Tips on visiting Israel independently

Even though my wife and I are experienced independent travelers, we fully expected to join a group tour for our first visit to Israel in April ’12. But when it came time to select one, we found that most tours were oriented toward a particular religious denomination or had a specific, dominating agenda. We wanted a nondenominational tour that focused on history rather than doctrine.

We also noticed that tours often included Biblical sites whose precise locations aren’t known or are disputed. What’s the point of going to a remote location where something may or may not have happened?

In addition, most were of the “If it’s Tuesday, this must be Belgium” variety, rarely spending more than two nights in the same hotel — ridiculous in a country as small as Israel.

Astonishingly, many tours lingered only one or two days in history-packed Jerusalem while spending as much or more time in Tel Aviv, where people could relax on the beaches. We certainly weren’t going to fly 13 hours to Israel and then limit Jerusalem to a quick glance so we could have more beach time!

Lastly, we noticed that, in Jerusalem, tour groups often were staying in huge, crowded and soulless hotels in a business district within the New City.

We abandoned the group tour idea and traveled on our own. It was the right thing to do, but it wasn’t easy. This was the most challenging of the many trips I’ve planned. My planning challenges and our experiences during the trip indicate that Israel’s tourism industry tends to neglect independent travelers. In Israel, we did encounter several other independent travelers; most hailed from countries other than the US.

Here are my tips and recommendations for planning an independent trip to Israel.

• Use at least one good guidebook, preferably one that provides detailed and practical information rather than lots of glossy pictures. We used Lonely Planet’s “Israel & the Palestinian Territories.”

Check ITN’s website for related articles and advice.

Get advice from your friends who have already visited Israel.

• On this trip, we ended up staying in the midst of Jerusalem’s Old City in a historic hotel, Austrian Hospice of the Holy Family — a terrific experience (see Addison’s letter “Peace in Jerusalem,” Sept. ’12, pg. 29).

• Several companies offer day trips, typically from Jerusalem or Tel Aviv. Like the group tour operators, these have special access to sites such as the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, which is worth paying for.

We used Bein Harim Tourism Services (10 Hazerem St., Tel Aviv, Israel; phone 972 3 5422000, fax 5422001) for a day trip to Masada and the Dead Sea (we paid $107 each for “business class”; they also have a lower-priced tour) and again for a half-day trip to Bethlehem ($70 each). We booked about 3½ months ahead.

We also took a free walking tour of Jerusalem with Sandeman’s New Europe (based in Berlin; phone, in Germany, +49 [0] 30 510 50030, fax +49 [0] 30 690 88035).

• For transportation within Israel, you can rent a car, use their bus system Egged (phone +972 3 694 8888 or, in Israel, *2800), fly (see Addison’s letter “Flying within Israel,” July ’12, pg. 14), take taxis or even hire a car and driver.

We recommend Moshe Barak at Israel Taxi (phone +972 52 2594893). He picked us up at Tel Aviv’s SDE-DOV airport (not TLV) and took us to our hospice in Jerusalem, finding an ATM for us en route. This cost us 380 shekels (near $102).

• Be sure to factor into your plans the Shabbat (one hour before sunset on Friday to one hour after sunset on Saturday) and religious holidays. Outside of more secular cities like Tel Aviv and Eilat, almost everything shuts down then. Do not underestimate this.

• From Israel, consider a side trip to nearby sights of interest in other countries. Petra, Jordan, is the most common additional destination. However, border crossings can be time consuming and tricky (see Addison’s letter “Crossing the Israel/Jordan Border,” Aug. ’12, pg. 10).

STEPHEN O. ADDISON, Jr.
Charlotte, NC