Western Jordan

The rock-cut, secret city of Petra

• Roman ruins at Jerash
• The rock-cut, secret city of Petra
• Wadi Rum’s desert landscapes

 Jordan’s capital, Amman,  boasts some Roman ruins of its own, but it also makes a good base for a day trip to the even more  impressive ruins at Jerash. This is one of the best-preserved Roman cities in the Middle East, with an almost complete theatre that is still used during the annual Jerash Festival. South of Amman, the town of Madaba is worth visiting for its unique Byzantine-era mosaic map.However, the real reason that most people visit Jordan lies farther south still: Petra. The legendary “Rose City” is one of the most spectacular of archaeological sites, and ranks alongside the likes of India’s Taj Mahal and the Pyramids of Egypt as one of the world’s must-see sights. It is possible to see the highlights in one day but there is so much to see that Petra rewards repeated visits. Make sure to allow time for Wadi Rum, with its wide landscapes of red sands and towering mountains of wind-eroded sandstone.

The Dead Sea and the Negeb Desert

• Float on the Dead Sea
• Waterfalls and wildlife at Ein Gedi
• The legendary fortress of Masada

Floating on the highly saline waters of the Dead Sea, reading a book, is the oddest of sensations, and one every visitor should experience for themselves. Most people choose to go to Ein Gedi, where there is a wide beach popular with bathers, and showers to remove the water’s filmy residue. Ein Gedi is also home to a national park  with lush vegetation, twin gorges, waterfalls and abundant wildlife. Further south is Masada, a mountain-top fortress constructed by King Herod but famous for the Jewish defenders who killed themselves rather than be captured by the Romans.

The Coast and Galilee

Coast and Galilee

Beach life in Tel Aviv
The Crusader port of Akko
The Sea of Galilee

 Tel Aviv is worlds apart from Jerusalem. Jerusalem is a millennia-old hill-top city, weighted with religious significance. Tel Aviv is a secular beachfront city that basks beneath a Mediterranean sun and is barely a century old. Visit Tel Aviv for the superb Museum of the Jewish Diaspora and the similarly  impressive Tel Aviv Museum of Art and for its unrivalled heritage of whitewashed Bauhaus architecture. Also visit for the shopping, dining and nightlife, in which the city excels.

 Don’t miss the neighbouring ancient port of Jaffa (with its attractive harbour-side buildings, several of which house good seafood restaurants. North along the coast, Akko is another old Arab port, although heavily shaped by the Crusaders, for whom this was one of their principal strongholds. It remains perhaps the most attractive old town in the entire Holy Land. Away from the coast, the Sea of Galilee  is Israel’s largest freshwater body. It has significant biblical links (it is where Jesus is said to have walked on the water), as well as a beautiful setting ringed by green hills.

Jerusalem

Panorama of Jerusalem

• Biblical sites
• The Western Wall
• Dome of the Rock
• Museum of the Holocaust

 It’s hard to overstate the historical significance of Jerusalem. Any trip begins with an exploration of the tightly walled Old City, home to the cornerstones of three faiths. It has the Western Wall of Judaism; the Christian sites of the Via Dolorosa  and Church of the Holy Sepulchre; and the third holiest site of Islam, the Dome of the Rock. Beyond these are many more attractions of similar significance, including the Mount of Olives, with its marvellous views over the city, not to mention more churches, synagogues and mosques, Roman and Byzantine remains, medieval walls and gates, and colourful markets and bazaars. Visits to the Mea Shearim quarter of the new city, the Holocaust museum of Yad Vashem , and an evening in the 19th-century neighbourhood of Nakhalat Shiva bring the Jewish Jerusalem experience up-to-date.

Discovering Holy Land

The “Holy Land” encompasses Israel and large regions of Jordan and Egypt. Rich in associations with three of the world’s major faiths – Christianity, Judaism and Islam – it is a fascinating and diverse destination for pilgrims and holidaymakers alike.

Religious highlights include the biblical sites of Jerusalem, Galilee and Mount Sinai, and an array of churches, monasteries and mosques.

This is also an area of great natural beauty, from the desert landscapes of Jordan and Sinai to the lush greenery of northern Israel and the white sands of the Mediterranean and Red Sea coasts