One of the things I love so much about travel is that it forces you to constantly be learning. On every trip I take, I learn new things about myself and the world. Traveling in Israel was certainly no exception.
Before I left for Israel I kept coming back to this one question: What am I most excited about? And to be honest, I just couldn’t think of an answer. Not that I wasn’t excited at all, it was just that Israel was a country that I knew little about. I didn’t know what to expect. I didn’t know if the culture would be challenging, if the food would be weird, if people would accept me as an American, if I would be able to communicate well…
Traveling in Israel taught me just how little I knew about this country. It’s unlike any place I have traveled before. Israel is special. Every day, Israel brought new surprises that added to its charm. Here are the things that surprised me the most about traveling in Israel.
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It’s more than just a desert
Before visiting, I had this idea that Israel was just one big desert. I mean, I knew that Jerusalem and Tel Aviv were cities, I just thought that they would be a small concentration of buildings surrounded by hot, sandy desert. It turns out this isn’t the case at all! There are mountains, and palm trees, lakes and many cities throughout Israel. For a country that only takes about 6 hours to drive across at its longest point, Israel sure has a lot of scenic diversity!
But the desert is pretty cool
As surprising as all that scenic diversity was, I’ve got to say that the desert in Israel is pretty darn cool to see. I was expecting flat, sandy, barren lands. Instead, I got hills, sandstone rocks, and plenty of interesting attractions hidden within the desert. It was such a cool contrast from the city atmospheres of Tel Aviv and Jerusalem!
The weather varies throughout the country
Along with the changing scenery and topography comes changes in
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Eating out is expensive, but worth it
I had read that Israel was a more expensive place to visit. Many likened it to the prices of travel in Western Europe. While I was fine with the higher accommodation prices, I found it difficult to really eat cheaply in Israel. We had to do a good amount of research before mealtimes to find the cheaper spots, as most restaurants charge about $20USD or more, per entree. We found it was best to eat local foods like falafel and shwarma if we wanted to save our money.
That being said, we never had a meal that was disappointing. I didn’t expect much from the culinary scene in Israel. But every place we ate had delicious and satisfying food!
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It’s much less conservative than its neighbors
As a country in the Middle East, I had expected Israel to be pretty conservative. I only packed clothing that would cover my shoulders and not show any chest. But I was nervous when it came to packing a swimsuit- how much skin is too much skin? After searching this matter online, I learned that Israel is much less conservative than its neighbors. Bikinis are fine on public beaches, and you can wear shorts and tank tops. You may draw a bit more attention to yourself, but it’s not altogether frowned upon. And like most countries, you’ll want to cover up at the religious sites.
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Israeli hummus is delicious
I’ll be completely honest here- Hummus has been one of those things that I really want to like, but just don’t. I’ve tried it time and time again but I just can’t make myself enjoy it…until Israel. They must do something magical and different to the hummus over there. I was nervous biting into my first falafel pita, knowing there was hummus inside. But I was so happy to discover that the dirt-flavored hummus that’s served in the US was not the same as what was smeared inside my pita. It was warm, a bit salty, and had almost a chicken-y flavor. From then on, I got excited when there was hummus served!
Commercialization vs. Preservation
This was a big one for me, and something that my husband and I discussed quite a bit while traveling in Israel. As a Christian, I was really excited to see some of the sites from Jesus’ life. I was expecting these holy places to feel…well, holy. Instead, they were crowded, dark, somber places that you often had to pay an entry fee for. The commercialization of these places was a bit disappointing, but at the same time, I know it’s difficult to keep these places intact without these kinds of preservation efforts.
It’s totally driveable
When it comes to driving in another country, I always like to err on the side of caution. I wasn’t sure what the driving would be like in Israel, and it if was something my husband and I would want to tackle. As our plane was coming in for landing in Tel Aviv, I remember watching the traffic on the highways and thinking “Hmm, these roads don’t look too bad at all!” After spending some time traveling in Israel, we decided it was definitely a driveable place and we spent our last day driving around in a rental car, hitting up some more off the beaten path destinations! Israel driving does require you to be a little more aggressive and attentive to the few road signs, but overall it’s not much different than driving in the US.
READ » Driving in Australia and New Zealand
The beaches are stunning
When I say “stunning beaches,” I’m sure that Israel is not a place that comes to mind. I was pleasantly surprised that the country’s coastline has such lovely beaches. The southern city of Eilat is a popular beach vacation spot in Israel and we were definitely not disappointed by our time at the Coral Beach Reserve there. Even in Tel Aviv, along the Mediterranean coast, the beaches are expansive and have great amenities.
There are many hidden gems
There are many places within Israel that are special and significant. It’s not hard to fill up your Israel itinerary with these places like Jerusalem, the Dead Sea, Nazareth, the Jordan River, etc. But Israel also has its fair share of hidden gems. There are plenty of places that are off the beaten path, where you won’t find many tourists. I was totally enchanted by this secret spot that had been called “Israel’s most beautiful park.” The crystal clear water, the bright green grass, and the surprisingly warm waterfalls made this stop one of my favorites in Israel.
Message me on Facebook if you want to know where it is 😉
Overall, I was pleasantly surprised by Israel. Having started the trip with little expectation, every new discovery in Israel made me enjoy my time more and more. If you’re thinking about visiting Israel, or if you’re just not sure what to expect, let me assure you: Traveling in Israel will definitely surprise you!
