Skip to content
The Blog

Blog

Tour writeups, reflections on guiding and the occasional practical guide.

All articles

128 articles
Grand building in Talbiye, Jerusalem
My pick Centre · Jerusalem

Jerusalem in the British Mandate Period

A day touring buildings of the British Mandate period in modern Jerusalem: the Hansen House lepers' home, the garden neighbourhoods of Talbiye and Rechavia, the Tomb of Jason, Yad Ben Zvi, the National Institutions Building, Ratisbonne Monastery and the original Betzalel.

The Lepers' House / Hansen Centre in Jerusalem Grand building in Talbiye, Jerusalem Jason's Tomb in Rechavia, Jerusalem The President's Hut at the Yad Ben Zvi Institute One of the JNF / KKL's golden books of donors, housed in their offices in Jerusalem Ratisbonne Monastery, Jerusalem Betzalel's original home, Jerusalem
Decorated sarcophagus at Beit Shearim
North · Galilee

Beit Shearim and Zippori

A day in the lower Galilee at Beit Shearim and Zippori: the story of Alexander Zaid, the vast necropolis and tomb of Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi, and Zippori's Roman synagogue, fortress, mosaics and reservoir.

Grave of Alexander Zaid Decorated sarcophagus at Beit Shearim Tomb of Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi (Judah the Prince), Beit Shearim View from the top of the Zippori Fortress Mosaic at the grand villa at Zippori. At the bottom, note the highlighted 'Mona Lisa of the Galilee' Roman reservoir at Zippori
Crawling through an ancient copper mine in Timna
South · Negev

Campus Eilat Day Four: Timna

The final day of Campus Eilat at Timna Park (King Solomon's Mines): the Arches, an ancient copper mine, the Mushroom, an Egyptian hunting-scene inscription, the Midianite temple and King Solomon's Pillars.

Arch at Timna Crawling through an ancient copper mine in Timna Copper ore in Timna sandstone Ancient hunting scene etched in the rock at Timna Ancient temple / ritual site in Timna View over King Solomon's Pillars, Timna
Flamingos in the Avrona Salt Pools near Eilat
South · Negev

Campus Eilat Day Three: Southern Arava

Day three of Campus Eilat: heading up the Southern Arava — the Eilat Bird Park, the Avrona farms and fugarot tunnels, the Doum Palms, Shechoret Canyon, the Chai Bar and a desert kite, ending with a Chanukah candle lighting back in Eilat.

Our guide shows us some migrating birds in the Eilat Bird Park Flamingos in the Avrona Salt Pools near Eilat Crawling through the fugarot / qanat tunnels at the Avrona Farms Doum Palms in the Arava Hiking through Canyon Shechoret View after hiking through Canyon Shechoret Ancient predator trap Safari in the Chai Bar: roaming Oryxes Chai Bar: feeding time for the leopards Remains of a desert kite in the Negev Our infamous course coordinator Benny lights the chanukkiah
Hiking the Red Canyon in the Eilat Mountains
South · Negev

Campus Eilat Day Two: Eilat and the Eilat Mountains

Day two of Campus Eilat: starting at Umm Rash Rash and the story of the Ink Flag, hiking the Red Canyon and ascending Mt Tzefachot for the four-countries view, before ending at the Eilat Underwater Observatory.

Um Rash Rash: Operation Ovda Memorial Hiking the Red Canyon in the Eilat Mountains View from Mount Tzefachot over the Eilat bay. The Red Sea coral reef from the Eilat underwater observatory
Ruins of an Israelite fortress at Ein Hatzeva / Ir Ovot
South · Negev

Campus Eilat Day One: Northern Arava and Ovda Valley

Day one of Campus Eilat: heading south through the northern Arava and into the Ovda valley, taking in Ein Hatzeva, the Peace Route lookouts, Shacharut, the Leopards Temple and the Kasui sand dunes.

Ruins of an Israelite fortress at Ein Hatzeva / Ir Ovot View from the Peace Lookout in the Arava Valley View from the Jabel Huferia Lookout in the Arava Valley View over the Arava Valley from Shacharut Ancient leopard images at the Leopards Temple in the Ovda Valley Kasui sand dunes in the Ovda Valley
Damascus Gate, Jerusalem
Centre · Jerusalem

Roman and Byzantine Jerusalem

A field-trip day tracing the Roman and Byzantine layers of Jerusalem: Zedekiah's Cave by the Damascus Gate, the arches at Alexander Nevsky, the Byzantine corners of the Holy Sepulchre, the cardo, and the ruins of the Nea Church.

Zedekiah's Cave, Jerusalem Damascus Gate, Jerusalem Roman or Byzantine arch in the Alexander Nevsky Church, Jerusalem Arches of Monomachos together with later crusader arches in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre The upper Byzantine cardo, Jerusalem Apse of the Nea Church
Inside St Andrew's Church, Jerusalem
Centre · Jerusalem

Leaving the Old City walls of Jerusalem

A field trip outside the western Old City walls: the old train station, St Andrew's Church, the Montefiore windmill in Mishkenot Sha'ananim, Yemin Moshe, the King David Hotel and YMCA, Machane Yisrael, Nachalat Shiva and the Mamilla cemetery.

Original building of the Jerusalem train station Inside St Andrew's Church, Jerusalem Montefiore Windmill in Mishkenot Sha'ananim Yemin Moshe Jerusalem YMCA Tunisian Synagogue in the Worldwide North Africa Jewish Heritage Centre, Jerusalem Old Ashkenazi Synagogue in Nachalat Shiva 'Al-Kebekiyeh' Mamluk period tomb in Mamilla cemetery, Jerusalem Palace Hotel, Jerusalem
St Paul's Church, Jerusalem
Centre · Jerusalem

The European Powers in Jerusalem

A walking tour of Jerusalem outside the walls in the 19th century: Mahanaim House and St Paul's Church, the Italian Hospital, the Ethiopian Church, Tabor House and the legacy of Conrad Schick, Beit Ticho and Beit HaRav, the Russian Compound and the Museum of the Underground Prisoners.

Beit Mahanaim, Jerusalem St Paul's Church, Jerusalem The Italian Hospital, Jerusalem Guiding as Dr Conrad Schick in Beit Tavor Ethiopian Church, Jerusalem Nebi Akasha, Jerusalem Church in the Russian Compound, Jerusalem
Yochanan ben Zakai Synagogue (part of the 'Four Sephardi Synagogues' complex)
Centre · Jerusalem

The Jewish Quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem

A walk through the modern history of the Jewish Quarter of Jerusalem's Old City, visiting the Ramban, the Four Sephardi Synagogues, Tiferet Yisrael, the Karaite Centre and the Hurva, and closing at the memorial for those who fell in 1948.

Letter from the Ramban outside the Ramban Synagogue Yochanan ben Zakai Synagogue (part of the 'Four Sephardi Synagogues' complex) 13th century Karaite Torah scroll The 'Hurva' Synagogue View from the top of the 'Hurva' Synagogue View over the Temple Mount and the Western Wall, Jerusalem. Independence War Memorial of the Jewish Quarter
What guests say

If you are going to Israel, you would be mad not to give him a call.

Amol Rajan, BBC presenter and broadcaster

Having been on trips in Israel with seven different tour guides, Samuel stood above all the rest.

Seasoned Israel traveller

Samuel is one part walking encyclopedia, one part storyteller, one part stand-up comedian.

Berkeley Haas Business School student
Read 400+ reviews