גן לאומי בית שאן

I don't know why this site is not on more people's itineraries! It's more impressive than Caesarea in terms of the actual Roman ruins, though of course Caesarea's location on the Mediterranean coast gives it a more spectacular backdrop. Beit She'an is in my opinion the most impressive Roman city in Israel, and is one of the most intact ancient ruins in the world.

The valley it's located in can be very hot, so best to avoid coming in the middle of summer, or at least plan to visit early in the day right when it opens.

Some of the highlights we saw were the ancient toilet room in the bathhouse, where there are long rows of intact stones sticking out of the walls where the ancient Romans would relieve themselves in a communal setting... something I hadn't seen before. Also there are beautiful pink marble columns and a gorgeous theater.

There's also an ancient Tel (hill) that you can climb for a stunning view over the ruined city, and which has its own even more ancient ruins that are much older than the Roman city itself - there are even Egyptian hieroglyphics from the late bronze age from the time Egypt ruled over Canaan. Incredible to think about the layers of time in this spot.