Places such as Masada, Qumran Cave, Beersheva, City of David and Ein Gedi are all included in this package. And there are many more sites worth visiting! And seriously, $50 is nothing! Let me share more in details and a little bit about the tourist cards (not as good as Annual Pass though).

Annual Pass for National Parks in Israel

Israel, due to safety concerns, is generally an off-beaten country for tourists. But there are numerous sites in this tiny country. Best of all, most of these sites are managed under Israel Nature and Parks Authority. You buy this card, and you have access to all 68 sites! (or is it 55?)

With this Annual Pass, I went to 28 sites in 2 weeks. That’s less than $2 for a site! No way!!!! That’s too cheap! That is why I strongly recommend this pass if you plan to visit at least 5 sites (and if the City of David is one of them).

How To Purchase “Annual Pass”

1. Buy it online!

Simply go to https://fe.sales.parks.org.il/subscriptions

Remember to enter your passport number correctly!

You’ll get the bar code once the purchase is done!

2. Buy it at the park

Go to any national park WITH your passport!

Tell the ticket counter that you wish to purchase the “Annual Pass”. It’s for locals and tourists alike, but you need an Israeli address (a hotel address is fine). The actual card will be sent to that address, but you will get a handwritten card like this and with receipt. This can be used as the annual pass immediately.

 The Fees for Annual Pass

It’s pretty cheap. And the crazy part is…..   For one adult is ₪181 ($50). For two adults is ₪275 ($75)。  (The name of the second person will not be registered) 

And 2 adults with 1 kid is ₪340 ($94), and 2 adults with 2 kids are ₪396 ($109)。 Anyone less than 20 years old is considered “kid”. 

For details please go to their website, English version is available now! 

How to Use Annual Pass?

You present the barcode OR present that handwritten card and receipt at the ticket office, and you’ll get an entrance ticket and possibly a new map!

What’s Included? Is the City of David Included?

Yes, the City of David is included in the annual pass.

The exceptions are the following (not free, but 50% discount is available): Akhziv, Horshat Tal, Gan Hashlosha, Beit Yanay, and Palmachim. Probably tourists won’t find interests in going these parks anyways.

And of course, cable car rides and night activities are not included. And Poleg Nature reserve and Jerusalem Wall Promenade are not included.

What about the Israel Pass?

The new option, Israel Pass, is a combined ticket designed for tourists, you can save some shekels with this pass if you only intend to visit 3/6 parks within 2 weeks! But as a park lover, it isn’t as good as an annual pass in my opinion.

Let’s take a look:

• 3 sites: 78NIS ($22)
• 6 sights:110NIS  ($30)
• Unlimited sites in 2 weeks 150NIS ($42)

Though these combined tickets are transferable, the city of David is NOT included in this ticket, and these tickets  are good for 2 weeks only. 

The City of David ( ₪29) is where the Hezekiah Tunnel and Siloam Pool is, so when you cannot use this ticket for the site, then go for the annual pass!! In terms of pricing, the annual pass is better.

It looks like this (2019)

It can also come with  Israel’s oyster card called Rav-kav card. This is called “Israel Pass& Ride”

But there’s no further discount, you still need to pay 5NIS to get the unloaded card.

There’s a small feature of 20% discount on some sites, which I don’t find so relevant for tourists who are visiting Israel for just 2 weeks. (The logic is, if you have more than 2 weeks, there’s a ton of more important sites that can be used with annual pass). But here’s a list: https://www.israelpass.biz/north

You can buy Israel Pass online, here at https://fe.sales.parks.org.il/tickets 

And since March 2019, you can purchase the new at the airport!

And also from the following places

Conclusion

The Israeli national park annual pass is a GREAT option!! If you are in Israel for more than 2 weeks or if you are traveling as a family, consider the annual pass option!

*Anyone less than 20 years old is considered “kid”. 

