Biblical Israel with Jordan — Self-Launched

Land at Ben Gurion and take the Israel Railways train from the airport to Tel Aviv HaHagana or Hashalom (~£4, 20 mins — buy at the machine, they take cards). Check into a hostel in the Florentin or Neve Tzedek area. In the late afternoon walk the beach promenade south to Old Jaffa: the flea market, the Andromeda rock viewpoint, St Peter's Church and the zodiac fountain. Dinner in Jaffa's port or on Levinsky Street for cheap hummus and sabich.

🚌Airport train ~£4; everything else on foot

🛏Hostel dorm, Florentin/Neve Tzedek (approx £28–35/night)

• →Old Jaffa walking loop (free)
• →Tel Aviv beach promenade
• →Jaffa flea market

Hire a car for the day (or take bus 910 north and piece it together) — the Roman theatre, aqueduct and Crusader walls of Caesarea National Park are the first stop (~£9 entry). Continue to Muhraqa on Mount Carmel for the Jezreel Valley viewpoint, then Megiddo National Park (~£8, one of the best-preserved Bronze Age tells in the region). Drop the car at Afula or Haifa and take the bus/train to Tiberias, which is your base for three nights. Dinner of St Peter's fish on the lakefront.

🚌One-day car hire with full insurance ~£45–55 + fuel ~£12 (or buses, roughly the same); train Afula–Tiberias area ~£4

🛏Guesthouse or hostel private room, Tiberias old town (approx £30–38/night)

• →Caesarea National Park
• →Muhraqa Carmelite monastery
• →Megiddo National Park

Take the local bus or a cheap taxi north along the lake shore. Start at the Yigal Alon 'Jesus Boat' museum at Kibbutz Ginosar (~£5), then a 30-minute wooden boat crossing of the lake from Tiberias or Nof Ginosar (~£10–12, book at the dock). Explore Capernaum's synagogue and St Peter's house (~£4), the Mount of Beatitudes for the view and a quiet sit, Tabgha's Church of the Multiplication, and finish at Banias/Caesarea Philippi in the Golan foothills (nature reserve entry ~£8). Back to Tiberias for a cheap shawarma.

🚌Local buses along Route 90 ~£2–3 each way; boat ~£10–12

🛏Guesthouse or hostel private room, Tiberias (approx £30–38/night)

• →Yigal Alon Jesus Boat Museum
• →Sea of Galilee boat crossing
• →Capernaum
• →Mount of Beatitudes
• →Tabgha Church of the Multiplication
• →Banias nature reserve

Bus to Nazareth (30–40 mins, ~£3). Walk the Old City: the Basilica of the Annunciation (free, with the excavated house of Mary below), St Joseph's Church, and Nazareth Village or the old market lanes. Detour 10 minutes by bus to Cana and the Wedding Church (~£2 entry). If you want a baptism, the Yardenit site on the Jordan River south of the lake allows self-arranged baptisms and gown rental for a small fee (~£10); otherwise swim/kayak the Jordan instead. Overnight Tiberias.

🚌Buses Nazareth–Cana–Yardenit–Tiberias ~£8 total

🛏Guesthouse or hostel private room, Tiberias (approx £30–38/night)

• →Basilica of the Annunciation
• →Nazareth Old City walk
• →Wedding Church at Cana
• →Yardenit baptismal site (optional baptism)

Morning bus to Jerusalem (~2 hrs, ~£7, direct from Tiberias central bus station). Dump your bag at a hostel in the Jewish Quarter or near Jaffa Gate. In the afternoon do the classic approach on foot: Mount of Olives viewpoint, the Palm Sunday descent past Dominus Flevit, the Garden of Gethsemane and the Church of All Nations, then the Lion's Gate into the Old City, Pool of Bethesda, and pick up the Via Dolorosa. End at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in late light, then the Jewish Quarter and the Cardo. Mount Zion and King David's Tomb/Cenacle are 15 minutes away if you have legs left.

🚌Bus Tiberias–Jerusalem ~£7; all sightseeing on foot (all listed sites free)

🛏Hostel dorm in the Old City or Jaffa Street area (approx £30–38/night)

• →Mount of Olives viewpoint
• →Garden of Gethsemane & Church of All Nations
• →Via Dolorosa & Pool of Bethesda
• →Church of the Holy Sepulchre
• →Jewish Quarter & Cardo
• →Mount Zion, King David's Tomb, Cenacle

Join the free Western Wall tunnels tour if it's running (or book the Western Wall tunnel slot online, ~£8). Walk the Southern Wall excavations and the Davidson Center (~£8 combined), then the City of David if you have time (extra ~£7). In the afternoon take bus 7 to the Israel Museum for the Shrine of the Book and the Dead Sea Scrolls (~£11) and the scale model of ancient Jerusalem. Finish at Yad Vashem (free, closed Saturdays — reserve an online time slot) and the Garden Tomb (free).

