Israel Vacation Rental Villas, Cottages, and Self-Catering Apartments.

Everyone has their own perception of what Israel is about: it's a travel-agency package of beaches and sun; it's the Promised Land of the Jews; it's a ticking time bomb. And while it is all of these things, it's much more besides.

Israel is a world-class destination with cultural attractions that range from ancient to modern. Israel has more museums per capita than any country in the world and a fabulous club scene that can be enjoyed all night. Hiking is popular in the varied landscape of Israel while Tel Aviv and Eilat have great swimming, windsurfing and sailing.

Everyone has their own perception of what Israel is about: it's a travel-agency package of beaches and sun; it's the Promised Land of the Jews; it's a ticking time bomb. And while it is all of these things, it's much more besides.

Israel  is a small yet diverse Middle Eastern country with a long coastline on the eastern Mediterranean Sea and a small window on the Red Sea on the Gulf of Eilat (Aqaba). Israel is bordered by Egypt and Gaza Strip to the southwest, by Jordan and the West Bank to the east (with which it shares a border along the Jordan River and the Dead Sea), and by Syria and Lebanon to the north.

Israel is considered a Holy Land (together with areas of Jordan, Egypt and the Palestinian Territories), to four major world religions - Judaism, Christianity, Islam and the Bahá'í Faith - as well as a vibrant modern history and culture, based in no small part on the diverse, mostly immigrant origins of its inhabitants from the Arab world and the Jewish Diaspora. These aspects make Israel a fascinating (if sometimes challenging) drawcard for many travellers and pilgrims.

Living and travelling costs in Israel are almost on a par with Western Europe, North America and Australasia, making it by far the most 'expensive' country in the Middle East region.

Sellers in small food kiosks (known as "Pitzutziot") will often try to overcharge people for soft drinks, cigarettes and candy. Take note that currently (Feb 2007) the price of a soft drink can is between 3 and 7 sheckels and a 0.5CL bottle is generally one sheckel more expensive than a can. Prices in tourist areas in big cities, especially tourist cities like Eilat can be up to 20 sheckels per 0.5CL bottle, however often a small walk will reveal the more local places that will sell you 6 1.5CL bottles for as cheap as 14 sheckels.

Internet cafés are widely available in most cities and towns, and free wi-fi access is common in cafés (check individual articles). All branches of 'Aroma Espresso Bar', 'Arcafe','McDonalds' and 'Yellow' convenience stores have free wi-fi access, though in some you will have to approach the staff for a password.

Recently, the "Jerusalem WiFi" project started. This government started project aims to cover the entire Jerusalem area with WiFi though practically the only covered areas at the moment are the center of the city.

The regular price for paid internet cafés is about NIS 15 per hour but you can get it for about 10 nis in some of the more local places.

Following are some comprehensive websites with more information about Israel travel than is possible to include on this page.

http://wikitravel.org/en/Israel
http://www.goisrael.com/tourism_eng
http://www.planetware.com/travel/israel-travel-guide-isr.htm