Egypt
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SyriaEgyptian stele names Israel
Around 1208 BC, Pharaoh Merneptah of Egypt set up a stone slab listing his victories in Canaan. It contains the earliest known written mention of a people called Israel. The stele is now in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo.
Western Asia
Israel
Mediterranean beaches, desert mountains and cities sacred to three faiths, in a country about the size of Wales.
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Overview
Israel at a glance
Israel lies on the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea. It is small, about the size of Wales, but its landscape changes quickly: sandy beaches and orange groves on the coast, green hills in the Galilee in the north, and the Negev desert, which covers more than half of the land, in the south. The shore of the Dead Sea, on the eastern edge, is the lowest land on Earth.
The land has been holy to Jews, Christians and Muslims for many centuries. Jerusalem, Nazareth and the shores of the Sea of Galilee draw pilgrims from all over the world, and the city of Haifa is the world centre of the Bahá'í faith.
The modern State of Israel was declared in 1948. As of 2026 it has about 10 million people. Most are Jewish, and about a fifth are Arab. Hebrew is the official language, and Arabic has a special status. Israel names Jerusalem as its capital, and the parliament (the Knesset) and the government sit there. That status is disputed internationally, and most countries keep their embassies in and around Tel Aviv, the country's busy business and cultural centre on the coast.
CapitalJerusalem
PopulationAbout 10 million (2026 estimate)
Official languageHebrew. Arabic has a special status under a 2018 law, and English is widely understood
CurrencyIsraeli new shekel (₪)
AreaAbout 20,770 km² (within the 1949 armistice lines)
GovernmentParliamentary republic with a one-chamber parliament, the Knesset
Highest mountainMount Meron, about 1,200 m, in the Upper Galilee (the highest peak within the 1949 armistice lines)
Lowest pointThe shore of the Dead Sea, about 440 m below sea level (2025)
Longest riverThe Jordan River, about 250 km, which flows through the Sea of Galilee to the Dead Sea
NeighboursLebanon to the north, Syria to the northeast, Jordan to the east and Egypt to the southwest. The Palestinian territories, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, lie to the east and southwest. Across the sea lies Cyprus
Drives on theRight
Calling code+972
The story
A short history of Israel
Many peoples, empires and faiths have left their mark on this narrow strip of land between the Mediterranean and the desert. These are some key moments, from an ancient Egyptian stone to a small spacecraft sent to the Moon.
1208 BC 37 BC Herod becomes king of Judea
With the backing of Rome, Herod the Great became king of Judea in 37 BC. He was a great builder: he enlarged the Temple in Jerusalem, built palaces on the rock of Masada and created the harbour city of Caesarea.
AD 70 Romans destroy the Second Temple
During a Jewish revolt against Rome, Roman legions besieged Jerusalem and destroyed the Second Temple in AD 70. The Western Wall is part of the old retaining wall around the Temple Mount.
1099 Crusaders capture Jerusalem
Knights of the First Crusade from Western Europe captured Jerusalem in 1099 and founded the Kingdom of Jerusalem.
1187 Saladin takes Jerusalem
After defeating the Crusaders at the Battle of Hattin near Tiberias, the sultan Saladin took Jerusalem in 1187.
1291 Fall of Crusader Acre
The Mamluks of Egypt captured Acre, the last major Crusader stronghold in the region, in 1291. The Crusader halls still lie under the streets of Acre's Old City.
1517 Ottoman rule begins
The Ottoman Turks took the region from the Mamluks and ruled it for four centuries. Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent rebuilt the walls of Jerusalem's Old City that still stand today.
1909 Tel Aviv is founded
On 11 April 1909, 66 Jewish families gathered on the sand dunes north of the old port of Jaffa and shared out plots of land in a lottery using seashells. The new neighbourhood became Tel Aviv.
1917 British forces take Jerusalem
During the First World War, British forces took Jerusalem from the Ottomans in December 1917. Britain later governed the area under a League of Nations mandate, called Mandatory Palestine.
1925 Hebrew University opens
The Hebrew University of Jerusalem opened on Mount Scopus on 1 April 1925. Albert Einstein was one of its founders and later left his personal papers to it.
