18 months ago (natch) my family and I spent the most incredible two weeks exploring every part of Israel. We traveled from the North to the South and from the East to the West. After planning a huge Bat Mitzvah in New York, and this trip three days later, I was completely burnt out when we returned. Finally, I started writing a blog post about our experience and couldn’t stop because everything about this trip was just – perfect. I was overcome with the beauty of the country and this once-in-a-lifetime extraordinary adventure we experienced. Not surprisingly, the one blog post morphed into seven.
All seven were completed and I started publishing them at the end of September 2023. I posted my second one on October 6th, 2023. The next day Israel was brutally attacked. Much like all Jews across the world my heart broke and my tears couldn’t, wouldn’t, and haven’t stopped. It no longer felt appropriate to post about our perfect trip. Therefore, I waited hoping things would end quickly.
Sadly, that was (and is) not the case. With October 7th’s anniversary approaching I’ve been thinking about our trip a lot. I’ve been thinking about how I asked my husband at the midpoint of our trip – in Tel Aviv – if he felt unsafe for one moment of our journey. He said no and as a first-time visitor, he was happy the media hype was not the reality.
Unfortunately, that narrative changed when this magical country was attacked only months later. I want to believe the hostages will come home safely. Until that happens, in the name of honoring those who haven’t come home yet and those who won’t return, I’m releasing these posts leading up to the first anniversary. I want to believe peaceful Israelis “will dance again“. Additionally, I want to believe families like ours will be able to take a trip like this again.
Please read these posts with that in your heart. Please also click on the links to the experiences and vendors and follow their social media accounts. My goal is creating a list for you of the best Israel has to offer so it’s there when you’re ready.
As you can imagine tourism has plummeted since the attacks. Many of these incredible businesses have suffered not only personally but professionally. They need all the help and support they can get. Read about them, help them (if you’re so inclined), and most importantly – visit them in person when you can. With so many kind, amazing volunteers heading over right now my hope is they’ll have time to take a cooking class, visit the dolphins, or experience the magic of Dig For A Day.
Shana Tova
North Israel Region For Families
Our trip goal was seeing this whole beautiful country from the very top – Kibbutz Misgav-Am to the very bottom – Eilat. I’m so happy to say that we succeeded! We should get a gold star!
Our North Israel tour began in Tel Aviv when our private tour guide and driver Ari Singer picked us up at our hotel. We worked together on an itinerary prior to our trip and hit all the places on the list. He even pointed out the northern most tip of Route 90 – the longest road in Israel – after pointing out the southern most post to us a few days prior in Eilat.
And away we go…
Caesarea
We started in Caesarea which I remembered so vividly from my last trip. The ruined Caesarea looked like my memory but Ari really brought the story and importance of this site to life. I loved walking around this beautiful seaside site once again.
My kids loved seeing the “bathroom” ruin and stopped to pose on the rocks where their ancestors powdered their noses.
Safed/Tzvat/Zefat
We continued up to Tzvat – one of the most magical places I’ve ever visited. I remember so vividly the feeling of the city two decades ago and could not wait to go back. With that said, there is something very special in the air, in fact Tzvat has been considered a mystical place for centuries and its easy to see why.
Tzvat is an artist colony filled with unique hand-crafted stores and people who want to share their love and stories. It was as special as I remembered with the addition of so much more. I loved returning to two of my favorite stores – Leon Gallery and Safed Candles – and the incredible Ari Synagogue.
At night Tzvat becomes even more beautiful and the cobble stone streets are illuminated to another level of spirituality. We loved walking around and feeling the energy of the city after dark.
Tzvat was a great place to stay as a home base for exploring North Israel and the Golan Heights. Plus, it’s so special there I was happy to return each night and breathe in the feeling one more time. You must visit this beautiful city at least once in your lifetime, promise me you’ll go!
Touring North Israel
There is so much to see in North Israel. Additionally, there is so much interesting history, current conflicts, and excitement around every road. Speaking of roads, it’s also where route 90 begins, marked by a sign at the very top of the country. It was the perfect stop for a photo nerd like myself!
Hermon Stream Nature Reserve and Banias Waterfall Hike
I remembered the gorgeous Banias Waterfall hike in the Hermon Stream Nature Reserve and couldn’t wait to return with my family. This was a decent hike with lots of elevation and beautiful views. It was not only fun to see the mountains and flowers, but all the different indigenous fruit tress – olive, pomegranate, etc along the way. This is a famous hike, and it’s easy to see why, it is perfect!