A Week in Israel Itinerary

• Day 1 Jerusalem (Sunday): Hezekiah’s Tunnel (in City of David) → Temple Mount → Old City → Western Wall Tunnel→ Night Spectacular (at Tower of David)/ Stay in Jerusalem
• Day 2 Jerusalem (Monday) ：Mt.Olives → Western Wall and Bar Mitzvah→ (Mt.Zion)→  Go to Bethlehem / Stay in Jerusalem
• Day 3 Jerusalem (Tuesday) ： (Mehane Yehuda Market)→ Yad Vashem → (Knesset)→ Israel Museum /Stay in Jerusalem
• Day 4 Dead Sea: Rent a car for 4 days/ go to Qasr el-Yahud where Jesus was baptized → Qumran → Ein Gedi → Ein Bokek Public Beach  → Masada / Overnight in Tiberias
• Day 5  Galilee+ Golan Height: Magdala → Capernaum→ Tagbha→ Mt.Beattitudes→ Daniel’s Worship Boat → Dan → Caesar Philippi → Banias Waterfall → Mt. Bental → Ofir Lookout / Overnight in Tiberias
• Day 6  Nazareth：Cana→ Nazareth→ Megiddo→ Beit She’arim→ Akko  / Overnight in Haifa
• Day 7 Mediterranean Sea (Saturday)：Haifa → Caesarea → Tel Aviv → Jaffa → Return your car at the airport

How Many Days Off Do You Need?

If you are from a country where you don’t get a lot of days off, you only need 5 days off with this itinerary. If you are from the East, fly out from your home country on Saturday. And you will arrive in Israel on Sunday morning, which is the first working day in Israel. And you stay 6 nights and 7 days in Israel.  You will fly out on Saturday night, and you will be home on Sunday night.

If you are flying from Europe or America, catch a flight on Friday night, and you’re likely to arrive in Israel on Saturday night. You can leave on near midnight on Saturday to arrive home on Sunday. So that’s 7 nights and 7 days.

A Few Things to Note

1. Bar Mitzvah can only be seen on Mondays and Thursdays. That’s why it’s on Day 2 and not Day 1

2. Israel Museum opens from 4 pm till 9 pm on Tuesdays. That’s why it’s planned on Day 3.

3. Remember to take a look at the exact opening time of Temple Mount on Day 1 before you head down to the City of David. It’s usually from 12:30-13:30 or 13:30-14:30. You want to finish the Hezekiah tunnel before this time.

4. The total driving time on Day 4 is 5 hours because from Masada to Tiberias takes 3 hours. It won’t be any shorter if you do it on Day 5, so you might as well finish driving on Day 4 and have a full day touring on Day 5.

5. Buy Jlm City Pass (130 shekels) online: You will use it for Night Spectacular show, Israel Museum, and Western Wall Tunnel.

6. Buy Annual Pass of Israel National Park (180 shekels) at City of David. You can use it on Hezekiah’s Tunnel of City of David, Qumran,  Ein Gedi, Dan, Banias, Megiddo, Beit Shea’rim, Caesarea

The budget for Making a Trip to Israel: Is $500 Really Enough?

Let’s see. The first 3 days you are in Jerusalem. Expect to pay about  $200 

• Public Transportation ($20)：Airport Bus 485,  maybe light rail for 6 times, bus to/from Bethlehem. So: ₪16+36+20 =₪72 ($20)
• Entertainment  ($36)： Jlm City Pass for Night Spectacular Show, Israel Museum and Western Wall Tunnel
• Food for 3 days ($60)：You need $20 a day.
• Accommodation for 3 nights in Jerusalem ($90)：You can find a hostel in Jerusalem for $30 (breakfast included). Double room starts at $80

For the other 4 days, you need a car. Even there’s no one splitting cost with you, you can still finish this trip independently. $460 for one. $355 each if you are 2. Or $320 each if you are 3. Or $300 each if you are 4. Or $290 if you are 5.  

