Arrive Saturday morning-Trying to get to Jerusalem
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Israel
Arrive Saturday morning-Trying to get to Jerusalem
Hello, I'm headed to Isreal on a brief business trip and have been told that I have to get to Jerusalem, even just to walk around for a few hours. The only time I have available is the Saturday I arri
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Cat:Middle East and AfricaForum:0EE6B35C
Cat:Middle East and AfricaForum:0EE6B35CDiscussion:dba4d9e6-fb0c-4026-9b83-3070217ac07e
I'm headed to Isreal on a brief business trip and have been told that I have to get to Jerusalem, even just to walk around for a few hours. The only time I have available is the Saturday I arrive (9:30am flight arrives). I'm trying to figure out how I could go directly from the airport to Jerusalem with my bags. Find a place to securely store my bags whiel I'm there. Do some walking around and have lunch and get to my hotel (Sheraton in Tel Aviv) by about 4:30.
I know this is not a lot of time to fully experience Jerusalem, But I'd like to at least stretch my legs after a long flight and see some of the architecture and sites. What would you recommend in terms of: a) How to best do this? Get a taxi at the airport to take me to Jerusalem-where should I get dropped? b) Any suggestions on where I could stash my bags? Concierge at a hotel, perhaps? c) Place for lunch? d) Good 2 hour self-paced walking tour? I'm very fit, so hills are not a problem. e) Best place to get a taxi to take me to my hotel in Tel Aviv? f) How much do you think the taxis would cost?
Is this a trans-Atlantic flight you willl arrive on? If so, your plan is not realistic in my opinion.
In any event, you are best off taking a taxi from Ben Gurion Airport to the Sheraton Tel Aviv and storing your luggage there until check-in in the evening. Nobody will let a stranger store bags at a hotel he's not staying in - this would be a big security violation.
Then you can take a sherut (shared taxi) from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem and explore the Old City on foot on your own. But with so limited time you'd be far better off hiring a private guide who could take you from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, solve the transporation problem, give you the highlights of the Old City (i.e. Western Wall and Jewish Quarter & Via Dolorosa and Church of the Holy Sepulchre) and get you back to Tel Aviv in the evening.
In any event, just a couple of hours in Jerusalem means just skimming the surface of one of the world's most fascinating cities.
I defer to the indepth local knowledge that regularly participates on this site. Personally, based on my one visit to Israel (which I really liked) I would arrange for a private tour of the city. Can't image visiting without walking in the old city ... without a guide, I am afraid you will miss so much. Once you pick a tour guide, ask their advice as to your bags (I am clueless in that matter).
a) How to best do this? Get a taxi at the airport to take me to Jerusalem-where should I get dropped?
Yes, take a cab directly to Jerusalem from the airport. Given your limited time, skip the sherut (group taxi) option, as it will have lots of drop offs.
b) Any suggestions on where I could stash my bags? Concierge at a hotel, perhaps?
This is trickier. I suggest you start with a 3-4 hour walking tour of the Four Quarters of the Old City. Zion Walking Tours just inside the Jaffa Gate, across from the Tower of David Museum and next to the Post Office, offers group walking tours at 9:00 a.m., 11:00 a.m., and 2:00 p.m. They MAY store your luggage, but you'd have to ask. Or you could hire a private guide; my favorite is Madeleine Lavine ( madl@zahav.net.il).
c) Place for lunch?
I love Bulghourji at 6 Armenian Patriarchate Road, further down that road from Zion Walking Tours. But there are options all over the Old City.
d) Good 2 hour self-paced walking tour? I'm very fit, so hills are not a problem.
Get a group tour or a guide. You won't know what you're looking at. Given your limited time, use a guide.
e) Best place to get a taxi to take me to my hotel in Tel Aviv?
I'd ask your cab driver going in for recommendations on this.
f) How much do you think the taxis would cost?
I am not sure, but to get back to Tel Aviv, I am guessing it will be $80-100 USD. I hope some locals will give me exact information.
a) How to best do this? Get a taxi at the airport to take me to Jerusalem-where should I get dropped? - Around the old city try mamila hotel b) Any suggestions on where I could stash my bags? Concierge at a hotel, perhaps? Best way is hotel around the old city. c) Place for lunch? Mamila mall, they have all you want, good prices and great location. Try AROMA coffee shop d) Good 2 hour self-paced walking tour? I'm very fit, so hills are not a problem. Try Ein karem it's a little before Jerusalem, very nice area, check wikipedia. e) Best place to get a taxi to take me to my hotel in Tel Aviv? The cheapenst weay is the train, ask several taxi drivers to get the right price. f) How much do you think the taxis would cost? Don't drive taxi sorry..
feel free toask me everything I live near by: engel.roi@gmail.com צימרים
Sorry to disagree with you Roi - but the poster is coming to Jerusalem on a Saturday which makes many of recommendations irrelevant.
The best place to be dropped off would be the Jaffa Gate - so you can tour around the Old City of Jerusalem.
Your bags still pose the biggest problem as no hotel will hold them for you if you are not a guest, unless you have arranged something with them in advance.
There is a private tourist office right at the Jaffa Gate and they may be willing to hold your bags for a fee, I don't know.
Since it is Shabbat all the restaurants in the Mamilla Mall will be closed as they are all kosher - so that idea won't work.
Do not go to Ein Karem - as lovely as it is - considering the very limited amount of time you have, spend it in the Old City.
Again - no public transportation on Shabbat - and in any case, the train is never the best way to get from Jerusalem to Tel Aviv - the station is out of the way, the train takes twice as long as a bus - but in this case you have two options - either take a taxi or take a sherut (shared taxi) to Tel Aviv. Considering your time constraints, in order to make the most of your time in Jerusalem I would take a taxi directly from Jerusalem to your hotel.
Without a tour guide (I am not a guide and never have been) you will spin your wheels, for sure, on Shabbat. If your heart is set on it (and it should be) then go with a guide. The taxi ride savings will make the tour guide a bit more reasonable. I would grab something on the go and not expend too much time on a more formal lunch.
