What's New: An Online Update for Frommer's Israel, Jordan and the Sinai, Part I

Israel has been a tourism destination for over two thousand years. In ancient times, Jewish pilgrims came from as far away as Babylonia, Persia, Alexandria and Asia Minor to visit biblical sites and worship at the Temple of Jerusalem (after the Temple's destruction in A.D. 70, they came to mourn near its ruins). Romans and Greeks came to enjoy the natural thermal baths around the Sea of Galilee and the mineral baths at the Dead Sea. By early Byzantine times, a thriving Christian pilgrimage tradition had developed, with thousands arriving each year to see the sites of events described in the New Testament. With the rise of Islam in the 7th century A.D., Jerusalem and other places in the area became destinations for the Islamic world as well.

Today, whether it's for the journey of a lifetime, or a return trip to a land that has become almost a second home, travelers continue to come, although numbers are way down from the years of the Peace Process in the 1990s. During the first three months of 2004, tourism to Israel was up 82% over the same period in 2003, but the figures are still far below the level of 2000. What does this mean for potential visitors? There are advantages and disadvantages.

On the plus side, there are terrific bargains, especially in hotel rates. Tourism arrivals these days are down to 1980s levels, but there's now a greatly enlarged hotel and country guesthouse infrastructure of spanking new rooms that are going begging. And if you're willing to settle for a hotel that is older, or hasn't been recently upgraded, the deals are even better.

Actual (as opposed to published) prices are constantly changing and subject to bargaining, but at the moment, travelers on moderate budgets can upgrade to previously unthinkable luxury at hotels like Jerusalem's King David for the price of a very reasonable splurge. Jerusalem's newest luxury hotel, the David Citadel (www.tdchotel.com), built in 1998 as a rival to the nearby King David, was recently offering double rooms with breakfast included for $180, and bargaining or a good travel packager might bring even that price down.

Through August 2004, the beachfront Sheraton Tel Aviv Hotel and Tower, one of the best 5 Star, beach front hotels in Tel Aviv, is offering a 5 night package of a deluxe class double room plus an Avis B class automatic, air conditioned car for $175 to $185 per night, room only. For information on this Sheraton-Avis package, in the USA call 800/325-3535; in the UK, call 800/325-35353.

Budget hotels, some of them very pleasant and centrally located, have brought their rates down to record levels. The very efficient Jerusalem Inn Hotel (www.jerusaleminn.co.il, e-mail: jerinn@bezeqint.net) located on a relatively quiet street two short blocks from Zion Square, and a five minute walk to the Old City, is offering weekly rates to Frommer's readers of $205 for a single; $280 for a double (room only). The bright, pleasantly decorated rooms (many with small balconies) include new private bathrooms with glass stall showers, air conditioning, safes, television, phone, refrigerator and comfortable beds. In more normal times, two beds in a hostel dormitory would cost more!

Israel used to be a relatively expensive country where it was hard to find good value for your money. All that has changed. Now more than ever, the Eleventh Commandment is in effect: "Thou Shalt Not Pay Full Price for Hotel Rooms!" Check out the travel agencies advertising special rates in the on-line daily Jerusalem Post www.jpost.com) and the on-line Ha'aretz, (the New York Times of Israel), www.haaretz.com . The deals you can get from packagers or even by booking independently are exceptional, but you have to work at it and plan ahead. On the other hand, for the first time in years, it's easy to freewheel when you visit Israel. Except on summer weekends and Jewish holidays, rooms are available everywhere, and rental cars can be arranged on the spot. Travelers to Israel (myself included) report receiving lots of personal attention at hotels, restaurants, museums and historical sites. And everywhere, the traditionally brusque Israelis are truly going out of their way to be nice to tourists!

Security Tips for Visiting Israel

Many travelers (and Israelis) feel better avoiding public buses these days. The odds are by far against anything happening, but why add needless stress to your trip, especially when there are very good alternatives? Inter city sheruts (shared inter-city vans or limos) provide a convenient way to travel between major cities, and sherut fares are virtually identical to bus fares. As soon as a sherut fills up with 8 or 9 passengers, it's off to its destination, and the next sherut moves up to be filled with riders. The Jerusalem-Tel Aviv sheruts leave from Zion Square, so you don't even have to deal with getting to (and through) the confusing Central Bus Station. You get dropped off just outside Tel Aviv's vast Central Bus Station, where you can easily pick up a taxi to your hotel, or the Number 4 Sherut (which runs along Ben Yehuda St., one block inland from the Ha-Yarkon St. hotel zone); or the Number 5 Sherut, which takes you to Dizengoff Square. Taxis in Israeli cities are very reasonable by American standards, if you can get the driver to use the meter!

For the latest updates on travel to Israel from the U.S. State Department, go to: travel.state.gov; for advisories for citizens from the U.K. and Commonwealth countries, check out www.fco.gov.uk.

The U.S. State Department (and many European foreign ministries) advise travelers to avoid municipal buses in Israel, especially during the morning and evening rush hours; avoid visiting shopping malls and crowded places like the Mahane Yehuda vegetable market in Jerusalem-especially on Thursdays when it is crowded with pre-Shabbat shoppers. Many also advise travelers to avoid the Old City of Jerusalem on Fridays, the Islamic day of prayer. With the exception of a rare Friday demonstration at the El Aksa Mosque on the Temple Mount, the Old City of Jerusalem has been amazingly quiet during the past few years of conflict. In light of this, The Temple Mount/Haram Es Sharif, site of the magnificent Dome of the Rock and El Aksa Mosque, (and also the place where the First and Second Temples of biblical fame once stood) has recently been re-opened to tourists after being closed for over three years, due to security considerations.

Sadly, the West Bank/Palestinian Authority area continues to be in turmoil, which means its ancient towns of Bethlehem, Hebron, Nablus and Jericho, are totally off limits until conditions improve. If you were planning to spend much of your time visiting those places, this is not the time to come.

If all these sensible warnings get you down, remember that even in a very difficult year, like 2002-03, many more Israelis were killed and injured in automobile accidents than in terror attacks.

Throughout the country, facilities at museums, national parks, nature reserves and holy sites have all been renovated and upgraded to accommodate the deluge of millennium visitors (naturally most of these projects were not completed until the millennium crowds had come and gone). As you tour biblical and archeological sites throughout the Israel, you'll be among the first to enjoy the many new, inventive, state-of-the-art visitor's centers that help you to understand and connect with these places in a personal way. You'll also find these sites are delightfully free from the usual hordes of tourists.

