There are literally thousands of tour guides in Israel and many people visiting Israel decide to employ the services of one of these to enhance their trip. Many others prefer to see Israel by themselves, by hiring a car or travelling around by public transport. The role of an Israel tour guide is very varied, however, and can range from complete planning from your front door at home, to your return, through to planning the whole trip within Israel, or just guided tours in Israel for a day or even half a day.

Tour guides in Israel are licensed with the Israeli Ministry of Tourism and must pass through a rigorous course before they can qualify and be licensed. This ensures that only the highest quality applicants can actually guide groups around the country, whilst the level of commitment needed to successfully become an Israel Tour Guide, means that most guides are unbelievably passionate about their country and the sites that are available.

One popular option for tourists to Israel looking for a guide is to employ a guide to organize their complete stay in the country. This means that the guide arranges everything including transportation from the airport and around the country, usually in their private vehicle, accommodation, restaurants, and the attractions you will visit throughout your stay, including giving their clients tours of these sites and attractions.

Israel tour guides tend to specialize in different market segments. Whilst most tour guides in Israel will cover the whole country, some are specialist tour guides in Jerusalem or tour guides in Tel Aviv. Others specialize in Jewish tours of Israel or Christian tours of Israel, Israel Bar Mitzvah tours, or youth tours, whilst others cater to specific market segments such as family tours of Israel, or adventure tours of Israel, or Israel food or wine tours. Guides specializing are not fixed within a specific niche, so for instance an adventure tour guide will be able to give a client a tour which has an active feel combined with historic or religious sites as desired.

Tour guides in Israel also vary in their scale of operation. There are some very large tour companies offering day tours across the country, or longer programs, there are then larger companies who put together tours of Israel who employ guides and arrange everything from public group tours to individual tours, and there are then individuals who are self-employed with a vehicle and arrange tours. Clearly the service you will receive from each will vary in terms of how personalized and individual it will be, with individual guides able to provide greater flexibility, but larger companies more likely to have experience of providing specific tours.

Choosing a tour guide for Israel is an important decision and can hugely impact upon the experience you will receive. It is best to look thoroughly through the websites of a number of guides, and then contact a small number, say, three, to see who is most in tune with what you are looking for. Remember, you might spend a long time with this guide, and a trip to Israel might be a once in a lifetime experience, so getting the right guide is an important decision. A good starting point for finding a tour guide is to look at our Israel Travel Directory where we have a selection of Israel tour guide listings. If you are still in doubt, you are welcome to contact us by email: contact@touristisrael.com and we can try to give you some pointers.