Gil Travel Group

Israel boasts a great number of world-renowned authors and a Nobel laureate, and Israelis are among the world’s most voracious readers. Visiting the literary spots is the way to learn about a country and its people in a fascinating manner. You won’t learn about one author only, but about the numerous minds who gathered to this location from across the world, and about the immense relevance of Israeli writers, who’ve not only reflected history in their celebrated works but shaped the country’s culture and national identity.

Israel warmly welcomes tourists. That means that there are a myriad of hotels to choose from in the country – whether you’d like one located in a contemporary or a historic building – ranging from budget hotels and famous chains to luxury and boutique hotels. There is most certainly something for everybody’s taste and budget. We’ll focus here on some of the most unique and attention-grabbing hotels in Israel.

The Arava or the Arabah stretches for 166km, from the Gulf of Aqaba to the southern shore of the Dead Sea, down to Eilat. With the Negev highlands on the west and Jordan’s Edom Mountains on the east, the Arava Valley is a place of captivating history, landscapes, resourcefulness, and imagination. If you’d like an escorted tour to Israel that is relaxing, entertaining, and educational, then the Arava is your perfect destination. It’s a tourist heaven, where visitors can enjoy ancient archeology, local hospitality, ecotourism, hiking, biking, unique scenery, birdwatching, seeing amazing animals, and a multitude of other activities.

For a very special tour of Israel, visit Tel Aviv’s synagogues. One of the country’s biggest cities is home to numerous synagogues that are reaching out to internationals to join their communities and are often tailored towards English speakers. They take pride in being synagogues for all Jews, across the religious spectrum, bridging the gap between religious and non-religious, many of them being either modern, progressive, and/or egalitarian. These include the Hechal Yehuda Synagogue, the Kehila Synagogue of Ramat Aviv, Havurat Tel Aviv, Kehilat Tiferet Shalom, Goren Shul, and Yakar, as well as the non-profit and the egalitarian communities, such as Minyan Shivyoni or White City Shabbat, which are working to bring people together and hold communal dinners, including vegetarian meals. Let’s check out a few other tourist and olim-friendly synagogues.

Israel is a contemporary art hub that hosts numerous leading and emerging artists and numerous others traveling to and from Israel, exchanging art and culture on a global scale. All these creatives are responding to current political and religious issues through present-day, vibrant, and often experimental artistic practices. Israel takes great pride in its curators, artists, and galleries that you ought to visit while on an escorted tour to Israel. Besides great galleries like Dvir Gallery, Noga Gallery of Contemporary Art, Alon Segev, Sommer Gallery, or Rosenbach Contemporary, here are five other, equally fantastic places we recommend you visit.

If you’re planning to go on one of the brilliant escorted tours to Israel and you’re interested in history, culture, and amazing sights, then the country’s third largest city is the place for you. Haifa is located on the gorgeous slopes of Mount Carmel facing the Mediterranean Sea, offering the most wonderful views imaginable. It’s also a popular multicultural city where harmony and a blend of Arab and Jewish cultures are treasured. Haifa is full of cultural pearls for you to discover, but here are some must-sees for you to start the exploration.

If a tour to Israel is on your wishlist and you want to share that experience with your pets, but you are worried about bringing them with you, then worry no more! Israel is a pet-friendly country, especially Tel Aviv, which is home to more dogs than any other place in the Middle East, and you will often see people feeding stray cats. How wonderful is that? Here is everything you need to know about bringing your pets with you, about the care and fun for your furry friends while in the country, and even taking a newly adopted pet out of Israel.

If you wish to travel some 3-4,000 years into the past while on your escorted tour to Israel, we’ve got just the place for you! Hazor was a very important city, located in the Upper Galilee, in the southern Hula Valley, on the ancient trade route through Syria to Babylon, linking Egypt with Syria, Anatolia, and Mesopotamia. In the Book of Joshua, Hazor is described as “the head of all those kingdoms”. A major fire was caused either by Joshua or by the people from the lower city who rebelled, devastating the city, which soon collapsed. Today, you’ll find the Tel Hazor National Park on the site, and the museum in the nearby Kibbutz, Ayelet HaShahar, home to various archaeological findings. Other artifacts are displayed in the Israel Museum in Jerusalem.

Akko is one of the oldest cities in the world, inhabited since the Middle Bronze Age. Its location at Haifa Bay is extremely important – it has both sea and land routes traditionally vital for commerce, and it’s also home to one of Israel’ rare natural harbors. Many historical figures, such as Marco Polo, many scholars, artists, writers, travelers, merchants, pilgrims, and mystics, all walked on the roads of Akko. It’s an amazing town with a long and powerful history, witnessed by its still-standing minarets, church domes, fortifications, moats, bastions, and numerous other edifices. So what are the top sights in Akko you absolutely must see on an escorted tour to Israel? Let’s have a look!

When it comes to theatres, Tel Aviv is a truly rich place. When you go on one of the wonderful tours to Israel, make sure to include as many of these splendid places of art and creativity as you can. From the country’s national theatre to small, avant-garde theatres, there is a place for everyone, and everyone is welcomed. You can see original Israeli plays in some theatres, but also international classics, contemporary hits, and cabarets in others. Either way, you are in for a treat. Let’s check out some of Tel Aviv’s theatres you must visit this autumn.