• Transportation (a car $210)：4 days car rental $80+ Fuel Cost (860km  /100*$12 = $103 )＊＋ Parking fee at Mt.Beattitudes ₪10($3) + Airport return surcharge $28  (*A liter of fuel can run 13.5km in Israel. The fuel price is calculated at ₪5.85 per liter, so that’s how for every 100km you will spend $12 on fuel)
• Entertainment  ($80)：Israel National Park Pass (Hezekiah’s Tunnel of City of David, Qumran,  Ein Gedi, Dan, Banias, Megiddo, Beit Shea’rim, Caesarea ₪150, Ein Bokek Public Beach toilet access ₪2.5, Capernaum Site ₪4,  Magdala Site ₪15、Masada Cable car (return) ₪54,  Daniel’s worship boat ₪50, Akko combined tickets ₪40= $80
• Food for 4 days ($80)：Still $20 a day
• Accommodation for 3 nights ($90)：Still $30 a night

If you like what you read here, leave a comment or bookmark this page. More details will be added!

If it looks daunting… You can go for the “Best of Israel & Jordan 10 Day Package” with Abraham Tours, for $1048, they have all things figured out for you Easy option for saving time!

The Cost of Dining in Israel

If you are from East Asia, you will be used to the idea that the cost your accommodation for 1 night will buy you 3-10 meals. Right? So $30 should buy you 3 to 10 meals because a normal meal is usually $3 to $10. But in Israel…. a Big-mac is $15! Shawarma, $15! Why? I don’t know!

You can use Numbeo.com to check how expensive Jerusalem is comparing to your city. This is how I would categorize the cost of dining in Israel

1. Cheap Eats:  Less than ₪20 OR $7
2. Mid Range: ₪50-₪100 OR $20-$40
3. Expensive: More than  ₪100 OR $35

Cheap Eats

With a backpacker’s budget, you’ll be stuck with hummus, falafel, Cofizz, Cofix etc. These things will cost you less than ₪20 for a meal. ($7)  I found “Eight” burger, a burger for ₪8. But the usual price will be ₪20 or more.

• Hummus Said

Price Range：Hummus (half portion)  ₪8

• Eight Burger

Price Range：A small burger for  ₪8!  (this price is not common at all)

• Cofizz

Price Range：Everything is for  ₪5!  (or ₪6 )

• Cofix

Price Range：Everything is for  ₪5!  A salad is for ₪15

Mid-Range

If you want to eat more proper food. Things like kebabs, shawarma, burgers etc, expect to spend around ₪50-₪100 ($20-$40) for a meal…… so yes, Israel is very expensive!!! You can get these things at 70% off in Jordan!!

• Tala Hummus and Falafel

Price Range：₪30-70

• Avi’s Restaurant in Tiberias

Price Range：Appetizer ₪25-40, Main Dish ₪60-₪90, Dessert ₪30

Expensive

My definition of an expensive restaurant is near the range of $35 (₪100). But even this is not really considered “expensive” for locals. But again, poverty is a social problem in Israel, so you don’t need to feel too bad about how you think about these prices. Not everyone affords to eat in fancy restaurants. But you don’t need to eat in fancy restaurants to be happy.

Let me show you some good restaurants :

• Uri Buri

Price Range: Apprizer ₪40, Main Dish ₪60-₪80, Dessert ₪14-₪38

• Anna Italian Cafe

Price Range:  Main Dish ₪60-₪90, Dessert ₪40-₪50

Go for Business Lunch!

One way to save money is to have a big lunch in Israel! On Sundays to Thursdays (not Friday!!!), you can find business lunch in some restaurants. You can expect a good deal, perhaps 30% less than the usual price.

I tried business lunch at Kukiza in Tel Aviv, it was very good! 2-course meal with a drink From 49NIS ($18)!

Menu Samples

If you are curious about prices, you can take a look at these samples! In general, Jerusalem is the most expensive place in Israel!

Maybe you’d rather spend money on staying a few more days in Israel than spending a big chunk of your budget on eating on. It can be worthwhile!

Is Israel Really That Expensive?

Well…

A proper meal would cost you $30-$40 per person. A regular meal would cost you $20. A bigmac in Israel would cost you $14.  A falafel sandwich costs $3. A plate of hummus costs $5.