Getting There by Air

All of the major carriers have upgraded their business class service-something to consider, especially in light of reports about the health risks involved in long haul flights. Luxurious, but not nearly as expensive as First Class, these options can turn the long flight to Israel from torture into airborne bliss. You'll arrive rested, ready to go, and almost immune to jetlag. If you've been collecting Frequent Flyer Bonus points, and upgrade could be a very worthwhile investment.

Continental's (www.contintental.com) four year-old Newark -- Tel Aviv route is thriving. It's upmarket Business Elite class service is probably the best of this category in the business, featuring pampering service, good food and VERY roomy seats that come close to reclining into beds. El Al (www.elal.co.il) is the only airline offering nonstop flights to Tel Aviv from New York's JFK Airport (up to 28 nonstops a week) and it also offers daily nonstop service from Newark (except Fridays, when El Al never flies). El Al is the only airline that offers direct flights to Tel Aviv with NO change of planes from Miami, Los Angeles, and Chicago. The big news at El Al is the airline's newly designed, upgraded Business Platinum Class, which replaces a far less luxurious Business Class. It's always worth checking with El Al to see about companion fare specials, and upgrade deals, which are often offered when travel to Israel is low.

With its close connections to the Israeli travel industry, El Al a offers a variety of land package arrangements that are fabulous deals, (no other airline comes close to matching El Al in this respect) but these packages can only be purchased with a roundtrip North America-Israel El Al ticket. El Al now offers reciprocal Frequent Flyer Miles in arrangements with Delta, American Airlines, Qantas Airways, and South African Airways. You can also get points for free tickets and upgrades on El Al when you stay at the Dan Hotels, Sheraton Hotels, Le Meridien Hotels, Radisson and Inter-Continental Hotels. American Express Membership Rewards also can be used toward tickets and upgrades with El Al.

Israir, (www.israir.com) an Israeli Airline, is planning to begin flying directly between New York and Tel Aviv during the summer of 2004. Israir should be a bit less expensive than Israel' national airline, El Al, and a bit more no-frills. It is definitely worth looking into-for families traveling with a number of passengers, the savings could really mount up.

A number of European carriers offer service from North America to Israel, but all require a change of planes en-route. Also note that due to the tourism slump, some of these airlines no longer fly non-stop from Europe to Israel, but instead require an additional plane change in Cyprus, which can make for a very long flight if you're coming directly from North America.

Swiss International Airlines, (also called Swiss, www.swiss.com) the new carrier that has replaced the now-defunct Swissair, offers the best connections between flights on its New York-Tel Aviv route, which stops at Zurich. You connect to the Zurich-Tel Aviv flight within one or two hours, and there are no stopovers in Cyprus. On some days, Swiss International code shares the Zurich-Tel Aviv leg of the trip with El Al. Swiss International has also just redesigned its business class compartments: they now match the best in the skies for comfort and décor. Swiss International doesn't require you to buy a roundtrip Business Class seat-if you need to save money, you can do Business Class on only one half of a roundtrip ticket. The price of a one-way business class upgrade is not that much less than for roundtrip, but for two or more passengers, the saving begins to add up.

If you're planning a few days stopover in London, Paris, Rome, Greece, or Germany on your trip to Israel, then British Airways (www.british-airways.com); Air France (www.airfrance.com); Alitalia (www.alitalia.com); and Olympic and Lufthansa (www.lufthansa.com) are worth looking into. Stopovers in the home countries of national airlines are usually free, and these airlines offer good land package arrangements. Alitalia is the European airline that carries the largest number of passengers between North America and Israel; it and offers land package options for passengers making pilgrimages to Rome and the Holy Land. The airlines of some of the East European countries offer slightly better fares and the chance to explore less-visited countries en route to Israel. Be aware that refunds from foreign carriers, especially those of East European countries, can sometimes be tricky.

Telephone Area Code Alerts

• All cell phone numbers in Israel are being changed. All current cell phone numbers (beginning with three number area codes) will only be valid until October 2004.

• The telephone area code for all numbers in the Galilee and Golan is now 04, the same as the area code for Haifa and the Western Galilee. The area code for Tiberias, the eastern Galilee and the Golan was formerly 06, but this area code has been terminated and all numbers listed with an 06 area code prefix are now in the 04. area code.

• The telephone area code for all numbers in the Negev, the Dead Sea Region and Eilat is now 08. All phone numbers listed with the former 07 area code prefix are now in the 08 area code.

Getting Around in Israel

You can usually get the best possible deals in car rentals if you make reservations ahead of time from your home country.

Remember that Israeli rental cars are not insured for travel in the West Bank or Gaza! Many agencies do not insure vehicles for East Jerusalem either, so it's best to verify any possible travel restrictions when you sign your rental agreement.

From Jerusalem, however, there is one road passing through the West Bank that your rental car is currently insured to travel (although you should re-check with your car rental agency). At present, you ARE permitted to drive on Highway One between Jerusalem and the Dead Sea, which runs through a largely uninhabited part of the West Bank, and is the main road from Jerusalem to the east. Highway One ends at the north-south running Highway 90. You can take Highway 90 south along the Dead Sea to the beach resorts along the Dead Sea, to Masada and on down to Eilat, but currently, it is NOT safe to drive on the part of Highway 90 that runs from Highway One north through the Jordan Valley toward Bet Shean and onward to the Sea of Galilee (the usual route from Jerusalem to the Sea of Galilee). Until further notice, drivers from Jerusalem to the eastern Galilee should stay within the 1948 borders of Israel by detouring westward to the outskirts of Tel Aviv, and from there driving north along the coast to the Galilee.

Exchange Rates & Money Tips

The New Israel Shekel (NIS) remains at approximately 4.5 to the U.S. dollar. The shekel is now 8.25 to the British pound, and 5.45 to the euro.

All hotel prices, except in the very cheapest hotels, are generally quoted in U.S. dollars. Foreign travelers paying hotel bills in foreign currency or by credit cards are exempt from a 17% Value Added Tax. If you pay your hotel bill with shekels, you must pay the VAT.

For Travelers With Disabilities

Inside Israel, there's been a slow but ongoing effort to provide access for visitors with disabilities-even at sites famed for their inaccessibility, like Masada! Atop the dramatic plateau of Masada a new network of wheelchair accessible pathways was completed in 2000.