1947 UN votes to partition Palestine
On 29 November 1947, the United Nations General Assembly voted for a plan to divide British-ruled Palestine into a Jewish state and an Arab state, with Jerusalem under international rule. Jewish leaders accepted the plan and Arab leaders rejected it.
1948 Israel declares independence
On 14 May 1948, as British rule ended, Jewish leaders in Tel Aviv declared the State of Israel. War with neighbouring Arab states followed. Hundreds of thousands of Palestinian Arabs fled or were driven from their homes, an event Palestinians call the Nakba, and many Jews later came to Israel from Arab countries and from Europe.
1949 Israel joins the United Nations
On 11 May 1949, Israel became the 59th member of the United Nations.
1979 Peace treaty with Egypt
Israel and Egypt signed a peace treaty in Washington in 1979, the first between Israel and an Arab state. Israel returned the Sinai Peninsula to Egypt by 1982.
1994 Peace treaty with Jordan
Israel and Jordan signed a peace treaty on 26 October 1994 at a crossing in the Arava valley, north of Eilat and Aqaba.
2019 Beresheet reaches the Moon
Beresheet, a small lander built by the non-profit SpaceIL and Israel Aerospace Industries, reached the Moon on 11 April 2019. An engine problem made it crash during landing, but it was the first privately funded attempt to land on the Moon.
At the table
What to eat in Israel
Israeli food brings together the cooking of Jewish families who came from Morocco, Iraq, Yemen, Poland and dozens of other lands with the Arab and Mediterranean dishes of the region. A typical meal starts with salatim, many small salads and dips eaten with pita bread. Grilled meat or fish follows, and the meal ends with fruit, a sweet and strong coffee or mint tea. Friday evening dinner, at the start of Shabbat, is the big family meal of the week.
StarterRecipe
Hummus
חומוס
Eaten across the Levant; in Israel, served in hummus bars everywhere
A smooth purée of cooked chickpeas, tahini (sesame paste), lemon and garlic, spread on a plate with olive oil on top and scooped up with warm pita.
Many Israelis eat hummus as a full meal at lunchtime in a hummusia, a small restaurant that often serves nothing else.
See the recipe
Ingredients
- 2 tins (about 800 g) cooked chickpeas, drained (keep a few whole ones to serve)
- 120 ml tahini (sesame paste)
- Juice of 1 to 2 lemons
- 1 small garlic clove
- Half a teaspoon of salt
- 60 ml ice-cold water
- Olive oil, paprika and chopped parsley to serve
Method
- Put the chickpeas, garlic, lemon juice and salt in a food processor and blend until crumbly.
- Add the tahini and blend again, pouring in the ice-cold water a little at a time, until the hummus is very smooth and light. This takes a few minutes.
- Taste and add more lemon or salt if needed.
- Spread on a plate with the back of a spoon, making a hollow in the middle.
- Pour olive oil into the hollow, add a few whole chickpeas, a pinch of paprika and some parsley. Serve with warm pita.
Snack
Falafel
פלאפל
Eaten across the Middle East; a favourite street food in Israel
Crisp deep-fried balls of ground chickpeas, herbs and spices. In Israel they are stuffed into a pita with salad, tahini sauce and pickles.
At many falafel stands you fill your own pita from a long counter of salads and sauces.
Snack
Sabich
סביח
Iraqi Jewish tradition; first sold as a sandwich in Ramat Gan in 1961
A pita filled with fried aubergine slices, hard-boiled egg, chopped salad, hummus, tahini and amba, a tangy mango pickle.
The ingredients come from the Shabbat breakfast of Iraqi Jews, which was served on a plate. A kiosk owner in Ramat Gan put them all in a pita.
Main courseRecipe
Shakshouka
שקשוקה
North Africa, brought by Jews from Tunisia and Libya
Eggs gently cooked in a spicy sauce of tomatoes, peppers, onion and cumin, served in the pan with bread to dip. Israelis eat it for breakfast or a light supper.
See the recipe
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 onion and 1 red pepper, sliced
- 2 garlic cloves, chopped
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin and 1 teaspoon sweet paprika
- A pinch of chilli flakes (optional)
- 800 g tinned chopped tomatoes
- 6 eggs (for pregnant women, young children, older people or anyone with a weak immune system, cook the yolks until firm or use pasteurised eggs)
- Salt, fresh parsley or coriander, and bread to serve
Method
- Heat the oil in a wide frying pan and soften the onion and pepper for about 8 minutes.
