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Information, insights, advice, reviews, and recommendations about travel to and around Israel

Jerusalem

Your Guide to Yad Vashem: Israel’s Holocaust Museum

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One of the essential museums all visitors to Israel need to visit is Yad Vashem, the World Holocaust Remembrance Center. It’s different from other Holocaust museums, and well worth your time. Here are the details you need to know to plan your visit.

*Please note that children under 10 are not permitted to visit the museum.

Opening Dates and Times

The museum is open Sunday-Thursday from 8:30am-5:00pm. Yad Vashem closes early at 2:00pm on Fridays, and is closed entirely on Saturdays for Shabbat, plus all Jewish holidays. Keep this in mind when planning your visit.

Admission & Reservations

Admission to the museum is free to all visitors. However, advance reservations are required, whether you are visiting solo or with a group. You can use their online reservation system here.

Location

Yad Vashem is located just outside of downtown Jerusalem and is accessible by car or public transportation. Visitors can take the light rail from Jerusalem to the Mount Herzl stop, or take the Line 91 bus to Yefeh Nof stop and walk downhill to the museum.

Highlights of the Museum

The World that Was Exhibit: The first exhibit you’ll encounter is a film projected on the wall of Jewish life before the Holocaust. Everyone living today has the benefit of hindsight and knows what the Jews in the early 20th century were about to experience. But this exhibit is an important reminder that they were innocent in that they had no idea what was about to happen to them and everyone they knew.

The Progression: The next several exhibits show the slow but steady progression of Hitler’s “final solution,” and how the Jews lost their rights, homes, possessions, and dignity bit by bit. But these exhibits also highlight how life went on. Children made toys, adults made board games, music continued, people kept writing. The Jews kept living even as their families, and neighbors, were sent to concentration camps and murdered.

Return to Life: This exhibit is unique in that it’s not a part of the Holocaust that people learn about in school, or that’s written about in books. It’s the rebuilding of the survivors’ lives. This part of the museum shows the difficulty in finding lost family members, re-nourishing their bodies without killing themselves in the process, and finding a place to live when they could not return to any kind of home.

Many survivors were sent to what were called “DP (Displaced Persons) Camps,” which were just repurposed concentration camps. Finding a place for the survivors to rebuild their lives led to the creation of what is now officially considered Israel.

The Hall of Names: This is one of the most moving exhibits in the museum, because they’ve put together faces and names of 600 Jews who did not survive the Holocaust. That is only 0.01% of the 6 million who died. In this hall are also “Pages of Testimony,” in which there are biographies of each Holocaust victim.

The Exit: Yad Vashem is quite dark, solemn, and the concrete construction makes it seem very stark. That is, until you see the view of Jerusalem through the trees at the exit. It’s meant to be a glimpse of hope at the end of the gray, triangular tunnel.

For more information, visit their official website here.

The Best Day Trips from Jerusalem

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If you’re visiting Israel, odds are good that you’ll be based in Jerusalem, even if only for a few days. It’s the epicenter of holy sites for the world’s three main religions: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. But it’s also a great place to base yourself for several day trips (or half-day trips, as time allows). Here are the top destinations to consider when planning your trip, several of which can be combined into one day to truly maximize your time!

Best Day Trips from Jerusalem

The Valley of Elah

Lots of tour groups and individuals skip the Valley of Elah, but once they find out what it is, they’re disappointed that they missed it. No, there are no historic churches, mosques, or synagogues here to mark the spot. No, it’s not at the top of any “must do in Israel” list (except this one). So why bother?

Well, this is where David fought Goliath! Just under an hour from Jerusalem, this is a great half-day excursion any time of year. Start at Tel Azeka, where you can get a full view of the valley and the positioning of the Philistine and Hebrew troops as described in the Bible.

If you want to make this a more active excursion, plan to hike down into the valley and take in the view from below. Take the Tel Azeka Loop (1.4 miles total), and bring your Bible to read 1 Samuel 17 while you’re at it for reference.

A trip to the Valley of Elah can easily be combined with a trip to Tel Aviv-Jaffa.