Dining costs in Israel are high. But it really depends on where you come from. But from where I come from… we get a nice business lunch for $3-6, and it’s very good for value and taste is amazing. (Yay visit Taiwan!) Any meal above $15 would be in a relatively fancy setting, where you go for once a week or two weeks. So for me… either I don’t compare, or I end up spending more money than I want.

And the other reason is the kosher rule, you cannot have cheese and meat together. Or you cannot have yogurt and meat in the same meal. So if you aren’t used to such rule, your stomach will feel something is missing.

Cook Your Own Meals

I usually have cereals for breakfast. So let’s take a took of our lunches and dinners! We brought our own lunch boxes to Israel. For that lunch, we had chicken rice, chicken, and fruit (loquats). For the 4 of us, we used 1 kg of chicken, 1 kg of rice, and about 1 kg of loquats. Including seasonings, the cost was about 60 shekels in total. It was satisfying.

To replace chicken rice, you can simply cook egg fried rice or fried noodles.

Making rice balls is fun and convenient too! You can get Sushi rice from any supermarket in Israel. If you eat with milk, that’s not kosher but my point is that it costs only 4 shekels!

If you aren’t big on rice…. making sandwiches isn’t a bad option. A box of ham (not really ham) is 35 shekels for 700 grams. Yogurt (for one) is for 4 shekels, bread is for 1 shekel. So for 4-6 people, the cost is around 60 shekels.

For dinner, we had noodles in Chinese style.  This is around 30 shekels for 5 people.

You can get sushi sheets and pickles from Asian supermarkets in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv.  This was around 30 shekels too.

What are Grocery Prices like in Israel?

Taxes are pretty high in Israel, so prices are high in Israel. After visiting Israel, even Amsterdam and London seems to relatively cheap.

These are supermarket prices, check here for more prices:

• Milk 1 liter 5-7 shekels  (cheap!!!)
• Hummus 10-15 shekels
• 1 kg Chicken. 20-25 shekels
• 1 dozen eggs 10-12 shekels
• Bread 7 shekels
• 1 kg rice 10 shekels
• 1L  juice 6-8 shekels

*Disclaimer: The author hasn’t used the card yet, but is simply sharing information found online + corresponding emails

What is “Jlm City Pass”?

Jerusalem is a great city, personally, it attracts tens of thousands of pilgrims and travelers with or without this card. But hopefully, this card will attract more people to come! You buy Jlm City Pass, and you get to visit 3 attractions. And from the 4th attraction onwards you get discounts. That’s pretty simple!

Go to Jlm City Pass official website >>

What are the Benefits of Jlm City Pass?

☆Free entry to 3 Jerusalem Museums/some attractions

☆The 4th attraction onwards, you can enjoy discounted tickets

☆ Discounts on tours

☆ Maybe get a drink with Bitemojo

Where Can “Jlm City Pass” be Used?

These are 20 popular attractions in Jerusalem that work with Jlm City Pass. More details will come later because this card is still new. You can definitely pick 3 free museums to visit in Jerusalem. These are the other attractions that can be visited free: Ramparts Walk, Temple Mount Ascent Tour from City of David/Entrance to City of David, Night Spectacular at Tower of David, or Entrance to Tower of David.

Note that you need to visit the 3 museums you want to visit in order. Also, you can’t use 2 free entries at the same attraction. For example, if you use 1 of your 3 free entries to Night Spectacular Show in Tower of David, you cannot use another of 3 free entries to Tower of David. (You wouldn’t want to anyway, but it’s just their rule)

Now the burning questions are which 3 attractions should you choose? Well here is a list. You can pick 3 from the top, read the exception from the notes. Once you used up 3 attractions, the 4th attraction onwards will be discounted. And the attraction/tour categorized in the bottom such as Segway aren’t offered for free. You get some discounts though!

Some Rules to Know…

Conclusion: Should You Buy Jlm City Pass?

While everyone seeks different things in traveling, the short answer is yes. Can you save money with this card? Sure, even though not a whole lot. And the purpose of this card is truly simple- get more tourists to come and know this beautiful city. And when you have this card in hand, for sure it will make you want to explore Jerusalem deeper.