- Add the garlic, cumin, paprika and chilli and stir for one minute.
- Pour in the tomatoes, season with salt and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes until thick.
- Make six hollows in the sauce with a spoon and crack an egg into each one.
- Cover and cook on low heat for 6 to 10 minutes, until the whites are fully set.
- Sprinkle with herbs and serve straight from the pan with bread.
Side dishRecipe
Israeli salad
סלט ישראלי
All over the country, based on the Arab chopped salad of the region
Tomatoes and cucumbers cut into very small cubes, dressed with olive oil, lemon juice and salt. It is served with almost every meal, even breakfast.
See the recipe
Ingredients
- 4 ripe tomatoes
- 3 small cucumbers
- Half a red onion (optional)
- A handful of chopped parsley
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- Juice of half a lemon
- Salt and black pepper
Method
- Cut the tomatoes and cucumbers into cubes as small as you can, about half a centimetre.
- Finely chop the onion, if using, and the parsley.
- Mix everything in a bowl.
- Just before serving, add the olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper and stir well.
Bread
Jachnun
ג'חנון
Yemenite Jewish tradition
Thin layers of buttery dough rolled into logs and baked very slowly overnight until golden brown. It is eaten on Saturday morning with grated tomato, a hard-boiled egg and spicy zhug sauce.
Because it bakes from Friday afternoon until the next morning, jachnun is ready to eat on Shabbat without any cooking.
Snack
Bourekas
בורקס
Sephardic Jewish tradition from Turkey and the Balkans
Flaky pastries filled with salty cheese, potato, spinach or mushrooms, often topped with sesame seeds. The shape often tells you the filling.
Bourekas are a classic Saturday morning treat, bought fresh from the bakery.
Bread
Challah
חלה
Jewish tradition; the braided loaf comes from Central and Eastern Europe
A soft, slightly sweet braided bread made with eggs. Two loaves are placed on the table for the Friday evening meal and on holidays.
For the Jewish New Year, challah is baked in a round shape, often with raisins, for a sweet year.
Pasta
Ptitim (Israeli couscous)
פתיתים
Created in Israel in 1953
Tiny balls of toasted wheat pasta, cooked like rice or risotto and loved by children. Abroad it is often called Israeli couscous or pearl couscous.
During food shortages in 1953, the food company Osem created ptitim as a wheat substitute for rice. It was nicknamed Ben-Gurion rice, after the first prime minister.
Main course
Hamin (cholent)
חמין
Jewish tradition; every community has its own version
A rich stew of meat, beans, potatoes, barley and whole eggs that cooks slowly all night and is eaten at lunch on Saturday.
Cooking is not done on Shabbat, so the pot is put on a low heat before sunset on Friday. Hamin comes from the Hebrew word for hot; cholent is the Yiddish name.
Main course
Jerusalem mixed grill
מעורב ירושלמי
Jerusalem, said to come from the Mahane Yehuda market
Chicken hearts, livers and other meat fried on a hot griddle with onion, cumin and turmeric, usually served in a pita with salad and tahini.
Several restaurants near the Mahane Yehuda market claim to have invented it.
Dessert
Sufganiyah
סופגנייה
Eaten all over the country at Hanukkah
A round, deep-fried doughnut filled with red jam and dusted with powdered sugar. Bakeries sell millions in the weeks of Hanukkah.
At Hanukkah, foods fried in oil recall the story of a small jar of oil in the Temple that lasted for eight days.
Dessert
Rugelach
רוגלך
Jewish communities of Central and Eastern Europe
Small crescent pastries rolled around a filling of chocolate or cinnamon and sugar, sold in stacks at every bakery and market.
DessertRecipe
Malabi
מלבי
Eaten across the Middle East and Turkey
A cool, silky milk pudding set with cornflour, topped with rose water syrup, chopped pistachios and coconut. It is sold from street carts on hot days.
