American and Canadian citizens and most western countries need only a passport when visiting Israel. Your passport must be valid for a minimum of 6 months from the date you enter Israel. Additional information can be found at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. You can also see the Tourist Visa Table provided by the Ministry.
The short answer is Yes! millions of visitors travel to Israel each year, amazed and inspired, in fact its far safer to visit Israel then any major city in the US. When visiting take the usual tourist precautions; don’t leave personal items unattended, use the safe deposit box at your hotels, be more mindful where you go at night, travel in groups and accompanied when possible.
If you are interested in traveling to areas under the Palestinian authority such as Bethlehem. You’ll need to carry your passport for exit and entering back to Israel. Crossing from Jerusalem to Bethlehem is direct, easy and no prior authorization is required. Hundreds of tourists make the crossing every day. As always, it’s important to consider the political situation before entering the Palestinian Authority. For more information about visiting areas outside the Israeli responsibility please contact the IDF Public Relations office
What if there is political instability in the area what is the refund policy if my tour is canceled?
We have never had a tour cancellation in Israel. Even at times of heighten political conflict the holy sites visited on our tours tend to be away from areas of protest or trouble. The only cancellation for political instability we ever had was in Egypt several years ago. Tour guests opted for doing Israel/Jordan portion of the tour. The following are cancellation options on our Land Tours:
At time of purchase we strongly recommend the purchase of optional travel insurance that can cover any cancellation fees incurred.
- Postpone trip to a future date within one year of confirmed travel date.
- Total trip cancellation: total refund of land price less 4% credit card refund processing fee (if paid with credit card) to cover bank fees incurred. 100% refund if paid with cash/check.
- While traveling if a specific day tour is canceled due to security concerns, it is replaced with an alternate tour for the day. No refund would apply.
At time of purchase we strongly recommend the purchase of optional travel insurance that can cover any cancellation fees incurred.
With years of experience of knowing when is the best time to visit Israel we have scheduled our tour departure dates for the best available periods. We normally have few if any tour departures in September or October (depending on month it falls in the year) due to the Jewish Holiday's with limited hotel availability, and higher airfare rates. Besides Jewish Holiday season we recommend tours to the Holy Land year-round. Israel is also considered a year-round destination due to it's climate. The country is privileged with long warm, dry summers, and mild winters, and cooler weather in the hill regions like Jerusalem.
Average monthly temperatures:
Low / High |
Precip |
|
| January | 42° / 60° | 18% |
| February | 42° / 62° | 19% |
| March | 45° / 67° | 13% |
| April | 51° / 76° | 5% |
| May | 56° / 83° | 1% |
| June | 62° / 87° | 0% |
Low / High |
Precip |
|
| July | 66° / 90° | 0% |
| August | 66° / 89° | 0% |
| September | 63° / 87° | 0% |
| October | 59° / 82° | 3% |
| November | 51° / 73° | 17% |
| December | 44° / 63° | 0% |
We offer small intimate private group tours of no more than 44 guests with an average of approximately 20 guests per tour departure.
One of the spiritual highlights when visiting the Holy Land is visiting the baptismal site of Yardenit in the Jordan River. If you wish to enter and submerge into the water all that is required is to rent a locker for your things and white robe paid directly to the site custodian, the Kibbutz Kenneret.
Yes, many of our clients have made life-long-friends during our tours and you’ll experience Israel in a group setting. Single travelers pay the single rate for the hotel accommodations. Please note we do not find another passenger to share a room.
We have visitors from all over the world, call toll free US/CAN 800 933 4421 or 323 655 6121 for international calls to find best available flights (rates, seats, departures, connections). Let us help you find the perfect flights for your trip. Note our listed website prices do not include airfare. Some of our tour participants like to make their own travel arrangements for using personal mileage points or other reasons. When this is done we coordinate all transfers based on your flight schedules.
For Summer, lightweight T shirts, sleeveless shirts, shorts, and a bathing suit are recommended. Pack a sweater or a jacket for nights in the mountains or the desert. In Winter, bring long sleeve shirts, sweaters and a scarf, gloves, a warm coat, and a raincoat and an umbrella. Some religious sites require long pants for men and clothing that covers the shoulders and knees for women. Israel escorted tours require a lot of walking therefore bring comfortable shoes and sun protection including a hat, sun screen lotion, and sunglasses. You can also bring a backpack to help you carry day-to-day touring items you may need including bottled water and sun protection already mentioned.
