Israel offers sacred sites and stunning landscapes

By Marc Herwig Sep 21, 2010, 13:24 GMT

Jerusalem - Millions of Christian pilgrims visit Israel and the Holy Land each year but the region is not only home to some of the world's most sacred religious sites but also stunning landscapes and endless contrasts.

The highpoint of any pilgrim's visit is Bethlehem, the birthplace of Jesus Christ, although it isn't necessary to be deeply religious to appreciate and enjoy the countless biblical and historical sites dotted throughout the area.

Israel welcomed over 2.7 million tourists in 2009 and although the majority were Christian pilgrims, the country and its environs also offer natural attractions such as the Galilee forest, the Negev Desert and the Golan Heights.

In an effort to broaden Israel's appeal, the country's tourism industry is increasingly moving away from group tours that take in all the holy sites by bus and towards individually-tailored holidays that cater to a variety of tastes.

A series of hiking trails and cycling routes taking in many of the historical monuments on offer have been clearly mapped out, allowing visitors to enjoy the area at their own pace.

The Jesus Trail in Galilee is one such example and takes tourists to many of the scenes depicted in the New Testament while the Israel Trail allows cyclists to traverse the length of the country.

International flights to Israel land at Ben Gurion Airport on the outskirts of Tel Aviv from where visitors can either head for Jerusalem or get a taxi or train to Tel Aviv.

The Israeli capital is certainly a good starting point for those wishing to acclimatise to the life, heat and pace of the Middle East.

The city lies on the Mediterranean and is quite untypical for otherwise religious Israel with its numerous clubs and beach parties which continue to hum even on the Jewish Sabbath.

Before leaving Tel Aviv, nearby medieval Jaffa is well worth a visit while an hour's train ride north lies Haifa, situated on the largest bay in the Mediterranean where Jews and Arabs manage to peacefully coexist.

The summit of Mount Carmel offers superb views over the city with its famous Bahai chants while further north can be found the Crusader city of Akko where it is easy to get lost in the medieval old city's narrow streets.

From here, the best way to see the hills of Galilee is with a rental car, and while Israel's north has fewer cultural attractions the marshlands of the Hulatal National Park are home to a host of birds, including pelicans and sea eagles.

The capital of Galilee is Safed, which is famous for its artists' colony, where painters and craftsmen of different religions live and work together.

Nazareth, where Jesus grew up, is a disappointment for many pilgrims. The city is loud, hectic and its narrow streets wholly unsuited for the large numbers of tourists that visit each year.

The Sea of Galilee (Lake Tiberias) is a highlight of any visit to Israel while the city of Tiberias is the perfect base to explore the surrounding region and its numerous churches.

Many of the stories from the four Gospels are set around the lake where Jesus lived in his youth, taught and, according to the Bible, performed many of his miracles.

Jerusalem lies a two-hour journey south through the Palestinian West Bank.

No other city on earth has such a religious heritage: Jews pray at the Wailing Wall, Muslims at the Dome of the Rock and Christians in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.

The Dead Sea can be easily reached from Jerusalem by means of a steep road through the Judean Desert. The sea lies 420 metres below sea level and is the lowest lying point on the planet. At the height of summer, the heat is unbearable with the only relief a dip in the heavily salted water, where swimmers float as if weightless.

The Negev Desert with its craggy outcrops and deep craters begins south of the Dead Sea and accounts for over half of the country.

The bathing spot of Eilat on the Red Sea is found at the southernmost tip of Israel where the trip can end as it began, with sun, sea, sand and parties.