Nothing underscores the variety of Israel’s attractions more than realizing that within a few hours you can go from the snowy heights of Mount Hermon to the Judean Desert and the saltiest sea on earth, the Dead Sea, while visiting ancient biblical cities, covered markets and a high-rise metropolis on the way. This is what truly makes Israel a destination with something for everyone.

In Israel you have to use the word “old” constantly – the age of most of its cities is counted not in decades or in centuries, but in millennia. The ingenuity and complexity of some of these historical sights have won them a place on the prestigious UNESCO World Heritage List. And of course, Jerusalem is an incomparable highlight that is both historical and spiritual.

There’s no place like Tel Aviv to indulge your urban tastes. The city that “never sleeps”  offers museums, opera, theater and dance, fine restaurants with cuisines from around the world, its own beautifully restored 19th-century quarter, Neve Tzedek and even antiquities, in the form of its “older sister” – Jaffa, which is also filled with galleries.

Tel Aviv’s Mediterranean location also means that quality beach-time can be part of the experience.

At the Caesarea beach, divers can take an underwater tour of the Roman antiquities. And for fresh-water fun, visitors can head to Tiberias and the Kinneret.