See the recipe
Ingredients
- 1 litre milk
- 80 g cornflour (cornstarch)
- 80 g sugar
- 1 tablespoon rose water
- For the syrup: 100 ml water, 3 tablespoons sugar, 1 teaspoon rose water and a few drops of red food colouring or raspberry syrup
- Chopped pistachios and desiccated coconut to serve
Method
- Mix the cornflour with 250 ml of the cold milk until smooth.
- Heat the rest of the milk with the sugar until it steams.
- Pour in the cornflour mixture and stir all the time over medium heat until the pudding thickens and bubbles, about 5 minutes.
- Take off the heat, stir in the rose water and pour into six glasses or bowls. Chill for at least 3 hours.
- For the syrup, boil the water and sugar for 3 minutes, then add the rose water and colouring and let it cool.
- Before serving, pour a little syrup on each pudding and sprinkle with pistachios and coconut.
DrinkRecipe
Limonana
לימונענע
Israel, named in the 1990s
Fresh lemonade blended with mint leaves and ice into a pale green, frosty drink, very popular in summer.
The name joins the Hebrew words limon (lemon) and nana (mint). It was invented for a 1990s advertising campaign about a drink that did not exist, and then the real drink caught on.
See the recipe
Ingredients
- Juice of 4 lemons
- A large handful of fresh mint leaves
- 4 tablespoons sugar (or to taste)
- 500 ml cold water
- 2 large handfuls of ice
Method
- Put the lemon juice, sugar and water in a blender and blend until the sugar dissolves.
- Add the mint leaves and the ice.
- Blend until the ice is crushed and the drink is pale green and frosty.
- Taste, add more sugar if needed, and serve at once.
Table manners
- Many restaurants in Jewish areas are kosher: they never serve meat and milk products in the same meal, so there is no cheese on a burger and often no milk for coffee after a meat meal.
- Many kosher restaurants close from Friday afternoon until Saturday evening for Shabbat. Restaurants in Arab towns and many places in Tel Aviv stay open.
- At a Friday evening dinner, wait for the host to say the blessing over the wine and the challah before you start eating.
- Salads and dips come to the table first and are shared by everyone. Tear off a piece of pita and use it to scoop up hummus.
- In Arab and Druze homes, guests are usually offered coffee or tea and something sweet. Accepting at least a little is polite.
- If you are invited to a home, a small gift such as flowers, sweets or a bottle of wine is welcome. In a kosher home, choose something with a kosher label.
Cities
10 cities to know
Most Israelis live along the Mediterranean coast between Tel Aviv and Haifa. Inland rise the hills of Jerusalem and the Galilee, and the south is the wide Negev desert, which ends at the Red Sea in Eilat.
Jerusalem Capital
Jerusalem District
A city in the hills between the coast and the Dead Sea. Israel names it as its capital, and the Knesset and the government sit here, but its status is disputed internationally. Its walled Old City is sacred to Jews, Christians and Muslims.
- The Old City
- The Israel Museum
- The Mahane Yehuda market
Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv District
A lively city on the Mediterranean, founded in 1909 and joined with the ancient port of Jaffa. It is the centre of business, nightlife and the arts, and most foreign embassies are in and around it.
- The White City
- Beaches and the seafront promenade
- Old Jaffa
Haifa
Haifa District
A port city built on the slopes of Mount Carmel above a wide bay. Jews and Arabs live side by side, and the city is the world centre of the Bahá'í faith.
- The Bahá'í Gardens
- Mount Carmel
- The port
Acre
Northern District
An ancient walled port town on the northern bay of Haifa, called Akko in Hebrew. An Ottoman town with mosques, markets and inns stands on top of Crusader halls.
- The Old City of Acre
- Crusader halls
- The fishing harbour
Nazareth
Northern District
The largest Arab city in Israel, in the hills of Lower Galilee. Christians know it as the childhood home of Jesus.
- The Basilica of the Annunciation
- The old market
- Arab sweets and coffee
Tiberias
Northern District
A resort town on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee, founded about AD 20. It has hot springs and is one of the four holy cities of Judaism.
- The Sea of Galilee
- Hot springs
- Fish from the lake
Safed
Northern District
A mountain town in the Upper Galilee, called Tzfat in Hebrew. Since the 16th century it has been a centre of Kabbalah, Jewish mysticism, and today it is also known for its artists' quarter.
