Day 1
Meeting at the Ben Gurion airport.
Transfer to the Dead Sea.
Ein Gedi – a unique oasis reserve.
Ascent to the ancient fortress of Masada, which is located in the Negev desert overlooking the Dead Sea.
Free time and relax in the spa at the hotel and on the beach of the Dead Sea.
Transfer to Jerusalem.
Accommodation, rest.
Overnight in Jerusalem.

Day 2
Walking tour of the Old City of Jerusalem.
Christian Quarter – the Church of the Holy Sepulcher.
The Jewish Quarter: Hurva synagogue, Cardo – ancient Jerusalem’s market street.
The Western Wall.
Guided bicycle tour through parks and neighborhoods of Jerusalem.
Overnight in Jerusalem.

Day 3
Transfer to Tel Aviv.
Sightseeing tour of Tel Aviv – Jaffa.
Rabin Square – a large public city square in the center of Tel Aviv.
Sarona – a newly renovated complex in the heart of Tel Aviv, originally a German Templar Colony.
Neve Tzedek – the first Jewish quarter outside the city walls.
The Old City of Jaffa – Clock Tower, Andromeda’s Rock, Gate of Faith, Slope Park, Jaffa Port.
Cooking workshop, where you will cook traditional Israeli dishes (hummus, kebab, shakshuka, etc…) with an experienced chef. The lesson includes preparation of a wide variety of dishes and dinner at the end.
Overnight in Tel Aviv.

Day 4
Transfer to Ben Gurion Airport.

Tour package includes:
• Accommodation according to the itinerary: 2 nights in Jerusalem, 1 night in Tel Aviv.
• Transportation during the the tour according to the itinerary, except Day 2 – walking tour of the Old City of Jerusalem.
• Meals: breakfast daily in hotels.
• Professional licensed tour guide.
• Entrance fees.
• Spa at the hotel at the Dead Sea + lunch.
• Bicycle tour in Jerusalem (including bike rental).
• Cooking workshop + dinner.

Tour package does not include:
• Air-tickets
• Travel insurance
• Lunches (except Day 1) and dinners (except Day 3).
• Tips for a driver and a guide (tipping is a part of the culture and economy of tourism in the Middle East, in a similar way to restaurants in the USA and Europe).

Hotel list:
5* Mamilla (Jerusalem)
5* Carlton (Tel Aviv)

4* Prima Royale (Jerusalem)
4* Prima City (Tel Aviv)

3* Montefiore (Jerusalem)
3* Sea.Net (Tel Aviv)

Tour operator can make changes in the itinerary, depending on the day of the week, holidays and work schedules of sights and attractions.

The price for an armed guard service – 200 USD per day*

* Kindly note, that the price includes only security service and does not include: accommodation, transport expenses, etc (if needed). It may also vary depending on your itinerary.

To find out the price and book a security guard – please send your request by email: info@smartrip-israel.com.

At the end of the fair an award will be given to the Most Promising Artist. The winner gets a monetary prize and a solo show in the following year’s Fresh Paint Fair. The fair also acts as a fundraising activity with proceeds going to the Tel Aviv Museum of Art and other non-profit organizations.

Source: Visit Tel Aviv

It is very convenient to travel by train In Israel: they arrive by the schedule, rigorously, and you can get the destination in a short period of time. There is an only one disadvantages that there is just one main train line with several branches. Also, Haifa has a one subway line.

In addition, you can travel across the country by buses. They run regularly in all directions, but during the religious holidays, and from Friday evening to Saturday evening they do not go. In the same time, buses are the main public transport in Israel. The trip costs a little more than a dollar (about 6 ILS), you can get it from a bus driver. City buses in Jerusalem go from 6:00 till midnight. But most of the bus lines do not work on the Sabbath (from sundown Friday to sundown Saturday) and on Jewish holidays.

Taxi (the only type of transport that runs on Saturdays and public holidays) costs about 5 ILS per km, plus 12 ILS just for landing. Israel has a special tourist taxis which work with a guides that are registered with the Israeli Ministry of tourism. You can find it with a special mark on the doors of such vehicles – the emblem of the Ministry of Tourism (two men who dragged somewhere huge bunch of grapes).

The minibus called “Sherut” is also very popular in Israel (fare ~ 6 ILS).

2. We want to rent a car. What we need to know about renting a car in Israel?

Rent a car in the country is relatively inexpensive (compared to Europe), and you can also find a car with a manual transmission. Any person over 21, who have a valid international driver’s license and a credit card can rent a car. In contrast of price per rent, the price per gasoline is quite expensive.
Traffic rules are very strict; everybody need to wear seat belts, and children up to four years should be carrying on only in special seats. The border between Israel and the Palestinian territories is better not to cross on a rented car.

3. We want to choose a hotel in Israel. Do you have some clues how to make it better?

The Israeli hotels have no “star” classification: instead of it there is a system of “classes”. Since there are many hotels of different world “chains”, their classification tour operators set themselves, based on their more or less objective evaluations. This means that when you are choosing a hotel in Israel, you should focus not on the number of “stars”, but on the specific list of services and descriptions of rooms.
Those city hotels that operators define as 4*, as a rule, do not have a pool, and the hotel 5* are often have pools. Both 5* and 4* generally pleased with spacious rooms. The quality of food everywhere in Israel is good, but in the “five stars hotels”, of course, the menu is richer.

Mains voltage in Israel is standard – 220 V. Most sockets three contact inputs, but they are also suitable for the European instruments. If you want to use a shavers, travel irons or other small appliances, you would better take an adapter with you.
Tel Aviv hotels take a deposit from quests.