🚌Local buses ~£4 total; lots of walking

🛏Hostel dorm in the Old City or Jaffa Street area (approx £30–38/night)

• →Western Wall
• →Southern Wall excavations & Davidson Center
• →Israel Museum & Shrine of the Book
• →Yad Vashem Holocaust centre
• →Garden Tomb

Book a shared day tour from Jerusalem via GetYourGuide (roughly £60–70 including transport and guiding, entry often extra) or self-drive: bus 444 to Masada (~20 shekels, ~£5, catch the first one), take the snake path up at sunrise or the cable car (~£15 return). Continue by bus to Ein Gedi springs (~£4 entry) and finish floating at Ein Bokek beach on the Dead Sea (free, public beach). Stop at Qumran (~£5) on the way back if the timing works — or swap Qumran for more Dead Sea time, as the tour did it as an optional. Return bus to Jerusalem ~£6.

🚌Bus 444 Jerusalem–Masada–Ein Bokek–Jerusalem ~£15 (or shared tour ~£65)

🛏Hostel dorm in the Old City or Jaffa Street area (approx £30–38/night)

• →Masada cable car & fortress
• →Ein Gedi nature reserve
• →Ein Bokek Dead Sea float
• →Qumran caves (optional)

Leave early with the shared sherut or bus to the Allenby/King Hussein Bridge crossing (allow 2–3 hours for formalities; the Jordanian visa can be obtained on arrival for many nationalities but a Jordan Pass bought online before arrival covers the visa fee and Petra entry, ~£80 — buy it in advance). On the Jordan side, taxi or hire a driver for the afternoon: Bethany beyond the Jordan baptismal site (book a slot, ~£11), Mount Nebo's mosaics (~£3) and Madaba's St George Church and Byzantine mosaic map (~£3). Sleep in Madaba or push on to Amman by bus (~£4).

🚌Sherut to the bridge ~£15; shared taxi on the Jordan side ~£25–35 for the half-day; bus Madaba–Amman ~£4

🛏Budget guesthouse in Madaba or downtown Amman (approx £20–28/night)

• →Bethany beyond the Jordan
• →Mount Nebo
• →Madaba St George Church & mosaic map

Take the JETT or Trust International bus from Amman to Wadi Musa (~3.5 hrs, ~£12 each way, book a seat a day ahead) and enter Petra early. The Jordan Pass covers a one-day ticket. Walk the Siq, the Treasury, the Street of Facades, the Theatre and as far as the Monastery if you're fit. If you'd rather not rush, sleep the night in Wadi Musa and see Petra by Night (candlelit Siq, ~£15, Mondays/Wednesdays/Thursdays) — a hostel bed costs ~£12–18. Return to Amman on the same evening bus if you're keeping to the schedule.

🚌JETT/Trust bus Amman–Wadi Musa return ~£24

🛏Return to Amman guesthouse (approx £20–28/night) — or hostel in Wadi Musa ~£15

• →Petra: Siq, Treasury, Street of Facades, Monastery trail
• →Petra by Night (optional)

Local buses or a shared taxi north: Jerash's Greco-Roman colonnades, hippodrome and Hadrian's Arch (~£10 entry), then Ajloun's 12th-century Ayyubid castle (~£3) on the hilltop, and the village of Anjara's Church of Our Lady of the Mountain with its holy cave. Group transport is cheapest via a day-driver from Amman (~£45–60 split between travellers at the hostel), or piece it together on the Jerash bus (~£1.50) plus a local taxi to Ajloun. Evening back in Amman: downtown falafel at Hashem, knafeh on Rainbow Street, and a wander through the Roman Theatre (~£2).

🚌Shared driver split two ways ~£28 each, or local buses ~£8

🛏Budget guesthouse, downtown Amman (approx £20–28/night)

• →Jerash archaeological site
• →Ajloun Castle
• →Anjara holy cave church
• →Amman Roman Theatre & Rainbow Street

Slow morning at the Citadel viewpoint and the Jordan Museum (~£6) or the souk in downtown. Take the airport express bus from Tabarbour station (~£4) or the Abdali–airport shuttle for your flight. If you're flying home from Tel Aviv instead, the JETT bus Amman–Allenby or the Sheikh Hussein crossing gets you back into Israel the same day — allow half a day and don't book a tight connection.

🚌Airport bus ~£4

🛏—

• →Amman Citadel & Jordan Museum (optional)