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Israel shore excursion recommendation?


PERK1
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We have booked a cruise last-minute and Guided Tours Israel is sold out. Has anyone taken a Jerusalem/Dead Sea combo with another company? We hope to join a mini-van, not set up a group at this late date. I have already checked our roll call (tours full) and googled for hours.

Thanks!

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I urge you to abandon the idea of a day trip to Jerusalem and the Dead Sea.  Travel from Haifa to Jerusalem alone requires a minimum of 2.5 hours each way, and it will take you another hour from there each way to the Dead Sea.  You will spend the better part of the day sitting in a vehicle looking out the window, and you will be lucky not to miss your ship's departure. 

 

If you have a minimum of 12 hours in port, you could consider just going to Jerusalem on your own with public transportation, as long as your arrival day is not Friday or Saturday, using bus and/or train.  However, realize that you will still have minimal time on the ground in the city.  We did a private tour from Haifa port to Jerusalem, but we left the port at 0730 and returned at 2000.  As the round trip travel time was 5 hours, I thought this was barely enough time to make the trip worthwhile.

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I too would focus on Jerusalem only. There is so much to see in Jerusalem that a single port day will barely scratch the surface. Since you have an overnight in Haifa, depending on the time of your ship's departure, would a hotel in Jerusalem be an option? You could return the Haifa the next morning thereby allowing you more time in Jerusalem on the day of your arrival.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Definitely agree with Dogs4fun; the dead sea is a bit of a let down and would really make your day more of a drive than a visit. Jerusalem alone would be enough, even just seeing the old city. Another option would be to see Haifa and Akko/Acre, which is very close to Haifa and one of (IMHO) the best and most interesting parts of the country. 

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