Car Rental Company Recommendations

Most people recommend Eldan for transparent pricing. It is recommended on the forum to go to websites that end with  .co.il.

For example:  hertz.co.il, thrifty.co.il, budget.co.il

Make sure that CDW/TP is already included in price quotation!  I found a good deal on kayak.com, a third party platform.  I didn’t know about the compulsory CDW/TP rule (explained below), so I went with the notorious company Sixt/Shlomo. and I was charged this insurance at the time of car return!!!  The office staff was going to charge me $28 for airport return, until I Proved my innocence!

Driving in the Middle East?

Hmmm…. I would say it is NOT that different driving in Israel, comparing what it is like in Asia. But it depends on where you come from.  Google Maps navigation is sufficient, though sometimes when it doesn’t work, try WAZE.

Age Requirement

You need to be 21 years old, and a holder of driver’s license for at least a year. If you are renting a more expensive car, then you need to be 26 years old, and a holder of driver’s license for 2 years.

* But the rule is different for every company. Check first.

Document Requirement

You need your passport, driver’s license from your country AND international driving permit. And most importantly, a credit card in driver’s name!! 

Things to Know 

Umm… don’t drive the car you rent in Israel to Palestinian Authority Area. And you can’t drive it to Jordan or Egypt! It’s not allowed!

Why can’t you drive the car to Palestinian Authority Area? (For example, Jericho, Bethlehem etc). It isn’t legal, and it is what you agree to rental company. It is NOT ALLOWED! The car is insured only in Israel, if something happens to you and the rental car in Palestinian Authority Area, then no Israeli can help you!

The Shabbat Dilemma

So we know a day is defined as 24 hours. But the funny thing is you CANNOT return your car on Shabbat. So rental offices close on Friday noon and the whole day on Saturday.  You cannot even return your car….!

The only exception is to return the car in TLV airport!!  The airport office opens 24/7. But that’s why you need to pay $28 service fee for returning car in airport.

Car Rental Fees Explained

A small car includig insurance costs around $30 a day in low-season. And $50 in high-season. If you make your searches on kayak.com, make sure if the prices include:

• 1.Basic Car Rental 
• 2.CDW/TP 
• 3.Airport Service Fee or Other Fees
• 4.GPS Rental 

1.Basic Car Rental

The lowest dauky basic car rental I saw was $10/day! Normally it is around $20/day. But this fee includes only Third Party Liability/TPLC/TLDW, and it doesn’t include CDW/TP.

2.CDW/TP

On top of basic car rental fee, there is a compulsory CDW/TP charge. It’s also called Comprehensive Coverage.  The funny thing is, even when it is compulsory, you have the option not to include this charge online, but you’ll end up paying it in the office. It is compulsory!!

I think the only exception is Eldan.co.il and Hertz.co.il. The examples are below:

Example 1：eldan.co.il

By default, the Comprehensive  Program including CDW.

For 7 days the rental fee and insurance costs  $171.

If you manually change the program to 3rd Party Liability. Without CDW insurance, for 7 days the rental fee is $146.

Once again… if you don’t include insurance, you’ll still need to pay for it in car rental office!!

Example 2：Hertz.co.il

Including CWD/TP, for 4 days rental the fee is $150.

There is self-risk charge that you need to pay if there’s an accident. For example, the self-risk amount with Herzt is $450. It means you will pay maximum $450 from your pocket for any accident you make, whether the loss is $451 or $5000!

So that is why you need a credit card in driver’s name. When you rent the car, at least 1000 euro is frozen on your card. When something goes wrong, then will deduct from this amount.

If you don’t like the idea of bearing self-risk charge, the other way to do it is buy the more expensive insurance-  SCDW. But you’l pay at least $10 more PER DAY! Not sure if it is really worthy.

3. Airport Return Fee and Other Charges

So what are the other charges? Every car rental company is different.

Take SIXT as example, airport return fee is $28. If you use No.6 highway, you need to pay SIXT $12 for handling your payment, or another $12 for Carmel tunnel. And additional $75 for returning car in Eilat. And $3 extra per day for having an extra driver etc.

