Can we talk about Israel and Jordan?

[frlcb]

Petra is my dream trip. That is all.

[pittpurple]

Hi Publius!
I was born in Israel and spent a summer there as a teenager and 2 weeks with DH a few years ago. There is definitely plenty to keep you interested for a couple weeks - we didn't make it to a lot of the country as we spent a full week in Jerusalem (which just has endless things to see) so we spent our time like this - 2 nights near the Dead Sea, 2 nights in Old Jaffa (as opposed to Tel Aviv), 3 nights in Haifa (including Caesaria) and a week in Jerusalem.

I haven't been to Jordan yet so can't comment on that.

I don't speak any Hebrew and we rented a car for our week travelling around (and got rid of it for Jerusalem - you really don't need/want one) and it was totally fine. Most people speak some English and road signs, etc were usually translated. Most things are in Hebrew/Arabic/English and I don't remember there being any problems.

I would seriously consider getting a guide for a day or so in the cities you visit, just because there's an awe-inspiring amount of history and tons of little side streets (I'm thinking specifically of Jerusalem) that you would never consider exploring on your own. Particularly as a history person. We were super broke at the time so we just did things on our own (my brother was living in Jerusalem at the time so he showed us around) but it really would have been great to have more information sometimes.

I honestly think almost anywhere can be seen in as little or as much time as you have. There are few places I've been bored with and ready to go home, but you can certainly rush around and get a feel for a place in a short amount of time.

What time of year were you thinking of going? You could break up the trip a bit with a few days in Eilat - I've never been that far south but there are resorts and water sport type stuff.

Let me know if you have any more specific questions and I'll do my best to help (or ask my brother!)

[pittpurple]

We were there in January which was great since it was so quiet, but it was cold. I would think shoulder season (like I say for almost anywhere!) - April/May/September/October. It gets HOT in the summertime. Watch the dates though - Passover is sometime in April and the High Holidays (Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur) are sometime in September and it would be easier to avoid them. Not sure how much Passover would affect anything, but the High Holidays could be a bit difficult (although you could probably work it out to be in Jordan or at the Christian sites on the days themselves)

And just a warning - Israelis drive like maniacs. My husband loved it (he said Italy was the only place that rivalled it) but I did not feel confident enough to drive at all.

[cricketwife]

I'm jealous! I really want to go to Petra. I went to Israel once and LOVED it. I'm just chiming in to say have a great trip!