Tel Aviv-Jaffa

While Tel Aviv is a destination in itself, you can definitely hit the highlights in a day if you’re pressed for time, especially if you’re planning to base yourself in Jerusalem for your trip. 

Start in Jaffa, and take a walking tour if you can. This was Israel’s main port city in ancient times, so it’s worth a look if you’re here for the history. Take a walking tour to see where Jonah set out to sea while avoiding God’s plan for Nineveh (Book of Jonah), see where Tabitha was raised from the dead (Acts 9:36-43), and stand in the place where Peter had a vision that meant Christianity was for all, not just the Jews (Acts 10:9-16).

Tel Aviv, on the other hand, is much more modern and progressive. As much as Jerusalem is conservative and pious, Tel Aviv is liberal and vibrant. Come for the beaches and boardwalks, check out the water sports, explore the museums, and indulge in diverse the international food scene. Plan to stay for the night? This is also the headquarters of Israel’s nightlife scene.

A trip to Tel-Aviv-Jaffa can easily be combined with a stop at the Valley of Elah.

Bethlehem

You already have this one on your “must go” list, right? It’s Jesus’ birthplace (Luke 2), so if you’re a Christian traveling to Israel, it’s basically the whole reason you’re coming! But even if you’re not religious, this is still such a famous and momentous place that you’ll still want to include it on your itinerary. You can see everything you want to see here in half a day, but if you have a full day to spend, you won’t get bored. 

Just be aware that Bethlehem is in the West Bank, which is a Palestinian Territory. That means you’ll need to bring your passport and arrange for a Palestinian guide and driver for the day. Also plan to either leave your rental car in the parking lot outside the checkpoint, plan to take the bus, or arrange for a driver to get you there and pick you up after. 

Tons of people do this, so don’t be intimidated by the logistics. This is one place in Israel, however, where it pays to go with a reputable company that can configure the logistics for you. 

A trip to Bethlehem can be combined with Jericho and/or Qasr El-yahud.

Jericho

It’s kind of ironic that you can take a day trip to the oldest city in the world, isn’t it? Dating back to around 9,000 B.C., it’s also the longest continuously-occupied city in the world. It’s also in the West Bank, like Bethlehem, so you will want to arrange for a Palestinian or Arab guide and driver for the day.

Jericho is famous for Jews and Christians as the city whose walls were miraculously crumbled in Joshua chapter 6. But Jesus was also familiar with the city thousands of years later. He met Zacchaeus, the short and hated tax collector, here in a Sycamore tree (Luke 19:1-10). Your guide may even be able to point out what is believed to be this same tree when you come.

A trip to Jericho can be combined with excursions to Bethlehem and/or Qasr El-yahud.

Qasr El-Yahud (Jesus’ Baptismal Site)

Another West Bank site (though easier for Israeli guides to bring you to) is the place on the Jordan River where Jesus was baptized (Matthew 3:13-17). It’s not far from Jericho, so it’s an easy site to add on to a day trip there as well. Just pay attention to its closing time in the afternoon.

The site is called Qasr El-yahud, which means “Tower” or “Castle of the Jews.” John the Baptist and Jesus’ disciples baptized many people here, making it an important place for Christians to visit. However, it’s also believed to be the site where the Israelites crossed into the Promised Land after the Exodus from Egypt and 40 years of wandering in the desert. That makes it an important place in Jewish history as well. 

A trip to Qasr El-yahud can be combined with Qumran, Jericho and/or Bethlehem.

Qumran (Dead Sea Scroll Caves)

You can actually see some of the Dead Sea Scrolls in the Israel Museum in Jerusalem, which you should definitely do. But if you want to see the caves where they were found, you’ll need to plan a day trip to Qumran, about 45 minutes southeast of Jerusalem.

Here, you’ll learn about when and how the scrolls were discovered, then head outside to see some of the caves themselves. Make sure you can do this one early in the day in the summer months. The desert location far below sea level grows far too hot by afternoon.

A trip to Qumran can easily be combined with trips to Jericho, Qasr El-yahud, Ein Gedi, Masada, and/or the Dead Sea.

