Is it safe to travel to Israel, especially for solo female travelers?
Short answer: YES.
I have been here exactly two months today, and I’ve been way up north, to the Golan Heights, where you can see into Syria, and to the south, in Eilat, where you’re just a fence away from Egypt.
Except for a weeklong Holy Land Tour with my mother (which was the family’s gift to her, as part of the celebration of her second chance at life), I have been traveling solo in Israel for two months now.
I walked around Tel Aviv at 3am, hitchhiked to my hostel in Mitzpe Ramon after a few hours of hiking through the desert, hiked solo in the jungles of the Golan (and hitchhiked back), and snorkeled by myself in the Red Sea.
Hiking — and even hitchhiking — solo in Israel is safe.
Traveling solo in Israel is safe, I can’t emphasize that enough. Except in areas where there are ultra-religious Jews and Muslims, there are no restrictions when it comes to clothes, activities, or companions. Indeed, Israel is as liberal a country as you can get.
I can’t blame people for asking me this question, though. After all, Israel has had skirmishes with its neighbors, and it’s not a stretch to imagine that you might get caught here during a conflict.
I, for one, am not worried. Israel seems to be prepared. There are security checks everywhere; flying in and out of Israel can indeed be time consuming as they really take security inspection seriously. However, if it keeps us all safe, I’m not going to complain!
Here are some of the questions I’d been asked about traveling in Israel as a woman.
You can wear what you want in Israel, whether it’s a short dress, a mini-skirt, or a pair of booty shorts during the summer months. Walk around Tel Aviv, for example, and you might as well be in New York; men and women dress the way they like. Along the beach in Tel Aviv, people are free to run, walk around, or just chill by the beach in their swimsuits.
There is no dress code even outside Tel Aviv. People are definitely laid back here.
Men and women pray separately in the Western Wall in Jerusalem.
However, there are areas populated mostly by Arabs or conservative Jews, in which case, observe and respect the local culture. If you don’t see locals wearing revealing clothing, dress modestly.
In holy places and religious sites, as well, like in Jerusalem, you can’t enter wearing shorts, and that goes for both men and women. Bare midriffs, low-cut and revealing blouses are also not allowed for women. Bring a scarf or a wrap in case you’re not sure about your clothes.
As a solo female traveler, I would highly recommend staying in hostels. You can get a lot of traveling advice from the staff working there, and you’ll meet other solo travelers, too.
Plus, if you stay at a hostel belonging to the ILH Network, you’ll be assured of a quality stay; hostels that don’t maintain a certain standard in cleanliness, staffing, facilities, and other factors are removed from the network.
My home for 6 weeks in the desert — the Green Backpackers Hostel.
Here are my recommended hostels in the cities I’ve visited:
When booking accommodation in any of these hostels, book direct. You’ll pay when you arrive there, and it’s probably cheaper than Hostelworld or Booking. Average rates are around 80 shekels ($22).
It’s very easy to go around Israel via buses, and it’s cheap, too. Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, for example, costs only 15 shekels, whereas it will cost you 23 shekels if you take the train.
There are three main bus lines: Metropoline, Egged, and Dan. Wifi in the buses is a hit and miss but Metropoline and Egged are usually connected (and Dan in the cities). You can buy the tickets from the driver on the bus or at the ticket booths in bus stations. Only cash payment is accepted by the drivers, but you can pay by credit card at the ticket booths.
If you’re staying longer, like I do, buy the Rav Kav (the green bus/metro/train card) at any central bus stations. You get 20% more of the value, plus there are unlimited daily, weekly, and monthly packages, too.
This sherut can take you straight to Jerusalem from Tel Aviv.
There’s no need to reserve a seat in advance, unless you’re going to/from Eilat. There are no assigned seats, as well, except for those coming from/going to Eilat.
If you can’t read Hebrew, I suggest researching the bus numbers and times before going to the station. I just Google it. There are info booths as well in the bus stations in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem.
An important thing to know: if you’re not getting off at the last stop, you’ll need to tell the driver to drop you off at the correct bus stop. He will not stop otherwise.
You can also listen to the announcements in the bus. It’s in Hebrew, but the announcement will basically mention the next stop. Once you hear yours (e.g., “Blah blah blah Sapir” if you’re going to the town of Sapir), press the stop button above your head. It’s either a yellow button with the letter S, or a red button. I learned this the hard way!
In some places in Israel, if you don’t have a car, hitchhiking is the only way.
If you want to explore the countryside more, like in the Golan Heights, the Galilee, or the Negev Desert, hiring a car would be more convenient, otherwise, you’d have to take several buses to reach tourist attractions, and/or hitchhike on your way back to your hostel.
Within the city, there are buses (in Tel Aviv, the fare is 5.90 shekels per ride) as well as sherut (shared taxi, same fare). In Jerusalem, there’s also a tram that passes by outside the central bus station (same fare).
If you arrive in Ben Gurion airport in Tel Aviv and want to go straight to Jerusalem, I recommend taking the sherut for convenience (61 shekels, one way). They’re right outside the arrival area.
Another important point: Avoid flying into or out of Israel on Shabbat, which starts Friday at sunset and lasts until sunset the next day, Saturday. There won’t be any public transport going to the airport; you’d have to take a taxi which costs around 140 shekels ($39). Most groceries and commercial establishments are closed, too, and you can’t travel from one city to another as there won’t be any buses. Unless you have a car, of course.
