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Tel Aviv Museum of Art
The ultramodern ‘envelope’ building by American architect Preston Scott Cohen is one of many reasons to visit this impressive gallery located on the eastern edge of the city centre. Theres a huge amount to see here (including loads for kids), but the undoubted highlight is the supe
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Ancient Galilee Boat
In 1986, when the level of the Sea of Galilee was particularly low, a local fisherman made an extraordinary discovery: the remains of a wooden boat later determined to have plied these waters in the time of Jesus’s ministry. The 8.2m fishing vessel, made of 12 kinds of (apparently
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Tzipori National Park
Now one of Israel’s most impressive archaeological sites, Tzipori National Park was, in ancient times, a prosperous and well-endowed city with stone-paved roadways (rutted over time by wagons and chariots), an amazing water-supply system, a marketplace, bathhouses, synagogues, chur
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Stella Maris Carmelite Monastery
The Carmelite Order was established in the late 12th century when Crusader-era pilgrims, inspired by the prophet Elijah, opted for a hermitic life on the slopes of Mt Carmel. Today, the order lives on around the world and in the Star of the Sea monastery, whose current building was
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Hula Nature Reserve
Migrating birds flock to the wetlands of Israel’s first nature reserve, founded in 1964. More than 200 species of small waterfowl mingle happily with cormorants, herons, pelicans, raptors, storks and cranes, while water buffalo (jamoose) roam certain areas of the reserve, their gra
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Megiddo National Park
Excavations of Tel Megiddo have unearthed the remains of 26 or 27 distinct historical periods, from 4000 BCE to 400 BCE, but it takes some stretching of the imagination to see in the modern-day site any traces of its former grandeur. Help is given by an introductory film, some exce
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Hecht Museum
One of Israels most engaging museums, the Hechts standout highlight is the extraordinary Maagan Mikhael Shipwreck , the remarkably well-preserved remains of a 13.5m-long merchant ship from 400 BCE – thats four centuries older than the Ancient Galilee Ship on display at the Sea of G
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Beit Alpha Synagogue
No one was more surprised than the members of Kibbutz Heftzibah when they went out to dig an irrigation channel in 1928 and uncovered a stunning, Byzantine-era (6th-century) mosaic floor. Further excavation revealed the rest of the Beit Alpha Synagogue, whose extraordinarily mosaic
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Ashkenazi Ari Synagogue
Founded in the 16th century by Sephardic Jews from Greece, this synagogue was destroyed in the 1837 earthquake and rebuilt in the 1850s. It stands on the site where the great Kabbalist Yitzhak Luria (Isaac Luria; 1534–72; often known by the name Ari) used to greet the Sabbath. In t
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Banias Nature Reserve
The gushing springs, waterfalls and lushly shaded streams of Banias Nature Reserve form one of the most beautiful – and popular – nature spots in Israel. The park has two entrances on Rte 99 that are about 3.5km (1½ hours on foot ) apart. The name ‘Banias’ derives from Pan, Greek g
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Mahane Yehuda Market
All walks of local life converge at this bustling market, a fascinating spectacle for the first-time visitor and a bargain food fair for the citys Jewish residents. Crammed with fresh fruit, olives, nuts, vegetables and just about anything else grown or picked from the Israeli soil
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Ein Gedi Nature Reserve
This reserve consists of two roughly parallel canyons, Wadi David and Wadi Arugot , each of which has its own entrance complex and ticket office.The key to a successful hike in the reserve is the excellent colour-coded map-brochure given out when you buy your ticket. It has invalua
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Mount of the Beatitudes
This breathtaking hillside Roman Catholic church, built in 1937, stands on a site believed since at least the 4th century to be where Jesus delivered his Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7), whose opening lines – the eight Beatitudes – begin with the phrase ‘Blessed are…’. The sermon
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Beit She’an National Park
Beit She’an’s extraordinary Roman ruins are the best place in Israel to get a sense of what it was like to live, work and shop in the Roman Empire. Colonnaded streets, a 7000-seat theatre that looks much as it did 1800 years ago (the original public bathrooms are nearby), two bathh
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Yehudiya Nature Reserve
One of the most popular hiking areas in all of northern Israel, the 66-sq-km Yehudiya Nature Reserve offers walks suitable for casual strollers as well as experienced hikers, especially those who aren’t averse to getting wet. Mammals you might encounter include gazelles and wild bo
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Basilica of the Annunciation
Dominating the Old City’s skyline is the lantern-topped cupola of this Franciscan-run Roman Catholic basilica, an audacious modernist structure that’s unlike any building you’ve ever seen. Constructed from 1960 to 1969, it’s believed by many Christians to stand on the site of Mary’
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Citadel (Tower of David)
Commanding a prominent elevated location overlooking the Old City, the Citadel started life as the palace of Herod the Great. Also used as a palace by the Romans and Crusaders, the structure was extensively remodelled by the Mamluks and Ottomans and is now home to the impressive Mu
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Baha’i Gardens
The best way to see these world famous gardens is to take a free, 45-minute Upper Terrace Tour from the top of the gardens. Except on Wednesday, an English-language tour starts at noon, with additional tours in Hebrew or Russian on most days at 11am and 2pm (see the website for the
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Agamon HaHula
This is one of the best places in Israel to see flocks of cranes, pelicans and storks. By road, the site is 7.5km north of the Hula Nature Reserve, and 1.2km off Rte 90. In the 1990s, the Hula’s cotton fields were converted to growing peanuts – the soil here is ideal and Israel nee
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En Avdat National Park
En Avdat is a freak of nature in this otherwise bone-dry desert – a freshwater spring that miraculously flows via a waterfall into a narrow and winding ravine with steep sides of soft white chalk. Reached via an easy hike past caves that were inhabited by monks during the Byzantine
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