Help with travel plans for Tel-Aviv

[crusin4fun2000]

We are going on the Nov 2023 NCL cruise that starts in Tel- Aviv on November 20th, which is a Monday.  We were planning on flying in 2 days early. Which would be on Saturday.  On the 21st we stop in Ashdod.  This will be our first time in Israel, we are Christian and we want to see as much as we can.  Does anyone have any suggestions for us as how we can maximize our time while we are there?  Is it a bad idea to come in 2 days early, will everything be closed down on Saturday? We are using NCL's flights so we don't know exactly when we will be arriving.  

[terry&mike]

We spent 6 nights in Tel Aviv last January and very much enjoyed it. We were traveling independently, as part of a land trip we were doing in Israel, Jordan and Cyprus. We stayed at Fabric, a charming boutique hotel, that was walkable to many things.

Our first day, we did a walking tour with a guide from withlocals.com for a couple of hours to help us get oriented; I don't see him on the site right now, but there are several other guides there. For the other days, I had mapped out areas we wanted to visit - Nahalat Binyamin craft market, beach boardwalk stroll, Charles Clore Park, old town of Jaffa area, and we explored on our own.

We also took the train from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem for a day, and explored there using a walking tour from a guide book to see it on our own; there are also several day tours that go from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem you could book, if you prefer. 

[IgKh]

The first thing to note is that Tel Aviv does not have a cruise port. All cruises that start in Israel embark in Haifa port, which is about 1 hour by train from Tel Aviv or 1.5 - 2 hours from Jerusalem.

 

Getting to the country early is always a good idea, the more time the better. Arriving in Saturday is somewhat less convenient because public transportation doesn't run on Shabbat (which is from Friday evening until Saturday evening), so getting out of the airport requires a using a private or shared taxi or a pre-booked private transfer. However there is plenty to see and do in all of the main cities even during Shabbat, so that's not a problem.

 

Regarding maximizing your limited time, in my opinion the key is cutting staying in the same place for both nights pre-cruise. You should pick one of Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, or Haifa as your base of operations.

 

Tel Aviv is lively and centrally located, but if you're primary interest is religious I'd base myself in Jerusalem. This will give you the opportunity to immerse yourself in the evening atmosphere there, and enjoy night-time attractions like the Tower of David light show. For your full day (Sunday the 19th), depending on what you were planning to do on your day docked in Ashdod, you can do an in-depth walking tour of the old city together with an extra location (Bethlehem, Mt. Scopus, Yad VaShem, the Israel Museum, etc), or perhaps join a day trip to the Galilee (although that will be a very long day trip, starting from Jerusalem). On Monday morning, you can take either the train (around 1:40 hours, changing in Tel Aviv) or the direct bus (either route #940 or #960) to Haifa to board your ship.

Basing in Haifa is best as starting point for exploring the Galilee region and the north of Israel in general (e.g. Acre, Caesarea). It is also nice as a destination by itself, but probably not if that's the only place in Israel you are going to see. All depends on your interests and any "must see" sites you may have.

Edited July 18, 2023 by IgKh

[crusin4fun2000]

3 hours ago, IgKh said:

The first thing to note is that Tel Aviv does not have a cruise port. All cruises that start in Israel embark in Haifa port, which is about 1 hour by train from Tel Aviv or 1.5 - 2 hours from Jerusalem.

 

Getting to the country early is always a good idea, the more time the better. Arriving in Saturday is somewhat less convenient because public transportation doesn't run on Shabbat (which is from Friday evening until Saturday evening), so getting out of the airport requires a using a private or shared taxi or a pre-booked private transfer. However there is plenty to see and do in all of the main cities even during Shabbat, so that's not a problem.

 

Regarding maximizing your limited time, in my opinion the key is cutting staying in the same place for both nights pre-cruise. You should pick one of Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, or Haifa as your base of operations.

 

Tel Aviv is lively and centrally located, but if you're primary interest is religious I'd base myself in Jerusalem. This will give you the opportunity to immerse yourself in the evening atmosphere there, and enjoy night-time attractions like the Tower of David light show. For your full day (Sunday the 19th), depending on what you were planning to do on your day docked in Ashdod, you can do an in-depth walking tour of the old city together with an extra location (Bethlehem, Mt. Scopus, Yad VaShem, the Israel Museum, etc), or perhaps join a day trip to the Galilee (although that will be a very long day trip, starting from Jerusalem). On Monday morning, you can take either the train (around 1:40 hours, changing in Tel Aviv) or the direct bus (either route #940 or #960) to Haifa to board your ship.

Basing in Haifa is best as starting point for exploring the Galilee region and the north of Israel in general (e.g. Acre, Caesarea). It is also nice as a destination by itself, but probably not if that's the only place in Israel you are going to see. All depends on your interests and any "must see" sites you may have.

This helps so much!  Thank you

 

[Dancer Bob]

Doing a port stop March 2024 on a Friday. Does public transit shut down at a specific time or exactly at sunset?

 

[IgKh]

On 8/1/2023 at 5:36 PM, Dancer Bob said:

Doing a port stop March 2024 on a Friday. Does public transit shut down at a specific time or exactly at sunset?

 

 

Earlier, but there isn't a specific time. The very last busses on Friday end about one hour prior to sunset, but frequencies typically drop 3-4 hours before. Trains have fixed Friday and Holiday eve schedules that differ based on whether daylight saving time is in effect.

 

Check with an app like Moovit, Google Maps, etc for exact time for whatever service you need.

[Dancer Bob]

Thanks. Was originally planning on Caesarea, but it looks like there are some interesting museums in town instead. Ship sails at 20.00, so staying within walking distance in the afternoon sounds like a good plan.