Why Israel
The old city of Jerusalem fits within a square kilometre and contains the Western Wall, the Temple Mount and the Holy Sepulchre: nowhere else do three religions have so many founding sites so close together.
The country is small and full of contrasts: Tel Aviv with its beaches and its nightlife, the Negev desert and the craters, the Dead Sea four hundred metres below sea level, green Galilee in the north, and Masada or Caesarea for archaeology.
Getting around
The train links the coast and reaches Jerusalem from Tel Aviv in half an hour. Coaches cover the rest, with the Rav-Kav card to pay for everything.
The structural point is Shabbat: from late Friday afternoon until nightfall on Saturday, trains and public buses stop, along with a large share of businesses. Only taxis, a few private lines and Tel Aviv keep moving. An itinerary is built around that constraint.
Money
Cards are accepted everywhere and the country is expensive, at western European levels, sometimes beyond for accommodation.
Tipping in restaurants is expected, around twelve per cent, and is often asked for in cash even when the meal is paid by card.
Before you go
The regional situation changes quickly and official advice varies by area: some are formally advised against. Consulting your foreign ministry's travel advice before booking, then again before leaving, is the first step of the trip, not a formality.
Security checks are everywhere — airport, stations, shopping centres — and the departure interview can be long: allow three hours at Ben Gurion airport.
The holy sites require covering dress and have rules of their own: a kippah at the Western Wall, shoulders and knees covered everywhere, and restricted access hours to the Temple Mount, which is closed to non-Muslims for much of the week.