On Sunday, I shared my trip report about how I spent 48 hours in Jordan. This post will cover the next 4 days that we spent in Israel.
Crossing the Border from Jordan to Israel
Leaving Jordan, we arranged for an 8am taxi pick up at the Crown Plaza Dead Sea for our 25-minute ride to the King Hussein/Allenby crossing for 30 Jordanian Dinars (~$42). There are separate entrances for Palestinians and foreigners. We joined the foreigner line and gave the agent our passports for review, then moved to the next window to pay our 10 JD departure tax as we waited for 10 minutes for the bus to the Israeli border.
When you board the bus on the Jordanian side, you pay 7 JD for the bus + 1.50 JD for each bag. Your passport is returned individually on the bus by an agent. Once you arrive at the Israeli border, armed soldier come onto the bus to inspect passengers and passports. All bags are scanned and inspected too. After all of the inspections are done, you wait in line to be interviewed.
During my research, I read that interviews can take up to 3 hours. I figured that with my passport, and some of the places I have traveled to, I’d be detained for a long interview, so I hoped for the best and prepared for the worst. When I approached the agent for the interview, I was cordial and answered all her questions, even using some humor. 5 minutes later, I heard, “Welcome to Israel!”
Getting from the Border to Jerusalem
Once you cross the Israeli border, you can take a taxi (very expensive), a bus to Jerusalem central bus station, or a “sherut”, which is a shared taxi to Damascus Gate (Bab Amood). We were staying at the Hashimi Hotel, near the Damascus Gate, so we elected to take a “sherut” to the Damascus Gate.
To buy tickets for the “sherut”, make a right after you exit the border, and you’ll see a booth selling tickets. The tickets cost 40 NS (~$11)+ 5 NS per bag. The “sherut” leaves when full, and the trip took 45 minutes,
2 Nights in Jerusalem
We stayed 2 nights at the Hashimi Hotel. The hotel was great for us- in the middle of the “action†between the Muslim and Christian quarter, 500 yards from Damascus Gate, and a rooftop view that was spectacular.
I was able to negotiate a room with 3 beds, including breakfast, for $130 per night. No credit cards were accepted. Since this is a Palestinian hotel, no alcohol was permitted or unmarried guests. I sent email to explain my situation (that I was traveling with my sister and my niece) to get approval to book. The service at hotel was exceptional.
To reach the hotel, once you come in through Damascus Gate, keep right, and you will see the sign about 500 yards away. Ring the bell, and you’ll be allowed in. Check in and check out is 10:30 am, and they will hold your bags if you need more time to sight-see after check out.
Rooftop view from Hashimi Hotel
Later that night, we visited the Western Wall, where men and women are required to be separated. Men must wear a “yamurlkeâ€. We all did the customary practice of “placing notes in the Western Wall“. We followed up the Western Wall with a visit to the “kotel”, which is a popular attraction and underground tour of the Western Wall, which I highly recommend you book online ahead of time before your trip. The cost is 30 NS each (~$8).
Visiting Bethlehem by Bus
Visiting Bethlehem from Jerusalem by bus is relatively-easy. Here’s how we did it for the cost of 5.40 NS (~$1.50) per person:
- Make a right at Damascus Gate ,and walk to Arab bus station, where you can take bus #231 to last stop, Beit Jala.
- When you exit the bus, you will be bombarded with taxi drivers trying to sell you tours.
- You can walk about 1 mile down Childrens Street to reach Manger Square.
We ended up negotiating a taxi ride for 15 NS, without a tour. Our driver tooks us to “border wall†to show us Banksy art, and to show us the political situation from his point of view.
Banksy border art.
Visiting Mount of Olives by Bus
The next day before check out, we wanted to visit the Mount of Olives on our own. Bus 255 leaves from the East Jerusalem bus station. To reach the bus station, make a right when you exit Damascus Gate, cross the street, and walk 2 blocks. Be sure to ask bus driver to drop you off close to the Church of the Ascension. The trip takes 30 minutes, and the cost was 5.4 NS each. This was really a great place to take panoramic pictures.
Getting to Tel Aviv from Jerusalem by Bus
After we checked out of the hotel, we exited Damascus Gate, made a right, and proceeded to take tram to Central Station stop, for our ride to Tel Aviv (you can also take this tram to Yehuda market).
The bus to Tel Aviv is #405, and costs 16 NS (~$4.15), and the ride is about 45 minutes to 1 hour. When you arrive, beware of the taxi cabs by Central Station – one quoted us 80 NS for the 3-mile ride to the Intercontinental David, where we were staying. He even proceeded to tell me that half of Tel Aviv is closed, and if he uses his meter it would cost me more. I put him in his place, and found an honest taxi driver, that used the meter. The correct fare was 36 NS.
We spent the next 2 nights at the Intercontinental David. For the first night, I used my annual free night award, and my sister used 40,000 of her IHG points. The property was excellent, overlooking the water. From the hotel, we walked to Carmel market, Jaffa, Neve Tzdek, Florentine neighborhood, and Rothschild Boulevard, where there’s nice nightlife and many great restaurants.
We enjoyed these top-rated fast food restaurants: Falafel Hakosem and The Fisherman’s Restaurant.
Final Thoughts
We really enjoyed this multi-generational family trip, and hope I was able to inspire you to take a similar trip on a budget, using public transportation. Israel’s fresh, clean air was a vacation for my lungs, and there’s nothing quite more enjoyable than all of the fresh pomegranate juice, falafel, shawarma, hummus, and all that history.
Have you taken a similar trip to Israel? Feel free to share some of your favorite spots as well. I can’t wait to go back.
Happy Travels,
The Dad.
Hi Dad.
Damascus Gate looks like a scene out of a hollywood set. When we were there, you could see an Israeli soldier sitting high up above the gate. Pretty heady stuff. When we told our guide that we did this, he was upset with us. I was told this was the most dangerous of entrances into the old city. YMMV.
Thanks for the report.
Hi Dan, Happy Passover to you and the family. You were right about going to Israel!!. Agree with your Damascus gate comment. As a non-jew I felt completely safe in the Muslim/Christian quarter. We did not have to show passport once when we entered or exited Damascus gate. One can see and feel the tensions between the Israeli’s and Palestinians.
Really great report and I am glad you had a good time in Israel! Use of points was smart as hotels in TLV are insanely priced.
One small correction – the Kotel is the Hebrew name for the Western Wall so they are the same thing, but the underground tour is fascinating :-)
@ Benjamin, thanks for the reply and highlighting me on the Kotel. Agree with your comment on hotels being insanely priced. In our case, we wanted a hotel we could easily find with good reviews and close to the action. Enjoyed the Kotel tour.
I just returned from a 2 week trip in Israel. Nice write up. I wanted to add a few observations.
The Arab bus station is very close to the Garden Tomb.
The bus up the Mount of Olives is a good investment but for 5NIS each you might get a private taxi for about the same together. It really isn’t far from the old city but you just want to avoid the walk up the hill. The best approach for us is to taxi up the hill the church and then work the way down to hill. Then go Southwest across the road and follow the path to the old city wall. Turn left and walk along the Eastern edge of the Old City, past the Golden Gate and enter through the Lion Gate.
The bus to the Central Bus Station is also the main tram station. You can take the Tram to the Central bus Station stop and then go to the Israel Museum (about 1 mile’ish West). I wasn’t that interested in the Museum but we ended up there one day to escape the rain. The Nano Bible, Dead Sea Scrolls and an impressive art collection.
The Central Bus Station and Israel Museum are also close to the Crowne Plaza. It is a fairly average IHG hotel in need of remodel but it’s not bad. Also if you can get a high floor you have impressive views of the city.
The Damascus Gate is the center of a lot of action however it can be a dangerous place. The day we visited this area two Jews got stabbed by a Muslim in the Muslim quarter. The Israeli forces chased him and killed him. The Muslims protested at the Damascus Gate which evolved into tear gas, etc. You need to watch yourself in this area more than most areas of the city.
The Western Wall doesn’t require yarmulke just head covering so you can get by with a baseball type cap as well. They offer yarmulke’s there for borrow as does the David Tomb area.
One thing many people miss that is a minor attraction depending on your interest is Oscar Schindler’s grave in the cemetery across the street outside the Zion Gate. To get there go out of the gate, walk to the left past the David’s Tomb complex to the bottom of the parking lot. Turn right about a block then you’ll see a small parking area and junky cemetery entrance across the street. Go through the entrance and down to the third level. You’ll see the tomb near the center of this section covered with small stones which is a sign of respect from the Jews for what he did during WWII.
We also stayed two nights the IC in Tel Aviv. It’s a nice hotel and good location. We enjoy Bezzo’s Pizza and Pasta that is a few blocks North of the hotel.
@DaninMCI- Thanks for the reply, and adding such great information to the post. I did not feel in any danger in the Muslim quarter. Most of the people treated us very nice. I can see how that can change in a second during political instability. I would have loved to see Oscar Schindler’s grave. I visited the Schindler’s museum in Krakow and was familiar with his burial in Israel. I was under the impression his grave was on the Mount Of Olives. Now, I have a reason to go back to Israel.
This is an incredible story. It would be amazing to get to see some of these sites. Thanks for your insight on how you made it possible.
@john the Wanderer- Thanks for your reply. As you can see, if an “old” guy like me can do it..anybody can. Was an enjoyable trip.
Happy Travels,