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The 5 Best Things to Do in Israel. Plan your Israel trip now.

1. Visit The Dead Sea. The Dead Sea (Sea of Salt) is a salt lake bordered by Jordan to the east and Israel and Palestine to the west. Its surface and shores are 430.5 metres (1,412 ft) below sea level, Earth's lowest elevation on land. The Dead Sea is 304 m (997 ft) deep, the deepest hypersaline lake in the world. With a salinity of 342 g/kg, or 34.2%, (in 2011), it is 9.6 times as salty as the ocean and one of the world's saltiest bodies of water. This salinity makes for a harsh environment in which plants and animals cannot flourish, hence its name. The Dead Sea is 50 kilometres (31 mi) long and 15 kilometres (9 mi) wide at its widest point. It lies in the Jordan Rift Valley, and its main tributary is the Jordan River.

The Dead Sea has attracted visitors from around the Mediterranean basin for thousands of years. It was one of the world's first health resorts (for Herod the Great), and it has been the supplier of a wide variety of products, from asphalt for Egyptian mummification to potash for fertilisers. People also use the salt and the minerals from the Dead Sea to create cosmetics and herbal sachets.

The Dead Seawater has a density of 1.24 kg/litre, which makes swimming similar to floating.

The Dead Sea is receding at an alarming rate. Multiple canals and pipelines were proposed to reduce its recession, which had begun causing many problems. The Red Sea–Dead Sea Water Conveyance project, carried out by Jordan, will provide water to neighbouring countries, while the brine will be carried to the Dead Sea to help stabilise its levels. The first phase of the project is scheduled to begin in 2018 and be completed in 2021

2. Visit Old City of Jerusalem. The Old City is a 0.9 square kilometers (0.35 sq mi) walled area within the modern city of Jerusalem.

Until 1860, when the Jewish neighborhood Mishkenot Sha'ananim was established, this area constituted the entire city of Jerusalem.

The Old City is home to several sites of key religious importance: the Temple Mount and Western Wall for Jews, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre for Christians and the Dome of the Rock and al-Aqsa Mosque for Muslims. It was added to the UNESCO World Heritage Site List in 1981.

Traditionally, the Old City has been divided into four uneven quarters, although the current designations were introduced only in the 19th century.Today, the Old City is roughly divided (going counterclockwise from the northeastern corner) into the Muslim Quarter, Christian Quarter, Armenian Quarter and Jewish Quarter. The Old City's monumental defensive walls and city gates were built in the years 1535–1542 by the Turkish sultan Suleiman the Magnificent. The current population of the Old City resides mostly in the Muslim and Christian quarters. 

Following the 1948 Arab–Israeli War, the Old City was captured by Jordan and all its Jewish residents were evicted. During the Six-Day War in 1967, which saw hand-to-hand fighting on the Temple Mount, Israeli forces captured the Old City along with the rest of East Jerusalem, subsequently annexing them as Israeli territory and reuniting them with the western part of the city. Today, the Israeli government controls the entire area, which it considers part of its national capital. However, the Jerusalem Law of 1980, which effectively annexed East Jerusalem to Israel, was declared null and void by United Nations Security Council Resolution 478. East Jerusalem is now regarded by the international community as part of occupied Palestinian territory.

3. Visit Nazareth. Nazareth is a blend of faiths and cultures. Nazareth is a city in northern Israel. With a population of 75,000, it is the largest Arab city in Israel proper with a mixed but quite harmonious Christian and Muslim population.

World renowned as the childhood home of Jesus, Nazareth is the largest Arab city in Israel, and an important site for pilgrims and tourists, coming to visit the Basilica of the Annunciation. bustling mini-metropolis, Nazareth offers shop-lined thoroughfares, stone-paved alleys lined with Ottoman-era mansions, and in recent years, has been reinventing itself as a sophisticated cultural and culinary destination. Everything in Nazareth is open for business on Shabbat (Friday night and Saturday) and its friendly vibe and stunning location, right in the middle of the Lower Galilee (about 15 miles West of the Sea of Galilee), makes it a beloved stop on many tourists’ routes.

Nazareth is best known as the home of Joseph and Mary and hence also Jesus, although he was born in Bethlehem.

A number of Christian holy places in Nazareth are associated with the Annunciation, the childhood and the early ministry of Jesus. In addition to the imposing Basilica of the Annunciation, these sites include the Greek Orthodox Church of the Archangel Gabriel (built over the freshwater spring known as "Mary’s Well"), the Greek Catholic "Synagogue Church" (assumed site of the synagogue where the young Jesus was taught, and where he later read from Isaiah), and the Franciscan Church of St. Joseph (built over a cave identified since the 17th century as the "workshop" of Joseph). As the place where Jesus may have grown up, studied and lived most of his life, Nazareth has for two thousand years been closely identified with Christianity and has attracted hundreds of millions of pilgrims from around the world. Nazareth is also Israel’s largest Arab city and as such serves as a major cultural center. Over the past decade the historical Old City has been extensively renovated, preserving and restoring the architectural beauty and unique character of its narrow lanes and alleys. The combination of these three elements – history, culture and architecture – assures the Old City of Nazareth a place among the most beautiful historical destinations in the world.

4 Visit Masada. Masada is an ancient fortification that sits high above the desert in the southern part of Israel. It was once King Herod’s royal citadel, and was designed with luxurious baths and many other royal appointments. When it was later abandoned, Masada became the last outpost of Jewish Zealots during the Jewish Revolt from 66 to 73 AD. When they realized that they could not win, the Jewish warriors chose to kill themselves instead of surrendering.

The design of the ancient fortress is amazing, revealing the work of the many brilliant minds. Every drop of rain was captured and funneled to huge water stores beneath the earth. The water was used for drinking, agriculture and even baths. Masada is a UNESCO World Heritage site, and it has a revered place in Jewish culture.

5. Visit Red Sea Eilat. Eilat is Israel's southernmost city, a busy port and popular resort at the northern tip of the Red Sea, on the Gulf of Aqaba. The city's beaches, coral reef, nightlife and desert landscapes make it a popular destination for domestic and international tourism.

Eilat is part of the Southern Negev Desert, at the southern end of the Arava, adjacent to the Egyptian village of Taba to the south, the Jordanian port city of Aqaba to the east, and within sight of Saudi Arabia to the south-east, across the gulf.

Eilat's arid desert climate and low humidity are moderated by proximity to a warm sea. Temperatures often exceed 40 °C (104 °F) in summer, and 21 °C (70 °F) in winter, while water temperatures range between 20 and 26 °C (68 and 79 °F). Eilat averages 360 sunny days a year.

The Red Sea, located between Africa and Asia, is known for its warm water, great climate all year long and amazing diving conditions.

Best time to Visit the Red Sea

One of the major appeals of the Red Sea coast is its climate – it’s a great place to visit regardless of the time of year. The temperature of both air and water stays pleasantly high even during the mild winter – the December/January average of air temperature is 77° F, with water temperature as high as 64° F!

If you are not a fan of extreme heat, try to avoid the hottest months of July and August, when air temperature reaches 108° F and above, and water is at balmy 84° F. Nights are typically cooler, especially in the winter months. The holiday destinations at the Red Sea coast are well connected and prepared for tourism, so it’s enough to fly to your resort of choice and set up any additional sightseeing while there.