Ein Gedi

This site is notable for being the largest oasis in Israel, complete with palm groves and even an epic waterfall. The freshwater source here means it’s been inhabited for millennia, almost continuously. Presently, the Ein Gedi Nature Reserve is one of the most popular sites in Israel, so it very well may already be on your list of places to go on your trip. 

Aside from the draw of natural beauty, Ein Gedi also has Biblical history attached. Joshua 15 mentions Ein Gedi as one of the wilderness cities that belonged to the Tribe of Judah. King David hid at Ein Gedi in 1 Samuel 23:29. And King Solomon wrote about vineyards of Ein Gedi in Song of Solomon 1:14. 

A trip to Ein Gedi can easily be combined with trips to Jericho, Qasr El-yahud, Qumran, Masada, and/or the Dead Sea.

Masada

Speaking of hot places, this one is popular at sunrise for a reason! Situated on a plateau overlooking the desert on three sides and the Dead Sea on the fourth, Masada has a long, difficult, important history for the Jewish people. 

Masada was originally built as a fortress by King Herod the Great around 37 B.C. In 73 A.D., a group of nearly 1,000 Jewish men, women, and children lived here while under siege by the Roman army. When defeat was imminent, a group of Jewish men killed everyone there, including each other, with the last man standing committing suicide. Only two women and five children survived to tell the historian and writer, Josephus, what happened, which is how we know about it today.

It’s an active archaeological site now, complete with fortress ruins and a state-of-the-art steam room once used by King Herod. Many Jewish families have a tradition of doing the hike up to Masada at sunrise for a child’s 12th birthday, but you’ll also find tourists doing this sunrise hike as well. You can hike (about 45-60 minutes each way) or take the cable car to the top and back down, or a combination of the two. Either way, don’t forget to take in the views along the way.

A trip to Masada can easily be combined with trips to Jericho, Qasr El-yahud, Qumran, Ein Gedi, and/or the Dead Sea.

The Dead Sea

This is a bucket list item for many, and it’s an easy day trip to pair with several others on this list (Qasr El-Yahud, Qumran, Masada, Ein Gedi). It’s one of the lowest and saltiest places in the world, coming in at over 1,300 feet below sea level and over 34% salinity. What else makes it unique? The salinity allows visitors not to swim, but to float!

The Dead Sea is mentioned by a few different names in the Bible (the “Salt Sea,” “Sea of Arabah,” and the “Eastern Sea,” to name a few), but most importantly it’s referred to as the eastern border of Israel (Numbers 34:12). Also interestingly, biblical Sodom and Gomorrah, along with the supposed remains of Lot’s wife (Genesis 19), are located on the southeastern side of the Dead Sea, in Jordan. 

While you’re here, be sure to take a float and try the healing, exfoliating, skin-softening mud, too. Not into a mud bath? You can purchase products made from the minerals (and mud) of the Dead Sea to take home with you instead.

A trip to the Dead Sea can easily be combined with trips to Jericho, Qasr El-yahud, Qumran, Ein Gedi, and/or Masada.

Day Trips Not Recommended from Jerusalem

Jerusalem is a great place to base yourself for several day trips (or half-day trips), but it’s not perfect for exploring all of Israel. If you plan to visit Haifa, Caesarea, or Akko (aka Acre), Tel Aviv is a better base for that. If you’re interested in visiting Nazareth, Galilee, Capernaum, Migdal, or the Golan Heights, Tiberias in the Galilee region is a better place to stay for a night or two to see all of those places at a more leisurely pace.

All the Reasons You Want to Visit the Mount of Olives in Israel

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You’ve heard about it in countless sermons and sung many hymns in reference to it, so of course you want to visit the Mount of Olives for yourself. The same goes for the Garden of Gethsemane. But… Why? What really happened here, and why are these places still significant to us now? Here are all the good reasons to visit The Mount of Olives and the Garden of Gethsemane!

It has one of the best views of Jerusalem.

