In One Week

Israel is small in area, but thousands of years of history are packed into this tiny country. God may have created the universe in 6 days, but you'll need a day or two more than a week to truly let yourself explore Israel's layers of time and charisma. This itinerary covers a mix of ancient and modern highlights designed to give you a good overview of the country.

Day 1: Settling into Tel Aviv and Exploring Old Jaffa

From May to October you can recover from jet lag by beaching and swimming in the sparkling, warm Mediterranean. Head from Ben Gurion airport to a hotel close to the sea; good choices include the Sheraton Tel Aviv Hotel & Tower and the Hotel de la Mer. Lots of sunlight will help get you into the rhythm of Israeli time. In the cool of the evening, explore the Old City of Jaffa with its medieval streets, galleries, and eateries overlooking the sea. Dine at Margaret Tayar's by the sea, the romantic Cordelia, or the authentic Dr. Shakshouka.

Day 2: Inventive Tel Aviv

Indulge in an Israeli buffet breakfast at your hotel, and then take in the ambience of the country's quintessential Israeli city. Spend at least a few hours at Tel Aviv's unique Diaspora Museum. Swim as the sun plummets into the Mediterranean, and then head to the Tel Aviv Port, recently recycled into a stylish seaside boardwalk, for an evening of people-watching, dining, shopping, dancing, and drinking.

Day 3: Jerusalem

Take a bus or sherut to Jerusalem. Check into your hotel, then head for the Old City, the Arab bazaars, and the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. Stroll the Jewish Quarter of the Old City in the late afternoon or at twilight; visit the Western Wall, which is fascinating at any hour, but special as evening descends and birds swoop high above the adjacent plaza. Dine in the New City, where you'll find a great range of restaurant choices. Lively downtown West Jerusalem stays open late and offers lots of cafes and shops as an evening diversion.

Day 4: The Old City and on to the Dead Sea.

Get up early and go to the Temple Mount. At press time it, the magnificent Dome of the Rock and the Al Aqsa Mosque are open only Sunday to Thursday from 9 to 11am, but confirm these hours with the Tourist Information Office just inside Jaffa Gate. Afterward, explore the Crusader Church of Saint Anne, with its exquisite acoustics, and exit the Old City via the Damascus Gate, while sampling interesting foods along the way. Pick up a rental car, drive down to the Dead Sea, and have a late-afternoon swim.

Day 5: Masada and on to the Galilee

Watch the sunrise over the unearthly Dead Sea. Climb or take the cable car up Masada before dawn or early in the morning. Rest before you check out, then drive up to the Sea of Galilee, the lyrical lake central to Jewish and Christian history. Visit Capernaum ruins, site of Jesus' Galilee ministry, the Mount of Beatitudes, and the ruins of Korazim, a typical Jewish village from Roman times with a large synagogue overlooking the Sea of Galilee. Overnight at Kibbutz Ein Gev, on the eastern shore of the lake, where you can have a refreshing swim, eat local Saint Peter's fish (John Dory) for dinner, and watch the twilight fall over the mountains and the Sea of Galilee.

Day 6: Safed, Akko, and Caesarea

After an early swim in the Galilee, head up to the nearby mystical, mountain city of Safed, with its quaint lanes and artists' houses. From Safed, head to the ancient walled seaport of Akko (Acre), and spend some time exploring the city's authentic bazaars and mosques beside the Mediterranean. Time your drive down the coast to Jerusalem so you can stop at Caesarea, the vast ruined Herodian city by the sea. Have a late dinner amid Caesarea's ruins (and overlooking the waves of the Mediterranean) at Helena or The Port Café. Drive to Jerusalem and check into your hotel for a well-deserved night's sleep.

Day 7: Jerusalem's New City

Return your rental car and spend the morning examining the Judaica, archaeology, and sculpture collections at the Israel Museum; or Yad VaShem, the Holocaust museum/memorial. Take an afternoon walk through Machane Yehuda, Jerusalem's colorful produce market, then head past the 19th-century mansions of Ethiopia Street en route to Mea Shearim, an ultra-Orthodox Jewish neighborhood that offers a glimpse of a world almost destroyed by the Holocaust. Finish your day off with some gift shopping in West Jerusalem's Ben Yehuda Mall. Have dinner in one of the area's restaurants.

Day 8: To Ben Gurion Airport

If your flight is at night, you can browse the Old City -- it's endlessly fascinating -- or if you haven't done so, visit (or revisit) Yad VaShem or the Israel Museum. For a simple farewell dinner with a view try Papa Andreas's, whose roof terrace overlooks the entire Old City. Then it's off to the airport.