Israel Travel and Accommodation Guide Transportation Guide

Do you have any friends who want to go on a self-driving trip? The editor has compiled some guides for you here, which should be quite useful. They are mainly about accommodation, transportation, car rental, and currency. They are all very useful.

Accommodation

Actually, my accommodation does not have much reference value. Since I'm in the hospitality industry, I got very low rates for accommodation at employee rates in many places. For details, please refer to my itinerary, which is basically IHG group hotels. It is worth mentioning that the InterContinental Hotel in Aqaba, Jordan, and the InterContinental Hotel in Amman are relatively attentive in terms of service, and the enthusiasm of the front desk and concierge makes people feel warm. This is an experience that is completely unavailable in Israel (Ramon's Bere Films except).

The entire trip was booked at three places, namely the hut in Tiberia, the Bedouin camp in Wadi Ramon, and the most beautiful place, Ramon’s Beresheet Hotel.

The cabin booked by Tiberias mainly means that the booking score is not low, the surrounding environment is good, and the landscape location is also good. The suite is more suitable for family travel. You can cook your own meals during vacation and improve the diet of those who are not used to the Middle East. If you have enough time, it is still recommended.

In fact, there are quite a few campsites to choose from in Wadham, with prices ranging from 10 plus JD to several hundred JD. Personally, I think there are two main aspects to choose from: First, the location of the camp. Try to avoid the gathering area of ??the camp, because one of the purposes of many people traveling here is to watch the stars, so you should avoid places with heavy light pollution, right? The second is to pay attention to whether there is a bathroom, whether it is for private use or independent, especially if there are ladies. Relatively speaking, women love to be clean. It would be a pleasant thing to take a bath in the desert.

As for Amway’s many visits to Beresheet, I have read a lot of information and travel notes before going there, and the reputation is quite good. However, after experiencing it myself, I found that it is indeed worth experiencing once, so I won’t go into details here. Isrotel Group is a hotel management group established in Israel in 1981. Most of the hotels are resort hotels, so most are located in Eilat in the south. See Wikipedia for details. Finally, nearly $400 a night is really expensive.

In fact, you can choose Airbnb to choose some more cost-effective homestays, which may not necessarily provide a good travel experience.

Transportation (car rental)

Conforms to the full text title. In addition to transit buses and taxis, in Israel and Jordan it is almost purely self-driving mode, with a journey of about 1200KM-1400KM.

Both Israel and Jordan recognize Chinese driver's licenses, so whether it is the high-end Avis, Hertz or the slightly more affordable Sixt, thrifty and local car rental companies, they all recognize Chinese driver's licenses and do not need an international driver's license at all. , and no need for translation. Just carry the original driver's license with you. (Consulted with several car rental companies for personal testing)

The traffic and driving rules of the two countries are basically similar to those of China. When driving on the left hand side, the locals drive very fast (once a Kia hatchback was going 140km/h on Highway 90, and a Highlander leisurely passed by, embarrassing them). But when crossing the road, whether in Israel or Jordan, everyone actively gives way to pedestrians, and the level of civility is very high.

The policy mentions that Israel is not allowed to turn right when the light is red. However, what I have experienced is that almost many intersections have dedicated right-turn lanes, and local vehicles also turn right. At the same time, there are no corresponding signs and no fines for violations. I don’t know if it’s accurate or not, I need to confirm it.

Driving is not recommended in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. The road conditions are not good and parking is a big problem. Please try to park in blue and white parking spaces or paid parking lots to avoid unnecessary fines affecting your travel.

Because there are many problems on the way, there are three trips:

1. Rent a car in Jerusalem and return the car in Eilat.

2. Rent a car in Aqaba and return the car in Amman.

3. Rent a car in Tiberias and return the car in Tel Aviv.

Regarding refueling, most rental cars require you to return the car with a full tank of gas, but you can negotiate with the car rental company and pay a small fee to pre-authorize the rental car directly, thus avoiding the need to refuel midway or find the car at the end. The problem of wasting time at the gas station.

As for navigation, generally a Google map for the entire journey can fully meet the navigation needs. Except that it was not so easy to use on the West Bank, and it was once driven to a resident's home on the winding mountain road in Vadimsa, everything else was extremely accurate. The power of Google is beyond your imagination. Opening hours of all attractions, restaurants, border agencies, etc. Very accurate. Highly recommended!

The vehicles of Israeli car rental companies are equipped with activation codes, but Jordan does not.

Finally, regarding the issue of insurance, it is recommended to check the insurance regulations of the car rental company in detail, and it is recommended to configure all-inclusive insurance just in case, because if the entire trip is affected by vehicle failure or accident, it will be worth the loss.

There are two ways to rent a car in these two countries. One is to make a reservation through app software such as domestic car rental, and the other is to communicate with the local store. In fact, each has its own pros and cons. It depends on personal preference.

Currency

The currencies of Israel and Jordan are not international currencies. They are Israel's New Shekel, written as NIS, and the exchange rate is around 1: 1.8, and Jordan's Jordanian Dinar, written as JD. The exchange rate is less than 1:10, but you can hardly get this exchange rate.

It is worth mentioning here that the U.S. dollar circulates very well here, and U.S. dollars can even be used directly in the West Bank and Jordan. I remember when I rented a car in Aqaba, there was not much left in the gas tank. When I refueled with Jordanian gasoline on the way to Petra, I paid directly in US dollars because there were not enough dinars.

When preparing to travel, remember to exchange more U.S. dollars. These two currencies cannot be exchanged at domestic banks.