- Kabbalah
- The artists' quarter
- Old stone synagogues
Beersheba
Southern District
The largest city of the Negev desert, called Be'er Sheva in Hebrew. The ancient mound of Tel Be'er Sheva nearby is on the UNESCO list.
- Gateway to the Negev
- Ben-Gurion University
- The Bedouin market
Arad
Southern District
A quiet desert town on a plateau above the Dead Sea, founded in 1962. A mountain road leads from here to the western side of Masada.
- The road to Masada
- Clean, dry desert air
- Desert hiking
Eilat
Southern District
Israel's southernmost city, on the Gulf of Aqaba of the Red Sea. It is a year-round beach resort with coral reefs just off the shore.
- Coral reefs and diving
- Winter sunshine
- Desert mountains
Landmarks
Places everyone should see once
Near Haifa
Caesarea
The ruins of the harbour city that Herod the Great built for Rome on the coast between Tel Aviv and Haifa, with a Roman theatre, a hippodrome and a long aqueduct running along the beach.
Jerusalem
The Old City of Jerusalem
A walled city of about one square kilometre with sites sacred to three faiths, among them the Western Wall, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and the Dome of the Rock. UNESCO listed the Old City of Jerusalem and its Walls in 1981 as a site of its own, not under any one country.
UNESCO World Heritage
Jerusalem
The Israel Museum and the Shrine of the Book
The country's largest museum, with art, archaeology and Jewish life from many lands. The white dome of the Shrine of the Book holds some of the Dead Sea Scrolls, among the oldest known manuscripts of the Hebrew Bible.
Near Arad
Masada
A flat-topped rock fortress high above the Dead Sea, where Herod the Great built palaces. At the end of the Jewish revolt against Rome, its defenders held out against a Roman siege. You can climb the Snake Path at dawn or take a cable car.
UNESCO World Heritage
Acre
The Old City of Acre
A walled Ottoman port town with a mosque, markets and old inns, built on top of the halls of the Crusader Knights Hospitaller, which you can walk through underground.
UNESCO World Heritage
Haifa
The Bahá'í Gardens
Nineteen garden terraces climb the slope of Mount Carmel around the golden-domed Shrine of the Báb, with a sweeping view over Haifa Bay. They are part of the UNESCO site of Bahá'í holy places in Haifa and the Western Galilee.
UNESCO World Heritage
Tel Aviv
The White City of Tel Aviv
More than 4,000 white buildings in the Bauhaus or International Style, mostly built in the 1930s by architects who had trained in Europe. Rothschild Boulevard is a good place to see them.
UNESCO World Heritage
Tel Aviv
Old Jaffa
One of the oldest ports in the world, on a hill at the southern end of Tel Aviv's seafront. Stone alleys, galleries, a flea market and a lighthouse look out over the sea.
Near Nazareth
Tel Megiddo
An ancient mound made of about 20 layers of cities built one on top of another, above the Jezreel Valley. Its name gave us the word Armageddon. It is part of the UNESCO site of the Biblical Tels.
UNESCO World Heritage
Nazareth
The Basilica of the Annunciation
A large modern church, finished in 1969, built over the place where Christian tradition says the angel Gabriel appeared to Mary. Images of Mary sent from countries all over the world line its walls.
Fun facts
Things you might not know
- 01
The shore of the Dead Sea is the lowest land on Earth. As of 2025 it was about 440 metres below sea level, and the water level is falling by more than a metre a year.
- 02
The Dead Sea is almost ten times saltier than the ocean, so people float on it without trying.
- 03
The Sea of Galilee, called Kinneret in Hebrew, is the lowest freshwater lake on Earth, about 210 metres below sea level.
- 04
For many centuries Hebrew was used mainly for prayer and study. In the late 19th and 20th centuries it was revived as an everyday spoken language, and today it is the mother tongue of millions.
- 05
Tel Aviv began in 1909 when 66 families shared out plots of land on the sand dunes in a lottery using seashells.
- 06
Tel Aviv has more than 4,000 buildings in the Bauhaus or International Style, which is why it is called the White City. UNESCO listed it in 2003.
- 07
The working week in Israel runs from Sunday to Thursday. Shabbat, the day of rest, lasts from sunset on Friday to nightfall on Saturday.
