By Ryan Jones
- What you need
- What you don’t need
- Keeping in touch
- Weather in Israel
- Getting around
- Security procedures in Israel
- Dress codes
- Electrical appliances
- Shabbat in Israel
- Kosher food
- Insurance
- Shopping
- Ideas for your free time
First and foremost, of course, make sure you bring along a Bible, preferably one you can easily carry throughout your tour. Having a Bible handy to look up references to the various sites in you will visit in Israel will abundantly enhance the experience.
Very important: don’t forget your passport. It is advisable, and actually a legal requirement, that you keep this basic identity document on you at all times during your visit to Israel.
Be sure to bring a camera and plenty of film. The landscapes, skylines and sites themselves are breathtaking, and you will surely want to have lasting memories of these.
As for clothing, you will need cooler clothing for the day (except for during the winter months – late October to April) and warmer clothes for the evening, even during the summer. Don’t forget a swimsuit. It is important that you carry a hat along to offer some protection from the daytime heat.
You will find a sturdy pair of walking shoes (either hiking boots or sports shoes) worth their weight in gold, as the many hours of walking the land will take a real toll on your feet.
Visitors from the US, Canada, most European countries, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa do not need a visa to visit Israel. Just be sure to have a valid passport ready and you will receive a visitors stamp upon arrival in Tel Aviv.
Visitors from the US and Canada do not need any vaccinations before visiting Israel.
You do not need to worry about drinking water or eating fresh produce in Israel. Israel’s drinking water is safe throughout the country and the fresh produce is some of the best in the world. For those who prefer to be extra-careful, however, bottled mineral water is in abundant supply.
As for money, there is no need to worry about obtaining travelers checks or foreign currency before departing for your trip. There are ATM machines throughout Israel that will accept your foreign ATM cards and provide you with Israeli shekels at the best possible exchange rate. If you do bring foreign currency or travelers checks, there are numerous money changers throughout Israel that will change your currency into shekels at a very fair rate.
To call Israel from North America simply dial 011-972 and then the phone number in Israel, omitting the initial zero.
To make a call abroad from Israel you have a few of options. AT&T, MCI and Sprint all have toll-free access numbers in Israel. From a public phone you can dial 012, 013 or 014 for overseas access and then continue with your country code, area code and phone number.
Another popular option for calling home is to buy an Israeli phone card (all public phones in Israel are operated with magnetic cards which are sold at numerous stores as well as your hotel) which will provide you with 10-60 minutes of phone time depending on how many units you purchase.
Cell phones are very convenient and easy to rent in Israel. The simplest way is to rent a phone from the airport upon arrival and return it upon departure; advanced reservations are not necessary.
You will have easy Online access in Israel using either your personal laptop or by visiting one of the many Internet cafes or public Internet outlets throughout the country.
Israel’s Mediterranean climate is similar to that of Southern California, with summer heat and sunshine, breezy, cooler nights, and coastal winds in the winter.
From late March to September, it seldom rains. The sun will shine during the summer almost constantly. In the early spring, from late February to March, the entire country will seem to turn green from the winter rains, and wildflowers will bloom profusely in the Galilee and Golan regions. The heat will gradually increase, reaching it’s peak in July and August. During the summers the only relatively cool areas will be in Jerusalem and the far north Galilee and mountain regions. By May, the landscape is usually dry and brown. In September, the temperatures will begin to fall.
Winter in Israel starts in October, when occasional rain showers occur. There will be periodic heavy rainfalls from November to March. There usually isn’t much snow except in the Golan Heights on Mount Hermon, although on occasion snow does fall in Jerusalem, in the Upper Galilee and even on the Negev mountains.
| Tsefat (Safed) |
Haifa | Tel Aviv | Jerusalem | Beersheva (Beersheba) |
Eilat | ||
| January | °F | 31-48 | 48-59 | 48-63 | 43-52 | 43-61 | 48-70 |
| °C | 4-9 | 9-15 | 9-17 | 6-11 | 6-16 | 9-21 | |
| August | °F | 64-84 | 72-97 | 72-84 | 66-82 | 66-91 | 77-104 |
| °C | 18-29 | 22-28 | 22-29 | 19-28 | 19-33 | 25-39 | |
If you are planning on doing some traveling on your own, Israel’s public transportation services are top notch. Public buses are available for inner-city and inter-city travel, and taxi cars and minibuses abound. If you are in Jerusalem, most of the major sites are within walking distance of the hotels.
