Old City, coast, desert.
Almost every tour in Israel leaves from Tel Aviv or Jerusalem. Here is what each day covers, how long it takes, what it costs and which one to book first.
Seven days that carry a first visit.
Israel is small enough that most of the country is a day trip. These are the runs that fill the coaches every morning: the Old City on foot, the road down to the Dead Sea, Masada by cable car, Bethlehem and the Galilee.
Tel Aviv: Jerusalem, Bethlehem & Dead Sea
One packed day from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, Bethlehem, and the Dead Sea, with guided Old City walking, Nativity Church visits, and time to float.
From $109 per person
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★ 4.5A first-trip dayFrom Jerusalem: Masada & Dead Sea Full Day Tour with Pick UpFrom $111815 reviews
★ 4.5Covers a lot of groundMasada and the Dead Sea Day Trip from JerusalemFrom $111757 reviews
★ 4.4Small groupsFrom Tel Aviv: Caesarea, Haifa and Akko Day TripFrom $120744 reviews
★ 4.5Early startDay Tour to Jerusalem and Bethlehem from Tel AvivFrom $121720 reviews
★ 4.2Easy paceFrom Tel Aviv: Masada, Ein Gedi & Dead Sea TourFrom $99705 reviews
★ 4.5Popular pickFrom Jerusalem: Nazareth and Sea of Galilee TourFrom $108588 reviews
The road drops 1,300 feet before lunch.
Ninety minutes east of Jerusalem the hills fall away and the map goes below sea level. Most tours pair the float at a beach on the western shore with Masada or Ein Gedi in the morning, then start back before the afternoon heat sets in. Bring shoes you can walk into the water in; the salt crust is sharp.
Old City, coast, or desert?
Nearly every itinerary here is built from three kinds of day, and the order you take them in decides how the week feels. Pick the one that sounds like your trip; each is priced and reviewed underneath.
On foot
The Old City day
from $95 · 824 reviews
Four quarters inside one walled kilometre: the Western Wall, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the Temple Mount seen from the ramparts, the Via Dolorosa marked station by station. A guide matters here more than anywhere else in the country, because the streets do not explain themselves. Modest dress is required at the religious sites.
See the Old City tours →
Sea level
The Tel Aviv and Jaffa day
from $62 · 178 reviews
An hour up the coast and a century forward. Bauhaus blocks in the White City, the flea market and stone lanes of old Jaffa, Carmel Market at full volume, and a promenade you can cycle end to end. The lightest day on this list, and the easiest to fit around a flight.
See the Tel Aviv tours →
Early start
The desert day
10 hours · from $117 · 1,496 reviews
Pickup is usually before seven. Masada by cable car while the rock is still cool, the springs at Ein Gedi, then an hour floating in water too dense to swim in. Long, hot and the one people talk about afterwards. Sun cover and more water than you think you need.
See the Dead Sea tours →
The desert runs on early starts.
South of Jerusalem the country turns to rock and light. Masada holds a Herodian palace and a siege ramp the Romans built; Ein Gedi runs a freshwater canyon straight into it. Further down, Timna Park and the Ramon Crater open up around Eilat. Every one of these days begins in the dark and is finished by mid-afternoon, for the obvious reason.
Tel Aviv is a walking city.
Carmel Market for the hummus queue and the pomegranate stalls. Florentin for the painted shutters. Old Jaffa for the stone lanes and the flea market. Neve Tzedek for a quiet hour. The city fits in an afternoon on foot, and tastes better with someone ordering for you.
The coast road runs north.
Caesarea has a Roman theatre still used for concerts and a harbour Herod built out into the sea. Acre keeps its Crusader halls under the Ottoman old town. At Rosh Hanikra the road stops at white cliffs and a cable car down to sea caves. One long day covers all three.
Galilee is the slower day.
Two and a half hours north, the country turns green and the pace drops. Nazareth and the Basilica of the Annunciation, Capernaum on the shoreline, the mosaic floor at Tabgha, the hill above the lake where the Sermon on the Mount is placed. Most tours add the Jordan River at Yardenit and are back in the city by evening.
The country splits into a handful of days.
Jerusalem for the Old City. The Dead Sea for the float and the fortress above it. Tel Aviv for the beach and Jaffa. Galilee for the lake. Bethlehem for a half day. The northern coast for Roman stone and sea caves.
Sort by how you want to spend it.
A full day out of the city, a half day back before lunch, a private car with a driver who waits, or two days that reach Petra. Twelve ways in, each one already priced and reviewed.
Most of Israel is a day trip.
The country runs about 260 miles top to bottom, so the coach that picks you up in Tel Aviv can reach the Dead Sea, the Galilee or the Roman coast and still have you back for dinner. Only Petra needs a second day and a passport.
Three days that fit together.
Give the Old City the day you are freshest, put the desert on the day the forecast is kindest, and leave the coast for last so the trip ends flat and easy. This is the sequence most first visits end up wishing they had booked.
Day 1
Jaffa Gate to the Wall
The four quarters on foot from Jaffa Gate, the Western Wall, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the ramparts for the view back over the rooftops. Cover shoulders and knees; the sites enforce it.
Plan day one →
Day 2
Down to the lowest point
Out before seven for Masada by cable car, the springs at Ein Gedi mid-morning, then the float. Hat, water and something on your feet for the salt. Back in the city by late afternoon.
Plan day two →
Day 3
Sea level, slow pace
Carmel Market at opening, the White City blocks, old Jaffa in the afternoon and the promenade at dusk. The one day that needs no early alarm and no long drive.
Plan day three →
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