Israel Vacation Guide - History Cities and Vacation spots

Vacation Guide to Israel

Israel is a beautiful and wondrous land, cloaked in ancient mystery and contemporary political intrigue. The entire world over, the gazes of people everywhere are attracted to the land that once was and forever will be known as The Holy Land. And no wonder! For a tourist, there may be no place more worthwhile and soul satisfying to visit than the land known as Israel. There are many places to visit, and many things to discover in Israel. Read this vacation guide to Israel to learn more about Israel before visiting this wonderful country.


Israel on the map

History of Israel

Theology aside, the short history of the nation of Israel is chock full of far more excitement than most nations have seen in a thousand years. Exactly one day after Israel declared independence from Britain (the day of May 14, 1948), five separate Arab countries invaded the new state of Israel. Conflicts have raged ceaselessly and without any hope whatsoever of peace for the fifty-plus years it has been in existence. By the year 1973, Israel had been in no less than four wars with Arab states. This is, however, to be expected when you decide to start a nation in a territory surrounded by people who consider you and your kin to be enemies. And not for anything you’ve done lately, but because of the past…

However, that is not why so many people decide to visit the legendary nation-state known to the merely mortal minds of the masses only as “Israel”. The rich history of the area is what really draws in the curious and soul-starved among humanity. Thousands of years of religious history, archaeological discoveries, and the ruins of so-many fallen civilizations litter the little region. The intensity of attraction regarding Israel may in fact, be in no small part due to the small size of the country. With so much in such a small place, who could not be enchanted?

Very similar in nature to its spiritual cousin the United States of America, Israel can be described accurately as a blending pot of all different sorts of ethnicities cultures, and people. As a result of the amount of diversity, Israel boasts a multifarious mixture of food and culinary scenes. Although many of the people living in Israel are in fact Jewish born citizens, some of them were born from other places and thusly have brought their food-culture along with them.

Dead Sea

Nation state Israel is somewhat of an epicenter for afflicted people everywhere who seek the uniquely qualified and highly trained services of medical professionals. Patients are able to easily and efficiently get the help and treatment that they so desperately desire and yearn for.


The Dead Sea, Israel

One of the most therapeutic of the natural wonders of the world, and Israel in particular, is that of the Dead Sea (where those scrolls were found). Generally there are only three types of patients who use the Dead Sea for the purposes of treating their diseases. The science behind the healing properties of the Dead Sea lie in its oxygen heavy atmosphere and the mineral salts that are in abundance all throughout the area.

Tel Aviv

There are many cities in the nation of Israel, but only one is known as the city that never stops. That city is Tel Aviv, and it is the country’s hub for all matters concerning culture and economics. It is in fact the wealthiest city in all of Israel and hosts not only a myriad of corporations, R&D offices, and businesses, but it also holds the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange. Not only that, but it is in fact the second biggest economy in the region and the most expensive place, climatically, to live.


Tel Aviv Hotels near the Beach
Tel Aviv is subdivided into nine categorical districts which have organically grown throughout the short period of time it has been in existence. The most noteworthy of the districts is the port district known as Jaffa. Architecturally, Tel Aviv is home to a mixture of Bauhaus, Modernist, and Green styles.

Eilat

Located in the southern district of Israel is the busy port and resort town known as Eliat. This city, located at the northern tip of the Red Sea, is home to approximately sixty-five thousand people and is a popular destination for tourists. Tourism is in fact its primary economic power-house, providing income for most of the city. Safety is generally not a concern in the port city of Eliat, as it has seen scant few attacks in the past decades. Within a thirty mile radius all sorts of wonders, attractions, businesses, and places for partaking in all manner of plebeian recreational pursuits are located in this city.


Eilat Hotel Resort in the Evening, Israel

There is bird watching and camel tours, free fall parachuting, theaters, marinas, and different educational institutes. Luckily Eliat is connected both domestically and internationally by way of road, boat, and sky! Often times international flights to Eliat stop at Ovda International airport, which is some thirty miles northwest of the city.

Here is a Google map which shows where Eilat city resides in Israel:

Haifa

The third largest of the cities residing inside of Israel is that of Hafia, which lies to the north. Chief among the prominent places resident to Hafia is the Bahá'í World Centre, where much international governance and coordination of the Bahá'í faith takes place. Incidentally, its location in Hafia is actually something of a historical blunder, due to imprisonment of various leaders of the faith.


The Bahai gardens in Haifa north Israel

Hafia itself is a major seaport for the nation, and two of the most respected educational institutes of higher learning are located and based there. Both Technion and the University of Hafia play a vital role to the economy of the city and that of the overall nation. Also of note, it contains many technological advanced parks, ports of industry, as well as other refineries and pipelines. There are also many beaches, gardens, and other pleasing natural sights, in addition to the high-technology atmosphere of the financial sector. In addition, there is an artist colony which is home to Hafia.

Herzliya

Herzliya is perhaps the least interesting of all the cities in Israel, as there is nothing particularly remarkable about it. It was named after the leading founder of the Jewish movement known to have wide-spread political influence known as Zionism, who was named Theodor Herzl. One of the few interesting things about the city of Herzlyia is the abundance of foreign ambassadors, diplomats, leaders, and espionage agents. There are however a few sites of historical and cultural significance, such as Muslim holy sites and an ancient fortress.

Jerusalem - The Capital City of Israel

Perhaps the most well known of all the cities in Israel, or even the Middle East, would be the capital city of Jerusalem, which is also the largest and most well populated in the nation. It has a huge, vast, and convoluted history spanning several centuries, and even a few millenniums.


Old City of Jerusalem - The Kotel

There are many religious, archaeological, and spiritually significant places and sites in Israel, although it also boasts a wide array of cultural and artistic landmarks. The Dead Sea scrolls are in fact housed at a museum, and the museums of Israel attract an incredible amount of visitors. In fact, one third of all tourists visit the vast assortment of museums that Jerusalem boasts. There are also many memorials to the Holocaust, an event which was able to bring the Jewish people into a unified state at the costs of thousands of lives. Some people are understandably still upset about this.

Israel Hotels

Anyone visiting the nation of Israel is going to need a basic understanding of what sort of hotels and establishments are available for rent or usage. The northern city of Hafia contains approximately fifteen hotels with a total number of about fifteen hundred rooms at any one time. There are many wealthy and luxurious hotels in all the major cities of Israel, and since tourism is its main concern the needs of any tourists are met. There is much information about transportation and hotels available on the internet as well as other, more conventional outlets.


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