4. GPS Fee

It’s about $12 per day.  You can buy a local SIM card and use Google Maps and Waze.

Conclusion 

Just make sure you have the right documents. Check Eldan first. Don’t return your car on a shabbat unless you return it to the airport.

These are the websites that I recommend!

1.HotelsCombined

Hotelscombined is good for comparing prices. If you already know which hotel/hostel that you want to stay, it’s not a bad idea to ‘double check’. 

2.Booking.com

I use Booking.com. This is my “go-to” booking portal because the interface is much easier to use. I think the prices is presented as clear as possible. And you get some perks being Genius member.  Booking.com works with local credit card companies, so make sure you check what’s available in your country.

3.Hotels.com

If you are looking for “proper” hotels, in terms of quality, Hotels.com has better listing (there are exceptions though).  The game here is if you stay 10 nights you get 1 night free (average price). I use it when I want filtered hotel-like accommodation.

4.agoda

There was a day when agoda was popular. It’s not so popular in my home country now (and many places) mostly because the quality of listings are not verified, the hidden costs and hard to use filters. They’ve now got this rule for giving you rebates. If it’s hard to find accommodation in your budget, try Agoda. You might find something cheap but with bad reviews.

5.Expedia.com

I used this website 10 years ago…..  and I did a research on the prices offered for “Flight+accommodation”, well, you can save about 16% if you choose the deal of the day. Otherwise it’s about the same as other websites.

6.Hotwire.com

Don’t use hotwire in Israel. At least my experience in 2017 was not good. You get blind deals but a ‘deal’ never existed.  The ‘40% discount’ claim was the price of this hotel comparing to simialr hotels in the neighborhood. How can you compare oranges to apples? What’s the point for presenting price difference of two different hotels as 40% discount?

7.Priceline.com

Priceline is similar to hotwire. You don’t know the name of the hotel until you have a deal. There is a function of  “Name Your Own Price!” Again, in my opinion I don’t think this model would work in Israel….

8.Airbnb

If you want to stay in a room with kitchen, then it is better that you rent an apartment/studio. Expect to pay $20 per head at least, so the price is about the same with dorm-bed if you are a group of 2-3 people, except you have way more privacy.

9.Flipkey

Similar to airbnb. The listing seems to be superior. It’s a brand of Tripadvisor!

10.Home Away

Like Airbnb. This is a brand of Expedia. It purchased VRBO. The options look good actually!

11.Couchsurfing

Israeli love traveling and hosting. You can easily find a host in Israel, and personally I think it is a good way to see a country through the eyes of a local. It’s very time consuming to find a host though, and it costs $25 to be a member now…

 12.BeWelcome

Similar to couchsurfing (before it is commercialized). But the interface is so basic and there aren’t as many hosts on it.

 13.Home Exchange

You need to pay $150/year to be a member, so it’s for serious users only. But I think it worth a try if you are a house owner and if you can work something out!

 14.WWOOF

You are allowed to volunteer as a WWOOFer not longer than 30 days with a regular B/2 visa (the visa you get when entering Israel as a tourist).  The membership fee is $48 a year. There are many good oppurtunities which actually sound fun!

 15.Craiglist Israel

If you are considering short-term rentals, you can use craglist. The term is for minimum a year I think.

 16.Janglo

Similar to Craiglist. Lots of ads to check.

 17.Facebook Group

Good for sublets. You’ll find 1-2 month oppurtunities in these two Facebook groups. A room without bath is typically 2000NIS/month. You are sharing the common area with other roommates. Often you’ll see SS/SK, SS means roommates are shabbat keeping (SS: Shomer Shabbat) and SK means the kitchen is kosher (SK: Shomer Kashruth）

1. https://www.facebook.com/groups/JerusalemApartments/
2. https://www.facebook.com/groups/121562707980013/

18. Pilgrim Houses

There are many Christian pilgrim houses. Many require you to write emails to check availability (like the Casa Nova I stayed in Tiberias)

