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.

It is becoming more and more popular for tourists to take a cruise to Israel, with the Israeli ports of Haifa and Ashdod featuring as stops on the itineraries of more and more cruise companies. The cruises stopping in Israel tend to stop for one night in Haifa and one night in Ashdod (south of Tel Aviv), although occasionally they’ll stop for two nights in one of these ports.

Taxis are very common and popular forms of transport in Israel. Cheap by European standards, cabs in Israel are widely available and are generally safe and modern cars, with helpful drivers. Within cities, drivers must use the meter (moneh) unless they agree a fixed fare with the passenger, whilst inter-city, taxis have fixed fares.

Whilst, Israeli drivers dont have a great reputation, but renting a car and driving in Israel is a convenient and generally easy way to get around in Israel. Israel has a great, modern road network which spans the width and breadth of the country which are signed in English as well as in Hebrew and Arabic making navigation easier for visitors. Parking in Israel is generally simple, however it can be harder parking in Tel Aviv or Jerusalem – here try to find a car park.

Renting a car in Israel is a popular and convenient way of getting around and seeing the country at your own pace and on your own time-scale. Car rental companies can be found across the country, ranging in size, from the major international car rental firms including Avis, Budget, Hertz, and Sixt, as well as a large number of local firms including the largest, Eldan. All of these companies offer car rental at Ben Gurion Airport, as well as in major towns and cities across Israel.

What Clothes Should I bring to wear in Israel? It is often a last minute panic whilst packing for a holiday. Relax!! Israel is a very relaxed society and even those working in big corporations are rarely seen wearing suits. Casual clothing is suitable for almost all settings, jeans, T-Shirts, shorts, comfortable, practical clothing is appropriate almost everywhere. The only exception comes when you visit religious sites and neighborhoods. Generally here, modesty is required, so, in particular, women need to cover their arms and legs. Where head covering is necessary for men, it will generally be clearly marked and often paper skullcaps will be available to pick up, notably at the Western Wall.

Rail travel in Israel has been modernized and developed extensively over the past ten years or so, meaning that Israel Railways, the national train operator, offers a great option for getting around, particularly within the Coastal Plain. Trains in Israel are clean, generally modern, and air-conditioned, and are reliable and relatively frequent. The stations are also relatively new, and particularly useful routes for visitors to Israel include the train from Ben Gurion Airport from Tel Aviv, Haifa, and many intermediate cities, as well as the trains to Tel Aviv from its suburbs.

Tel Aviv has joined the revolution sweeping all the world’s greatest cities – bike rentals in Tel Aviv have landed. The Tel Aviv bicycle rental scheme is called Tel-O-Fun which is run by the city’s municipality. Designed for residents, the bike scheme is great for tourists alike who can collect a bike from a point in one part of the city, and drop it off on the other side of town.

Flights from San Francisco to Tel Aviv with Continental Airlines, an expanding El Al fleet, direct flights between Israel and Lisbon with Sun D’Or, and possibly Chinese Hainan Airlines and Indian Airlines flights to Israel

Called iSrael and available free from iTunes, the Israel Ministry of Tourism’s latest innovation in aiding tourists in Israel is a Virtual Tour Guide for the iPod and iPhone.