Are there any friends who want to go on a self-driving tour in Israel? I have compiled some strategies here for you, which should be quite useful. It mainly focuses on accommodation, transportation, car rental and currency, all of which are very useful.
Accommodation
My accommodation is actually not very referential. As a family member of the hotel industry, I got very cheap accommodation prices at many places. You can refer to my itinerary, which is basically IHG group hotels. It is worth mentioning that the InterContinental Aqaba in Jordan and the InterContinental Amman in Jordan are relatively more considerate in terms of service. The enthusiasm of the reception and concierge makes people feel warm, which is an experience that is completely unavailable in Israel (except Beresheet in Ramon).
The whole itinerary has three places booked on Booking, which are the cabin in Tiberias, the Wadi Rum Bedouin camp, and the most beautiful Beresheet Hotel in Ramon.
The cabin booked in Tiberias mainly saw that the booking rating was not low, the surrounding environment was good, and the landscape location was also good. The suite is more suitable for families to travel, and you can cook your own meals while on vacation, improving the Middle Eastern diet that you are not accustomed to. If you have more time, it is still recommended.
The Wadi Rum campsite actually has many camps to choose from, and the prices vary. From 10plus JD to over 100 JD, I personally think that the selection angle mainly tends to two aspects: one is the camp location, try to avoid the concentrated area of camps, because many people come here to travel. One of the purposes is to watch the stars, so you should avoid places with a lot of light pollution. The second is to pay attention to whether there is a bathroom, whether it is shared or independent, especially if there are ladies accompanying you, relatively speaking, ladies are more fond of cleanliness. If you can take a bath in the desert, it’s a pleasant thing.
As for Beresheet, which I have recommended many times, I have already checked a lot of information and travelogues before I went. The reputation is very good, and after personally experiencing it, I found that it is indeed worth experiencing once. I will not elaborate here. The Isrotel group was founded in Israel in 1981 and is a hotel management group, mostly resort hotels, so most of the hotels are in Eilat in the south. For details, please refer to Wikipedia. Finally, let me say that nearly 400 US dollars a night is really expensive.
Actually, you can choose Airbnb to choose some more cost-effective homestays, which may also be a good travel experience.
Transportation (Car Rental)
In line with the title of the whole article, except for cross-border public transportation and taxis, it is almost a pure self-driving mode in Israel and Jordan, with a total mileage of about 1200KM—1400KM.
Both Israel and Jordan recognize Chinese driver’s licenses, so whether it’s high-end Avis, Hertz, slightly more affordable Sixt, Thrifty, or local car rental companies, they all recognize Chinese driver’s licenses. You don’t need notarization or translation of international driver’s licenses, just bring your original driver’s license. (Confirmed by several car rental companies)
The traffic and driving rules of both countries are basically similar to those in China, with left-hand drive. Local people drive very fast (I once drove a small Kia hatchback on Highway 90 to 140km/h, and a Highlander next to it calmly overtook me, I was ashamed), but at intersections, both in Israel and Jordan, they give way to pedestrians, showing high levels of civilization.
Some strategies mentioned that right turns are not allowed in Israel when the traffic light is red for straight traffic, but my experience is that there are dedicated right turn lanes at almost all intersections, and local vehicles also turn right, and no corresponding signs are seen at the same time. There was no fine, I don’t know if it’s accurate, it needs to be confirmed.
It is not recommended to drive 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 that affect your itinerary.
Due to the many problems with cross-border driving, the itinerary is divided into three sections:
1. Rent a car in Jerusalem and return it in Eilat.
2. Rent a car in Aqaba and return it in Amman.
3. Rent a car in Tiberias and return it in Tel Aviv.
Regarding refueling, most car rentals require a full tank return, but you can negotiate with the car rental company to make a pre-authorization of the rental car by paying a small fee, which avoids the problem of refueling halfway or wasting time finding a gas station at the end.
Regarding navigation, a Google map can basically cover the whole trip. It can fully meet your navigation needs, except that it’s not very useful in the West Bank area. Except for one time when I drove to a resident’s house on the mountain road in Wadi Musa, the rest are incredibly accurate. The power of Google is beyond your imagination. The opening hours of all attractions, restaurants, border agencies, etc., are very accurate. Strongly recommended!
Vehicles from car rental companies in Israel have startup passwords, while those in Jordan do not.
Finally, regarding insurance, it is recommended to check the car rental company’s insurance regulations in detail. It is recommended to purchase full insurance just in case. Because if the entire itinerary is affected due to vehicle failure or an accident, it would be a loss.
There are two ways to rent a car in both countries. One is to make a reservation through domestic apps such as Zuzuche, and the second is to communicate with the local store. In fact, each has its own advantages and disadvantages. It depends on your personal preference.
Currency
The currencies of Israel and Jordan are not internationally recognized currencies. They are the Israeli New Shekel, written as NIS, with an exchange rate of about 1:1.8, and the Jordanian Dinar, written as JD, with an exchange rate of less than 1:10, but you basically can’t get this exchange rate.
It is worth mentioning here that US dollars are very well circulated here. You can even directly use US dollars in the West Bank area and Jordan. Remember when I rented a car in Aqaba, because the car’s fuel tank was not full when I got it, I used US dollars to pay when I refueled at Jordan Petrol on my way to Petra because I didn’t have enough dinars.
Remember to exchange some US dollars when preparing for your trip. These two currencies cannot be exchanged at banks in China.
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