Middle East - Anthony Ham [247]
Scots Hotel ( 671 0710; www.scotshotels.co.il; 1 Gdud Barak St; s/d from US$320/400; ) If it’s splashing out as well as splashing around that you’re intending to do on the shores of the Sea of Galilee, check right into the 19th-century Scots Hotel, a delight of dazzling gardens, high ceilings, fine food and little modern luxuries. The pricier ‘antique’ rooms are especially special. Mobile phones aren’t allowed in the hotel’s public areas, a perfect place for celluphobes.
Eating
Decks ( 672 1538; Lido Kinneret Beach; mains 80-170NIS; lunch Sun-Fri, dinner Sat-Thu) Vegans and stoics beware, this local legend is the place to find char-grilled everything that once mooed, baaed, clucked or honked. The steaks are massive and juicy; the accompanying veggies locally grown and tender. Leave a bit of room, if you can, for dessert, a little bit of sin in an otherwise saintly region.
Yemenite Restaurant (Midrahov; mains from 25NIS; lunch Mon-Fri, dinner Sat-Thu)Perch on your plastic chair for a portion or two of deliciously oily Yemenite food. Many dishes are a variation on a pastry theme, served with strained tomatoes, boiled egg and spicy zhug (chilli relish). Try the malawach, a flat, round pastry pancake, with cheese and olives.
Pagoda ( 672 5513; Gdud Barak St; mains from 70NIS; lunch & dinner Sun-Thu) You know it’s probably not all that ‘authentic’ when sashimi and sweet and sour appear on the same menu, but Pagoda remains a perennial favourite for its broad (though sometimes bland) interpretation of all things Asian. Don’t worry about trying to find it, there aren’t all that many faux-Chinese temples in town.
For good value, quick sit-down dining options, try the cafés at the top end of the midrahov (pedestrian mall). A long line of felafel stalls (HaYarden St; portions around 5NIS; 9am-7pm Sun-Thu, 9am-2pm Fri) runs along HaYarden St toward the bus station.
Entertainment
The cafés and bars around the midrahov attract crowds on weekend evenings, especially in summer.
Big Ben (Midrahov; noon-late)Long popular with tourists, this easygoing bar is a good place to glug on a pint while taking in the match on the outdoor screen.
Papaya (Promenade; 5pm-late) Killer cocktails at this popular little waterfront bar, a decent destination for a sundowner or, should you be so inclined, a spot of karaoke on one of its weekly theme nights.
Getting There & Away
Egged ( 672 9222) buses 830, 835 and 841 depart for Tel Aviv (42NIS, 2½ hours, hourly) and bus 962 for Jerusalem (42NIS, three hours, every two hours) from the central bus station (just off HaShiloah St). There are also several daily (except Saturday) services to Haifa (Bus No 40, 35NIS, 1½ hours), Nazareth (21.50NIS, 45 minutes) and Tsfat (20NIS, one hour).
Outside the bus station, sheruts leave throughout the day, mostly to Tel Aviv (35NIS, two hours) and occasionally Haifa (20NIS, one hour). Sheruts also line up outside the Mizrahi Bank on HaBanim St.
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SEA OF GALILEE
Around 21km long and 55km in circumference, the Sea of Galilee (Kinneret in Hebrew), fed by the Jordan River, is a broad expanse of blue, cooled by balmy breezes. Though parts, especially around Tiberias and the southern coast, have been marred by modern development, the northern shores still hold the allure they must have done when the preaching Jesus gathered followers here to work a few nifty miracles. Base yourself in Tiberias and explore by bike, or camp at a laid-back site on the calm northeastern shores. The tourist office in Tiberias (Click here) can provide maps and advice.
Western Shore
Migdal, 6km north of Tiberias, is said to have been the birthplace of Mary Magdalene. The connection is commemorated with a tiny white-domed shrine, overgrown with vegetation, near Restal Beach.