19.Zimmer

If you feel like having a can somewhere, check out zimmer. I find it expensive though. Check: www.israel-tours-hotel.com , www.weekend.co.il (in Hebrew)、www.zimmer.co.il (in Hebrew)

20. Camping

There are free campsites in Israel (Ein Bokek, Masada, Tiberias), but I’m not sure what facilities there will be except toilets. If you go to national or private campsites, expect to pay ₪65-₪70 ($16-$17) a head! Unless you love camping, you might as well go to a hostel. For more information:  http://gocamping.co.il/apage/71496.php

Hopefully you will find one of these websites useful! Happy searching!

1. Fly Low-Cost Airline from Europe

Don’t fly directly to Israel because it’s not easy to find cheap tickets to Israel. There are certain routes that are constantly on sale, for example, New York to a European destination for $400. Grab those tickets, spend time in Europe, and fly Wizzair, Ryanair, Easyjet to Israel for less than $100 round trip!  Buy two one-way tickets, one leg to Tel Aviv, and the other to Eilat. It will be even cheaper!

If you are flying from Asia, the same logic. But you can also check the price for flying to Cairo, Egypt. New Delhi to Cairo is $500 round trip…. You can cross land border from Egypt to Tel Aviv.

2. Use Couchsurfing

Yes, couchsurfing still works, and it is a lot of fun couchsurfing in Israel.  My biggest recommendation is that you use couch surfing while in Israel. Why? Besides saving money, you will learn how Israeli live and think. It’s hard to define who is a Jew, but you will find new lenses when you couchsurf.  By the way, I find  it much easier to find a couchsurfing host in Israel than in European countries. It’s harder to find a host in the south though, so stick to Jerusalem, Tel Aviv and Haifa.

3. “Plan” what You’ll Eat

Food prices in Israel is insane. A plate of hummus is for $5? Shawarma is for $13? Well if you think in USD, it is fine. But if you are not from US or Europe, this price is not cheap at all!! Interesting enough, Israeli pack their own food too! They don’t eat out that often either.

It won’t be realistic to eat out for all of your meals, even if you plan on living by cofizz, cofix, or Eight burger. You have to cook, and prepare for your own lunches. So make sure your accommodation includes a kitchen. (If you are couchsurfing, there’s got to be a kitchen).

If you live by supermarket’s grocery food/local produce, you need a budget for $7-$10 a day!

4. Use “Annual Pass” for Israeli National Parks

If you compare Israel to Europe, you’ll be surpsied how attractions are either free or so cheap that can be considered free! In Europe, visiting a church or a castle can cost you minimum 3 euros to 20 euros. In Israel, visiting the western wall, Holy Sepulchre, Dead Sea is free….!

Israel is a country with lots of ancient archaeological sites, like Hezekiah’s Tunnel, Megiddo, Beersheva, Beit She’an, Nimrod castle, and Masada etc.  These sites are managed by Israel National Parks. There are several money saving options, the best one being ….. the annual pass! You can have unlimited visits to 68 national parks for ₪181 (US$50), valid for a year!!! So worthwhile!

5. Get Rav-Kav, Buy Day Pass

You cannot save much on transportation, because it is not expensive to begin with. But make sure you get Rav-kav card to get 25% extra stored value, and you’ll be able to buy day pass for certain zones. You’ll save some money!

Israel is not a cheap country to visit, and even some Israeli live under poverty. Most Jewish people who make ‘Aliyah’ to Israel have sacrificed many things in life. They are not in Israel because it’s a nice place to be, but because this is the Jewish homeland.

Conclusion

If you are spendign 2 weeks in Israel, this is the minimum that you need (for a regular backpacker, because I’m not that hardcore)

• Couchsurfing $0
• Food $10×14 days= $140
• Tickets $100
• Bus $100

So the total is $340, excluding airfare. If you want to go even lower… consider helpx or WWOOFing (which is legal with B/2 visa for everyone, if you volunteer not more than 30 days).  I think everybody can afford this budget. If you are determined to visit Israel, nothing can stop you!