While Israeli security personnel do their best to make this side of life as unintrusive as possible, this is the Middle East and security is tighter than you may be used to. This is particularly true at the airport. It is a good idea to arrive at the airport at least 2 hours in advance for departing flights.
In addition, you will usually be quickly checked for any weapons at the entrance of shopping malls, banks, post offices, etc. It helps to remember that the security agents are there for your protection, and aim to stop anyone with evil intent from harming you and other innocent civilians. Always be cooperative and polite, answering any questions as simply as possible.
A number of Christian and Jewish sites in Israel require men and women to abide by a simple dress code. Men are required to wear a head covering at all Jewish holy sites as well as have their knees covered.
Women are required to dress modestly at both Christian and Jewish holy sites. Women should make sure their shoulders and knees are covered.
The electrical current in Israel is 220 volts AC, single phase, 50 Hertz. Most Israeli sockets are three-pronged. Some hotels provide hair dryers and all hotels have sockets for US shavers. Other appliances require a converter or transformer made for the Middle East, and these can be purchased at most luggage stores in North American and Europe or most hardware stores in Israel.
In the Bible, God commanded the seventh day to be one of rest. For Orthodox Jews this means: no fires are lit, no man or animal can work, no machine can operate, no one travels or handles money, no business is transacted.
By about 3 PM on Friday afternoons, most shops will be closed for the day. Public transportation (except for taxis) will cease to run a little before nightfall. Most people will be going home to prepare for the shabbat before the sun goes down.
On Saturday (shabbat), almost all the shops in Israel will be closed, except for a few small restaurants and Arab or Christian businesses in the Old City of Jerusalem. Traffic in Israel is very light on shabbat, creating a peaceful atmosphere for a stroll or picnic.
Shabbat ends at sundown on Saturday and many people will be out in the streets, shopping and dining.
If you are not familiar with kosher food, the most obvious thing you will notice is the lack of pork and the rules against serving meat and milk in the same meal.
According to the regulations, only peaceful animals that chew their cud and have cleft hooves and birds that do not eat carrion can be used for food. They must also be killed instantly according to methods supervised by religious authorities. If an animal has died in pain, or with disease, it is not considered kosher. Only fish with scales and fins can be eaten, so no shellfish or porpoise (“dolphin”).
Kosher restaurants that serve milk will not serve any foods containing meat or poultry, but will serve fish. In restaurants that serve meat, you will only be able to get non-dairy creamers for your coffee.
US medical insurance is not always valid outside the United States. Medicare/Medicaid does not provide for payment of services outside the US. Check with your own insurance company to confirm whether your policy applies overseas, including a provision for medical evacuation. Find out whether payment will be made to the overseas health care provider or whether you will be reimbursed later for expenses that you incur.
As for luggage insurance, most homeowners’ insurance policies will cover theft of luggage during foreign travel and loss of your documents. The coverage may be limited to $500. Special travel insurance is usually offered to tour groups.
There are many wonderful gift and souvenir shops in Israel. You can purchase items such as archaeological finds, olive wood products, toys, diamonds from one of Israel’s diamond factories, Dead Sea products, beads, jewelry, art objects and more.
Be cautious when buying from merchants at some of the Jerusalem Old City bazaars. They may not guarantee their work, you will get what you pay for. This is especially important when buying jewelry. Something we are forced to mention is that there are Arab merchants who financially support the PLO and some of Israel’s other enemies. As far as possible you will want to ensure that your money does not find its way into the coffers of any of these murderous groups.
Save your receipts to receive refunds on VAT (Value added tax), which will be refunded at the airport when you leave. Sometimes when paying in US currency, you are exempt from the VAT.
In addition to gift and souvenir shops, modern malls can be found in all Israeli towns and cities offering all of the shopping conveniences of home.
- Explore one of the many museums in the country.
- Have coffee and dessert at a sidewalk cafe.
- Go shopping.
- Visit the Western (Wailing) Wall early in the morning or late at night.
- Visit the archeological excavations at the Southern Wall in Jerusalem’s Old City.
- “People watch” on the the Ben Yehuda Street pedestrian mall in Jerusalem.
- Barter with the merchants in the bazaars.
- Ride the public bus around town for a cheap, sight-seeing tour.
- Attend shabbat service at a synagogue.
- Attend church service at one of the local congregations.
© Israel My Beloved