- 08
In 2008, about 155,000 Israelis voted in a national poll, and the hoopoe, a bird with a crest like a fan, became the national bird.
- 09
Netafim, a company founded on Kibbutz Hatzerim in the Negev in 1965, launched the world's first commercial dripper for drip irrigation.
- 10
The navigation app Waze started in Israel as a community mapping project. Google bought it in 2013.
- 11
The blue and white flag of Israel, adopted in 1948, was inspired by the tallit, the Jewish prayer shawl, with a blue Star of David in the middle.
- 12
Albert Einstein was one of the founders of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and left it his personal papers. Its archive holds about 55,000 items.
- 13
The name of the Moon lander Beresheet is the first word of the Bible in Hebrew and means "In the beginning".
Hebrew (Ivrit) words
20 words to start with
It is written from right to left. "Kh" is a throaty sound, like the ch in the Scottish word loch. Pronunciation is written the way it sounds; the capital letters show where the stress goes. Audio is coming soon.
Greetings
- shalomshah-LOHMpeace; also hello and goodbye
- todahtoh-DAHthank you
- bevakashabeh-vah-kah-SHAHplease; you're welcome
Basics
- kenKENyes
- loLOHno
Time
- bokerBOH-kermorning
- lailaLIE-lahnight
Food and drink
- mayimMAH-yimwater
- lechemLEH-khembread
- ochelOH-khelfood
Places
- yamYAHMsea
- irEERcity
- bayitBAH-yithouse, home
- shukSHOOKmarket
People
- chaverkhah-VERfriend (a male friend; chavera for a woman)
- mishpachamish-pah-KHAHfamily
Numbers
- echadeh-KHAHDone
- shtayimSHTAH-yimtwo
- shaloshshah-LOHSHthree
Everyday
- sababasah-BAH-bahgreat, cool (slang, from Arabic)
Say it like a local
Useful phrases
Some phrases change depending on whether you speak to a man or a woman; both forms are given where needed.
Shalom
shah-LOHM
Hello, goodbye (literally: peace)
Greeting anyone at any time of day
Boker tov
BOH-ker TOHV
Good morning
Greeting someone in the morning
Erev tov
EH-rev TOHV
Good evening
Greeting someone in the evening
Laila tov
LIE-lah TOHV
Good night
Saying goodbye late in the evening
Ma nishma?
mah nish-MAH
How are you? What's new?
A friendly, informal greeting
Todah rabah
toh-DAH rah-BAH
Thank you very much
Thanking someone warmly
Bevakasha
beh-vah-kah-SHAH
Please; you're welcome
Asking for something, or answering a thank you
Slicha
slee-KHAH
Excuse me, sorry
Getting someone's attention or apologising
Ani lo mevin / mevina
ah-NEE loh meh-VEEN / meh-vee-NAH
I don't understand (said by a man / by a woman)
When you cannot follow what someone says
Ata medaber anglit? / At medaberet anglit?
ah-TAH meh-dah-BER ahng-LEET / aht meh-dah-BEH-ret ahng-LEET
Do you speak English? (to a man / to a woman)
Asking for help in English
Kama ze ole?
KAH-mah zeh oh-LEH
How much does it cost?
Shopping in a market or shop
Eifo ha-sherutim?
ay-FOH hah-sheh-roo-TEEM
Where are the toilets?
Looking for a toilet
Ha-cheshbon, bevakasha
hah-khesh-BOHN beh-vah-kah-SHAH
The bill, please
At the end of a meal in a restaurant
Beteavon
beh-teh-ah-VOHN
Enjoy your meal
Before a meal, like bon appétit
Lechaim
leh-KHAH-yim
Cheers (literally: to life)
Raising a glass
Shabbat shalom
shah-BAHT shah-LOHM
Have a peaceful Shabbat
Greeting people from Friday afternoon to Saturday evening
Mazal tov
MAH-zahl TOHV
Congratulations
At a wedding, a birth or any good news
Lehitraot
leh-heet-rah-OHT
See you later, goodbye
Saying goodbye when you expect to meet again
Yalla
YAH-lah
Come on, let's go (from Arabic)
Hurrying someone along in a friendly way
Local tips
Before you go
Plan around Shabbat
In most cities, buses and trains stop on Friday afternoon and start again on Saturday evening, and many shops and kosher restaurants close. Taxis and some shared minibuses (sherut) still run. Book transport and shopping for Friday morning.
