Travel news - Israel - The Jewish Chronicle

With Israel tipped as one of this year’s big travel destinations, there are a series of new hotel openings lined up to welcome tourists from the UK, once restrictions lift again.

In Tel Aviv, the boutique Soho House is due to open in Jaffa this spring, with 28 rooms and an outdoor pool, along with the new Nobu Hotel Tel Aviv coming to Rothschild Boulevard and the first of several new Isrotel properties in the city, with the opening of the Port Tower hotel.

In Jerusalem, Jaffa Street will see the new Brown Machne Yehuda design hotel and its roof-top hot tub, not far from the market. Or soak up the views from the new Sofia Sea of Galilee hotel in Tiberias, with views out to the shores of the Sea of Galilee.

And in the Negev Desert, the luxurious Six Senses Shaharut is opening in the Arava Valley, with 58 sustainable suites and villas, as well as experiences ranging from Bedouin dining to mountain climbing and biking, plus a camel stable.

Tower of David facelift

It’s not only new hotels waiting to welcome tourists back. The Tower of David is among the sites to have had an upgrade over the past year, with an ongoing multi-million pound renewal and conservation project.

Originally planned to take three years, the 2020 closures have helped speed up work, allowing the new exhibition and entrance pavilion to be opened in spring this year, along with new accessible measures, including lifts to the citadel and ramps.

The permanent exhibition on the history of Jerusalem is gaining new galleries to showcase the city through contemporary art and design, as well as planned interactive elements to explore Jerusalem’s past and present.

At present, exhibits can be viewed outdoors with two self-guided tours through the citadel courtyard, while the 360 degree panoramic view of the city will reopen on top of the Phasael Tower this summer.

Join us for a special event as we travel both in space and time, joining the Director of the Tower of David Museum Eilat Lieber, live in Jerusalem, this April. She will take us through the history of Jerusalem as seen through the citadel’s stones using a 3D virtual application developed by an Israeli start-up — and give a sneak peek into the future with the plans underway to renew the Tower of David Museum and rejuvenate the whole of the Jaffa Gate area.

Click here to book your free tour as part of our Online Israel Independence Day Celebration, along with events focused on food, wine and music

Cruise from Israel

Royal Caribbean’s new ship Odyssey of the Seas will begin sailing from Haifa for the first time in May, with three to seven-night cruises to the Mediterranean, including Rhodes, Santorini, Mykonos and Athens in Greece and Limassol in Cyprus.

As well as its other tempting features, from the two-level pool deck to the usual array of indulgent restaurants, the cruise line will also be the first to offer fully vaccinated sailings, with all crew and guests over 16 vaccinated against Covid-19.

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