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31 Comments
I really loved reading this. I’ve been wanting to go to Israel for such a long time now, and this was really inspiring. And damnnnnn the food looks SO GOOD.
Wow I loved this post! I haven’t been to Israel yet, so a lot of these were surprising for me too.
I hear you on the eating out is expensive part. I don’t think I had a single restaurant meal the whole time I was there because I could find nothing affordable. Good thing the hummus is tasty enough that you can just pick up some of that and pita from a bakery and be good to go.
I have only heard amazing things, and your pictures are just making it seem even better. I definitely need to get to planning my trip now!
Wow! What a fabulous trip. I would love to visit Israel one day. Seeing your hidden gems and those beautiful beaches help to solidify that! Thanks for the great share.
This sounds awesome! Up until I knew someone who moved there a few years ago, I also thought it was just a desert. It looks like such a cool place to visit!
The beaches truly are stunning! My friend visited Israel last summer and she loved the country. The food was amazing and the sceneries were breath-taking.
Wow to be honest I had the same idea about Israel about those two cities and desert. But it seems like there is much more to do! I would love to visit this country as soon as possible as after reading your post I realized how wonderful it is! Thanks for sharing it!
Great post! It’s wonderful that you’re showing us how amazing Israel is, and changing people’s perceptions of Middle eastern countries. It is definitely on my bucket list now!
Gimme all the hummus! Wow I wouldn’t have expected Israel to have such diverse landscape either. Thanks for teaching me something new. Always interesting to read travel articles like this, where people are surprised to find the country different from their initial expectations 🙂
Love reading this post and can’t wait for visiting Israel! Thanks for useful tips 🙂
It is amazing how different Israel is to what my original thoughts of the country was! Definitely on my bucket list now!
Been planning Isreal for a while and good to know that you found driving to not be too hard.
I haven´t been to Israel yet but I know it´s an amazing country. I went to Iran, which is an amazing country too. Too sad that there is so much fighting going on between those 2 beautiful countries. Thanks for sharing.
The hummus is the best! I miss it. My parents lived in Israel for 10 years and my mum makes an amazing hummus. There is so much to see in such a small country.
I must admit I don’t know a lot about Israel but your post has made me want to visit! The desert does look cool to explore and that photo of the crystal water looks gorgeous. I know I’ll get on with the food too!
I had no clue Israel was such a beautiful place, and why I absolutely love reading articles like these! It wasn’t until I traveled abroad for the first time that I realized that there was so much more to a country than just what we hear from the news! Thanks for sharing a little bit more about this country! Would definitely love to visit Israel in the future!
Such a great post <3 Hope that one day I could have a chance to visit Israel. I love this country by reading the famous book "The Start-up Nation". I also have some Israel friends, they are very nice and friendly. I`m sure that my experience there will be one of the most memorable moments in my life. Thank you
And you didn’t mention that humus is served warm. That was a surprise.
Wow your photos are awesome! I’ve been on the fence about going to Israel for a while but now I think it just moved higher up on my list of places to go next 🙂
I’ve been to Lebanon which is somewhat similar. Its a surreal part of the world to explore huh!
You’re winning if you could drive there! I’m always way too scared to drive in any other country, and the only place that I’ve ever driving outside of Australia (apart from California) is in Maui. Which probably doesn’t count.
That felafel and hummus look delicious by the way, I’m glad that you loved Israel even though you weren’t really sure what to expect!
From what I’ve read, Israel is the kind of place that inspires a lot of introspection and reflection once you’ve been there. I’ve always been on the fence too, so it’s great to hear these personal insights from another traveller! My knowledge of Israel is pretty limited (apart from the history and politics)—but I can tell you one thing for sure, every Israeli we’ve met on our travels (and there have been a lot) has been warm and kind and an excellent conversationalist. People always make the place for me, so I guess that should be enough to convince me to visit!
I’ve always wondered about Isreal. It looks like a fantastic place to visit! Thanks for the tips!
That secret spot is gorgeous. So where is it? you’ve got me, Israel is more than just desert. The beach looks awesome too.
Its a shame to hear that the sites in Jerusalem have become commercialised, but I suppose it can be expected!
The rest of Isreal sounds lovely though, and reading your post has chanced my perception of the country… another place to now add to my never ending list haha
Oh my gosh Isreal looks insanely beautiful, now I want to go! That hummus and dip in the ocean would be right up my alley! What a wonderful experience, I hope I get it to visit someday soon!
valerie
I can’t believe that such a small sized country could have such climate differences! The beaches look lovely! And so does the food!
This was a lovely read. I went to an Israeli restaurant in Antwerp and made the mistake of telling the chef that I loved Lebanese hummus. He was adamant that Israeli hummus was better than any other hummus. I have to say I completely agree (or maybe his was the best)!
Israel was on my list for a long time but I have never got a chance to visit. Everything I know about Israel is just Jerusalem, Dead Sea, and Tel-Aviv 🙂 your post gives me more perspective and what amazes me, how small this country is and how much it offers!
I’m so glad you had an amazing visit! I just got back from my fifth trip – this time for almost two months – and I still love it and find new hidden gems every time.