I am traveling from Cairo to Tel Aviv in mid-January. I don't know if I should talk a plane or a bus. Of course a bus is cheaper, but maybe not as safe?? When I arrive I will probably need to take a bus to Tiberius. I wonder how safe this is, and traveling around Israel alone in general, as a young American woman....
And if anyone has good advice about finding good airfares for CAI-TLV, that's great too. And if you know what both air and bus fare for that trip is these days.
Thanks!!
JB

Shalom Jess - hope it's not too late to reply to your questions, but I just now got on this forum!

YES - please fly from Cairo to Tel Aviv. There is (or used to be) a bus across the northern part of the Sinai, just now, I don't recommend trying to cross at Rafiah as it's simply not safe, and anyway, then, you'd have to get through Gaza and cross into Israel.

There is an alternative bus route - through the Sinai to Taba and cross into Israel there (to Eilat). Then, you can take the Egged Express Bus #444 to Jerusalem and continue your travels from there.

The Inter-city buses in Israel are terrific, inexpensive and very safe. You can get the schedules by going to: http://www.egged.co.il/Eng/ and then following the prompts to see the schedules and prices for different destinations.

There's also a good train system, mostly up and down the coast (not yet to Tiberias, I'm afraid). Go to: http://www.israrail.org.il/english/index.html for more on that.

And if you're looking for nice but inexpensive accommodation, try the Israel Youth Hostel Association (which facilities are not just for kids & backpackers anymore and all prices include a great breakfast): http://www.youth-hostels.org.il/english.html.

Whatever you decide, have a great visit!

suzanne

suzanne pomeranz, tourism consultant, jerusalem, israel - suztours@gmail.com