3 free days in Israel_away from tour_lodging advice for Tel Aviv and ? Visit Jerusalem

Last Jul I spent one night at the Dave Gordon Hotel Tel Aviv – Son of a Brown that was within walking distance of Gordon Beach that’s near the halfway point of the 14 km stretch of “one beach after the other” stretch of sand. These are very nice beaches. Jerusalem (a.k.a. Geula) Beach is a 15-minute walk south of Gordon Beach. Tel Aviv is worth two nights just for its beaches.

With Jerusalem just 45 minutes from Tel Aviv by Train or bus— why wouldn’t you go there? I stayed in an apartment on Geula Street ( both Geula and Jerusalem 🏖 beaches are great) three years ago and visited Jerusalem for the day. It was an unforgettable experience! Just be aware that public transit is not available during the Shabbat which is the day of rest. Shabbat basically begins on Friday at sundown and ends Saturday at sundown. For your trip that means avoid traveling roughly from sundown on June 9 to sundown on June 10 and again from sundown on June 16 to sundown on June 17. Trains and buses will not run ( although some shared taxis called “sheruts” will) and grocery stores are closed. If you need to get to Ben Gurion Airport on June 17 be sure to talk to your hotel’s front desk and arrange for a taxi or sherut ( a shared taxi ) in advance.
Don’t miss the Carmel Market which you can walk to from Jerusalem Beach. Another fascinating site is historic Jaffa at the south end of Tel Aviv’s beaches. It was the port in biblical times and has most of its historic architecture intact. Jaffa makes for a safe and memorable walk in the late afternoon and return after sunset.
Have a great trip!

Go to Jerusalem, there is much to see there. You can do the beach in the USA.

From your post it looks like you are arriving on June 1 and your tour does not commence until the 4th. Definitely plan on the time from sundown on Friday to sundown on Saturday to be quiet. The world will be moving at slow pace with some venues etc. being closed. Probably a good day for the beach. As for Jerusalem what is your guide’s schedule for your group? That will tell you if you need additional time there. Please post your itinerary and we can probably give a more advice. Definitely a neat country to visit.

There are a few Arab owned markets near Geula Beach that are open on Saturdays.

To me, Jerusalem was way more interesting than Tel Aviv but then I'm not much of a beach person. To me, one day is not enough for Jerusalem. Nor is two.

Warning......it will be VERY hot in Israel in early June. Be prepared.

I will echo what Geovagriffin says above. You can visit nice beaches in many places in the world. There is only one Jerusalem. I too am interested in knowing what your guide has planned for you with time in Jerusalem in addition to your one free day? We spent three weeks in the Old Town several years ago as we were taking a course and took several overnight trips from our base and many day trips. There is so much to see and feel within the walls and sections of Jerusalem. Please don’t skimp on this time to explore and absorb. Beaches, somewhere will be waiting for you where Jerusalem is only there.

EDIT: If you decide you want the experience of sleeping within the walls of Jerusalem I would recommend looking at Hotel-Gloria but talk to our guide friend about this idea.

Thank you all for the replies, below I have posted our itinerary. I tend to agree with the comment that you can go to beaches anywhere, yes. So maybe one day enjoying the beaches a bit, then walking over to the Carmel market, and out for dinner. We definitely want to experience Jaffa, that’s on the list.

Any opinions about the Haganah Museum? Perhaps we only want one overnight in Tel Aviv to experience those things, and then move to a hotel in Jerusalem for 2 nights before connecting with our group. We can just connect with them in Tiberius and not return to Tel Aviv (originally was thinking would meet them at airport on arrival if we would be in TLV). As you will see from our itinerary, Jerusalem - 2 days planned, not sure what’s on the itinerary, but like at least a few Christian pilgrimage-type sites. I will ask our guide. But I would like to know from this community, what you highly recommend for Jerusalem. It sounds like it will be more interesting than TLV. Also, I thought about staying in Jerusalem for a day on my own instead of the Masada/Dead Sea trip, (again, fear of missing out on so many things to experience in Jerusalem), which would you recommend? Thank you!
6.03.23 Saturday Fly out of US
6.04.23 Sunday Arrive TLV - afternoon free
6.05.23 Monday Free to plan
6.06.23 Tuesday Free to plan
6.07.23am Wednesday Morning free to plan: Meet up with tour group in afternoon
6.07.23pm Wednesday Meet up w/ Tour group: Travel to hotel in Tiberius on the Sea of Galilee
6.08.23 Thursday Galilee
6.09.23 Friday Cana, Nazareth, Tel Meggido, Caesarea
6.10.23 Saturday Beit Shean, Jericho, Qumran
6.11.23 Sunday Bethlehem
6.12.23 Monday Jerusalem, City of David
6.13.23 Tuesday Choice: Leisure Day or Masada & Dead Sea Option
6.14.23 Wednesday Jerusalem & Old City
6.15.23 Thursday Fly out of Israel for return to US
6.16.23 Friday Arrive US

I think you will want to do the excursion to Masada and the Dead Sea especially if you’ve allowed some of your other open days to the Old City, Jerusalem.

How many nights are you staying in Jerusalem? I agree that Jerusalem is the big draw here over Tel Aviv. I spent five nights there that included a scenic journey into the Judean mountains. I wished I hadn't had to fly out so early on a Sat morning so I could have experienced shabbat in Jerusalem when traffic comes to a halt and everyone walks to get to where they’re going.

MaryPat, to answer your question we are currently scheduled for 3 overnights in Jerusalem with the group.

We stayed one block off the beach in Tel Aviv at the Lusky, a small boutique hotel. It was reasonably priced and a great location. I would stay there again. While my local beach can't hardly be beat and I don't judge anywhere anymore by their beach, I thought it was fun to spend some time at the beach in Tel Aviv---I was very impressed by the standardization of pricing of water, beach chairs, etc. to avoid price gouging and keep it affordable for locals. The feta and watermelon was my husband's favorite part! The water, of course, is beautiful, but people watching and just the ambiance of the Mediterranean is relaxing. Hit the markets in Tel Aviv, but I wouldn't spend more than 1-2 days there----walk to Jaffa, it's a beautiful walk.