Here is a 5-day itinerary for Israel to help you get started in your planning.
Now you might be wondering how much can you really see in 5 days?
Plenty.
Day 1
Start off in Tel Aviv-Jaffa. Explore the Old City of Jaffa, wander the alleyways, and stroll the streets of Tel Aviv. You can spend time at the beach and enjoy the nightlife. And there are plenty of museums if that’s more your style. There are great restaurants, too. Tel Aviv has something for everyone.
Day 2
Caesarea – a national park showcasing archeology spanning 2000 years. On the beach. It’s the best of both worlds.
Akko – the old city has so much to offer. From a museum in an old crusader building, to the marketplace, to the port you can spend an entire day just relaxing and enjoying the sites. But you can also do it in a few hours, and see a few other things on this day, too.
Rosh HaNikra – you don’t need more than 45 minutes to an hour here if all you’re doing is seeing the grottoes. They’re absolutely beautiful, and it’s one of my favorite sites to visit. If you want to rent an ATV or a bicycle and explore the area, you’ll need more than an hour, that’s for sure!
Day 3
Jerusalem – there’s so much to do in this city that one day doesn’t really cover it. But what most people like to see is the Old City, so that’s where I recommend you start. Explore the four quarters, see the main religious sites to Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, and enjoy the marketplaces. If you have time once you’re done there, head to the Machane Yehuda market. It’s the main produce market in Jerusalem, and over the years it’s grown and expanded to include restaurants and other shops, too.
Day 4
Masada and the Dead Sea are the next sites on the list.
Masada has become an iconic site here in Israel. You can hike up the snake path to watch the sunrise. You can also hike up the Roman ramp, which is a lot easier. Or take the cable car up, which is definitely the easiest, but then you don’t get to watch the sunrise from the top of the mountain.
The story up there is interesting, too. Their brochure gives you the basic run down as to what went on up there. If you want a more detailed explanation they’ve got audio guides. There’s also a museum next to the visitors center that you can check out. If you want someone to really make the story come to life, get a tour guide.
The Dead Sea is also a must. You walk on in, sit down, and float in the water. It’s an experience like no other. You pull the mud out of the ground and slather it on your skin. Here’s a post on choosing a beach, what to bring, and the dos and donts in the Dead Sea.
Add Ein Gedi if you have time. It’s a beautiful freshwater oasis in the middle of the desert. A little hiking goes a long way here.
Day 5
This is where I get stuck.
There are so many things to see and do here, and I feel like day 5 is really a day that should be based specifically on your interests and less on the “MUSTS” – so here are a few different options:
Option A
Safed and the Hula Valley. The Jewish city of mysticism and one of the hot spots for bird migration in Israel.
Option B
Ayalon Institute – Secret Bullet Factory during the time of the British Mandate leading up to the establishment of the state.
Beit Guvrin – In “cave country” you’ll explore the cave systems here and see how they were once used by the residents. They also have a program called Dig for a Day which you can register for and participate in, where you join the archeological excavations for a few hours!
Option C
Revisit a place you’ve been to already, such as Jerusalem or Tel Aviv, to do things you might not have had the time to do.
Option D
Spend the day relaxing at the beach.
Option E
Go to a place recommended to you by someone you met here.
How to do Everything in this 5 Day Itinerary for Israel
With a combination of public transportation and car rentals, or by taking a tour guide/driver.
Via Public Transportation and Car Rentals
It breaks down like this:
If you’re doing Tel Aviv or Jerusalem or another big city, public transportation is a fine way to go. If you want to go anywhere else, renting a car will be much more efficient.
So the Tel Aviv and Jerusalem days are public transport.
The Caesarea/Akko/Rosh HaNikra day and the Masada/Dead Sea day are car rentals.
If you want to spend the entire day in Akko, without heading to Caesarea or Rosh HaNikra then public transportation should work on this day, too.
Safed should also be okay via public transportation, but the Hula Valley less so.
Via Tour Guide/Driver
Your guide/driver will provide the transportation necessary in order to get to wherever you want to go. This is especially useful, since in Israel, drivers are insane.
An added advantage is that the guide/driver has done this before multiple times, so they know their way around and the chances of getting lost are slim to none. Traffic signs in Israel aren’t always the easiest to understand, and they cause some confusion sometimes for first time drivers in the country.
And, you don’t need to deal with car rentals/returns, or figuring out the public transportation system.
If you want more information about getting a tour guide/driver, let me know!
Hopefully this 5 day itinerary in Israel has been a helpful building block for your trip planning.
Which option for day 5 do YOU choose? Let me know in the comments!