7 Best Shopping in Around Jerusalem and the Dead Sea, Israel

The Cremisan Monastery was founded by Italian missionaries in a stunning valley on the West Bank–Jerusalem border. Today, it produces wine using indigenous Palestinian grapes. The Hamdani Jandali white blend is crisp and refreshing, and you can taste several whites and reds, along with a distilled arak, at the cellar. Bottles are an excellent value; you can pay with credit cards; and staffers speak English, Arabic, and Italian. If you're visiting in summer, ask about wine festivals hosted on-site.

This gallery is filled with bright and colorful hand-painted wooden dishes, furniture, floor mats and other housewares. The pieces feature geometric designs and Israeli motifs, including pomegranates, grapes, and birds. In addition to shopping for Kakadu art, you can chat with owners Aharon and Reut Shahar while sipping tea or coffee on comfortable couches overlooking the lush Ella Valley. Aharon is a tour guide and can give advice on trails and biking nearby. Workshops, by appointment only, allow visitors of all ages to create their own colorful wooden art pieces. The gallery ships globally.

The Giacaman family has been whittling olive wood into elaborate Nativity scenes and souvenirs for more than 100 years. At this shop and factory, you can get a glimpse at Palestinian craftsmen working away the local wood. Ask to go up to the roof, which has a great view of Manger Square. The shop ships worldwide. Don't forget to bargain.

Unique, handcrafted jewelry by Israeli designers is sold at this establishment just outside the David Dead Sea Resort and Spa. Call for a free shuttle to pick you up.

Local artist Adi Miraro makes gold and silver necklaces, earrings, and other jewelry, often intricately decorated with colorful beads and semiprecious gem stones. Adi, who began making jewelry from string as a young girl, also makes custom-designed items and is usually at the store to help you pick out the perfect gift or treat for yourself.

Three siblings from Moshav Beit Nekofa have turned an old chicken coop into a store selling products from the surrounding countryside and a café serving sandwiches, salads, pasta, and other dishes made with local ingredients. Stop here to buy wine, beer, cheeses, baked goods, jars of honey, and produce from many of the farms in the Judean Hills. Enjoy breakfast, lunch, or dinner, complete with frequent live music performances. Or, pick up lunch or picnic provisions to take to the nearby Ein Hemed or Castel national parks.

Arak means sweat in Arabic, and it is also the word for an alcoholic beverage with an anise flavor that turns milky white if you add water. Nader Muaddi makes his with exceptional care—from harvesting local grapes and crushing them into wine to using a copper still and clay aging casks. Arrange visits in advance, and bring cash for his bottles, which retail at NIS 150. Bring your curiosity, too: Nader is well-versed in the history of alcohol in the Muslim world and loves sharing his knowledge.