IL · Curated travel guide
Israel: 10 places worth the journey
Negev, Israel Museum, Calvary and 7 more โ what each one is, and why it is worth the detour.
- Places
- 10
- World Heritage
- 1
- Language
- Arabic, Hebrew
- Currency
- ILS
What to see in Israel
Chosen from everything Wikidata knows about Israel and ranked by how many Wikipedia language editions describe them, which is about as close to "famous" as open data gets. One is on UNESCO's World Heritage list.
Israel Museum
National museum of Israel in Jerusalem
A museum of art and archaeology in Jerusalem, founded in 1965 as an encyclopedic museum and as Israel's largest and leading cultural institution.
Photo: Original uploader was ืืกืฃ.ืฆ at he.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0
Calvary
Site of Jesus' crucifixion
Also called Golgotha, from Golgolta, a site just outside the walls of Roman Jerusalem where, the four canonical gospels of Christianity say, Jesus was crucified.
Photo: Berthold Werner, CC BY-SA 3.0
Mount Carmel
Coastal mountain range in Israel and portions thereof
Also called Mount Mar Elias in Arabic, a coastal mountain range in northern Israel running southeast from the Mediterranean, and a UNESCO biosphere reserve.
Photo: user:netanel_h, CC BY-SA 3.0
Mount of Olives
Mountain in East Jerusalem
Also called Mount Olivet, a mountain ridge in East Jerusalem, right beside the Old City to its east. Its name comes from the olive groves that used to cover its slopes.
Photo: Godot13, CC BY-SA 4.0
Bible Lands Museum
Archaeological museum in Jerusalem
An archaeological museum in Jerusalem exploring the cultures of peoples the Bible mentions, among them the Jews, Persians, Phoenicians, Elamites, Hittites, Arameans, Philistines, Canaanites and ancient Egyptians.
Photo: Adiel lo, Public domain
Mount Zion
Hill in Jerusalem
A hill in Jerusalem just outside the Old City walls, to the south. The Hebrew Bible used the name first for the City of David and then for the Temple Mount; the meaning has since moved, and today it names the Western Hill of ancient Jerusalem.
Photo: Eman, CC0
Yad Vashem
Israel's official memorial to the Jewish victims of the Holocaust
The official institution through which Israel commemorates those who died in the Holocaust, in Hebrew the Shoah (ืฉืืื). It works to keep alive the memory of the Jews who were murdered, to tell the survivors' stories, to honour Jews who fought their Nazi oppressors and gentiles who selflessly helped Jews in need, and to research the Holocaust and genocide in general, so that such events may be avoided in future.
Photo: Hagai Agmon-Snir ุญฺุงู ุงฺู ูู-ุณููุฑ ืืื ืืืืื-ืฉื ืืจ, CC BY-SA 4.0
Gethsemane
Garden by Jerusalem's Mount of Olives
A garden, and also a courtyard, lying below the Mount of Olives in East Jerusalem. The four New Testament Gospels place here Jesus Christ's Agony in the Garden and his arrest, before he was crucified. Christians hold it in deep regard.
Photo: Mewasul, CC BY-SA 3.0
World Heritage
Masada
Ancient hilltop fortification in Israel
A fortress complex on a mountain top in the Judaean Desert, above the Dead Sea's western shore in southeastern Israel, 20 km (12 mi) east of modern Arad. Built in the first century BC, it crowns a natural plateau that stands over 400 m (1,300 ft) higher than the land around it.
Photo: Godot13, CC BY-SA 4.0
About Israel
Officially the State of Israel, a West Asian country in the Southern Levant. Lebanon lies to its north, Syria to its northeast, Jordan to its east and Egypt to its southwest. Its west coast is on the Mediterranean, its southern tip touches the Red Sea, and to its east, near the Dead Sea, is the lowest point on Earth.
Officially The State of Israel. Known locally as Israสผiyl ุฅุณุฑุงุฆูู, Yisra'el ืืฉืจืื.
Based on the Wikipedia article, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0: the facts are Wikipedia's, the wording is this site's.
Questions travellers ask
What is worth seeing in Israel?
This guide lists 10: Negev, Israel Museum, Calvary and Mount Carmel and others. Masada is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
How were these places chosen?
By machine, from open data, with no human ranking them and nobody able to pay for a place on the list. Everything Wikidata records in Israel that is a building, a landform, a protected area or a tourist attraction, has coordinates, a photograph and an English Wikipedia article, is ranked by how many Wikipedia language editions wrote about it. Provinces, cities, airports, stations and stretches of sea shared with the neighbours are filtered out.
Which places here are UNESCO World Heritage Sites?
1 of the 10 in this guide: Masada. That is not the full count for Israel, only the listed sites that made this guide.
What language is spoken in Israel, and what currency?
Arabic, Hebrew. The currency is ILS.
How do I get mobile data in Israel?
A travel eSIM is usually the cheapest way, and avoids a roaming bill. The plans suggested at the foot of this guide start at $2.33 for 1GB per day. The eSIM is data-only and sits alongside your normal SIM, so calls, texts and WhatsApp keep working on your own number.
Which networks would my phone use in Israel?
Cellcom, Pelephone and Hot Mobile. Your phone picks whichever has the best signal where you are, the same way a local phone does.
One practical note: staying online
Maps, tickets and translation all want data, and roaming is the expensive way to get it. A Computatus eSIM eSIM connects to Cellcom, Pelephone and Hot Mobile once you land, and installs by QR code before you leave.
See 12 Computatus eSIM plans for Israel from $2.33
| Plan | Data | Valid | Price | Order |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1GB per day Cheapest | 1 GB | 1 day | $2.33 | Get it → |
| 2GB per day | 2 GB | 1 day | $3.04 | Get it → |
| 3GB for 30 days | 3 GB | 30 days | $4.83 | Get it → |
| 3GB for 15 days | 3 GB | 15 days | $5.73 | Get it → |
| 5GB for 30 days | 5 GB | 30 days | $7.61 | Get it → |
| 10GB per day | 10 GB | 1 day | $9.13 | Get it → |
No app needed. Install by QR code before you fly, keep your own number for calls, and it connects the moment you land.
Cellcom 5GPelephone 5GHot Mobile 5G
A commission on plans bought through these links is what pays for this guide. Nothing above depends on it: the places are chosen before any price is looked up.