Private, custom-built tours of Israel

Israel is one of the most layered countries on earth: history, current affairs, geography, religion, food, even geology, all packed into a space the size of New Jersey/Wales. A licensed private tour guide does three things a guidebook can’t.

The first is synthesising it in real time, matching depth and tone to your interests rather than overwhelming you. The second is saving you hours of time: no getting lost in the alleyways of Jerusalem’s Old City, no queueing in the wrong line, no searching for where to stop for lunch. The third is tailoring the trip to you, with bespoke pacing, the places that you won’t find on social media and the quiet introductions I’ve built up over years of guiding.

And because I live here, I have a good feel for what’s going on. I speak the language and am tapped into local news. Things in Israel can shift quickly: security situations, traffic jams or even the weather! I take care of adapting the day to whatever’s happening on the ground, so you don’t have to.

Israel licenses its tour guides through the Ministry of Tourism, and the qualification is hard-earned: a two-year course of study and field trips covering the history, archaeology, geology and faiths of the country and wide region, followed by intense written and oral exams (my blog began as a diary of that course if you’re interested in learning more). I actually found it more challenging than my Cambridge degree!

It’s technically illegal to do guided tours for payment without the licence and the ministry does have inspectors going around the most popular sites to check this. You also need the licence to get professional insurance.

To be clear, you’re not required to hire a guide to visit Israel or its sites; plenty of people explore on their own. And there are people who do tours without being certified. What the licence tells you is that the person guiding you has been trained and examined to the state’s standard, and that they are eligible for professional insurance (you should still check they have it though).

My licence is #11659, and you can verify it (or any guide’s) in the Ministry’s public registry.

I monitor the security situation continuously and adjust routes as needed; I’ll be candid with you well before you book if a window doesn’t look right. I’m insured, licensed by the Israel Ministry of Tourism and work only with drivers I’ve used many times before.

During more tense periods, I’m in constant contact with the relevant authorities about areas where it isn’t sensible to go, and itineraries are adjusted quietly in the background (although I’ll always be transparent and explain why).

And if it would help reassure you, I’m happy to put you in touch with past clients who travelled with me at times of greater tension. They can tell you what it actually felt like on the ground.

This varies a huge amount depending on what you’re doing. Some guides quote a daily rate, and in the market those run from around $350 to over $1,000 a day, but I don’t think a number like that is actually helpful; so much depends on whether we need transportation, where we’re going, entry fees, the number of people, meals and more.

So instead of throwing out a figure, I’d encourage you to get in touch with some basic details (dates, rough group size, what you have in mind) and I’ll give you a rough estimate as early in the process as I can. I know how important it is to have an idea of pricing before you commit.

My fee covers the planning, guiding, meals, transportation and entrance fees. Accommodation is up to you. I can help you take care of it and have good relationships with hotels; some people prefer to book things themselves.

Both models work and I do both. On city days (e.g. Jerusalem’s Old City, Tel Aviv and Jaffa) we’re usually better off on foot, with taxis or the light rail filling the gaps; a vehicle mostly sits in a car park while we walk and can actually be restrictive as we need to get back to it to continue the tour.

Days in the desert, the Galilee or the Golan need transport, so for those I’ll arrange a licensed touring vehicle with a driver I’ve worked with many times, or I’ll happily join transport you’ve already organised. Some people enjoy self-driving and I’m happy to work with that too!

There are guides who also do the driving. This is a separate qualification and you should check that your guide has the right driving licence or there could be issues with insurance. I have the licence but rarely use it as I don’t think it delivers the best touring experience.

Having a separate driver is not a huge amount more expensive and it gives us full flexibility (for example, we can be dropped on one side of a site, go through it on foot, and be picked up on the other side without having to double back on ourselves). In the hot summer months, I give the driver advance notice of when we’ll be at the car so that the air conditioning is fully working by the time we arrive, and it also means that I can give you and your questions full attention while we’re on the road.

Guide-only days are cheaper; a vehicle gives you full flexibility and comfort. It’s one of the first things we’ll settle when we speak, based on your route and budget.

All of it: I’m licensed by the Israel Ministry of Tourism to guide anywhere in the country (Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, the Galilee, the Golan Heights, the Negev and the Dead Sea region, and the major sites in the West Bank).

Trips range from a single morning in the Old City to a fortnight-long bespoke itinerary that traces the footsteps of Jesus through the Galilee, samples wineries in the Judean Hills and finishes with a night under desert skies at Mitzpe Ramon; I design the route, the pace and the sites to suit you.

The sooner the better! Some people reach out a year in advance; most get in touch around four to six months ahead. High-season weeks (Pesach, the Jewish High Holidays, Christmas) tend to be busier. But experience has taught me that a lot of people come here at short notice, so I do my best to keep slots free for last-minute requests.

Of course! Some of my favourite moments as a guide have come from clients sharing a slightly wild idea (a private after-hours visit to a Jerusalem museum, a meeting with a working archaeologist, a Shabbat dinner with an Old City family, a cooking workshop with a well-known chef) and the two of us then figuring out how to make it happen.

The relationships I’ve built up over the years open doors that aren’t on any standard itinerary, and discretion is part of the job. If you have a dream experience in mind, share it when we talk; I’ll tell you honestly what’s possible, what’s negotiable and what isn’t, and design the rest of the trip around it.

Yes of course. We just need to adjust the pacing and take into account any accessibility needs. While I’ll share my experience, at the end of the day you know your family, their interests and their stamina best. We’ll discuss it together, build an itinerary that works, and build in flexibility and back-up plans in case we need to change things on the fly.

I guide in English. I also speak Hebrew, French, passable Spanish and Japanese, plus basic conversational Arabic, all of which can come in handy at the margins of a trip.

Israel is a dynamic place and I adjust my cancellation policy to the needs of the time. Because of the recent uncertainty in the security situation I’ve not been charging cancellation fees unless you cancel on the day of the tour.

Normally I do take a non-refundable deposit and all the terms are clearly spelled out in the itinerary proposal before you commit. I do recommend taking out travel insurance to mitigate your risk.