This seems like a superficial reason to visit at first. It really is a great place for photos of the Jerusalem cityscape, but it’s always been a great place for a view, even in Jesus’ time. He went to the Mount of Olives many times in his life, including in Luke 19:41-44 on his way to Jerusalem when he wept for the city: 

As he approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it and said, “If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace—but now is hidden from your eyes. The days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment around you and hem you in on every side. They will dash you to the ground, you and the children within your walls. They will not leave one stone on another, because you did not recognize the time of God’s coming to you.”

It’s part of a yet-unfulfilled Jewish prophecy. 

The Mount of Olives is home to a massive Jewish cemetery. Why? Because they believe this is where the Messiah will come. When that happens, the Mount of Olives will split in two, and the dead will rise from there first. So, if you’re Jewish and you’re buried on the Mount of Olives, you’ll ascend into Heaven first.

They believe this because in Tanakh (the Christians call this the Old Testament), Zechariah 14:3-4 says, “Then the Lord will go out and fight against all those nations, as he fights in the day of battle. On that day his feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, east of Jerusalem, and the Mount of Olives will be split in two from east to west, forming a great valley, with half of the mountain moving north and half the mountain moving south.”

Fun fact: The Mount of Olives Cemetery is the oldest cemetery in the world, and it’s active still today!

It’s part of a fulfilled prophesy for Christians. 

For Christians, the prophesy that the Messiah will come happened when Jesus came. Psalm 118:26 reads, “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.” And in Luke 19:37-38, Jesus fulfills this verse. Luke writes, “When he came near the place where the road goes down the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of disciples began joyfully to praise God in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen: Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord.” 

Zechariah 9:9 reads, “Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion! Shout Daughter of Jerusalem! See your king comes to you, righteous and having salvation, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, on a foal of a donkey.” And in Luke 19:28-44, we read that Jesus did, in fact, ride from the Mount of Olives into Jerusalem, which we often call the “Triumphal Entry,” on a donkey. 

Jesus was also sitting on the Mount of Olives in Mark 13, within sight of Jerusalem and the Temple there, when his disciples Peter, James, John, and Andrew asked him to tell them when the end of days would come. Read Mark 13:1-37 for his complete response, but essentially, this is the passage where Jesus says that there would be wars, nation against nation, earthquakes, famines, and that the disciples should be on their guard because no one knows the date or time of Jesus’ second coming. 

Jesus prayed for God’s will to be done in the Garden of Gethsemane, on the Mount of Olives.

Luke 22:39 says that after the Last Supper, “Jesus went out as usual to the Mount of Olives, and his disciples followed him.” He asked God to take the cup from him, meaning he was asking for his blood not to be shed in the way he knew was coming, but in the same breath he expressed his desire for God’s ultimate will to be done. 

In verses 43 and 44, Luke writes that “An angel from Heaven appeared to him and strengthened him. And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground.”

This is where Judas betrayed Jesus.

It was on the Mount of Olives, in Mark 14:42-50 that Judas kissed Jesus to let the guards know whom to arrest. After praying for God to take the cup from him, Jesus was talking to his disciples and said to them in verse 42, “Rise! Let us go! Here comes my betrayer.” He saw Judas coming. Judas gave the signal, a kiss, and Jesus was arrested and taken for his trial in Jerusalem. 

This is the place where Jesus ascended into Heaven after the resurrection.

For Christians, this is certainly the most important reason to want to visit the Mount of Olives. We can read about that in Luke 24:50-53. The town of Bethany is on the east side of the Mount of Olives, which is where Jesus led the disciples to bless them after the resurrection, before his ascension into Heaven. Afterward, “Then they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy. And they stayed continually at the temple, praising God.”

Is the Mount of Olives on your “must-go” list while in Israel? Take your Bible with you, and read the passages above while you’re there, and see if it changes your understanding of what happened here, and how it affects your faith. 

Finding Jerusalem’s Luxury Hotels

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Israel is an incredibly unique country in so many ways. Not only do three of the world’s major religions converge there, with their respective holy sites physically coexisting in ways that have thus far evaded its human inhabitants, but there are also many more remnants of grandiose civilizations that pre-date even most religions. Needless to say, Israel generally – and Jerusalem specifically – is a top bucket list destination for literally billions of people. But another unique aspect of Israel that sometimes frustrates travelers to this diverse destination is the lack of diversity in internationally branded hotel offerings.

