Jerusalem / Bethlehem 2 weeks in November

I’ll try and post something more compete tomorrow at a computer.

You want to stay someplace near Jaffa gate. It’s at the “top” of the old city. You don’t really want to stay near the gate closest to the western wall, it makes getting to the rest of the old city a bit of a pain. There is also less stuff to do/eat at that far south in comparison.

I presume you’re going to the mount of olives; don’t feel like a wimp taking a cab to the top. Be careful at the top, a few Arabs tend to hang around to target usually college girls and can be kind of creepy.

100% book the tour of the underground wall. If you want to just exit at the end, rather than retrace your steps, you get dumped out in the Muslim quarter. It’s fine, even during Ramadan. Place a map pin in your phone for the Austrian Mission. It’s near the exit, and the only place I’ve seen a toilet in the old city that doesn’t cause wretching noises. The mission is a must do, it’s at the bottom of the old city bowl and they have an observation tower, and sitting in the garden with some pastries and beers is just awesome.

I’ll look up the hotel close to Jaffa gate I stayed at the first time in the AM. There are things like the king David close by, but they can be expensive. Food is expensive, absolutely stuff your face at breakfast. The Marriott in TLV on the water has a huge buffet and a beautiful view of the water, and that’s always my gateway stop going and coming (TK and LH flights tend to land in the evening.
ETA: I also personally know two guides that know their shite that will take you 1:1, and they are GOOD. Both came from the US; H casually mentions she’s only been stabbed five times, J will tell you lots of stories at the end of the day if you buy him some whiskey. Fascinating, and H may invite you to a Seder.

**I lived in Jerusalem for several years, so my perspective is less touristy and more local.

2 weeks is enough time to see the Old City, Bethlehem, Jericho/Dead Sea/Masada/Ein Gedi, and probably even run down to Eilat for a couple of days and up to Nazareth/Tiberias/Galilee for a couple of days.

J-Town/Old City/Bethlehem - 3 days
Jericho/Dead Sea/Masada/Ein Gedi - 2 days
Eilat - 2-3 days
Naz/Tib/Galilee - 3 days

Spend the last couple of days in Tel Aviv before your flight out.

Hotels/food are subjective and relative to budget, so I'll leave that to you. But I'll say this...

Be aware of your surroundings and do not treat it as a vacation to a western country. Jerusalem is very safe until it isn't. You don't need to be paranoid, but you DO need to pay attention to what's going on around you and avoid putting yourself in the wrong situation.

Especially with respect to the current situation and what it'll likely look like in 2 months, further along in the current conflict and post-US elections.

Jericho is technically West Bank, but it'll be relatively safe. Same with Bethlehem, although things still happen in there on occasion (its proximity to Jerusalem - it's directly adjacent - keeps it fairly calm).

Depending on where you go along the Jordan River Valley, you'll be in what's call the B-Zone. Not fully West Bank/A-Zone, but not Greenline Israel/C-Zone either. It's where Palis and Jewish "settlers" are mixed in - it's supposed to be A-Zone, but because of the settlers, the Israelis control civil administration. It can get sporty when Palis and settlers are pissed at each other and acting up.

If you go up near Galilee/Nazareth/Tiberias, that's in the North and Hezbollah is acting up in Lebanon. They typically focus their efforts elsewhere, but It's within Hez rocket/drone range and has been targeted recently.

In Jerusalem, the Embassy is in Arnona, so not super convenient to where you'll be spending most of your time (Old City, I presume). I'd recommend finding the old US Consulate on Agron St., just up the hill from Mammila/Jaffa Gate. It still houses Embassy staff for Pali Affairs, so it should be secure and should have some friendly faces. That would be my first "go to" option in the even the shite hits the fan while you're in/around the Old City.

In general, it's worth taking an extra hour first thing, right when you get to a new area, to do an Area Familiarization, so you have a place to go TO if/when needed. Look for places with security - hotels, government buildings, etc. It's easy to execute a plan than to make one on the fly, especially in a foreign country.

Relax and enjoy, for sure, but maintain awareness. Have fun.

Much appreciated. I will certainly look into the places you recommend.

quote:

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Will heed your advice. As an aside does having a passport stamped Israel make for a security risk if traveling elsewhere in the region? Say, Egypt or turkey?

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It all depends, to be quite honest. It used to be a big deal, but there were workarounds. The years I was there, I was on a "black passport" deal, so I never had to deal with it personally.

Most of the countries over there have normalized things for the most part, but those situations can change on a dime. Jordan and Israel have always been cool (well, at least since the war ) and Egypt isn't generally a problem either. They share a border and it's understood that people travel through the area.

Turkey can be schizo. Hell, it might not even be an Israeli visa that gets you in trouble; it might be your US Passport.

Edit: JL's advice above is sound. Be able to explain where you've been and what you've been up to. You don't OWE them that, but it'll help you avoid getting the old "secondary" interview.

Good luck with the trip.
Right now I wouldn’t have the balls to fly to that area for the foreseeable future

So is this guy still going to Jesusland? I think Jesus would understand if he skips this trip.