Jerusalem Travel Tips

Justin and I went to Jerusalem earlier this week. Not everything went well, but we learned a lot about the best ways to travel to Jerusalem. I thought I'd share some of our newly aquired knowledge with these ten easy travel tips.

1. Check the weather report before leaving.
What will the temperature be like? Is rain in the forecast? These are important questions.

2. Apply the information in the weather report to your trip planning.
Just looking at the weather isn't enough. If it's supposed to be cold and rainy and you don't have any warm clothes, an umbrella, or a rain jacket, maybe you should postpone your trip until Wednesday.

3. If it's cold and rainy and you decide to go to Jerusalem anyway, stop in a cafe once you get there.
It's a great place to relax and have a couple of drinks while you plan your next move. You should also befriend a waitress who will suggest really interesting things to do in town. She might even offer you a free place to crash.

4. Don't ignore your waitress' suggestions and go see a movie.
Those bars and cafes sounded pretty cool, especially the one with live music and guest lecturers. Even though Rachel Getting Married is a great movie, you can see it any time.

5. Book your hostel BEFORE midnight.
Most hostels stop letting people in at midnight. If at all possible, try to know where you're planning on staying before leaving for Jerusalem, although that could be asking too much.

6. If it's after midnight, call a potential hostel to make sure that a) it's open and b)there are vacancies before walking 30 minutes to get there.
If Justin says to you, "I kind of want to just go there and not call ahead of time," DO NOT tell him that this is a good idea. This is not a good idea. Call the hostel first.

7. If you meet a waitress who offers you a place to stay and you'd like to take her up on that offer because you don't have anywhere to stay, call her before she falls asleep.
She gets off work at midnight, but remember: She has school early in the morning so she just goes home and goes right to bed. Call her before she leaves work or you might not be able to take her up on her offer.

8. When you're wandering around Ben Yahuda street at 1 AM wondering where you'll be sleeping that night and it starts pouring rain, run into the first hotel you see and check the prices. If the rooms are too expensive, go back outside and wander around until it starts sleeting. At that point, you pretty much have to go into the next hotel you see and book a room.
The continental breakfast will be worth the price of the room alone. You will invent a sandwich called the "bread-cheese roll up."

9. Don't go to the Israel Museum on a Tuesday before 5 PM.
This one's kind of obvious, but if it's Tuesday, don't walk 45 minutes to the museum that's open every other day from 9-5. It's only open from 5-9 PM on Tuesdays because that makes sense.

10. You got to know when to hold 'em/know when to fold 'em.
If every single decision you make seems to be the wrong one, head to the Central Bus Station and get on the first bus back to Ra'anana. You'll do better next time.

Happy travels! Byeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee