Do I NEED a tour guide in Israel?
Nothing in Israel is as simple as a Yes or No, and this is no exception.
It all depends on HOW you like to travel.
If you’re an explore every single alleyway, do a lot of window shopping, and relax by the beach half the day sort of traveler, maybe a tour guide is NOT the best option for you. At least, not for the entirety of your trip. In Israel, there are so many different ways to hire a guide, that you might be able to benefit from one, even if its just for a few hours when you arrive to a new city/area, and then continue the rest of your exploration on your own.
However, if you like to see and do as much as possible, and experience the widest variety of Israel possible while you’re here, then a tour guide would be a good way to go in order to optimize your tour.
Hiring a tour guide gives added value to the tour. You gain a deeper understanding of the places you’re visiting. And the guide also manages the timing and structure of the days to make sure you’re getting the most out of your trip.
So What Are My Options?
Short Introductory Tours
I think everyone needs a guide when they arrive in a foreign country. I found it to be really helpful in gaining my bearings when I’m in a new place.
Tour guide options range from an hour or a few hours for an introductory tour to the city that you’ve arrived in to help you get oriented, and then explore the rest of the time on your own. Most of the time these sorts of tours come in FREE versions, such as the Sandemans tours in Jaffa and Jerusalem, though you can definitely also hire a private guide to show you and only you around instead of joining a relatively large group for free.
Some things to think about when booking a free tour:
- It’s not actually free. It’s tip based. I’m not sure how other companies work, but in Sandemans the guide pays the company per person on their tour. Yes, the guide pays your participation fee. That’s why it’s free. And that’s why leaving a tip at the end is so important. I’m not sure how much the guides need to pay now, but when I was working as a guide there (in 2015-2016) it was about 15 NIS per person.
- When I was working at Sandemans, our recommended/suggested tip rate was 50 NIS per person. If you enjoyed the tour and feel you can afford this, please leave a decent tip for the guide. This is their salary.
Day Tours
If you think maybe you’ll need a tour guide here in Israel for a little longer than a few hours, then taking a day tour might be a good option for you. It’s a great way to see sites that are outside of city you’re staying in. Especially since getting anywhere that isn’t a big city by public transportation is difficult, to say the least. And a lot of people are weary of renting cards in foreign countries. If this describes you, then day tours might be a good option. This allows you to explore the major cities on your own, and have a tour of the places that are more difficult to get to.
The two largest day tour companies are Bein Harim and Rent-A-Guide. Though Rent-A-Guides website is down for construction right now (now being the 6th of June 2020).
Some things to consider when booking a day tour:
- Your pick up time is approximate. It’s important to be ready on time, but don’t be surprised if you’re picked up even half an hour later than you’re originally told in some instances. Both Bein Harim and Rent-A-Guide pick up from multiple hotels, and tell everyone to be ready at the same time since the pick up schedule is determined the night before. This is done to make pick up as efficient as possible, but it’s too late to tell you at what time you should actually expect to be picked up. Feel free to call the company if you are worried you were forgotten. They will talk to the guide and/or driver that’s supposed to pick you up and find out what the ETA is.
- Time for shopping is built into the tours. So if you’re not interested in shopping, know that you’re going to have some downtime during your day.
- Both companies offer package tours, meaning tours for multiple days. But it will likely be a different guide each day depending on which guides are free and what tour they’re assigned to.
Abraham Tours is also a good option. I know less about the way they function as a company, but I’ve heard good things about them. They operate in conjunction with a chain of hostels which are worth checking out if you’re touring on a budget.
Hiring a Private Guide for a Day
Of course, hiring a private guide is always an option here as well. And again, this is the best option if you want the tour tailored specifically to you and your interests and needs. Your interest level at any particular site will determine how long you’ll be there. If you want time for shopping you’ll get it if you ask for it. But if you’re not interested then you don’t need to waste your time while the rest of the group shops if it’s not what you’re into. And the itinerary is flexible.
On a day tour, or any tour really, the itinerary is set and there’s no straying from it. This is what was promised to everyone that signed up. So that is what they’re going to get, even if they’ve realized that site X is not really something they’re interested in. On the other hand, when you’re with a private guide if you’re at site X and it’s not what you’d anticipated or expected, that’s fine, it’s your tour, let’s go somewhere else.
An Organized Tour
When I say organized tour I mean a tour that is longer than a day with the same guide. You can sign up for these types of tours either through your church or synagogue, or there are different companies that you can sign up through. There is a wide variety of trips to choose from. You can choose based on time spent in Israel. Or by the religious affiliation of the trip. You can also go through the itineraries and see which one interests you the most.
These tours generally include accommodations in the trip package, and some include airfare as well.
In these tours, you’ll have the same tour guide for the entire duration of your trip, barring unforseen circumstances.
Some things to be aware of:
- When looking into the pricing of the tour, don’t be alarmed by how much it costs. Read the fine print! They usually include hotels, meals (though not ALL), and the cost of the tour itself. Break it down and compare it to how much you think you’ll spend on each of these things separately if you’ll be traveling on your own and see which one comes out better for you.
- Please note that the people on your tour will be the same people for the entire duration of the tour. If you’re a people person and make friends easily, this is fantastic. You’ll have a bunch of new friends by the end of your journey. If you’re less extroverted, and prefer fewer people, make sure you check how many people can register for the tour and make sure it’s a good fit for you.
- Speaking of people…if you don’t like the people, too bad. You’re stuck with them.
- Similar to the Day Tours, there’s no straying from the itinerary. That’s what was promised to everyone who signed up, and that’s what they’re going to get. Whether they end up liking it or not.
Hiring a Private Guide for Multiple Days
Most tour guides will gladly guide you for as little or as long of a time as you’d like. The longest tour I’ve ever guided was 3 weeks, though that’s considered to be long here in Israel. Most organized tours of this nature range around a week or two. If you want more information on deciding how long you need in Israel, check out this post. And if you’re not sure when is the best time to come, I’ve got a post about that, too.
Many private guides also have the ability to serve as a driver for a small number of people.
For instance, I’m willing to drive up to a 7-seater. This means that I can take another 7 passangers with me, as long as they’ve packed light. Other guides drive 11 seaters, or even 16 seaters. This will potentially save you a lot of money, especially if you’re going to be traveling through the entire country and need to provide lodging for the tour guide and driver. If it’s one person, that’s one less hotel room you need to pay for.
Same as I said in the Day Tours section, one of the major benefits of a private guide is the flexibility that comes with it. If you decide that tomorrow you want to do something completely different than what’s written on the itinerary, fantastic. It’s possible. And it’s one of the things that make the trip worthwhile.
A Few Words about Cost
Another thing to consider is the cost of hiring a tour guide in Israel, no matter which of the options you choose. And sometimes this will dictate the answer to the question. If your budget doesn’t allow it, then no matter how much you WANT a private tour of Israel, it’s unlikely that it will happen.
The shorter the tour, the less it will cost, generally speaking. With a private guide being the most expensive from all the options. Assuming that you’re 1-2 people traveling. If you’re a larger group, it just might be more cost-effective to go with a private guide, so make sure to do thorough comparisons.
Last Words About Hiring a Private Guide
If you decide you need a private tour guide while in Israel, hiring a guide can be done in two ways.
The first – through a travel agency. Each agency has it’s guides that they work with. The agency will help you build the itinerary, do all of the bookings for you, and connect you with a guide who will do the guiding. If you know of a guide you’d like to guide you, then talk to the agency before you begin the process with them to make sure that they work with the guide you want.
The second – through the guide directly. Some guides will provide all the services a travel agency will. And others will build your itinerary with you and function as the guide, but leave the bookings and the other details to a travel agency that they like to work with.
These are all great ways to get the customized tour that you’ve been dreaming of.
Conclusions
So do you need a tour guide when you’re visiting Israel?
Hopefully this post has helped you decide! Let me know in the comments.