2-3 days FREE Time in Israel

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dnadan
dnadan

Hello!

I have a couple of days of work meetings in Tel Aviv in June ad I’m aiming to take some holiday whilst there. This will be my 4th visit to Te Aviv and on previous trips I managed to see a fair bit of TA, Jerusalem and I visited the Dead Sea – all were very enjoyable.

My original plan was to fly down to Eilat for the sun and beach, but according to El Airs website flights have been suspended for the time being.

Following changes by the Civil Aviation Authority of Israel (CAAI) in the flight approach pattern and takeoff and landing protocols at Eilat airport for daytime flights and after the CAAI informed EL AL that the same changes will apply to night flights, EL AL's flights to Eilat have been suspended until further notice. EL AL will not compromise on the safety of its passengers. EL AL will renew its flights to Eilat only when a safe flight path is assured.

I don’t drive and I don’t want to be stuck on a bus either for lengthy periods of time. So my question is where would you recommend that is not too far from TA where I can simply relax, walk/cycle, pleasant bars and enjoy the nice weather – a beach would be great but not essential.

Appreciate the feedback!

Regards,
DNAB

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mbgg
mbgg

Look at the Israir and Arkia web sites. They have many flights daily to Eilat, both from Ben-Gurion airport and Sde Dov, the Tel-Aviv municipal airport.

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dnadan
dnadan

I have decided it will be one of these places for my stay...Caesarea, Netanya, Haifa.

As I have not been to any of them - what would be your preference?

Thanks,
DNAD

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mbgg
mbgg

All are nice, but if you are going to be in any of these places for more than one day I would recommend Haifa. Netanya has a very nice beach but not much else to see. Caesarea is just a village with the ruins next to it. Haifa has a lot to keep you busy in addition to the beach - several interesting museums and attractions and you are a only short train ride away from Akko, close to Nazareth, Zikhron Yaacov, etc.

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coconutshake
coconutshake

How many days exactly will you have ?

The ancient part of Caesaria is beautiful, so is Haifa.
Both can be combined in a 3 day trip.
Half a day for Caesaria and the rest for Haifa and the surroundings.

By train : Tel Aviv - Caesaria : half an hour, Caesaria - Haifa : half an hour.
If travelling light, you can take the train to Caesaria, take a taxi from the train station to the old city, about 8 km, 10 minutes drive,(better a taxi as the bus takes much longer), spend a few hours there and then continue on the train from Caesaria to Haifa. If you have luggage, check in advance whether the train station in Caesaria has lockers. Some train stations in Israel do.
In Haifa :
Hof hacarmel is a beautiful beach. It is right at the first train station in Haifa when travelling from Tel Aviv northwards. If you get off the train at hof hacarmel, the beach is just across the road from the train station.
Bat galim beach, which is near the next train station, is not as nice.

The Bahai gardens and the German colony are a nice place to spend a few hours. The street below the gardens has lots of restaurants and cafes.
At Moria street in the carmel, and downtown near the harbour, there are many pubs and cafes.

From Haifa you can also go on a day trip to the old city of Akko, which is very different from Caesaria, and to Rosh Hanikra, which is about 15 minutes by taxi from the Nahariya train station.

Haifa-Akko : 35-45 minutes by train, Akko - Nahariya : 10-15 minutes by train, bus or shared taxi.

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shuffaluff
shuffaluff

No railway stations in Israel have lockers. Some stations in Tel Aviv used to have them, but they no longer do.
For Caesarea use Binyamina railway station, not the station called Caesarea-Pardess Hanna. Binyamina station is nearer, more trains stop there, and it will be a lot easier to find a taxi there. There is no bus to Caesarea at a time that is suitable for tourists - the buses are timed for the convenience of local residents (out from Caesarea in the morning and back in the evening), and will be of no use to you.
You can see train times at www.rail.co.il

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