The year 2000 also marked the publication of Access In Israel: A Guide for People Who Have Difficulty Getting Around, by Gordon Couch, in cooperation with the Pauline Hephaistos Survey Project, published by Quiller Press, London. The book is an invaluable guide to special needs accessibility conditions in airports, hotels, restaurants, parks, museums and other sites in Israel, although it does not rate all hotels, restaurants and sites, and in a few instances, as new access projects have been completed, this edition is already out of date. Sites in places like Jerusalem's Old City are arranged according to location, so you can easily plan what sites you want to visit in a given area.

The Israeli Association published a newer book, Access Unlimited: Your Guide to Israel, by Dr. Judith Bendel, Zvi Gur, and Ariel Kalkuda, in 2004 for the Advancement of Accessibility in cooperation with the Ministry of Tourism. A complete labor of love, written by Israelis who know their country well, this book is extensive, professional and savvy. Assessments for Blind and Visually Impaired travelers are included. Entries are alphabetical, rather than by location, which makes it necessary to have a working knowledge of the neighborhood you are visiting. At present, this book can be obtained without charge. For more information, go to the Access Unlimited web site: www.access-unlimited.co.il or Fax 972-9-7650-430. One caveat: As with most first, editions, there are a few errors in Access Unlimited: Your Guide to Israel. An example: The pool at the Sheraton Moriah Tel Aviv Hotel is listed as accessible, when in fact a narrow spiral staircase makes access unusually difficult. Those who make reservations at the Sheraton Moriah and hope to use the pool may find themselves disappointed. Although these editions are extremely helpful, readers of both books should call ahead to reconfirm and clarify all information.

For Gay and Lesbian Travelers

Israel has come a long way since the 1980s, when laws regarding homosexual activity were removed from the books, however an open gay scene has only really emerged in trendy Tel Aviv. Each year, Tel Aviv, and even the more conservative, traditional Jerusalem, host official gay pride parades. Among the new places to check: in Tel Aviv are: He-She, 8 Ha Shomeret St. (03/510-0914), probably the busiest gay bar in town, with a crowd of Israelis and foreigners that's largely (but not entirely) youngish; The Out, 45 Nahlat Benyamin, at the corner of Montifiore St. (03/560-2391), a somewhat yuppier, two story spot near the city's most trendy restaurant neighborhood. It offers live Israeli rock on Mondays. A number of discos plan special gay nights: Monday night is gay night at The Scene, 67 Allenby St. (03/510-8523). Many of the other discos along this stretch of Allenby also set aside special nights.

In Jerusalem, things are quieter but opening up. Shonka at 1 Ha Soreg St. (02/625-7033) is Jerusalem's newest restaurant hit, but as the dinner crowd finishes up, after 10:30pm, Shonka morphs itself a stylish dance bar. Thursday night is gay night-things begin to happen after midnight. The bar is good, and if you come early for a meal (before 10pm) the inventive, Mediterranean Rim menu is excellent though not cheap.

Note that in the Palestinian/Arabic communities throughout Israel, and in East Jerusalem, the West Bank, Jordan and Egypt, any kind of openly gay or lesbian behavior is completely forbidden both by custom and law. Extreme caution and the lowest possible profile are advised.

Plant a Tree in Israel

If you'd like to plant a tree in Israel with your own hands, just call (Toll-free) 800/223-484 anywhere in the country to arrange it. The web site is: www.treesfortheholyland.com. The cost per tree is $18.

Jerusalem

A good number of major and minor Jerusalem hotels have closed or are open on a skeletal staff basis until the situation improves. Many older hotels have not been renovated since before the current Intifada began, and rooms in these establishments may be rather worn. Also note that in-house restaurant services, room service hours, and many other hotel services and amenities listed in previous guidebooks, may be presently curtailed. Even the banquet size breakfast buffets served by most Israel hotels have been cut back somewhat, especially when hotel occupancy is low. On the other hand, rate cuts and discounts abound, and this is perhaps the one chance travelers on a budget may have to stay at the King David, or other top-class hotels, for moderate rates.

Jerusalem's luxurious new Hilton Hotel, opened in 1998 on King David Street as a rival to the venerable King David Hotel, is no longer a Hilton, and has changed its name to the David Citadel Hotel, but this name change may not be permanent. Its phone number is now 02/621-1111; fax 02/621-1000. Web site: www.tdchotel.com. This hotel, with fresh new rooms, and views that look toward the walls of the Old City, is often available at very good rates. Note that the former Dan Pearl Hotel has left the Dan Hotel Chain, and is now just the Jerusalem Pearl Hotel.

Another of the city's major hotels, the Laromme, has also changed its name. It is now the Inbal Hotel. Phone and fax numbers remain as listed the same; the new web site is: www.inbal-hotel.co.il. A step down from the David Citadel, though still a five star hotel, the very popular Inbal was booked solidly each time I stopped by to try to look at rooms, so fabulous deals may not be as easy to come by. Renamed though it is, the Inbal's guest rooms have not been renovated for a number of years. A last note: the guest rooms in Jerusalem's most exclusive hotel, the King David (the pride of the Dan Hotel Chain), were very extensively renovated just before the Intifada began in 2000. They are now more spacious (all tiny, cramped rooms have been eliminated) and the whole place is better than ever. Again, look for deals through on-line agencies and travel agents that specialize in Israel.

Wireless Connections: Many Israeli hotels have scrimped on updating and renovating these past few years, but the Dan Hotel Chain has kept its standards high. This year, all Dan Hotels in Israel were fitted with Wide Band High Speed Wireless Internet technology. In Jerusalem, this includes the Dan's King David Hotel and the Dan Panorama Jerusalem. In the moderate price range, the atmospheric Mount Zion Hotel in Jerusalem (which is not a Dan Hotel) has also set up Wide Band High Speed Wireless Internet service in all rooms and in its lobby. At the Mount Zion, this service is available for a fee by the hour, or with special 24 hour and weekly rates day or week. The Mount Zion Hotel's manager, Rachael Goldberg, offers a 10% discount to all Frommer's readers who book independently and present their guidebook or a print-out of Frommer's Israel Update at check in.

Budget Bargains! Note that some of Jerusalem's budget range hotels are now offering weekly discount rates. Perhaps the best of the budget choices, the Jerusalem Inn Hotel (jerinn@bezeqint.net), located two short blocks from Zion Square, is offering special weekly rates to Frommer's readers of $205 for a single; $280 for a double (room only).

The drop in tourism has curtailed the wonderful array of restaurant choices that developed in Jerusalem over the past decade. Tel Aviv can easily support a lively restaurant scene, but in conservative, religious Jerusalem, upper bracket and unusual restaurants depend on the extra boost of the tourist market to survive. It used to be that the city's best restaurants were largely clumped together on prominent thoroughfares and pedestrian malls. Now, due to security concerns, the new wave of eateries is largely dispersed along innocuous, hard to find side streets. Some of the best (and most secure) new restaurants are located in old mansions surrounded by gardens and stonewalls.

