Every Sunday and Monday at 9am and Thursday at 6pm, a free 2-hour walking tour of Old Tiberias leaves from the Tiberias Tourist Information Center (tel. 04/672-5666), across from the Sheraton Moriah Hotel. Saturday at 10:30am, a free walking tour leaves from the lobby of the Sheraton Moriah Hotel, under the hotel's sponsorship. These walks are a real pleasure, led by interesting guides; reconfirm all times with the tourist office. With Tiberias as a starting point, you can take guided tours of both the Golan Heights and the Sea of Galilee. Check the sections on those areas, later in this chapter, for details.
In addition to the large tour companies, you may want to hire private tour guides to take you by sherut or taxi. Inquire at your hotel or youth hostel, at the major hotels, or at the tourist office. These tours can be reasonably priced and a welcome change of pace from the bus tours. The Society for Protection of Nature (SPNI) includes walks and hikes in the tours it offers in the Galilee Region. Check with the society's English website (www.aspni.org) or offices in Tel Aviv (tel. 03/638-8677) or Jerusalem (tel. 02/624-4605). SPNI's Alon-Tavor Field Study Center, M.P. Lower Galilee 14101 (tel. 04/676-7798), organizes hikes in the Jordan and Jezreel valleys as well as elsewhere in the region; they offer information on trails and hotel accommodations in local field schools.
Cruises & Ferries
Lido Cruises Sailing Company (tel. 04/672-1538) at times offers ferry runs between Lido Beach in the northern part of town and Kibbutz Ginnosar, toward the northeastern corner of the lake, for NIS 28 ($7/£3.50); bicycles are free and there is no discount if you only travel one-way. Departures often depend on a minimum number of passengers. Lido Cruises Sailing Company also offers water-ski and sail-board rental.
The Kinneret Sailing Company, on the Waterfront Promenade (tel. 050/554-6446), runs ferry service between Tiberias on the west side of the Kinneret and Kibbutz Ein Gev on the east side, departing daily from the Tiberias Waterfront Promenade and arriving at Ein Gev 45 minutes later. After spending an hour at Ein Gev, it departs for Tiberias. Schedules vary according to season, with three or four lake crossings in summer. The round-trip costs NIS 50 ($13/£6.25). Many people take the Kinneret Sailing Company ferry to try out the excellent restaurant at Kibbutz Ein Gev or just to stroll around the kibbutz. You can also plan to take the ferry one-way and take bus no. 18 or 21 back to Tiberias. Buses go between Tiberias and Ein Gev about every 2 hours.
Dancing on the Waters -- In good weather, the Lido Cruises Sailing Company sends out evening party boats to cruise the Sea of Galilee in the moonlight or under the stars. From the shore, you'll hear pulsating disco music blaring into the night as the ferries ply the lake (the bane of those trying to get an early night's sleep). But on board the boats are filled with Israeli Arabs, Jews, and a smattering of tourists dancing in the wind to traditional Arabic tunes, pop Israeli music, international hits, and even a waltz or two. It's a happy pandemonium: Everyone dances with everyone -- Galilee Arabs with Jews from Jerusalem and Tel Aviv; men with men for traditional Arabic debkas; women with women for the macarena; everyone together for golden oldies or the latest on the Israeli hit parade. There's always a chance you'll share the boat with a quiet crowd that just wants to contemplate, but that's also memorable. It's NIS 50 ($13/£6.25) to join in this vision of a deliriously happy, peaceful Middle East for an hour; and it's free with a voucher you get when you dine at Decks, the best restaurant in Tiberias.
