or down. Take the Tram.

[Tikva]

I'm not sure I'll be given a choice, lol.

Why wouldn't you want to hike it?

[Pruzhany]

Originally Posted by Tikva

I'm not sure I'll be given a choice, lol.

Why wouldn't you want to hike it?

Can you walk three miles near A1A, on the sand, in mid-summer with no shade wearing 5lb weights on your ankles?

[Pruzhany]

Just in case you need a nudge:

Masada: The Hike Down on the Never Ending Snake Path ~ A Passion and A Passport | A Travel and Adventure Blog
Walking in the Footsteps of the Prophets: Masada and the Dead Sea

[Chava61]

Originally Posted by Tikva

I'm making an itinerary for my trip after Birthright and am trying to make sure I do not miss anything important!

Sites/places/kibbutzim that I'm visiting on birthright:

Jerusalem (Old City, Machane Yehuda, etc)
Yad Vashem and Har Herzl
Kfar Saba
Ein Ovdat
Sde Boker
Arad
Masada and the Dead Sea
Mt Bental
Kfar Blum
Tzfat
Jaffa
Beit Ha'atzmaut

I'm staying for an additional 20 days after Birthright ends and will be staying in Tel Aviv for a week, then Jerusalem for the duration of my trip.

Whilst in Tel Aviv I planned one day to venture outside of the city and have rented a car. I plan on going to Beit She'arim National Park in Kiryat Tiv'on to visit Judah haNasi's tomb and then to Tiberias to visit Maimonides memorial site.

I'm planning on doing a tour through my hostel in Jerusalem that will take me to Hebron to visit the Cave of Machpelah.

If anyone has an ideas of places to see, daven at, or eat, please let me know!

In Tel Aviv area, Beit Hatfutsot (the Diaspora Museum) located at the Tel Aviv University campus in the suburb of Ramat Aviv is a must.

[Chava61]

Originally Posted by Pruzhany

For Masada, whatever is in your mind don't hike up or down. Take the Tram.

Originally Posted by Tikva

I'm not sure I'll be given a choice, lol.

Why wouldn't you want to hike it?

I think the snake path is difficult to hike down although possible to do but I definitely wouldn't recommend hiking up it.

[Tikva]

Good suggestion Chava!

I plan on hitting a bunch of the museums in Tel Aviv.