Shonka (02/625-7033) at 1 Ha-Soreg Street, off Jaffa Road, two short blocks east of Zion Square is the best of the new crop of luxury dining spots in Jerusalem. It's presided over by Ginadi Nasrieh, who was sous chef at Jerusalem's heavenly, but now defunct Ocean Restaurant, (which was the favorite of former Secretary of State Waren Christopher during the years of the Peace Process). Unlike the very formal Ocean, Shonka is a stylish but casual place with a menu that's elegant, but also hearty. In keeping with the times, Shonka is also less expensive than Ocean was. Ginadi's repertoire ranges from rich, melt-in-your mouth foie gras: fabulous fresh mussels; or lamb kebabs (ground lamb) grilled on skewers and incredibly dense with flavor. Most highly recommended is the seafood: there are few people in Israel who can coax as much flavor and texture out of a shrimp as Ginadi. Shonka also offers a variety of lunch and dinner specials. Around ten-thirty at night, the restaurant turns into a bar with music and dancing, and for those who party on, the food choices, though more limited, are the best on Jerusalem's late night scene.

Cavalier (02/624-2945), hidden away in an alleyway at 1 Ben Sira St., off Shlomzion Ha-Malka St., is a small, easy-going, elegant (but not pretentious) choice for fine dining in contemporary French style. Chef/owner Didi ben Aruch has carefully planned everything here, from the softly-played music that covers neighboring conversations to the excellent wine list and the menu filled with an ever-changing list of nightly specials. Standouts include lamb sirloin in curried couscous with mushrooms, carrots, and pine nuts; exquisite shrimps and fillet of drumfish in citrus oil; Coquilles St. Jacques served on a bed of crisp, finely chopped nuts and artichokes; sashimi of red tuna; and fine veal Carpaccio served with shavings of Parmesan. Desserts here are worthwhile; the chocolate volcano is spectacular. Open daily for lunch and dinner.

Vaqueiro (02/624-7432) at 54 Hanevi'im St. is Jerusalem's most popular new moderate-priced dining spot. A South American-style restaurant where you can sample from a large all-you-can-eat menu of meats brought to your table fresh from the fire, this place is kosher, and the brainchild of an Israeli from South Africa who is a master at grilling. There is a fish option, but Vaquiero's strength is meat. Located in a charming 19th century mansion separated from the street by a walled garden, it offers both atmosphere, and security. Open Sun-Thurs noon-midnight and Saturday evening after Shabbat. Business lunch til 5pm is $18; fixed price all you can eat dinner is $27. Plan to visit on a very empty stomach!

It used to be hard to find a good fish in Jerusalem. Now, the moderately priced, non-kosher Sea Dolphin, (02/623-2272), at 9 Ben Shitah Street, not far from the Yoel Solomon/Rivlin Street Mall in the center of West Jerusalem,, serves seafood as well as very fresh fish, along with a large mezze of salads and appetizers that comes with each main course. It's stylish and busy, despite the tourist slump. Open daily for lunch and dinner.

Kosher Indian food is not all that easy to find, but Jerusalem's Kohinoor Restaurant at the (Holiday Inn) Crown Plaza Hotel ( 02/658/8867) offers a remarkable opportunity for kosher diners to enjoy the complex, varied cuisines of the sub-continent. Justly famous for over a decade, the Kohinoor has recently expanded it's menu to include a new range of Goan and rich, spicy South Indian coconut milk dishes, all prepared within the rules of kashrut. As an added treat, Kohinoor's Indian-Jewish owner, Reena Pushkarna, has printed a beautiful, instructive new menu that includes careful explanations of each dish as well as a number of Reena's own handwritten recipes. Kosher cooks who like to experiment will be frantically taking notes as they dine, but Kohinoor and its non-kosher affiliates, the Tandoori Restaurants in Tel Aviv, Herzlia, and Eilat are known for their graciousness, and will makes copies of the recipes for those who are interested.

A new, little budget gem, deceptively simple, but good value, is Ola La, at 5 Havazelet St, a side street which runs off Jaffa Rd, just off Zion Square. (02/622-2844). Its owner/chef, the ever-ebullient Olga (nicknamed Ola) is a recent immigrant from Russia who was once a biochemist, but who also dreamed of being a restaurateur. Immigrating to Israel, with its surplus of scientists, made living out her fantasy an economic necessity. Olga turns out a great menu of fresh fish, salads, home-style soups, borscht, buckwheat pancakes, and also has made her establishment into a tiny home away from home for both Russian immigrant and Sabra regulars. It's a kosher vegetarian/fish only menu, so there's no meat, but the lunch specials, including Olga's marvelous fresh fish, are great deals, and are offered until late afternoon. Look for the fresh Mediterranean Denis oven-baked in foil-it's delicious with garlic and butter, but Olga will prepare it to your specifications.

Askadinya, 11 Simon Ha-Zadik St., (02/532-4801), a new little restaurant set in an old stone house and garden. Just half a block from Highway One (the unofficial demarcation line between East and West Jerusalem), serves both sides of the city. The atmosphere is friendly, and its chef has received strong reviews from tourists and from Jerusalem's international journalist community for his inventive, lively, menu. Very busy on Friday evenings, when many places in West Jerusalem are closed.

The Temple Mount, or Haram Es Sharif, containing the Dome of the Rock and the El Aksa Mosque was reopened to non-Muslim visitors and tourists in late 2003, after being closed for three years due to the political situation. Visiting hours are only Sundays through Thursdays, 9am to 11am. These curtailed visiting hours are subject to change. Check with your hotel or with the Municipal Government Tourist Offices at Jaffa Gate or in the Safra Municipality Center at the foot of Jaffa Road to ascertain current hours for this extraordinary site-for many it is the jewel in Jerusalem's crown in terms of historical and architectural significance.

Because visiting hours at the Temple Mount are short, you may want to concentrate on the lavishly ornamented Dome of the Rock. Built in A.D. 691. This remarkable structure has reigned as one of the world's most beautiful buildings for over 1300 years. The Temple Mount is an Islamic holy place and the religious trust that administers the site requests that non-Muslims touring the Temple Mount dress modestly (no shorts) and refrain from public or private prayers. Do not bring Jewish or Christian prayer books onto the Temple Mount. If you want to enter the Dome of the Rock or the El Aksa Mosque, remember that these are Islamic places of prayer that can only be entered after removing your shoes. Cameras, handbags, and shoes must be stowed in cubbyholes outside these buildings. It's best to visit the Temple Mount with a partner who will watch your belongings while you explore the interiors of these buildings.

