Ideas please! Israel with kids this winter

amother

Mon, Dec 05 2022, 2:49 am

Good morning!

It looks like we're going to be taking our 5 kids to visit family in Israel this winter.

It's going to be a complicated trip, with lots of family obligations that will be hard on all of us, kids and adults. We need a plan for each day that will get us out of the house.

I need some ideas of things to do with the kids. What attractions are open in the winter? I'd love to tour rosh hanikrah, hike in ein gedi...are these things possible to do in the winter?

Any and all ideas would be very welcome!

Elfrida

Mon, Dec 05 2022, 3:08 am

Ein Gedi is perfect in the winter. In the summer it's too hot. Just make sure there are no storms forecast, which may lead to flash floods.

amother

Mon, Dec 05 2022, 3:20 am

Elfrida wrote:

Ein Gedi is perfect in the winter. In the summer it's too hot. Just make sure there are no storms forecast, which may lead to flash floods.

Good to know!

In general, what is the weather like? Warmer than the tristate area, if I'm remembering correctly from my seminary days. Do we need coats? Just sweatshirts?

amother

NeonPurple

Mon, Dec 05 2022, 4:05 am

The weather exam really change depending on where you are. We were there last week when it was cold and rainy. At night we would have needed regular winter jackets which I didn’t have. If you go in January I would for sure bring winter coats

happymommy12

Mon, Dec 05 2022, 4:14 am

It’s very hard to plan in advance in the winter.. the weather changes so fast and if you happen to come in a rainy week then you won’t be able to do much hiking/ein Gedi. On the other hand it’s very possible the weather will be nice and mild in which case you totally can.
I would plan back up activities just in case the weather ends up being rainy and cold.. it’s very dangerous to be in the ein gedi region with rain bc there are flash floods there.
Definitely bring winter coats for the nights. During the day it could be nice enough for a light jacket but it likely won’t be hot (unless you go to Eilat).

happymommy12

Mon, Dec 05 2022, 4:16 am

How old are your kids?
Indoor activities include museums (I would look into the blind/deaf/aging museum in Cholon) aquarium, rock climbing, indoor trampoline places, malls..
I’ll try to think of more!

Rappel

Mon, Dec 05 2022, 4:20 am

aimhabanim wrote:

Is yam hamelach too cold to go in the winter?

It's 70-80 degrees there in winter Smile

Jerusalem can be chilly - from 40-65 degrees in the dead of winter.

Tsfat and Shiloh will be a a few degrees cooler than Jerusalem. Most areas in the Shomron will match Jerusalem. Coastal areas will be 10-20 degrees warmer.

What things do your family like to do, OP?

amother

Mon, Dec 05 2022, 4:38 am

Rappel wrote:

It's 70-80 degrees there in winter Smile

What a spectacular country we have! Tiny, and with so much variation!

My kids are adventurous. We love being outdoors, hiking, biking, camping, swimming...I love history and museums, the kids not so much.

We are going to be staying in Jerusalem, but don't mind traveling for one or 2 long full day trips.

We're thinking of hiring a tour guide for a day or 2, if we can find someone kid friendly. Any suggestions welcome!

amother

Mon, Dec 05 2022, 4:42 am

happymommy12 wrote:

Thanks happy mommy!

We like malls and jump places, but we can do that here in NJ.

Any ideas for places to visit that would be interesting for kids? They're not going to appreciate kevarim.

Can we do massada in the winter? Yam hamelach? Underwater observatory in Eilat?

Cookiegirl

Mon, Dec 05 2022, 4:44 am

Malka Bracha Abuloff is an amazing tour guide if you can get her. She will specifically tailor trips around your and your kids interests so there is something for everyone. Her email is Mb@abuloff.com

amother

Tan

Mon, Dec 05 2022, 4:57 am

What ages? I’m in the same situation traveling with kids 3-12 with lots of family obligations but my older kids want to tour not just sit around chatting with family.

amother

Zinnia

Mon, Dec 05 2022, 5:03 am

We are also going winter break. We are Floridians and my kids want to play in snow. If we go to Hermon is snow pretty much guaranteed? I thought yes because I know people ski there but internet research turns up mixed information about how likely it is.

amother

Mon, Dec 05 2022, 5:14 am

amother Tan wrote:

What ages? I’m in the same situation traveling with kids 3-12 with lots of family obligations but my older kids want to tour not just sit around chatting with family.

That pretty much sums up our situation. Plus if I sit around chatting for too long with this part of the family, I'm going to go mad.... definitely need activities, distractions.

amother

Gray

Mon, Dec 05 2022, 5:15 am

No, snow is not guaranteed! You can only know if it's open a day or 2 before, as it's closed on snow days but doesn't open up on non snow days unless there is enough snow. You also need to buy tickets before which get booked up really quickly. You should definitely have a backup plan

Elfrida

Mon, Dec 05 2022, 5:16 am

People do ski on the Hermon, but it hasn't snowed yet this year. The first snowfall might not be until January. Depending on when you come, there is no guarantee of snow.

amother

Zinnia

Mon, Dec 05 2022, 5:24 am

amother Gray wrote:

Buy tickets for what? We don't want to ski, just for my kids to be able to throw some snowballs around. It's a novelty for them.

And anyhow, how does one buy tickets before if it's unknown if there will even be (sufficient) snow? Do you get a refund if there isn't?

Elfrida

Mon, Dec 05 2022, 5:29 am

As soon as they announce that the Hermon will be open the next day, there is a rush for tickets. (It's normally snnounced in the news.) Later in the season it is a bit more reliable.

Normally in the days before it opens, the entire country has been having cold weather and heavy rain, with maybe snow in the north, and they report on the snowfall on the Hermon. People tend to know to within a few days when it is going open.

Incidentally, as long as there isn't a storm going on, the Hermon is a beautiful a e to visit and hike, snow or not.

amother

Zinnia

Mon, Dec 05 2022, 5:50 am

Elfrida wrote:

Thank you for explaining.
But if we are not planning to ski, just to be in the snow for an hour or so, do we still need tickets? Is the ticket to ski or even just to come up the mountain? Or to enter the ski resort grounds? Never been and not sure how it works?