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Israel Hotels
Accommodation & Lodging
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Car
Rental
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Tours and City
Breaks
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Daily
Excursions
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THE SUN ALMOST
ALWAYS SHINES…
April
through October are rainless, June to August are hot summer months. November to March are winter months
with cooler temperatures and rain although interspersed with many sunny
days. Approximate average
Temperatures are:
|
|
JERUSALEM |
TEL AVIV |
EILAT |
|
JANUARY |
5º to 12º C |
11º to 20º C |
11º to 23º C |
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41º to 54º F |
52º to 69º F |
52º to 73º F |
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AUGUST |
19º to 28º C |
22º to 30º C |
20º to 39º C |
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64º to 82º F |
72º to 86º F |
68º to 102º F |
DISTANCES ARE
SHORT…
Israel is a small country. The three basic major centers: Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Haifa can easily be reached on leisure touring
days without changing hotels, this being particularly important for short
visits. Modern air-conditioned
touring buses, minibuses and limousines are available to ensure speedy and
comfortable transportation.
Drivers and guides are knowledgeable and experienced.
Public transport is excellent. Taxis are easily found.
CLOTHING…
As a
rule, dress in Israel is extremely informal, so casual for daytime, informal
for evenings. Bring lightweight clothing,
head covering, comfortable walking shoes, swimwear. Modest attire for visits to religious sites is
required. In Jerusalem or other
hilly areas, a light jacket is recommended.
SHOPPING…
In Israel’s major cities, shops
are usually open from 9 am until at least 7 pm from Sunday through
Thursday. The afternoon break or
siesta between 1 pm and 4 pm is rapidly becoming a thing of the past. More and more shopping malls are being
built around the country, offering even more flexible hours and a cool, air
conditioned environment in which to browse items such as leather, gold, jewelry
and diamonds (Israel is the No. 1 exporter of diamonds). On Fridays, shops usually close between
2 pm – 3:30 pm and most Jewish establishments do not open on Saturdays.
BANKING AND
CURRENCY…
Banks are open every morning from 8:30 am – 12:30 pm. Some Commercial and Tourist branches
are open until 2 pm, and most banks offer afternoon banking hours from 4 pm – 6
pm two days a week (varying according to the bank). All banks are closed on Saturdays and Jewish Holidays, but
most have automatic tellers accepting most major international credit cards,
against which cash may be withdrawn.
The unit of currency is the New Israeli Shekel (NIS) usually
referred to as “shekels” and come in a variety of denominations. Each shekel consists of 100
Agoroth.
CREDIT CARDS…
Most
hotels, businesses and restaurants honor all major world credit cards.
VALUE ADDED TAX
(VAT)…
VAT exemption or refund generally applies to goods and
services paid by tourists in foreign currency. VAT is refunded on purchased provided that receipts and
refund form are presented with the merchandise at the airport bank.
TIME…
Israel’s
standard time is two hours ahead of GMT, one hour ahead of mid-European time, and
seven hours ahead of USA Eastern Standard Time.
ELECTRICITY…
Power
supply is 220 volt, AC 50 cycles, although most major Hotels usually offer a
built-in 110 volt electric razor transformer.
LANGUAGES…
Although Hebrew and Arabic are
Israel’s official languages, just standing at a street corner can be an
experience: Passers-by conversing
in Hebrew, Arabic, French, Russian, German, Spanish, Portuguese, Romanian,
Hungarian, Italian and English – Israel’s adopted second language, spoken so
extensively that even street signs are also in English.
CUISINE…
Due to the cosmopolitan composition of its population,
cuisine in Israel is equally varied and restaurants may be found offering
delicacies from all over the world.
Based on traditional Jewish dietary law, Kosher cuisine, or
“Kashrut”, is observed in almost all hotels and many restaurants.
EASY TO GET TO…
Israel is extremely accessible from almost anywhere in the
world, with daily direct flight operating from Europe, North America and many
destinations in Africa, Asia and the Far East.
Many Cruise ships touring the Mediterranean offer Israel as
one of the ports of call (Haifa or Ashdod) and there are also regular sailings
of ferries to these ports from Greece, Cyprus and beyond.
Overland travel from Egypt or Jordan is also an option.
PASSPORT
REQUIREMENTS…
In
most cases, visitors from North America and Western European countries will be
granted a visa automatically upon arrival. For specific details, check with the local Israeli embassy
or consulate. For visitors who so
request, the visa may be stamped not in the passport but issued on a separate
document.
TIPPING…
Tipping
is fairly standard in Israel. Some
restaurants add the service charge to the bill – if not, a tip is
expected. 10 % is the norm.
Usually
one tips tour guides and bus drivers, unless otherwise directed by the Tour
Leader or Travel Agent.
DISTANCES…
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FROM TO |
JERUSALEM |
TEL AVIV |
HAIFA |
TIBERIAS |
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|
Kms. |
Miles |
Kms. |
Miles |
Kms. |
Miles |
Kms. |
Miles |
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JERUSALEM |
- |
- |
62 |
39 |
159 |
99 |
157 |
97 |
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TEL
AVIV |
62 |
39 |
- |
- |
95 |
59 |
132 |
82 |
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HAIFA |
159 |
99 |
95 |
56 |
- |
- |
69 |
43 |
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TIBERIAS |
157 |
97 |
132 |
82 |
69 |
43 |
- |
- |
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BEERSHEVA |
84 |
52 |
113 |
70 |
210 |
130 |
236 |
147 |
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AKKO |
181 |
112 |
117 |
73 |
22 |
14 |
56 |
35 |
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ARAD |
104 |
65 |
158 |
98 |
255 |
158 |
232 |
144 |
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ASHKELON |
73 |
45 |
63 |
39 |
160 |
99 |
197 |
122 |
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BANIAS |
227 |
141 |
202 |
125 |
126 |
78 |
70 |
43 |
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DEAD
SEA |
127 |
79 |
189 |
117 |
248 |
154 |
218 |
135 |
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EILAT |
312 |
194 |
354 |
220 |
451 |
280 |
403 |
250 |
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JERICHO |
39 |
24 |
101 |
63 |
148 |
92 |
118 |
73 |
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MITZPE
RAMON |
167 |
104 |
196 |
122 |
293 |
182 |
319 |
198 |
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NAZARETH |
157 |
97 |
102 |
63 |
35 |
22 |
29 |
18 |
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NETANYA |
93 |
58 |
29 |
18 |
66 |
41 |
103 |
64 |
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REHOVOT |
53 |
33 |
24 |
15 |
121 |
75 |
158 |
98 |
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ROSH
HANIKRA |
201 |
125 |
137 |
85 |
42 |
26 |
76 |
47 |
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SAFED |
192 |
120 |
168 |
104 |
72 |
45 |
36 |
22 |
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ZICHRON
YAACOV |
121 |
75 |
69 |
43 |
38 |
24 |
78 |
48 |