Meanwhile, in the Jerusalem Archeological Park just outside the southern wall of the Temple Mount, the newly opened Davidson Exhibition and Virtual Exhibition Center (Web site of the Jerusalem Archeological Park: www.archpark.org.il) gives you the chance to take a virtual tour of the Temple Mount as archaeologists believe it appeared in the Herodian period, from the late first century B.C. until the Roman destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70. Located in the ruins of an early 8th Century Islamic palace uncovered by archaeologists at the foot of the Temple Mount, the Davidson Center contains a small museum with artifacts found at the site, as well as videos and computer information on the Temple Mount's history. There is also a small display of some of the actual discoveries made over the past 30 years in archaeological digs along the outer periphery of the Temple Mount's walls. In Jewish/Herodian times, before the Roman destruction of Jerusalem, the traditional entrance for pilgrims to the Temple was via two sets of gates in the southern wall of the Temple Mount. The piece de resistance of the Davidson Exhibition is a dramatic, computerized reconstruction of the route visitors to the ancient Temple Mount would have taken, through tunnels that led from the southern gates up to the surface of the sacred enclosure.

Honored by the Israeli Postal Service with a set of commemorative stamps in 2003-04, Jerusalem's two world famous Armenian ceramic workshops are always worth visiting.

The Palestinian Armenian Pottery Workshop, Nablus Rd, next to the East. Jerusalem American Consulate (www.armenianceramics.com); and Jerusalem Pottery, located on the Via Dolorosa, at the Sixth Station of the Cross in the Old City (www.jerusalempottery.biz); 02/626-1587. The artisans of these workshops were originally brought to Jerusalem at the start of the British Mandate in 1919 to maintain the extraordinary ceramic tiles on the Dome of the Rock. Hand painted tiles from the workshops adorn the exteriors and interiors of buildings throughout Jerusalem, from St. Andrew's Church to the American Colony Hotel. The beautiful tile wall panels decorating the Sukkot Patio at the Residence of the President of Israel, were designed by Marie Balian of the Palestinian Pottery Workshop (Mrs. Balian has been honored with a special exhibition of her work at the Smithsonian Museum in Washington D.C.). The Karakashian family's Jerusalem Pottery Workshop is especially known for its individual tile designs. An array of hand-painted plates, vases, and other ceramic items for sale to the general public at very reasonable prices is available at both workshops. The bazaars of the Old City are flooded with printed, machine-made imitations of Armenian ceramics, but only the real stuff shines.

Fans of Jerusalem's Armenian ceramics tradition will want to check out a beautifully illustrated book, The Armenian Ceramics of Jerusalem, Three Generations, by Nurith Kenaan-Kedar. Published in 2003, it chronicles the work of both the Balian and Karakashian families, and is available at the Eretz Israel Museum Bookstore in Tel Aviv, or can be ordered at Steimatsky's Bookstores throughout Israel. Be sure to specify the English language edition. The A

Both Palestinian Pottery and Jerusalem Pottery are closed Sundays. When tourism is especially slow, it is best to call Jerusalem Pottery ahead of time to be sure they'll stay open for your visit.

The works of a number of Judaica artisans listed in the Frommer's Israel 3rd edition can now be previewed on their websites. Oded Davidson (www.odedjudaica.cjb.net), is a silversmith whose whimsical work is in the collections of many museums, including the Israel Museum and the Wolfson Museum in Jerusalem; Avi Biran, a silversmith with many awards and a sense of humor in his designs, has had his work shown in museums throughout the world, including the Jewish Museum of Prague, and Jerusalem's Wolfson Museum. Archie Granot (www.archiegranot.com) is a Judaica paper cut artist whose work is in the collections of the Jewish Museum of New York, the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, and the Israel Museum in Jerusalem.

You'll find bargains in Judaica shops all over the Ben Yehuda Mall area and in Mea Shearim, the ultra-orthodox part of West Jerusalem that begins about half a mile north of Zion Square. Remember that bargaining (or politely asking for a discount) has become customary in most of these shops, and prices for nearly identical items can vary from shop to shop. Many of Jerusalem's tourist/Judaica stores have signs that say in Hebrew, if not English: NO REFUNDS, RETURNS, OR EXCHANGES! So comparison shop before making a purchase: once you buy it, it's yours

One downtown shop you can count on is Ophir Jewelry, at 38 Jaffa Road, a favorite with Jerusalemites for half a century. Packed with custom, hand designed creations that are very moderately priced and run the gamete from delicate Edwardian to exotic ethnic, this tiny treasure chest of a shop has just set up a website that gives you a hint of what you will find there: www.ophir-jewelry.com.

Another of Jerusalem's little known shopping pleasures are the Reprints of Antique Photographs of Jerusalem: A number of venerable, family-run photography studios on Al Khanka Street in the Old City have gone through their archives and are now selling reprints of views of Jerusalem (and the entire region) from the first half of the 20th century. Photo buffs and those interested in Jerusalem's history can spend hours browsing these collections -- many of the photographs come close to visual poetry. Kevork Kahvedjian, of Elia Photo Service, 14 Al Khanka Street, (www.eliaphotoservice.com) has published a striking edition, Jerusalem Through My Father's Eyes, containing over a half century of his father's photographic work, which is on sale (($50) at the Elia Studio. You'll find other photography shops on Al Khanka Street also selling remarkable matted reproductions in the $20 range. Higher quality prints can also be ordered. To get to Al Khanka Street, enter Jaffa Gate and continue straight on David Street into the bazaar. At Christian Quarter Road, turn left, and continue to the end. Turn right (downhill) onto Al Khanka Street the end of Christian Quarter Road. The shops with antique photo collections for sale are all on the right side of the street.

