Israel Swim Fan

Natives and tourists alike agree that the sunbathing along the Mediterranean is Tel Aviv’s raison d’etre; the city’s beaches are constantly crawling with beautiful—and sometimes not-so-beautiful—people playing ping-pong in bikinis. The beaches of Netanya have famously been considered a more relaxing, less congested alternative to Tel Aviv’s urban bustle; they have consequently become packed with European tourists. For hard-won, beachy solitude, head north and hike 4km from the local bus stop for Kibbutz Dor. Then spread out on gloriously serene sand just next to a tel full of Crusader ruins—and the occasional excavator. To go freshwater, try the expensive resort hotel beaches in Tiberias on the Sea of Galilee, or embrace the rustic and camp out on the rocky shores north of town. The beaches of Eilat draw tens of thousands of sun-lovers every year, but the coral reefs beneath the waves are at least as colorful as the board shorts above. The diving gets even better along the coast of the Sinai Peninsula—get your PADI cert in budget-friendly Dahab, then head south for the world-famous reef and wreck dives Sharm al-Shiekh. At the Dead Sea, get your feet wet but keep your face above the surface of the painfully mineral-rich water.

Best Place To Get Baptized: Wade with crowds of pilgrims into the Jordan River at Yardenit, to be cleansed of your sins. Both the pure and impure are welcome in the gift shop.
Best Place To Watch A Brawl: Control of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre is divided between rival Christian orders, who enact Jesus’s message of unconditional love by squabbling constantly over who controls the site of His crucifixion and burial.
Best Place To Elevate Your Inner Spark: Mountaintop Tzfat is home to the Ascent Institute. Come for lectures on Kabbalah and Talmud, stay to hang out with the jolly Khasidic rabbis.
Best View From A Toilet Seat: You might need relief after the hike to Petra’s Nabatean Museum, and this is the place to do it. Take your time, and don’t bother bringing reading material.
Best Use Of 1980s Special Effects Technology: The Masada Sound and Light Show packs a surprising amount of history into its decidedly low-tech presentation, driven by colored spotlights and red sparklers. And yes, that is an actual slide projector.
Best Political Coffee Shops: Conversations at Jerusalem’s T’mol Shilshom range from gay rights to racial politics. Tel Aviv’s Tamar Cafe is haphazardly decorated with framed political cartoons featuring the cafe’s owner with a variety of political figures.
Best Political Graffiti: The streets of Bethlehem are littered with political paint: see if you can spot the “no tank parking” stencils on Manger St. Tags by international graffiti artist Banksy can be found on the separation wall in Dheisheh refugee camp and on the road from Beit Jala to Manger Sq.
Oldest People: For elderly-Israeli sightings, no place beats Nahariya, where hotels are being converted into nursing homes as fast as pedestrian speed is plummeting.
Hippest Hippies: In Mitzpe Ramon, the modern dance company Adama has every sign of hippiedom: vegan food, meditation, soap-making, African drum music, and a flower-power obsession with peace. The only thing that might be missing is political awareness.
Chocolatiest Milk: Apparently, cows can survive in the desert. But chocolate cows? Nobody knows how Kibbutz Yotvata keeps theirs from melting, but you’ll be happy they do.
Proudest Unofficial Micronation: Long-bearded dreamer Eli Avivi settled a gorgeous chunk of the Mediterranean Coast and declared independence from Israel in the 1950s. Akhzivland, as its ruler proudly calls it, has stuck out decades of government disapproval and still offers a pristine beach and serene, open-air beds to visitors.
Highest Concentration Of Things To See Underground: Jerusalem’s Old City has been settled, burned down, and resettled so many times that some of its most incredible sights are underneath the current city. Visit ruins from the Second Temple Period 3m below street level at the Burnt House. Get close to the Holy of Holies on the Western Wall Tunnel Tours. Wade through icy water in the dark with screaming children—and adults—at Hezekiah’s Tunnel.