Sunday is a working day
The working week runs from Sunday to Thursday. Offices, banks and museums may have short hours on Friday and be closed on Saturday, so check opening times before you go.
Dress for holy places
At synagogues, churches and mosques, cover your shoulders and knees. Some sites lend wraps at the entrance, and men may be asked to cover their heads at the Western Wall.
Know the emergency numbers
Police 100, ambulance (Magen David Adom) 101, fire and rescue 102.
Bring the right plug
Israel uses 230 volts and its own three-pin Type H socket. Most modern sockets also take the two-pin European Type C plug.
Respect the desert heat
In the Negev and at the Dead Sea, carry plenty of water, wear a hat and start walks early in the morning. Summer temperatures often pass 40 °C.
Expect security checks
Bags are checked at the entrances of shopping centres, bus and train stations. At Ben Gurion Airport, allow extra time for questions before departure.
Check travel advice
As of September 2026, conditions in the region can change quickly. Before you travel, read your own government's current travel advice and follow the instructions of local authorities.
Sources (67)
- Israel (Wikipedia)
- Israel (Encyclopaedia Britannica)
- Israel Central Bureau of Statistics
- History of Israel (Wikipedia)
- Merneptah Stele (Wikipedia)
- Herod the Great (Wikipedia)
- Siege of Jerusalem (70 CE) (Wikipedia)
- United Nations Partition Plan for Palestine (Wikipedia)
- Egypt-Israel peace treaty (Wikipedia)
- Israel-Jordan peace treaty (Wikipedia)
- Beresheet (Wikipedia)
- Hebrew University of Jerusalem (Wikipedia)
- Tel Aviv (Wikipedia)
- White City, Tel Aviv (Wikipedia)
- Dead Sea (Wikipedia)
- Sea of Galilee (Wikipedia)
- Mount Meron (Wikipedia)
- Jordan River (Wikipedia)
- Eurasian hoopoe (Wikipedia)
- Netafim (Wikipedia)
- Waze (Wikipedia)
- Flag of Israel (Wikipedia)
- Modern Hebrew (Wikipedia)
- Hebrew phrasebook (Wikivoyage)
- Israel travel guide (Wikivoyage)
- AC power plugs and sockets (Wikipedia)
- Israeli cuisine (Wikipedia)
- Kashrut (Wikipedia)
- Hummus (Wikipedia)
- Falafel (Wikipedia)
- Sabich (Wikipedia)
- Shakshouka (Wikipedia)
- Israeli salad (Wikipedia)
- Jachnun (Wikipedia)
- Bourekas (Wikipedia)
- Challah (Wikipedia)
- Ptitim (Wikipedia)
- Cholent (Wikipedia)
- Jerusalem mixed grill (Wikipedia)
- Sufganiyah (Wikipedia)
- Rugelach (Wikipedia)
- Muhallebi (malabi) (Wikipedia)
- Mint lemonade (Wikipedia)
- Jerusalem (Wikipedia)
- Haifa (Wikipedia)
- Acre, Israel (Wikipedia)
- Nazareth (Wikipedia)
- Tiberias (Wikipedia)
- Safed (Wikipedia)
- Beersheba (Wikipedia)
- Arad, Israel (Wikipedia)
- Eilat (Wikipedia)
- Old City of Jerusalem (Wikipedia)
- Old City of Jerusalem and its Walls (UNESCO)
- Israel Museum (Wikipedia)
- Masada (Wikipedia)
- Masada (UNESCO)
- Old City of Acre (UNESCO)
- White City of Tel-Aviv, the Modern Movement (UNESCO)
- Bahá'i Holy Places in Haifa and the Western Galilee (UNESCO)
- Biblical Tels: Megiddo, Hazor, Beer Sheba (UNESCO)
- List of World Heritage Sites in Israel (Wikipedia)
- Terraces of the Bahá'í Faith (Wikipedia)
- Jaffa (Wikipedia)
- Caesarea Maritima (Wikipedia)
- Tel Megiddo (Wikipedia)
- Basilica of the Annunciation (Wikipedia)
