Israel Question

[sgallojr]

We are cruising out of Haifa Israel on the Rhapsody of the Seas in June.  We are staying the night in Israel when the cruise returns to Haifa.  My question is would it be better to stay that night in Haifa or Tel Aviv before flying out the next morning?  Haifa is much cheaper than Tel Aviv, but I was curious if there is enough there to do to stay busy, even if just for that one night.  Thank you in advance for any advice.

[Biker19]

16 minutes ago, sgallojr said:

My question is would it be better to stay that night in Haifa or Tel Aviv before flying out the next morning? 

@dani negreanu might provide some feedback.

[dani negreanu]

46 minutes ago, sgallojr said:

My question is would it be better to stay that night in Haifa or Tel Aviv before flying out the next morning?

 

Much depends when is your flight out? The traffic is horrendous, staying in Haifa will add at least an hour to your travel time to Ben Gurion airport, unless you'll take the train.

 

If your flight is around 1PM, you might consider staying in Haifa, to visit the Baha'i Gardens when you finish your cruise and spend the late afternoon in Wadi Nisnas.

 

https://ganbahai.org.il/

 

https://www.jpost.com/j-spot/wadi-nisnas-haifas-hidden-gem-629775

 

 

[sgallojr]

Thanks Dani.  Our flight is at 7am the next morning so I would hope the traffic wouldn't be that bad at that time.  Our time would be limited in either place, but we were just wondering if Haifa would be the way to go due to Air BNB's being significantly cheaper there.  I already have transfers lined up to get from Haifa to the airport, so all I would have to do is change the times.

[Tlbecker1]

3 minutes ago, sgallojr said:

Thanks Dani.  Our flight is at 7am the next morning so I would hope the traffic wouldn't be that bad at that time.  Our time would be limited in either place, but we were just wondering if Haifa would be the way to go due to Air BNB's being significantly cheaper there.  I already have transfers lined up to get from Haifa to the airport, so all I would have to do is change the times.

We are going to Tel Aviv for 2 days afterwards before we make our trip home.  That way we can go to Bethlehem and Jerusalem. 

[sgallojr]

1 minute ago, Tlbecker1 said:

We are going to Tel Aviv for 2 days afterwards before we make our trip home.  That way we can go to Bethlehem and Jerusalem. 

We are staying in Jerusalem for three nights pre cruise.  We decided to stay the night after the cruise because the flights out the afternoon we get back are way more expensive, plus they seem to all have an overnight at an airport which won't work with the wife and two kids!!  

[dani negreanu]

19 minutes ago, sgallojr said:

Our flight is at 7am the next morning so I would hope the traffic wouldn't be that bad at that time. 

 

No, at this "ungodly" hour you'll be OK.... I assume the transfer provider knows what time you'll need to allow, in order to be at the airport at least at 4.30am.

[Badatz2]

22 hours ago, dani negreanu said:

 

No, at this "ungodly" hour you'll be OK.... I assume the transfer provider knows what time you'll need to allow, in order to be at the airport at least at 4.30am.

It is true that there won't be any traffic at that hour and the trip would take an hour and a half to two hours, but there won't be any real time at the hotel either.  I would think that they would have to "get up" and organized around 1:30 AM and depart at 2:30, so not too much sleep.

 

I think that it would be better to book a room in Tel Aviv at a decent and not overpriced hotel, rest up walk around the city, have a nice early dinner and get going around 3:30- 4:00

[Markanddonna]

On 1/4/2023 at 2:11 PM, sgallojr said:

We are cruising out of Haifa Israel on the Rhapsody of the Seas in June.  We are staying the night in Israel when the cruise returns to Haifa.  My question is would it be better to stay that night in Haifa or Tel Aviv before flying out the next morning?  Haifa is much cheaper than Tel Aviv, but I was curious if there is enough there to do to stay busy, even if just for that one night.  Thank you in advance for any advice.

What are you hoping to do in Israel? I would try to find an excursion to Caesaria Maritima and that might be easier from Tel Aviv.