Israel
This 2.5-sq-km reserve is the best place in Israel to get a sense of what the natural and agricultural landscapes of the Holy Land looked like back in biblical times. Armed with a guide to native fauna and flora, visitors follow self-guided tours along four nature trails (up to 3½ hours) via old oil presses and date palms. The reserve is 9km southeast of Ben Gurion airport and 17km north of Latrun.
Avoid rocky trail D if you have a stroller or young children in tow.
18 MILES
Four magnificent arches, their lintels richly decorated with Crusader crosses, herald the entrance to one of Christianity's most sacred sites. The church…
Temple Mount/Al Haram Ash Sharif
18.31 MILES
There are few patches of ground as holy – or as disputed – as this one. Known to Muslims as Al Haram Ash Sharif (The Noble Sanctuary) and to Jews as Har…
18.28 MILES
The air is electric at Judaism's holiest prayer site, where worshippers recite scriptures, lay their hands on 2000-year-old stone and utter impassioned…
17.13 MILES
More than 5000 years of cultural treasures are assembled around the vast Israel Museum's indoor and outdoor galleries. Highlights are the titanic statues…
25.81 MILES
A must-see on any journey through the Holy Land is Mar Saba Monastery, a bleak and beautiful 20km drive east of Bethlehem (beyond Beit Sahour).
18.45 MILES
As teeming with controversy as it is with ancient history, the City of David is one of Jerusalem's most active archaeological sites. The oldest part of…
15.8 MILES
Israel's official memorial to the six million Jews who died at the hands of the Nazis is powerful, poignant and a masterpiece of design. The museum's name…
18.24 MILES
The jewel in the crown of Temple Mount/Al Haram Ash Sharif is the gold-plated Dome of the Rock, the enduring symbol of the city and one of the most…
6.72 MILES
Housed in a building dating from the British Mandate, this small museum provides an overview of the town’s history. Exhibits include locally excavated…
6.75 MILES
Though it doesn't look particularly impressive from the outside, this is one of the few Crusader buildings in Israel to have survived almost completely…
6.78 MILES
Running the length of Jabotinsky St, Ramla's vibrant Middle Eastern bazaar has been going for more than a century, since the late Ottoman period. People…
6.86 MILES
More than 380 of Israel's major sights are shrunk to Lilliputian proportions at this cheerful and child-friendly amusement park. Pathways lead you among…
5. Church of St Nicodemus & St Joseph of Arimathea
6.95 MILES
Constructed in the 19th century on a site that Christians believe to be the site of biblical Arimathea, the hometown of Joseph, this Franciscan church has…
7 MILES
Atmospheric and shaded by ancient stone structures, the 'Pool of Arches' is an underground 8th-century reservoir. The most significant structure left from…
7.33 MILES
Experts can't agree whether this 14th-century tower was built as a minaret or a watchtower. One indisputable fact is that the 30m-high structure was built…
7.41 MILES
Visitors arrive at Latrun Monastery not only for peaceful contemplation and a peep into the church, but also the chance to buy olive oil and wine made by…