Israel

Jerusalem's Old City covers less than a square kilometre, yet it is holy to Judaism, Christianity and Islam alike: at the Western Wall, believers slip prayer notes into the cracks of the stones; incense curls through the Church of the Holy Sepulchre; and the golden dome of the Dome of the Rock gleams in the sunlight. Tel Aviv is another face entirely — Mediterranean beaches, the White City's Bauhaus architecture, cafés that never sleep and start-up companies. From Friday sunset to Saturday sunset is the Sabbath, when public transport stops and most shops close; Passover, Sukkot and Hanukkah take their turns through the year, and at the Jewish New Year people eat apples dipped in honey, wishing for a sweet year ahead. In the Old City's markets, spices are piled into small mountains, and the scents of pomegranate juice and pita bread rush to meet you.

Israel has a Mediterranean climate. Summer (May–September) is hot and dry, Tel Aviv's beaches are thronged with people, and the Negev desert is unbearably hot by day. Winter (November to March) is mild and rainy, a comfortable season for visiting Jerusalem, Galilee and the Dead Sea, and you can still swim in the Dead Sea and Eilat in winter. In spring (March–April) wildflowers cover the land; this coincides with Passover, when flights and accommodation are at their tightest. In autumn (September–October) the Jewish New Year, Yom Kippur and Sukkot arrive in succession — the richest religious atmosphere of the year, though note that transport and dining are heavily restricted during the Sabbath and the festivals. The Golan Heights occasionally sees snow in winter. Galilee is at its best for hiking and cycling in spring and autumn.

What makes this land unique is its "layered history": beneath every stone in Jerusalem lies another civilisation — the Jewish Temple, a Roman province, Byzantine churches, a Crusader kingdom, Ottoman walls — with religious and national narratives overlapping here. After the state was founded in 1948, Jewish immigrants from more than a hundred countries brought their own languages and cuisines with them, creating the mixed Israeli table: Middle Eastern hummus, Eastern European freshwater fish and Yemenite flatbreads sharing the same spread. The revival of Hebrew is a rare case in the history of the world's languages, while the agricultural technology that made the desert bloom and a national temperament of innovation form the other foundation of modern Israel.

Holy land of three faiths, the Promised Land, start-up nation, the Dead Sea

Jerusalem's Old City, floating in the Dead Sea, Tel Aviv's White City and beaches, sunrise at Masada, the Bahá'í Gardens in Haifa

• Israel tourism board
• Wikipedia: Israel