The final Israel travel tip

We’v covered a lot of ground in the past few mini-posts when it comes to Israel travel tips. We’ve talked about getting in, getting out, getting around and getting money. Now, for this last post, let’s talk about getting a break, because for at least one day a week, you need to know that this may be imposed upon you regardless of your intended travel itinerary.

I loved how, in the background of the city, as you can hear in clips like, you can hear the chants of the Sabbath and of people starting a day of observance from all corners of the city.  However, you need to know this is coming, and what you should do about it from the perspective of a traveler.

In general, the Israeli work week has a different rhythm than many other places around the world, because the Jewish Saturday is equivalent to the Christian Sunday. Depending on where you are in the country, this is going to be a very big deal and will affect you to some degree. for my last production shoot in Israel, we were based out of Jerusalem, and even though Jerusalem is only about thirty miles from Tel Aviv, the tone and pace of the two cities are very different. When you hear the recorded sounds of the shofar (ram's horn) in the minutes before sundown on Friday, that's basically your warning that the city, for the most part, is very close to shutting down for the next 24 hours. On Friday afternoon, most cafes and shops begin closing. You will find it extremely difficult to locate an open store or restaurant across wide swaths of the country, especially in Jerusalem, and really especially in West Jerusalem and the Old City. I was fortunate to be staying in a hotel that served breakfast, but I had bought everything I needed for dinner well before sundown Friday evening, as well as provisions for lunch on Saturday. You should make the same plans. It's not that everyone takes a breather, as I can attest by the raucous parties in the park near my hotel. However, when it comes to meals and shopping, you do need to be aware that Israel takes Saturday as a day off pretty seriously.

So that’s it;. The essentials when it comes to making your way into Israel, getting around once you’re there, and making sure you don’t get caught by surprise when it’s time to leave.

What are your favorite travel tips for Israel? Post below and share you adventures, and don't forget to check out the results of filming in Israel for the Palette Project on my Patreon page.

Onwards!