During the past two years, a new, loosely twenty and thirty-something evening/late night scene has sprung up in Jerusalem, and it's all in the center of town, on a two block stretch of Shlomzion HaMalka Street that runs downhill from Jaffa Road to King David Street. Each month new spots open on the strip-places to dress up a bit, talk, listen to live music, munch, graze, dine, or perhaps dance. Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights the street takes on the air of an outdoor party. It all started at the foot of Shlomzion Ha Malka Street with the enormously popular Chakra, an eclectic bar/restaurant with great tapas and a small dance floor illuminated by a rococo chandelier. Now, among the street's choices, you'll find Jacksi, serving upscale French cuisine with a matching upscale bar; Sol Tapas Bar, with over 50 kinds of Spanish appetizers; the Mamilla Club, attracting a younger crowd with live dance music; Osho, with an elegant setting created by one of Israel's most famous interior designers; Diaz, another spot with a Latin/Mediterranean ambiance. Just browse the street, and pick a place that catches your eye. Meanwhile, the wilder, teeny-bopper/student scene that took over Jerusalem's historic Russian Compound neighborhood in the 1990s has virtually vanished. Only Mike's Place, at 9 Monbaz St., the mellow American-style pub that has become a Jerusalem institution (with live jazz, blues and folk music every night) continues to thrive among the Russian Compound's many closed and drooping bars and nightspots.

West Bank: Off-Limits

The West Bank, which includes the historic biblical towns of Bethlehem, Jericho, Hebron and Nablus (biblical Shechem) is closed to Israeli visitors, and most Western governments have advised their citizens not to visit the West Bank until the political situation improves.

Tel Aviv

Brash, modern Tel Aviv, founded on empty sand dunes in 1909, likes to think of itself as a city with no history, and no holy sites-the spiritual opposite of Jerusalem. Tel Aviv, with its vast collection of Bauhaus/International Style architecture from the 1930s and 1940s (the largest urban concentration of these buildings in the world) was recently designated by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. In return for this honor, the city has committed itself to a program of identifying, preserving, and restoring the most dramatic of these streamlined, white concrete structures that were once considered the last word in futuristic design. As the first of many on-going events marking the UNESCO designation, the Tel Aviv Museum of Art's Helena Rubinstein Pavilion will host an exhibit on this amazing architectural heritage entitled "To Live on the Sands." The exhibit will run through August 7, 2004 and will be followed by other events and exhibitions. The Tel Aviv Museum of Art also sponsors tours of the city's Bauhaus districts. Many of Tel Aviv's Bauhaus treasures are concentrated in the Rothschild Boulevard area, and around Bialik Street and Dizengoff Square, but you'll find them all over the city-some have even survived among the mega-hotels on Ha-Yarkon Street, which runs parallel to the Mediterranean Sea.

Unlike Jerusalem, Tel Aviv's hotels and restaurants remain busy, and new hotels, restaurants and cafes abound. Here are some of the newest picks to open.

Israel's cities have a surplus of expensive hotels, but good moderate and inexpensive hotels are hard to find, and moderate hotels with any charm or personality have been non-existent. The big news is that during the past year, Tel Aviv has begun to remedy this situation.

The beautiful, art deco Hotel Cinema at Dizengoff Square (03/520-7100; www.atlashotels.co.il) is probably Israel's most enticingly designed moderate range hotel. Built into a long-closed landmark Bauhaus-style cinema building from the 1930s, its up-to-the-minute, very comfortable rooms are decorated with specially designed art deco carpeting, textiles and furnishings that recall sets from a Fred Astaire-Ginger Rodgers classic. You check in at the Cinema's candy counter, beneath an ultra modern staircase to the mezzanine, and are given a bag of popcorn with your key. There's a sauna, Jacuzzi, and roof top terrace overlooking Dizengoff Square. The drawback for some, however, could be the solid wall of noise built into the Dizengoff Square location. Quieter rooms at the back are in great demand, but for light sleepers, even a back room with double glazed windows may not be enough to keep out the Dizengoff din. Moderate prices.

Pleasantly located half a block from the beach, the bright little Hotel de la Mer, at the corner of Nes Ziona and Ha-Yarkon Streets (03/510-0011; www.delamer.co.il) is perhaps the prettiest boutique hotel in the country, with delightful suites as well as standard rooms, all carefully designed and laid out according to the precepts of Feng Shui. Owner/manager David Steuer is very helpful and provides many extra services. Tell him you saw his hotel listed on the Frommer's Israel Guidebook web site, and see what special deal he can offer. Noise is not a major problem here. The junior suites with terraces are among the most attractive hotel rooms at any price in Tel Aviv. Moderate prices.

At 6 Nes Ziona Street, the sleek new Sea Net Hotel, (03/517-1655; www.seanethotel.co.il ), offers spanking new rooms with internet data ports for personal computers as well as interactive TV's that allow access to the internet as well as to video rentals. Rooms are stylish, ultra modern and comfortable; the ambiance is efficient rather than personal and cozy. The beach is not quite a short block away. Moderate prices.

A sleek choice for business travelers, is the new Isrotel Tower Hotel, located on the 7th to 15th floors of a round landmark skyscraper overlooking the sea at 78 Ha-Yarkon St. (03/511-3636; isrtower@isrotel.co.il.). The hotel's 90 two -room suites contain a living room with kitchenette; bedroom, 2 TVs, stereo, 2 data ports, microwave oven and convertible living room couch. Tower suites can sleep four people and are rented on room only basis; Executive Suites include breakfast; use of business lounge and refreshments; free health club; and special rates for meeting rooms. The beach is across the street; the hotel's pool is perched on the roof and offers dramatic vistas, but is not for those with acrophobia or young children. Corporate and long-term rates can bring this expensive property down to the moderate price range.

Dizengoff Square Apartments, 89 Dizengoff St. at Dizengoff Square (03/524-1151; www.hotel-apt.com) caters to a mix of tourists and business travelers. It offers a variety of rooms and suites with kitchenettes for from one to five people. The range of prices runs from inexpensive to moderate. Everything is new, attractive and comfortable. There's a basic business service room, and the manager, Mr. Neeman, offers all the personal, friendly advice and service you could want. Again, rooms at the rear are more protected from the high noise level on Dizengoff Square.

The Sheraton Tel Aviv Hotel and Towers (www.sheraton.com) on Ha-Yarkon St., was voted Best Business Hotel in Tel Aviv for 2003 by Travel and Leisure. One of Tel Aviv's top two upper-category beachfront choices, the Sheraton Tel Aviv Hotel and Towers has completed a sweeping new renovation. Guestrooms are fresh and sleek, brightened with spring colors and public areas are light, airy and spacious. As part of the Sheraton's update, in-house dining options have been re-thought. Across the board, menus are healthier and lighter, topped off by the Sheraton's new prestige restaurant, the Olive Leaf (see below). Among the best of the great deals being offered in Israel for the summer of 2004: Stay 5 nights at the Sheraton Tel Aviv Hotel and Towers, and you get an automatic upgrade to a deluxe room, plus a B category automatic Avis rental car with air conditioning, insurance and unlimited mileage included in the room rate (but breakfast is not included). Prices for this package range from $165 to $175 per night for a double room. For information on the Sheraton-Avis package, call in 800/325 3535 in the USA, or 800/325 35353 in the UK.

