Heritage of the Holy Land and Jordan — Self-Launched Independent Version

Land at Ben Gurion (TLV). The airport train runs to Tel Aviv HaHagana/HaSalam stations roughly every 30 min for about £4 (buy a Rav-Kav card at the station — it works on buses, trains and light rail across Israel). Check into a hostel in the old port/Neve Tzedek or central area. Spend the afternoon walking the historic streets and back alleys of Tel Aviv — Rothschild Boulevard, the White City Bauhaus architecture, Neve Tzedek lanes — then watch sunset on the beach promenade and eat at Carmel Market or Levinsky Market.

🚌Airport train TLV to Tel Aviv ~£4; walking + local bus in the city

🛏Budget hostel dorm or private room, Tel Aviv (e.g. central/Neve Tzedek area)

• →Airport train into Tel Aviv
• →Rothschild Boulevard and White City walk
• →Neve Tzedek back alleys
• →Carmel Market food crawl

Start early: take a local bus to Jaffa for a self-guided walk of the old port, the clock tower and St Peter's Church (the traditional house of Simon the Tanner is on the seafront). Then take the train north to Caesarea (Caesarea-Pardes Hanna station) and walk or taxi to the Roman ruins — the aqueduct on the beach is free to see. Continue by train/bus to Afula and connect to Megiddo for the tel (ancient Armageddon); it's a short taxi or a long walk from the junction. Finish by bus to Tiberias on the Sea of Galilee and overnight there.

🚌Local bus to Jaffa (~£2); train Tel Aviv–Caesarea (~£5); train/bus to Afula + taxi to Megiddo (~£8); bus Afula–Tiberias (~£4)

🛏Budget guesthouse or hostel, Tiberias

• →Jaffa old town self-guided walk
• →Caesarea Roman ruins and aqueduct
• →Megiddo tel (Armageddon site)
• →Evening by the Sea of Galilee

Public transport around the lake is thin, so the cheapest practical option is a small-group Galilee day tour from Tiberias (book via GetYourGuide/Klook or locally, roughly £40–60) covering Yardenit Baptismal Site, Capernaum, Tabgha and the Church of the Multiplication, and the Mount of Beatitudes. In the afternoon push up to the Golan Heights for panoramic views of Mount Hermon and the Hula Valley and the springs at Banias (Caesarea Philippi) — also reached on the same tour or by bus to Kiryat Shmona if you're confident with timetables. Optional hour-long boat trip on the Sea of Galilee if the weather is good.

🚌Small-group Galilee/Golan day tour from Tiberias (fill in for public-transport gaps)

🛏Budget guesthouse or hostel, Tiberias

• →Yardenit Baptismal Site
• →Capernaum synagogue
• →Tabgha and Church of the Multiplication
• →Mount of Beatitudes
• →Golan Heights viewpoints over Mount Hermon and Hula Valley
• →Banias (Caesarea Philippi) springs

Bus to Nazareth and walk the old city: the Church of the Annunciation, Mary's Well and St Joseph's Church are all close together, plus the market. Hop over to Cana for the Wedding Church by local bus. Then head south via Beit Shean and its astonishing Roman/Byzantine ruins and the Beit Alpha synagogue mosaic (bus links from Afula), and continue by bus to Jerusalem. Check into a hostel in the Old City or the New City near Jaffa Street, and eat in the Mahane Yehuda market.

🚌Bus Tiberias–Nazareth (~£4); local bus Nazareth–Cana return (~£3); bus Nazareth–Afula–Beit Shean (~£5); bus Beit Shean–Jerusalem (~£8)

🛏Budget hostel dorm or private room, Jerusalem (Old City or city centre)

• →Church of the Annunciation, Nazareth
• →Mary's Well and St Joseph's Church
• →Wedding Church, Cana
• →Beit Shean Roman city
• →Beit Alpha synagogue mosaic
• →Mahane Yehuda market

Masada and the Dead Sea are outside the public transport network, so join a small-group day trip from Jerusalem (GetYourGuide/Klook, roughly £55–75) or take the Egged bus to the Dead Sea and arrange a taxi. Ascend Masada by cable car and walk the excavations — King Herod's palace, the synagogue and bathhouse. Stop at the Qumran Caves where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found. Finish with a float in the Dead Sea (bring your swimsuit; the mud is free, showers at the beaches charge a few shekels). Return to Jerusalem in the evening.

🚌Small-group day tour from Jerusalem (Masada/Dead Sea) or Egged bus + taxi

🛏Budget hostel dorm or private room, Jerusalem

• →Masada cable car and excavations
• →Qumran Caves
• →Float in the Dead Sea
• →Dead Sea mud experience

Self-guided day. Start at the Israel Museum for the Shrine of the Book (Dead Sea Scrolls) and the Herodian Jerusalem model — one ticket covers both, about £10. Bus to Ein Karem to wander the pretty village lanes and the Church of St John. Visit Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial (free, closed Fridays/Saturdays). In the afternoon take the bus to Bethlehem: cross the checkpoint on foot and walk to Manger Square and the Church of the Nativity — free entry, arrive early afternoon to dodge the worst queues.