Misgav Am Kibbutz
We traveled up north to the very tip of Israel and visited the northern most kibbutz, Misgav Am. From here you can see Lebanon, it’s literally right across the street. The barrier between the two countries is quite apparent and highlighted with barbed wire and security measures. But also, it’s only a stone’s throw away which was very intense. This was the first time our kids really understood the geography of the Middle East and how scary it is to look out the window and see your enemy.
Ari arranged for us to meet an original Kibbutznik (someone who lives on the Kibbutz) to teach us about Misgav Am’s history. It was fascinating to hear a first-person perspective of what it’s like to live there especially through the years of unrest between Israel and Lebanon. But like many Israeli’s living on the front lines, he was happy and proud to be there.
The Galilee and Golan Heights
We really enjoyed driving through North Israel’s Galilee and Golan Heights regions. We loved having a private guide so we could quickly stop at important sites and then move on to the next one. This allowed us to fit everything in that we wanted to see.
Nimrod Fortress
The incredibly well-preserved Nimrod Fortress sits atop Mount Hermon and overlooks the Golan Heights. The view is incredible and there are lots of secret corridors to interest kids. As an added bonus, it’s a very short walk from the parking lot making it a great place to make a quick stop.
Mt Avital – Mt Bental Nature Reserve
This beautiful lookout is actually two craters formed from a single (now dormant) volcano. It not only offers stunning views but quirky public art sculptures. We loved learning the historical significance of this spot as well as taking fun pictures of their multi directional sign, former bunkers, and art. Standing here you get another scary dose of North Israel geography as you stare right into Syria. It was a great place to make a quick stop.
Keshet Cave
The naturally formed Keshet Cave – a narrow rock arch in the Western Galilee – is a beautiful, peaceful site. Keshet Cave gets it’s name from the collapsed karst cave that once stood there and is now a picturesque Northern Israeli observation point. You can hike there or better yet off road directly to it for a quick photo op!
Rosh HaNikra
Rosh HaNikra was one of my favorite sites from my first Israel trip. Its uniqueness stood out and I couldn’t wait to return with my family once again. Rosh HaNikra is located in the most northwest corner of Israel. It’s the only place in Israel where the sea meets the mountains creating a beautiful, natural, unique landscape.
I loved the view of the sea from the entrance, I loved the cable car you take to and from the site, and I loved the natural rock formations. But even more – I loved the clear, gorgeous aqua colored water in the grottos which I remembered for twenty years!
However, I didn’t remember the super interesting history of the train tunnels or how it used to offer a route from Jerusalem to Beirut! Rosh HaNikra was just as perfect as in my memories and I got the same thrill visiting it again.
Haifa
While we did not have a lot of time to experience Haifa, we did a quick driving tour on our way down south to the airport. We peeked through the bars of the Baha’i Gardens, saw the bay, and got a feel for the third largest city in Israel.
The Matmon Israel Parks Pass
Most historic sites throughout the country are located in national parks with entry fees. After much research I found the National Parks and Nature Reserve’s Israel Pass. Funny enough, the one year unlimited Matmon pass turned out to be the most cost effective option for our family of five despite only being in Israel for two weeks! You can buy the pass online or onsite at some Israeli hotels. I opted to purchase it in advance which gave me a QR code. This granted us immediate access to all parks on our itinerary upon arrival. I liked buying this unlimited access pass because it took the pressure off debating if the entry fee was worth it for a quick stop.
Food and Accommodations In The North Israel Region
We had great luck with food and accommodations on this short 48-hour adventure. Additionally, enjoyed our meals at Brisket and Lahuhe Original Yemenite Food Bar. We also LOVED our cooking class and dinner at GalilEat and staying at Maim Haim Suites Tzvat.
North Israel Region Conclusion
I hope this family-friendly North Israel Region post helps you plan the perfect family-friendly Israel trip. But there’s so much more! Please look at our full Israel itinerary and other Israel posts: Know Before You Go, Jerusalem, Israel’s Central and Southern Regions, Tel Aviv, Israeli Accommodations, and Israeli Food. Each post aims to help mesh history, culture, nature, adventure, education, and fun into the ideal Israel tour. So, start packing your bags and get ready to embark on the journey of a lifetime!
*I put together our Israel itinerary and then reached out to business owners to work together. All opinions above are my own. No compensation was received for my opinions. In some cases, a discount or hosted experience was provided in exchange for my honest review.*
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