Top 7 Places To See In Israel

As many of you know from reading some of my other lenses, I have been living in Israel for almost ten months now and have had the chance to travel to some great places! Here are some of my top favorites! I'd love to hear what your favorites are too! Even though I've been to a lot of places in Israel, I still have a lot of traveling to do and can't wait for the adventure!

There are so many things to do in Tel Aviv. There are some great streets to walk along, such as: Rothschild Boulevard, where you can just stroll and admire the beautiful street or sit down at one of the many coffee shops for a cup of coffee, and Shenkin Street, where you can find anything from trendy clothing to completely random accessories. The Nachlat Binyamin street craft fair is every Tuesday and Friday. The street is full of of artists' boothes with some real amazing artwork, jewelry, leather work, woodwork and much more. There is also Dizengoff Street, Old Yaffo and the HaCarmel market. Tel Aviv has many other sites, museums, beaches, parks and more to see. There is also great nightlife in this city, with tons of bars and clubs to choose from, whether you want a "chill" night or "go hard" night. Tel Aviv is a great city!

The Old City of Jerusalem is a MUST see. Although small, it has a bunch of the religious sites such as the Kotel (Western Wall). The Israel Museum and Yad Vashem are must sees as well. I went to Yad Vashem on birthright and feel I could go back at least a few more times in order to absorb everything that is in there. Although you can get very emotional, you can also learn a lot. The shuk in Jerusalem, Machane Yehuda Market, is a lot bigger than Shuk HaCarmel in Tel Aviv and has a lot of great nik-naks, fruits, vegetables, breads and much more! Jerusalem is a little bit more of a religious city than Tel Aviv, but there is so much to see and do there!

The Dead Sea is one of the wonders of the world. It is the lowest place on earth and has the highest concentration of salt ever. You hear people say how cool it is to just float when you are in the water and you see pictures, however, nothing compares to actually experiencing it yourself. I have been twice and was just as amazed the second time as I was the first time. When you go you should make sure to use some of the mud! It leaves your skin feeling so nice and soft. A little lesson I learned after the first time I went though, is to not shave before going and try not to have any cuts because the high concentration of salt in the water makes it sting so badly!

Eilat can get very hot, so try avoid going during the intense summer heat months! There are some great places to go snorkeling where you can see the fish and coral so clearly. The water in Eilat is much colder and very refreshing compared to the warmer sea water in Tel Aviv. Eilat is very close to Jordan as well, so its easy to take a day trip and see what Jordan is like.

Mount Hermon is the most northern and highest point of Israel. It is the place that everyone goes to ski during the winter, since not much of Israel gets snow (something very hard to get used to after living in New York my whole life!). It is a beautiful place to go hiking and walk around since it has some truly beautiful sites.

The top thing (in my opinion) to see in Haifa are the Baha'i Gardens. They are absolutely beautiful! Haifa is gorgeous place. While I was there, I walked along the boardwalk with a friend (we were there during Shabbat) and there were so many families picnicking on the grass, children running around playing and couples from young to old walking along the water. It was a truly beautiful sight and something that I was not used to seeing often. There are some other parts of Haifa that are very nice to see too. I ate with a friend in the German Colony and it was a very good meal. I am really looking forward to going back here soon!

The Sea of Galilee is one of Israel's largest fresh water reservoirs and is also the country's largest source of drinking water. The beaches that surround the water are beautiful and each one is slightly different from the other. There are many tourist attractions and activities for people of all ages to enjoy themselves. This is a place that is great for nature lovers. In the area are some great parks and nature reserves that are just gorgeous to walk through. This is definitely a place to go, especially if you are an outdoorsy type of person!

I would LOVE to hear your thoughts! Have you visited Israel? Have friends who have?