Israel in November?

[drinkingchanelno5]

I'm not a nervous traveller at all and I have just booked to go to Israel in late November for a week. I've always wanted to go and plan on visiting Tel Aviv and Jerusalem.

The problem is I've just freaked myself out a little by reading the UK travel advisories. I assume that (for better or worse) Israel has reason to be one of the most security-conscious (and therefore safest) countries in the world, but reading about some recent attacks has given me pause.

Has anyone been recently? Did you feel safe in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem?

I spent long periods of time in Tel Aviv working during a particular troubling time (was there when the Dolphinarium bombing occurred).

I don't speak Hebrew or Arabic, but felt super secure in the city. In fact, I'd say I felt more comfortable walking out late at night than in some parts of Sydney or New York.

This might have something to do with the very strong military presence and general security measures, but I honestly loved my time there and would go back in a heartbeat.

We were in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv very recently. Nothing to worry about - there may have been one stabbing in Jlem while we there there, but I'm sure that was proportionately less than the knife crime in London over the same period. You should definitely go - as it will challenge your preconceptions. Contrary to what many people would have you believe, most of the residents just want to get on with their lives, and will be delighted to see tourists.

Thanks for the input! I'm certainly going, looking forward to it now. I think travel advice always seems more grim than the reality.

Did either of you visit Petra as a side trip from Israel? Is it worth tackling the border crossing twice or maybe save for a trip to Jordan in future?

Have visited Petra from Eilat, so went through the southern crossing. It's a bit like Checkpoint Charlie (showing my age here), tense in a Cold war sort of way but not dangerous in any way. It was a day trip to Petra, which we thought was enough, though some people do 2/3 days there.

I'm glad you say it's doable in a day trip. Will definitely add it in. Thanks!

We were there a few months ago, mostly in Tel Aviv but went to Jerusalem too. We felt very safe. We walked along the beachfront at night in Tel Aviv and there's very little crime. This was after all the recent stabbing attacks so I was a bit nervous.

The most danger we were in was from the kamikaze cyclists in the small alleyways that we had to walk to get to our favourite restaurant.

If you're going as a solo traveller, I would take more precautions than usual TBH but it should be fine. Jerusalem, you may need to be cautious about going to the old city on a Friday. I definitely wouldn't necessarily go there after dark if tensions are rising.

I have heard v negative things about the crossing through Jordan by bus, including someone getting sexually assaulted, but that was travelling via public transport so would be totally different on a coach trip.

What I would strongly recommend is going into the West Bank: there are lots of organised tours. We went to Hebron and Ramallah, it was fascinating: again, not somewhere I would travel on your own but there are lots of reputable tours operating.

You might want to check the FCO advice before doing that. Hebron is currently no go.

Ignore fco advice and bye-bye insurance. Which means that even if you have a car crash that could happen anywhere, you are stuffed.