The Dan Panorama Tel Aviv Hotel, www.danhotels.co.il, located on a stretch of Tel Aviv's southern shoreline, adjacent to the Textile Center, and a pleasant walk to Old Jaffa, has also just refurbished all of its guestrooms. Not to be confused with the more luxurious Dan Tel Aviv (which is located on the beach in the heart of the Ha-Yarkon hotel district) the Dan Panorama is an interesting lower 5 Star option that is usually available at rates somewhat under the rates of competitors on Ha-Yarkon Street.

Unlike Jerusalem, restaurants in Tel Aviv are bustling, and the crop of good new choices is very worthwhile. Among the best new additions to the dining scene:

Raphael, (03/522-6464) at 87 Ha-Yarkon St, beside the Dan Hotel, is among the most critically acclaimed of the new crop of luxury restaurants in Tel Aviv. The design of the restaurant is especially beautiful, overlooking the Mediterranean and the menu, created by Chef Rafi Cohen, is a rich, ever changing selection of Cohen's own interpretations of French Bistro/Mediterranean Rim/Northern Italian cuisines, the lamb dishes, the calamari, and the sweetbreads are always exceptional. Specials at lunch and dinner can put this extraordinary restaurant into the upper moderate category.

The Olive Leaf, in the Sheraton Hotel and Towers, 115 Ha-Yarkon St., 03/521-9300 (moderate to expensive). This Modern French/Mediterranean Rim restaurant is the most stylish kosher restaurant in Israel. Elegantly simple, calmly innovative, and without a drop of tacky glitz in its décor or menu, the Olive leaf is a great opportunity for kosher (and non-kosher) visitors to experience contemporary cuisine at a very high level of preparation. It's open Sunday to Thursday for dinner, only.

Baraka, at 22 Ahad Ha-Am St. 03/517-2828, is another upper price choice. An innovative, "contemporary" French menu with a touch of Moroccan cuisine and a mildly exotic décor make this a romantic place for a special meal. Open daily for lunch and dinner. Come early if you want a leisurely dinner-later Baraka becomes a place to party and be seen.

Carmella, 46 Rehov Hatavor at the corner of Rehov Rambam (03/516-1417) is a new, fabulous collaboration on the part of three of Israel's best chefs-Daniel Zach, whose legendary French country restaurants in the Galilee have never been accessible to enough customers; Uri Yeremias, moving spirit behind Akko's inventive Uri Buri Seafood Restaurant, and Dalia Reynaud, an exquisite chef whose gem-like Bistro Dahlia Reynaud in Jerusalem was famous for the richest quiches and Alasatian tortes in Israel. All three have joined forces to create my favorite new restaurant in Tel Aviv. Carmella's tasting menu (approximately $33) is currently the culinary toast of Tel Aviv: a four-course banquet in which you can order half portions, so that you can actually sample eight dishes. Uri holds down the seafood side of the menu-look for dazzlingly fresh ceviche of chopped shrimp in olive oil, lemon juice and hot pepper. Dalia provides desserts that are memorable, and Daniel Zach's modern French/Med Rim kitchen turns out a constantly changing, but always great menu. Expensive. Open Sun-Fri 12:30 pm-11pm.

Odeon, 10 Ha'arba'a St. (03/562-8868,) is the big new hit on this trendy restaurant-filled street near the Tel Aviv Cinematheque. The price range is moderately expensive; the style is modern New York/TriBeCa. Some of Odeon's major attractions include grilled spare ribs in a coffee barbecue sauce; fillet of Mediterranean buri, prepared in a zucchini, pepper and lemon curry sauce; semolina crusted calamari salad; the most fabulous Caesar Salad dressing in the State of Israel; and excellent roast beef and hamburgers. The banana and caramel mousse with coconut lemon grass sorbet also keeps packing them in. No one leaves Odeon hungry. Open daily 24 hours.

Lilith (03/629-8772) at 42 Maazeh St., on the fringe of the Rothschild Blvd. Restaurant area, has long been an excellent moderate to expensive choice for Modern California/Mediterranean cuisine and famous for its mastery of the fine art of grilling. Now it's become kosher, and its owner has donated her beautiful restaurant and her culinary secrets to ELEM, a training project for young people in distress. Lilith's perfectionist standards remain intact-you won't find a more exquisitely grilled salmon steak (or a sea bass or bream), or more flavorful salads and pastas anywhere in town. The complete lunch menu specials are bargains and offered from noon to 5pm, Sunday to Thursday. Open Sunday to Thursday from noon to midnight, Friday noon to 3pm, and Saturday after Shabbat.

Muldan, at 98 Ha-Yarkon St. (03/527-8418) is a new moderately to upper moderately priced glatt kosher restaurant just across the street from the Dan Hotel. In Tel Aviv you don't often find a glatt kosher restaurant with delicious food and real style that's also convenient to the tourist hotel district, but Muldan (which means: facing the Dan) wins on all points. Décor is designer rustic; an open kitchen turns out hearty portions of delicious charcoal grilled lamb, chicken, quail, fish or steak all served with potato or rice plus vegetable, house bread and salad. Many of the interesting first courses are large enough to share or to have as a main course. Dinner specials are served until 6pm weekdays. Open Sun-Thurs 11am-midnight and Sat after Shabbat.

Struzzi, at 60 Rothschild Blvd. (03/566-5655) is a good little pizza and pasta place with a pleasant terrace located right in the Rothschild Blvd. area of classy restaurants, bars and cafes. An inventive, inexpensive pizza here, and you can party hop through the area without investing in a major meal. Open daily noon-1am. Very affordable.

Felafel is Tel Aviv's fast food of choice, but although you'll find it everywhere, including underfoot on the sidewalks of Dizengoff, there are alternatives.

