Where to stop in Europe on the way to Israel?

by philg

Folks: When Americans began getting infected with HIV, some perhaps less-than-sensitive pilots wore shirts reading “I’m so old that I remember when sex was safe and flying was dangerous.”

I’m planning to attend a friend’s family event in Israel in July and would like to stop somewhere in Europe on the way there and/or on the way home. However, it does seem to me that “I’m so old that I remember when Europe was safe and Israel was dangerous.” I’m not seriously worried about being killed in Europe, though as a person traveling through the Continent’s airport my statistical risk will be higher than an ordinary citizen’s. However, I am worried that whatever country I choose for a stopover will be shut down following an attack by local Muslims (see this BBC article regarding the Belgians’ difficulties in reopening their international airport).

I’d like to arrive in Israel on July 1 or 2. I want to take a non-stop flight from somewhere in Europe. I want to get to that location, ideally, via a non-stop flight from Boston. It would be fun if it were not one of the countries that I have already visited.

Readers: Ideas?

15 thoughts on “Where to stop in Europe on the way to Israel?”

  2. One to do it is to fly Boston to Zurich and then from there to Israel.
    Zurich is very convenient to have a brief layover if needed.

  4. Moscow? Because of the # of ex-Soviets living in Israel, there are frequent (and cheap – as little as $130 one way) flights. And nowadays Aeroflot flies Western jets and is generally up to American (if not Asian) service standards. Also Moscow is less likely to let something like a Muslim attack shut them down – they are more likely to pretend as if nothing happened.

  6. Google Flights can do searches like that (“show me anywhere in $REGION I can go non-stop from $ORIGIN between $DATES”). Doing that for Europe, BOS, and end of June, there’s already not a lot of options. Cutting where you’ve already been, that leaves Lisbon, Portugal. It has nonstops to TLV, on El Al, but not every day of the week – Jun 30 or Jul 3. If you’re looking for something a little more exotic, there are nonstops from BOS to Reykjavik or Ponta Delgada.

  7. Seeing as it is july, Northern Europe is accessible. Limiting it to airports served by El Al
    http://www.airlineroutemaps.com/maps/El_Al_europe
    (there are some mistakes on the map, but I’ll pretend it current, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_Al_destinations#List is probably more correct)

    What about St. Petersburg? Beautiful museum, affordable. Lots of historical sites.

    The Alps are pretty terrific too. You could spend some days relaxing at a Italian wine farm. Excellent food, wine, sunshine and air (but get at least 100 kilometers away from Rome or Milan).
    Capri and Sardinia are wonderful as well.

    Eastern Europe can be punishingly hot in the high summer.

    Barcelona is slightly chaotic in the summer but fairly close to the sea and the mountains.

  8. For pure safety and ease of travel, then it would be Zurich. Because it’s neutral and controls its own borders, the risk is probably lower.

    But honestly, in your case, given your list, I would go to St. Petersburg Russia since it would be a new experience for you. And you have russian speakers with you. And the weather is great that time of year. St. Petersburg is beautiful and much nicer than Moscow. And cheaper.

  9. Think about Warsaw in Poland. No direct flights from Boston but still safe country and SN interesting city to visit.

  10. I think you should stop at London. It is a great city with plentiful flights. According to your own website you have not been there since the early 80’s! You may find the food much better these days. Although it is worth noting that most people who live in London still have bad teeth. God speed Phil!

  11. Phil – I travelled to Israel last year with a 4 and 8 year old in tow via Moscow and St. Petersburg. Several cheap flight options from US. St. Petersburg is a beautiful place, especially that time of year when it barely gets dark. Very safe and surprisingly welcoming to Americans despite the tension between US and Russia. On the downside, you need to change planes in Moscow to get to St Pete, and an expensive Visa is required thanks to a tit-for tat diplomatic war. Moscow might also be worth a visit.

  12. I have noticed United flights to Tel Aviv from Newark many times, while waiting for my flights to India.

    I preferred non-stop from U.S. to India to avoid stops in Europe due to transit visa requirements (Indian passport) and/or possibility of getting stuck in the international transit area for over 24 hours (few of my friends were stuck) in case of missed connections.

    A connection in Newark should be very easy too – multiple flights per day from Boston. The Tel Aviv flights also had extra security screening in Newark at the gate.

  13. Thanks for the all of the ideas. (Toucan Sam: I have been to London in the intervening years; 1983 was the first year that I went to England.) Now for a crazy question: What about a travel agent to handle buying these tickets? I don’t have the energy to figure out online booking options anymore. Orbitz doesn’t seem to be complete. The airline sites seem to be broken and/or unusable (e.g., they say “no flights available” instead of “we fly between those points only on Saturdays).

    Who has a travel agent that they love? I wouldn’t mind paying $50 extra for a ticket if I didn’t have to deal with these badly coded sites!

  14. Victoria at Galaxy Travel in Brighton, MA
    She is very good and to the point. Lived in Israel, too.

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