Generally, it depends on what you’re interested in. Catholics (like my mother), would prioritize all the holy sites. In my mother’s stay here, for example, we had the following itinerary for ONE WEEK:
If you have TWO WEEKS, you can do the above itinerary plus include Haifa and Mitzpe Ramon (highly recommended for the hikes in the Negev Desert).
If you have THREE WEEKS, you can add Tiberias and the Golan Heights. You can spend 4-5 days in the Golan alone, as the area has so many hiking trails. I even went river rafting!
These itineraries include cultural and religious sites, beaches, rivers and waterfalls, and the desert. If you’re into the nightlife, you’d love Tel Aviv, too. So basically, just adjust your itinerary based on your interest.
I had a refreshing swim by this Syrian tank in the Golan.
There are just so many things to do in Israel. I have blog content enough for several months, even if I stop traveling now. I still have to fully explore the Golan Heights, and I haven’t even been to Haifa and Akko yet. I’d spent 6 weeks in the Negev and Judean Deserts, but I still haven’t taken all the hiking trails there!
Indeed, if you’re looking for a new country to visit as a solo female traveler, make it Israel. You’d love it here, as I did. However, once you arrive here, you may not want to leave. Consider yourself warned.
Have you been to Israel as a solo traveler? What additional piece of advice can you give?
20 Comments. Leave new
Israel seems to be the best solo travel destination.
Thanks for the information, Alhea. Its bad conception that girls like us are not safe in Israel. But you cleared it. We can visit freely in Israel too. Thank you so much.
Hey 😉 really interesting post. My plan is to travel to Israel in a few months. I was in Marocco a few months ago. There your can also easy travel alone. It just depends on your personality, i think 😉
Greetings.
Joshua.
Great post. Thanks for the tips, Aleah!
Dear Aleah,
thank you for your blog post. We just got a direct flight from Krakow (my hometown) to Israel and I was thinking of traveling there. I was in Israel exactly 20 years ago with my parents. I remember walking on the streets of Tel Aviv and eating the best hummus. It was such an amazing time and very happy holidays. I have seen a lot of things in TV about the situation there. I just hope that people will be still traveling there because Israel is beautiful.
I admire solo female travelers cause I know that sometimes is not that easy to travel all alone 🙂
Best regeards and I wish you a lot of beautiful travels,
Kasia
It’s been twenty years since I’ve been to Israel. I’d love to go back and see what has changed.
Every time I go to visit friends in Belgrade, Serbia people here in Toronto ask me if it’s safe. I think media takes it a bit to far portraying places as scary dangerous cities. I’m not saying be carefree but media is only one perspective.
I traveled around Israel earlier this year, and while I was with people for most of it, I never felt unsafe, even walking around Jerusalem by myself, and at night. It just felt like any other city. Keep your wits about you and you’ll be fine.
This is phenomenal information! I love hearing positive experiences about places that are just raked through the coals via media. I can’t wait to make it to Israel! Great tips for female travelers!
I never really wondered all that much about safety in Israel. I knew there wasn’t a real dress code, but I did worry a bit about potential conflicts or terrorist attacks. I do want to visit this country in the future, because everything I’ve read about it is enticing. And after traveling to the UK at the end of May when the terror alert was as high as it could have been, I am less worried about things like that. As you said, if I see a lot of security, I feel more comfortable, even if it’s a pain to be checked so thoroughly.
Being a Malaysian passport holder, I can’t travel to Israel other than for religious visits. Thought of heading to Jerusalem on my own when I was in Jordan but as there was no guarantee that I could get through as well as how long it might take, I decided to concentrate more on Jordan first. For now, all I can do is just read about places to visit there.
This sounds fantastic! I had wondered about how safe I would feel in Israel given the conflicts, but it sounds like you had no difficulties and saw some pretty amazing things. In fact, I’m not sure where I would go first! I like your breakdowns of itineraries based on how long a stay you are planning on. Super helpful!
Excellent guide, Aleah! It’s really useful to have a fresh perspective on how safe Israel is and what do see and do there. I’ve been meaning to go to Israel for a while and will try to make it happen this year.
Thanks for sharing this!
Nice tips. Well, almost every country have some kind of rules, especially in religious districts. It’s up to us to respect them, right. That’s what I love about traveling, so many different cultures and traditions one encounters on the way. 🙂
Love it Aleah! I have traveled to some spots many could see as dangerous – with my wife – but really, I have not once felt unsafe anywhere on earth, internationally. Fiji at 2 AM with huge, drunk, 300 pound Fijians battling LOL. In Istanbul 5 days after the coup. In Thailand during the coup. No issues. Ya just gotta go for it, being clear and bold, and things will be A-OK. Thanks for the inspired share 🙂
Ryan
I’ve been seeing posts about Tel Aviv the past few months. Someday!!
Madami gwapo? ?
You are so brave. Well, YOLO principle right? Plus it’s not really brave if you are just following your passion. It’s wonderful to hear you found a country that you really love. Question, do you see yourself living there?
I am in awe of your intrepid travel style! This is great info for solo female travelers.
Wow, Aleah! This sum up of why I should visit Israel soon. I really like to see Tel Aviv, stay for a month long there. I never knew that it’s also safe to hitchhike here.
Great insights. Saving this for my future reference.