Agadir Burger Bar (03/510-4442; on the right near the start of the Nahlat Binyamin Pedestrian Mall if you're coming from Allenby Street) is as close to (non-kosher) hamburger heaven as you'll come in the Big Orange, unless you're addicted to McDonald's (which is on the Herbert Samuel esplanade, just south of the Dan Hotel). Agadir's specialties are thick six to eight dollar burgers -- you can have yours with garlic butter, or portobello mushrooms, or Heinz ketchup, and all the standard fixings. If you're vegetarian, you can order a mushroom-veggie burger. If you can imagine dessert, Agadir Burger Bar is famous for its white chocolate mousse. For a burger with a view (also non-kosher), try Mike's Place, 86 Herbert Samuel Esplanade, overlooking the Mediterranean, where a dedicated staff of Israeli-Americans hand grind their sirloin burgers on the spot and grill them on charcoal. Besides a memorable sunset, the easy-going Mike's Place offers nightly live music (never a cover charge) and a full bar. Contrary to North American belief, grilled chicken schnitzel and fresh salad served in pita bread (not falafel) is the real hamburger of Israel. One of the best schnitzel sandwich stands in town is a nameless little spot next to a small branch post office on Ha-Yarkon Street near Nes Ziona Street. You have to wait because each schnitzel is freshly grilled to perfection. A great antidote to falafel burn-out!

The American Chicken Wing has made its debut in Tel Aviv in 2004 with the opening of Wings and Chips, 167 Ben Yehuda Street (near Ben Gurion Blvd.). Open daily from noon to 1am, this little place offers Buffalo Wings and Cajun Wings as well as the crispiest chips in Israel. A hefty serving of wings will come to under $10.

Herzlia

Just north of Tel Aviv, and virtually a suburb, the city of Herzlia is home to a number of the best restaurants in the country.

Erez, at the corner of Maskit and Berekit Streets (09/955-9892) has developed from a gourmet bread bakery into a restaurant serving the most exciting Modern Israeli cuisine in the country. Owner/chef Erez Komarovsky is endlessly inventive and brash in creating his menu, which changes almost every day, and is now receiving international acclaim. The dishes are virtually free verse poems in their components and presentation: lamb shish kebabs on skewers of rosemary stalks served with couscous tabouleh dotted with ruby pomegranate seeds; grilled chicken breast in sumac, zaatar and dill served with roasted eggplant and okra; shrimps and calamari with coconut milk, mango and local Israeli herbs. Everything is not only cosmopolitan, but filled with the flavors of Israel. The atmosphere is casual and fun; prices are moderate, wine list adequate, desserts wonderful (the chocolate marquise is divine). Very worth a trip up from Tel Aviv for dinner. For those who love inventive meals, worth a trip from anywhere in Israel. Open daily from 8am to 1am; the dinner menu offers the largest variety of Erez's creations.

Haifa

The big news here is the re-opening of the Bahai'i Shrine, Haifa's greatest landmark,with its dramatic Hanging Gardens overlooking Haifa Bay. Both shrine and gardens have recently been re-opened to the public after extensive renovations. Now 18 paradise-like gardened terraces cascade down the slopes of Mount Carmel.

Meanwhile, at the foot of the Bahai'i Gardens, Haifa's 19th century German Colony district is going through a period of major gentrification, and Ben Gurion Boulevard, the neighborhood's main thoroughfare, right at the foot of the Baha'I Gardens, has been turned into a promenade lined with new, top quality restaurants and cafes.

The Haifa Tourist Board Visitor's Center, 48 Ben Gurion Boulevard, (04/853-5606; fax: 04/853-5610; www.tour-haifa.co.il) has now moved to the Ben Gurion Promenade complex, although this new location is not convenient to most of the city's hotels which are up on the top of Mt. Carmel. Open Sun-Thurs 8:30sm-6pm; Fri 8am-1pm. E-mail the Visitor's Center at info@tour-haifa.co.il for information on hotels and bed and breakfast choices in Haifa.

Haifa's only beachfront hotel, the new (1998) 5 star Carmel Beach Hotel has now become Le Meridien Haifa (04/850-8888; <www.fattal-hotels-israel.com. Until this hotel opened, all of Haifa's hotels were located on the top of the upscale Carmel ridge, or in the scuzzy downtown Hadar district. Le Meridien Haifa is an elegant high rise, with most of its lower 5 Star rooms designed as suites with kitchenettes and separate bedrooms. This works out well for families, or for business guests visiting the nearby hi tech industrial area. The hotel's location is remote from the center of town, and there are no streets nearby for window shopping and browsing. But the location is excellent for those who want to use Haifa as a base for exploring the area by car, while avoiding the downtown traffic and tangle of streets around Haifa's other more central hotels. The beach (the best in Haifa, with an accompanying swimming pool) is a great way to relax after a summer day of sightseeing.

The Dan Gardens Haifa at 24 Yefe Nof Street (04/838-3666); dangardenshaifa@danhotels.com, is a 30 room, modern bed and breakfast hotel for guests who want a moderate hotel choice and careful personal attention. Formerly the Dvir Hotel, it has been added to the prestigious Dan Hotel Chain, which renovated from top to bottom and upgraded in-house food service. With wooded grounds, great views, and a location a block from the Central Carmel Carmelit Station (and with free use of the swimming pool at the nearby Dan Panorama Hotel) this is now the best middle range hotel in Haifa. One caveat: for disabled travelers and for those who are daunted by stairs: a long outdoor staircase from the street up to the entrance to the hotel could make staying here difficult. With the present tourism slump, rates here are often close to budget range!

The Port Inn Hostel Guest House at 34 Yafo Road (Jaffa Rd.) in the German Colony (04/852-4401); port_inn@yahoo.com, has finally given Haifa a good, charming budget accommodation choice. It's a very simple place, in a nicely re-done 19th century house near Ben Gurion Blvd. There are five air -- conditioned rooms with private bathrooms; one room with shared bath; and two separate, single sex dorm rooms. There's a patio, cozy lounge, internet desk, and a kitchen open to guests, all of which help give the Port Inn a congenial atmosphere. Doubles are $50, breakfast included; discounts may be available, especially these days.

Among the best new restaurants on the up and coming Ben Gurion Boulevard Promenade in the German Colony are:

• Isabella, 6 Ben Gurion Blvd. 04/885-2201, a moderate to expensive Italian dining spot and one of the biggest success stories on the Promenade. It's famous for a robust menu filled with designer pizzas and focaccias as well as fine pasta and meat dishes.

• The Old Man and the Sea, 6 Ben Gurion Boulevard, 2nd floor (04/850-7777) offers a wide-ranging fish and seafood menu amidst a very nautical ambience that includes an aquarium beneath a glass floor! Despite its name, which draws on the Hemingway novel, the fish is farmed and the seafood mainly imported from the Pacific, but the preparation is always tasty and interesting. Always ask for the specials of the day. Moderate to expensive.

The Galilee and Golan Heights

Although the Galilee countryside has not been a terrorist target, the tourism slump has hit this area hard and many rustic guest-houses, restaurants, and even major hotels in Nazareth and Tiberias have gone out of business. Few new establishments have opened here.