The best of everything! Your top 10 list of favorites in Israel
Hebrew: הכי טובים בישראל
So, what is the best that Israel has to offer? What should be on your bucket list when visiting, touring and traveling in Israel?
We wanted to know what locals really think, so we conducted a poll in our Facebook group and asked our members to vote for;
- Best places to visit in Israel
- Best nature reserves & nature parks
- Best picnic spots
- Best hotels in Israel
- Best restaurants
- Best museums
- Best beaches in Israel
These are our reader’s top 10 choices…
Top 10 Places to Visit
- Bible Lands Museum – Jerusalem
- Western Wall, tunnels and Temple Mount – Jerusalem
- City of David – Jerusalem
- Israel Museum – Jerusalem
- Diaspora Museum – Tel Aviv
- Old City of Jaffa
- Massada
- Underwater Observatory – Eilat
- Artists Quarter – Sefad
- Bahai Temple & Gardens – Haifa
Top 10 Nature Reserves & National Parks
- Hermon National Park (Banyas): From the foot of Mt. Hermon (Har Hermon), the Banyas spring rushes with great force and forms the largest waterfall in Israel alongside the remains of an ancient city.
- Yehudiya Forest Nature Reserve: In the heart of the Golan Heights, Yehudiya Forest offers magnificent hiking trails on the banks of the river as well as the Hexagonal Pools and waterfall. There are short family trails and more difficult, all-day hikes.
- Zippori National Park: Dating back to the Maccabee era, impressive ruins and spectacular mosaics. Less than one hours drive from Haifa.
- Caesarea National Park: This ancient port city was considered, at the time to be one of the most modern ports in the world.
- Jerusalem Walls: Stroll along the walls of The City of David overlooking biblical Jerusalem or brave the underground water tunnels to the ancient spring.
- Ein Gedi Nature Reserve: Not far from the Dead Sea, four springs, and a diversity of fauna and flora provide a stark contrast to the surrounding desert.
- Masada National Park: This mountain top fortress overlooking the Dead Sea was the site of a three year siege by Roman soldiers which led to the mass suicide of its Jewish fugitives.
- Advat National Park: An old Nabatean town on the ancient, incense and spice, route from south Arabia to the Mediterranean.
- Ramon Park: Breathtaking views from the Ramon Crater and geological site. A star gazer’s paradise. The Bio Ramon Information Center provides an in-depth explanation of the unique fauna and flora of the surrounding desert.
- Coral Beach Eilat: This coral reef is a snorkelers paradise!
Top 10 Picnic Spots
- Adamit Park offers spectacular views of the Western Galilee and Haifa Bay. An easy half-hour walk to Me’Arat HaKeshet (The Arch Cave)
- Blue Valley Park offers 580 dunams of parkland, north of Tzfat, you can take in views of Mount Meron from every angle. If you are lucky you will see some of Israel’s wildlife.
- The Carmel Forest: Thousands of acres of natural woodland, planted forest covered with wildflowers make the Carmel Forest to the north-east of Haifa one of the most visited parks in the area
- Beeri Forest in the Negev is the place to find plenty of green fields, open spaces, wildflowers and lots of anemones (Heb: Kalaniot)
- Ben Shemen Forest: Hiking routes, a section of the Israel Trail, bicycle paths, archaeological sites, wild flowers and a dedicated picnic area are what you will find in the Ben Shemen Forest
- British Park (Park Britannia): South of Beit Shemesh, 10,000 acres of planted forest and indigenous flora, carob, pine and oak tress nestle in the Judean Plain. Also a scenic lookout, walking paths and historical and archaeological sites
- Martyrs’ Forest (Yaar HaKedushim) where you will find the Scroll of Fire Memorial, the Anne Frank Memorial and the Martyrs’ Cave.
- Afula – Nahal Harod Park: The river trail, the Western Roman Bridge, Ganei Huga and the Basalt Canyon are just some of the attractions in the Park.
- Hurshat Tal wins our vote. Picnic on the banks of the icy cold Dan River, under giant oak trees or next to the fresh water pools. Great camping too!
- Nahal Kadesh Park: Situated at the source of the Kadesh River (Nahal Kadesh) at the edge of the Hula Valley
Top 10 Hotels in Israel
- The King David Hotel – Jerusalem
- The Mamila Hotel – Jerusalem
- Dan – Tel Aviv
- Royal Hotel – Dead Sea
- Daniel Hotel – Dead Sea
- Colony Hotel – Haifa
- Carmel Forest Spa – Haifa
- Herods Hotel – Eilat
- Queen of Sheba – Eilat
- Creaser Premier Hotel – Tiberias, and a bonus
- Leonardo Plaza – Tiberias
Top 10 Restaurants in Israel
- Arcadia – Jerusalem
- Mul Hayam – Tel Aviv
- Helena – Ceserea
- Uri Buri – Akko (closed temporarily)
- HaNamal 24 – Haifa
- Muscat – Rosh Pina
- Denis – Eilat
- Deeks – Tiberias
- Kadosh – Sefad
- Black Steer – Herzliyah
