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My husband will be flying to Israel on business, and I'm going to go with him. Can anyone give us ideas of where to visit or what to do? We won't have a lot of time for sightseeing, but we do want to do some. It isn't often that we get the chance to visit Israel. Any tips are greatly appreciated.
Without knowing how much time you have I would at a minimum go to Jerusalem. It depends on the type of siteseeing and time you have. On my last business trip there, my company sent me to Hod Hasharon (SE short drive) and gave me a rental car. I only had nights free (& Saturday). So I drove up to Haifa and drove up the mountain to see the view of all of Haifa (long drive from where you are but worth it). Drove down to the Marina for meals. Drove to Tel Aviv but the traffic was pretty bad. Got a wild hair to drive to Sderot just to see what the Palestians were shooting at (pleasant drive, but to you it would it the same a drive in the rural farms areas).
If you drove in the past snow here's a hint on driving in Israel. Think about all drivers going full speed on the slickest roads and watching them slide across the roads nearly crashing. Thats them.
Also beware, everything is expensive (even the basics). Their standard of living is at NYC level (double to triple of TN). Carry shekel cash on you. Some restaurants have issues with Visa or Matercard (Discover is worthless).
Looks like (provided the trip isn't canceled) we'll be leaving the States on a Saturday and staying until Friday. I know that's not a lot of time, but it's what we have. We're planning to see Jerusalem. Thank you for your tip about Haifa. We will do that if at all possible. Anything in Jerusalem you thought was particularly wonderful? We will have to go back sometime when my husband doesn't have to work!
Sounds almost like IBM scheduling. As to Jerusalem, I chose places that were mentioned in the news. So the Wailing Wall, The Dome of the Rock, the tunnel underneath the wall, Via Dolorosa.
But looking at your stated days you may want to request a few extra days on your nickel. You will need one half day for Jerusalem.
FYI - Dress real compfy for the flight. The walk at Ben Gurion is pretty long and then the standing in line at passport control takes awhile (there is a faster way thru it but its a little unethical). After this you'll go directly to luggage and once you have it head for the green light. R u flying business or cattle class? Delta?
Tickets haven't been purchased yet so I'm not sure which airline. Typical of companies - wait until the last possible minute. We'll be flying in and out of Tel Aviv, I guess. Definitely coach though. His company would never flip for him to fly first class.
Thanks for all the information. My husband's boss will be accompanying him, and he's desperately trying to get out of the trip. I can't imagine why anyone would rather not travel, but the wife & 3 kids might have something to do with it (though I'd think that's why you'd want to get away!).
...and he's desperately trying to get out of the trip....
He's probably been on these long flights before (door to door about 20 hours) and the Israeli workweek (Israelis have a long workday spread along 6 days for them) is pretty hard on the body. I know where he's coming from. Travelling in the US is easy. International travelling is painful after about six hours. But I do it on 72 hour notice. I've been to more place in Middle East & Asia than I've been to in the US.
That's interesting. His boss has been to China once or twice in 6 years. Never to Israel. His wife isn't an understanding creature. She gets peeved when he has to go to Cali, which isn't often at all (only once in 6 years). Not the kind of spouse I'd like. I try to go with my husband when I can. Makes the trip better for him and it's a work-cay??? Is that what they call it now? This will be his first trip to Israel for the company. They've not sent him to China yet, but I wish they would so I could go also.
He's probably been on these long flights before (door to door about 20 hours) and the Israeli workweek (Israelis have a long workday spread along 6 days for them) is pretty hard on the body. I know where he's coming from. Travelling in the US is easy. International travelling is painful after about six hours. But I do it on 72 hour notice. I've been to more place in Middle East & Asia than I've been to in the US.
The Israeli weekend is Friday & Saturday. Friday is like a Saturday in the USA. Businesses are open half (or 2/3 of) a day but most offices are closed. Sunday is a regular workday in Israel. Also Friday late afternoon until Saturday after sunset, there is no public transportation in Israel except taxis. Also on Saturday during the day nearly everything is closed. But Friday nights you can definitely go to Tel Aviv for a nice evening out on the town.
Sounds almost like IBM scheduling. As to Jerusalem, I chose places that were mentioned in the news. So the Wailing Wall, The Dome of the Rock, the tunnel underneath the wall, Via Dolorosa.
But looking at your stated days you may want to request a few extra days on your nickel. You will need one half day for Jerusalem.
If you are in Jerusalem during the day I suggest you also visit the Israel Museum including the Shrine of the Book which includes the Dead Seas Scrolls Exhibit.
we'll be leaving the States on a Saturday and staying until Friday.
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But Friday nights you can definitely go to Tel Aviv for a nice evening out on the town.
They're flying back out on Friday.
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