You might have many questions about your visit to Israel. Is it safe, what do I wear, cell phones, wi-fi, health, water, language… We have tried to answer most of the more common Israel travel questions here, and provide information about the more common areas of concern or query. This Israel travel information article is arranged alphabetically, if we haven’t answered your question, feel free to get in touch.
Accessible travel – see accessible travel in Israel.
Backpacking – see backpacking in Israel.
Borders – see Israel land borders
Buses in Israel – see buses in Israel
Cell Phones in Israel – Most international cell phones will work in Israel, although it is often worth renting a cell phone as this reduces the cost significantly.
Climate – Israel’s climate is great – we’ve written a guide to the weather in Israel
Clothes in Israel? – This is such a common question that we’ve dedicated a whole article to what clothes to wear in Israel?
Currency – New Israeli Shequel (NIS). 100 Agarot make up 1 Shequel. See here for exchange rates.
Dialing code – +00 972.
Driving – see driving in Israel
Emergency Numbers –
Police (mish-ta-ra) 100;
Medical emergency (Magen David Adom (MDA/MADA) 101;
Fire (me-kha-BEY ESH) 102
Electricity – 220 volts AC, 50 cycles. An adapter is necessary (usually 3 pronged)
Health – No immunizations are required for travel to Israel. Health facilities are widely available across the country, with many hospitals being global leaders! Doctors are also widely available and a high proportion speak English. The biggest health risk in visiting Israel, like any other country with a hot climate, is the sun, so make sure you take precautions to protect yourself.
Internet Access/Wi-Fi in Israel – Israel is very technologically advanced. Wireless networks can be found up and down the country, everywhere from restaurants and cafes, to hotels, and even Ben Gurion Airport. The standard rate for wi-fi in Israel is between 10 and 15 NIS per hour. It is, however, free in many places, including Arcaffe, Aroma, and Yellow cafes, brances of McDonald’s and Ben Gurion Airport. Often staff need to give you a password.
In Jerusalem, some sections, mostly of the city center are covered by the Jerusalem WiFi project, whilst a similar project is underway in Tel Aviv.
If you dont have a laptop of your own, internet cafes can also be found accross the country, whilst most hotels, from city hotels to kibbutz hotels have computers available to guests, often for free. Getting online is not a problem in Israel
Language – Hebrew and Arabic are official; English is widely spoken, as, to lesser degrees are Russian and French
Maps – Road maps are widely available, many in English. Google Maps has a great coverage of Israel, whilst Israeli app Waze offers real-time travel information and GPS for free.
Taxis – see taxis in Israel
Time Zone – GMT +2 Hours
Trains in Israel – see trains in Israel
Safety in Israel – Is Israel safe? YES is the simple answer, as much as we can say anywhere is safe. There are two aspects to safety. Firstly, the risk from Israel is really very small, especially if you stay away from the border with Gaza which you are unlikely to go near anyway. In the cities or across the rest of the country, terrorist attacks have reduced dramatically.
In terms of personal safety, the crime rate, especially violent and extreme crime, is much lower in Israeli cities than the US or even European cities, and it is safe for women to walk in most places alone at night.
For more on safety, see here.
Shabbat/Saturdays – Shabbat is the one day of the week when travel in Israel is harder. Public transport is very limited and with exceptions, impossible. This reduces your options to taxi, sherut or car hire (which should be collected on Friday and returned on Sunday). Trains don’t operate at all, however, between sun-down on Friday and sun-down on Saturday. For travel in Tel Aviv on Shabbat, see here.
Sheruts – see our articles about Sheruts and Sheruts from Ben Gurion Airport and your question should be answered.
Water – Tap water is safe to drink across Israel, although bottled water is widely available as an alternative. The tap water in Jerusalem and the south contains particulate meaning that it is possible that it might lead to mild stomach problems.
Weather – See climate