Beyond Jerusalem 2 Day Itinerary

Two days based in Jerusalem, one for settling in and a taste of the Old City, one for the single day trip that matters most: the Dead Sea and Masada. Skip Bethlehem and Tel Aviv this time around; add them with our 3-day through 7-day versions of this itinerary.

Book these before you go:

Day Focus Travel time from Jerusalem
1 Arrival, Old City taste, settle in None, city-based
2 Dead Sea and Masada ~90 min each way

Day 1: Arrival and an Old City taste

Land, check into a base near the Old City or the German Colony, and use the afternoon for a light walk rather than a packed sightseeing list, jet lag plus a full Old City day rarely works. Walk from Jaffa Gate to the Western Wall plaza (free, open 24 hours, modest dress required) and back through the Jewish Quarter, roughly 20 minutes each way at an easy pace. Have your passport and ETA-IL confirmation ready if you plan any West Bank travel later in the trip, though neither is needed for today. If you land Friday afternoon, note that the light rail and city buses stop for Shabbat until Saturday evening; a short taxi or Gett ride covers the same ground.

Do you need a rental car for two days like this? No. Nothing on this itinerary requires one: the Old City is pedestrian-only and parking is scarce inside it, and Masada tomorrow is reached by organized tour or a car you’d only use once. Walking and a booked tour cover both days.

Day 2: Dead Sea and Masada

Start early, tours typically leave Jerusalem by 6:30-7am to beat the desert heat. The drive east runs about 90 minutes down through the Judean Desert to the lowest point on Earth. At Masada, the cable car covers the climb in a few minutes (combined ticket with entry, roughly NIS 59-77, about $20-26); the alternative is the steep Snake Path on foot, popular with a genuine sunrise crowd who hike it in the dark specifically for the light over the desert at dawn, worth the early alarm if you’re fit enough for it.

Afterward, float in the Dead Sea itself, the mineral density holds you up whether you try to or not, and the sensation is worth the trip on its own. The shore is rocky and salt-crusted rather than sandy, so water shoes save you from finding that out barefoot. Most tours fold in Ein Gedi Nature Reserve (entry roughly NIS 28-29, about $9) on the way back for an hour or two of waterfalls and wild ibex; it’s a pleasant add rather than a reason to extend the day further.

Before you go

Confirm your tour pickup time and location the night before, Dead Sea tours run long, typically 7am to 5pm, and public transit doesn’t reach Masada directly, so a booked tour or a rental car are the only two realistic ways to do this day. Pack a swimsuit, a towel, and shoes you don’t mind getting salty under whatever you wear to the Old City that morning. Current hours and reservations are at Masada National Park , and itraveljerusalem.com covers general trip planning if plans change.