Israel & Jordan: Facts & Schedule

Definitely the most-asked question... On our second day in Israel, there was  an attempted attack on the president of Israel, which could luckily be warded off... However, we didn’t notice anything about this attack and it also wasn’t in the media there, but of course it was on the news at home and left my family quite worried. On our trips we have often experienced that „catastrophes“ are often dramatized by the media and things mostly aren’t as bad as presented. Of course we don’t want to whitewash the fact that Israel was the aim of several military attacks lately and you should definitely be careful when going there, but as always it is best to get an idea of the situation by yourself ;) In general, there were many controls and police and security was omnipresent.

Renting a car in Israel is a little bit more complicated than probably anywhere else in the world, but once you know what you have to consider, it’s still just cars and streets, so nothing to worry about!

1 – have a good insurance: this is of course a good advice for any place in the world, but as in Israel cars are often stolen or broken into and the streets are sometimes a bit rough and bumpy, make sure that all these things are covered by your insurance. As always, we recommend to book your car in advance via billigermietwagen.de, as it compares all the rental agencies for you, and it is clearly displayed what is covered and what is not. In Israel make sure that your insurance covers theft, and that tires and windows are also included.

2 - know where you can drive – when you start planning your trip you will come across the fact that some territories in Israel belong to Palestine. The rental agencies do not allow to take your car into Palestinian areas – your insurance won’t cover any accidents or incidents that happen there. But a rule wouldn’t be a rule without some exceptions, so here you go: you CAN drive on highway 90 (along the Dead Sea) and you can also visit beaches at the Dead Sea like Kahlia beach. 

3 – learn about new technologies :D – when we got our rental car and sat in it fort he first time, we made a new discovery – right next to the wheel there was a small box with digits on it, ehm what? Turned out it is only an additional security measure to protect the car from thieves. Before you can start the engine, you always have to enter a 4-digit code. We made the experience that this doesn’t always work that well, sometimes we had to enter the code 3-4 times before it turned green :D so, do not panic!

4 – prepare to spend a lot on parking– as long as you stay away from big cities like Tel Aviv or Jerusalem, you will be fine. If not, well then...deal with it! Actually, street parking is available – look for blue-white-striped pavements. The problem is: it isn’t available for tourists, which is really a pain in the a**! In order to pay for street parking, you need a special app (which is of course in Hebrew) and needs to be connected to an Israeli phone AND bank account. So, forget about this option. Parking garages or private parking are also available, but cost up to 20-30$ per day. So looking for a hotel with an included parking lot might be helpful J. 

We crossed the border in the very South, also known as the Yitzhak Rabin crossing, which seems to be the least complicated border. From Eilat, you can take the bus (4 NIS), which stops at the highway and you will have to walk for about 1 kilometer to the border. The other option is as always a taxi, which will cost between 50-70 NIS. If you have a rental car, you can leave it at the border, there is a big parking lot just next to the border. You do not need to apply for a visa beforehand – you will get it directly at the border. Bring some cash, as you will have to pay a departure fee of 110 NIS per person. You do not have to pay an entrance fee for Jordan, but if you stay in Jordan for LESS THAN 3 NIGHTS, you will have to pay a departure tax of 10 JOD when you leave the country.

I never thought that I’d say this, but Israel was really much more expensive than we had considered :D Accommodation is okay, you can get hotel rooms for 60-100$ per night (on average), except for the Dead Sea, where hotel rooms start from 150$ per night. A rental car is also quite expensive – a mid-size car will cost you around 100$ per night, including the insurance. Fuel is also more expensive than in Austria and costs between 1.50-2.00 $ per liter. But what we found really expensive was the food. 20$ for one kebab and a coffee? Yep, that’s a normal price in Israel. We have often been to food courts in malls, but we never paid less than 20$ per person and meal. But hey – the food was quite good, so enjoy :D. In the following table you can see how much we spent and on what. This means we spent about 1300€ per person for a 10-day trip.

Even if we had a great time and really saw a lot of beautiful places, there are still some tiny issues which we didn’t like, and we don’t want to keep them from you. It was nothing too bad, but when we were in Jordan, there were some things we found a bit confusing/annoying. First, people there are (in my words) old-fashioned, and as a woman I was often ignored or not taken serious, especially men rather talked to Tom than me. Second, they also gave me an „evil eye“ for not covering my long hair or wearing a dress or shorts. And last, drinking alcohol is frowned upon, and forbidden in public. Don’t get me wrong, we are no alcoholics, but sitting at the beach or a nice bar with a cold beer is simply nice. 

• 8 Places to see in Israel & Jordan
• Video about this trip