While all transportation is included during our scheduled itineraries including transfers on arrival and departure. For those wanting to tour on leisure on their own, Israel has an exceptional system of highways, buses, trains and domestic flights.
Buses – The most popular form of transportation in Israel, you can purchase tickets at any city’s central bus station or from the driver. Please note that most buses don’t operate in Israel on Saturdays (Shabbat).
Train – The Israel Railways is an affordable easy way to travel between major cities in Israel. Please note that the trains don’t operate in Israel on Saturdays (Shabbat). For train schedules and fares, please visit the Israel Railways website.
Private Taxi – a more expensive option, taxis can be flagged down or ordered by phone almost anywhere, and they’ll take you around town or between cities.
Rent a car – International car rental chains have offices in Israel, and there are multiple Israel-based car rental companies. You can rent a car in all of Israel’s major cities and at Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv however it’s recommended to reserve a car before arrival.
Where can I find information about accessibility?
Considerable efforts and resources have been invested in Israel to enable disabled persons to access any destination and to receive service equal to that received by the rest of the public.
To download the accessible Israel booklet, click here.
To download the old city Jerusalem accessible tour booklet, click here.
Considerable efforts and resources have been invested in Israel to enable disabled persons to access any destination and to receive service equal to that received by the rest of the public.
To download the accessible Israel booklet, click here.
To download the old city Jerusalem accessible tour booklet, click here.
Besides having a fully escorted tour with our expert guides being able to help most situations, you’ll be provided with a 24-hour local contact numbers as well as a contact number in the United States.
Please consider travel insurance (including medical coverage) is highly recommended for all foreign travel. Israel is a modern country with excellent healthcare and has the world’s highest number of doctors per capita. No vaccinations are required (unless you recently traveled to an area where there are epidemics of yellow fever, cholera or ebola). You can find most standard over-the-counter drugs in Israel that are equivalent to the ones you find in North America. You can also bring supplies of your prescription drugs with you (If you need to bring syringes and vials of medicine, bring along a letter from your doctor attesting to your needs in case it’s needed).
Tap water in Israel is safe and delicious. You’ll also find bottle water everywhere. Some areas of Israel are very dry and hot, therefore it’s important to drink plenty of water and stay hydrated.
Tel Aviv to Jerusalem 37 miles, 50 minutes
Tel Aviv to Masada 63 miles, 90 minutes
Tel Aviv to Galilee/Tiberias 81 miles, 100 minutes
Tel Aviv to Haifa 90 miles, 70 minutes
Jerusalem to Tiberias 109 miles, 120 minutes
Jerusalem to Masada 56 miles, 90 minutes
Tel Aviv to Masada 63 miles, 90 minutes
Tel Aviv to Galilee/Tiberias 81 miles, 100 minutes
Tel Aviv to Haifa 90 miles, 70 minutes
Jerusalem to Tiberias 109 miles, 120 minutes
Jerusalem to Masada 56 miles, 90 minutes
The Shekel; it’s abbreviated as NIS (New Israeli Shekel). We advice for you to check the exchange rate prior and or during your trip. You can use your ATM card to obtain Shekels at ATM’s throughout Israel. You can also use American Express, MasterCard and Visa cards at most Israeli hotels, restaurants and stores.
Most hotels in Israel offer Wi-Fi for guests for free and or customary price. Many cafes and restaurants provide complementary Wi-Fi service. Tel Aviv offers a citywide free Wi-Fi network which provides more then 80 free Internet “hot spots” across the city. For cellular phones if you have an international plan, your cell phone may work in Israel, please check with your local provider. There are also many options to rent a cell phone rental when you arrive at any time during your visit. There are also some hotels such as the Leonardo hotels which offer free international calling. The country code to dial to Israel is + 972.
Hebrew and Arabic are the Israeli official languages, however many also speaks English. You’ll even find many street signs written in English so if all you know in Hebrew is “Shalom” for hello & goodbye, don’t be afraid to travel to Israel. You’ll get along just fine.
No problem! like many countries in Europe, Israel no longer stamps visitors’ passports, therefore your passport will not indicate you visited Israel.