🚌City buses and light rail (~£4); bus to Bethlehem from Damascus Gate (~£2)

🛏Budget hostel dorm or private room, Jerusalem

• →Shrine of the Book, Israel Museum
• →Herodian Jerusalem model
• →Ein Karem village walk
• →Yad Vashem
• →Church of the Nativity, Bethlehem
• →Manger Square

The whole of this day is walkable. Enter the Old City, cross the Western Wall plaza (modest dress, security checks) and, timings permitting, the Temple Mount. Follow the Via Dolorosa through the Muslim and Christian quarters to Calvary and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. Walk down to Mount Zion for the traditional tomb of King David and the Room of the Last Supper. Cross the Kidron Valley to the Garden of Gethsemane and the Church of All Nations, then take the bus or walk up to the Mount of Olives for the classic panoramic view of the Old City at sunset. Budget for a hummus and falafel lunch in the Old City and a Ramparts Walk if you fancy it.

🚌All on foot; short bus to the Mount of Olives (~£1)

🛏Budget hostel dorm or private room, Jerusalem

• →Western Wall
• →Temple Mount
• →Via Dolorosa and Calvary
• →Church of the Holy Sepulchre
• →Mount Zion and King David's Tomb
• →Room of the Last Supper
• →Garden of Gethsemane
• →Mount of Olives viewpoint

Take a sherut taxi or bus from Jerusalem to the Sheikh Hussein (Allenby isn't the right crossing for the north) border and cross on the shuttle bus, then shared taxi or bus to Irbid/Amman — allow half a day and carry your Jordan Pass (bought online before arrival, it covers your visa and Petra entry). En route or as an afternoon trip, visit Jerash: the colonnaded streets, Hadrian's Arch, hippodrome and baths of one of the best-preserved Roman cities in the region — reachable by local bus/taxi from Amman. Check into a budget hotel downtown Amman and take a self-guided evening walk around the Roman Theatre and the Citadel area, dinner at Hashem's falafel or a Rainbow Street cafe.

🚌Sherut/bus Jerusalem to Sheikh Hussein Bridge (~£12) + border shuttle/ taxi (~£5); shared taxi to Amman (~£8); bus/taxi Amman–Jerash return (~£6)

🛏Budget hotel or guesthouse, downtown Amman

• →Sheikh Hussein Bridge border crossing
• →Jerash Roman city
• →Amman Citadel and Roman Theatre
• →Rainbow Street evening walk

Make your way south to Petra. The fast option is the JETT bus Amman–Petra (about £10, book a day ahead, early departure) or a shared taxi; if using local buses via Madaba you can stop at Mount Nebo for the view over the Jordan Valley and the mosaics in the church. Arrive in Wadi Musa and check into a budget guesthouse. Use your Jordan Pass to enter Petra: walk (or take an optional horse ride) through the Siq to the Treasury (El Khazneh), then explore the Street of Facades, the Royal Tombs and the obelisks and altar, and — if you have the energy — climb to the Monastery for sunset. Overnight in Wadi Musa, which is far better value than the Petra gates themselves.

🚌JETT bus Amman–Petra (~£10) or shared taxi (~£12); local buses via Madaba to Mount Nebo (~£4)

🛏Budget guesthouse or hotel, Wadi Musa

• →Mount Nebo viewpoint and mosaics
• →Enter Petra through the Siq
• →The Treasury (El Khazneh)
• →Royal Tombs and obelisks
• →Monastery climb at sunset

Take a morning shared taxi or tour transfer to Wadi Rum and pick up a 2–4 hour 4x4 jeep safari with a Bedouin guide (arrange on arrival at the visitor centre or pre-book online, roughly £35–55, plus the reserve entry fee). Route usually takes in Lawrence's Spring, the Khazali Canyon petroglyphs and the big dunes and rock bridges. Afterwards continue north — either via a Bedouin camp stay if you'd rather slow down, or by shared taxi/bus to Madaba to see the Byzantine St George's Church mosaic map, then on to Amman for the night.

🚌Shared taxi Wadi Rum (~£10); jeep safari with guide; shared taxi/bus Wadi Rum–Madaba–Amman (~£12)

🛏Budget hotel or guesthouse, Amman (or Bedouin camp in Wadi Rum if you stay the night)

• →Wadi Rum 4x4 jeep safari
• →Lawrence's Spring
• →Khazali Canyon rock inscriptions
• →Madaba St George's Church mosaic map

Depending on your flight you can either fly home from Amman (Queen Alia) or retrace the land crossing to Tel Aviv. If returning via Israel, take the early shared taxi/bus to the Sheikh Hussein Bridge, cross and connect by bus to Tel Aviv and Ben Gurion Airport — leave the whole morning free, borders can be slow. If you flew into TLV and out of Amman, simply relax with a last Jordanian breakfast and head to Queen Alia. Either way, use a final day to post photos, swap contacts with anyone you met, and tally up what you saved versus the guided coach tour.

🚌Shared taxi Amman–Sheikh Hussein Bridge (~£8) + border crossing/bus to Tel Aviv (~£15); or local transfer to Queen Alia Airport (~£8)

🛏—

• →Last breakfast in Amman
• →Border crossing back to Israel (or depart from Amman)
• →Transfer to Ben Gurion or Queen Alia airport