Jerusalem’s Old City at dusk

The availability of true luxury hotels that are up to European and North American standards are hard to come by in Israel, and travelers should interpret the star ratings in a more regional context. With that said, it is not impossible to find and enjoy Western-standard luxury hotels in Israel, but there are really only three hotels in Jerusalem that fit the bill of being what most international tourists expect when they think of luxury accommodations.

The historic King David Hotel in Jerusalem

Part of this hotel served as the British military headquarters during the Mandate period, which led to it being bombed in the summer of 1946 by Jewish forces opposed to British rule over the territory. After Israel declared its independence in 1948, the hotel found itself on the front line of the new [then] border between Israel and Jordan. Today, however, the King David Hotel is a calm oasis amid the hustle and bustle of a geographically united Jerusalem.

Arguably Israel’s nicest hotel and certainly Jerusalem’s most posh is the brand new Waldorf Astoria, also located adjacent to the Old City. I first noticed this new property nearing completion two springs ago when I visited Jerusalem. This past spring when I visited again, I finally had the chance to stay there and try it out, and it certainly did not disappoint. While some rooftop areas as well as the below-ground swimming pool were still under construction at the time, the rest of this fabulous new hotel was open for business and already bustling with both Israeli and international guests.

The facade of the old Palace Hotel, now part of the Waldorf Astoria Jerusalem

The Waldorf Astoria Jerusalem was born out of a much older luxury hotel, the Palace Hotel that opened its doors in 1930. However, the Palace’s reign would be short lived. It closed in 1935 amid political scandal, legal battles, and competition from the newly opened King David Hotel nearby. Of the original property, only one elaborate facade remains and is incorporated beautifully into the modern Waldorf Astoria Jerusalem.

The interior of the Waldorf proudly offers the chic glamor and luxury that you would expect from such a world renowned brand. The lobby has soaring multi-story glass ceilings, two restaurants, extravagant chandeliers and other hanging art, such as the glass doves suspended in the middle of the staircase to the lower levels. The rooms, of which there are 226, are quite spacious and no detail is spared in making them as posh as possible without having them look or feel overdone.

The lobby atrium of the Waldorf Astoria Jerusalem

While the Waldorf Astoria Jerusalem looks rather moderately sized from the outside, what really surprised me about the hotel was the scale of the enormous ballroom on the lower/underground levels. This will surely become a go-to place for conferences, weddings, and myriad other meetings and ceremonies for guests from all over the world, and with the upcoming completion of the rooftop spaces and below-ground pool it’s only going to keep getting better.

Last but not least is the fabulously chic and boutique Mamilla Hotel, a cozy neighbor of both the Waldorf Astoria and the King David near the Old City. The hotel is the anchor of the larger Mamilla commercial development (i.e., upscale shopping mall) that stretches from the hotel’s back doors all the way to Jaffa Gate to the Old City.

The lobby of the Mamilla Hotel in Jerusalem

The team behind the Mamilla went all in on design, and that attention to artistic detail shows in every nook and corner of the hotel. It is also reflected in the rooms themselves, which are average in size but outsized in elegant ambiance. A stay at the Mamilla also gives you access to the wonderful gym and spa just across a small skybridge, and making time to try this facility out is a must. Another must at the Mamilla is the rooftop bar and restaurant, which offers great views of the Old City.

The wall of Jerusalem’s Old City, as seen from the rooftop of the Mamilla Hotel

What really impresses me most about both the Waldorf Astoria and the Mamilla is the fact that both hotels have gone to great lengths to showcase their host city’s ancient heritage. Neither property feels at all like some modern monstrosity has invaded an historic city. Instead, they both are proving to be crucial partners in preserving and revitalizing their neighborhood’s historic character after decades of neglect as part of the no man’s land between Israel and Jordan, East and West Jerusalem, and later the older and newer areas of the city.

These luxurious hotel properties have served as an unwitting gateway between sensitive divisions of the city in their past and more modern iterations. But now they serve as a welcoming host and a peaceful gateway to all of Jerusalem for visitors from around Israel and around the world.