4. How do the banks and currency exchange?

You can be exchanged money at any bank or at one of the many exchange offices. Most banks in the first half of the day is open from 8:30 am to 12:00 pm (Sunday to Thursday), and the second half of the day – from 16:00 to 18:00 (Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday). On the eve of major Jewish holidays, banks are open from 8:30 to 12:00.

Almost everywhere accept credit cards, money can be taken in many ATMs. In hotels and large stores it is usually possible to pay with dollars, but the change may be given in the local currency.

5. What about shopping in Israel and how the stores work?

Shopping hours and institutions: Sunday-Thursday 8:30-13:00 and 16:00-19:00, Friday and eve of holidays 9:00-13:00. Markets are closed at night. Retail, Muslim-owned, closed on Fridays, and Christian – on Sundays.

Israel is known for its jewelry, particularly diamonds and gold. You can also buy here a very high quality wines, oriental spices, as well as cosmetic products based on Dead Sea minerals. The most well-known brands – Ahava, Sea of Spa, Hlavin, Dead Sea Premier. In addition, the local stores and drugstores sales less known but often highly effective cosmetics.

6. What to eat in Israel and where?

There are great different restaurants in Israel: Chinese, Russian, French, Indian, Moroccan and the list goes on. The menu is usually printed in Hebrew and in English. Portions are generally large, and costs a lot. You should try the local beer “Maccabi” wich have a quite good taste, but not so cheap.
You should also try “meat in Hebrew” and “meorav Yerushalmi” – a dish of four kinds of chicken. Of vegetable dishes it is better to try a variety of salads, hummus, “falafel” (fried in butter pea and bean balls), cold beet soup, potato pancakes and fried zucchini. Most kosher desserts are “eggnog”, baked apples, pancakes, gingerbread with almonds.

Tipping in cafes and restaurants is standard 10% (sometimes they are already included in the bill). It is also good to leave the tips in the taxi, bus driver and guide.

7. What is different from the traditional kosher cuisine from European?

The main limitations of kosher cuisine: there is no pork and seafood and dairy and meat products are served separately from each other. But that doesn’t mean that the kosher cuisine is not variety and delicious.

8. What sights of Israel is better to visit?

Nazareth – the holy city of the Christian world, the place where Jesus spent his childhood. It contains the Franciscan Church of the Annunciation, beautiful Orthodox Church of the Archangel Gabriel to the Virgin Mary fountain place, national park Sepphoris (parental house of the Virgin Mary), the remains of Roman water tanks, which according to the Bible, Jesus turned water into wine, and the ancient Jewish Zippori town with a fortress of the Crusaders and numerous archaeological sites.

No less famous Bethlehem, the city where Jesus was born, lies to the south of Jerusalem. Its main attraction – like a fortress Church of the Nativity in the nursery area of the grotto (creche) Christ keley and tomb of St. Jerome.

Haifa, the third largest city and the largest seaport in Israel, lies on the slopes of Mount Carmel. There are Catholic monastery of the Order of Carmelites, the Great Synagogue of Haifa, Cave Elijah and Bahai Temple with its famous Persian gardens and the tomb of El-Baha.
The main attractions of Acre “collected” in the old city. This citadel, old walls, a huge medieval city gates, a guard tower Burj el-Sultan, the Al-Jazari, the monastery of St. Francis, the “City of the Crusaders” (the citadel of the Order of St. John), the building of a Turkish bath with the exposition of the city museum, the caravan Saray Khan el Umda, and clock tower.

9. What is the Sabbath, and what we need to know about holidays in Israel?

Shabbat. Holiday in Israel is officially a time from Friday evening to evening (outcome) Saturday. The time when Shabbat starts and its outcome are not fixed. On this day, the main government offices, shops, etc do not work. Most restaurants and cafes are open for the visitors on weekends and holidays (except on Yom Kippur, the Day of Judgment).

Public transport is also does not work on Sabbath, so if you want to go somewhere at this time you would better take a taxi. It is recommended to respect the religious traditions of this day, and not visit religious areas of Jerusalem and other cities during the Sabbath. It is also better to refrain from smoking in public places – it can be perceived as an insult.

Holidays in Israel, as a rule, are not working days which are not fixed, varying each year. Celebration usually starts in the second half of the day. Please note that the prices during the holidays is much higher than in the normal period, the prices for tours, transfers, etc can also increase.

The SmarTrip Company provides transportation for groups of passengers by vans, minibuses, midibuses and buses. Our transport is an example of reliability and comfort. We provide the newest models of Mercedes Viano and Sprinter, as well as buses up to 34, 51 and 55 passengers.

In addition we can provide you not only transport with driver, but also tour guides, as well as armed guards.

On this page you can book online airport transfers, transfers between cities and up to 3 full days of transportation with a guide or without. If you would like to book transport for 5 full days and more, please click the banner below and get a discounted price.

Infiniti QX60 (up to 6 persons)

Mercedes Viano (up to 6 people)

Mercedes Sprinter (up to 16 people)

Mercedes Sprinter (up to 19 people)

Bus (up to 34 people)

For group transfers and excursions across the country, the SmarTrip provides luxury comfortable buses. All buses are new, have a good quality interior, comfortable seats, air conditioning and ventilation system, TV, as well as a refrigerator. Each bus has a roomy luggage compartment. All drivers with experience and have special permission to transport tourists.

To find out the cost and book a bus – just send information on the intended route through the application form on the website or by e-mail: info@smartrip-israel.com.

Bus (up to 51 people)

Bus (up to 55 people)

Mostly, when we said “transfer” we mean the individual or group transportation of our tourists. And an integral part of transfer is a bus or van itself. The situation in Israel is so that the demand for transportation services is very high, but it rarely meets the requirements. There are parameters for choosing good-quality transportation for travel – it is safety and of course, comfort. If you want to order transport services, you should pay attention to each detail. An important point is also a good technical condition of transport.

SmarTrip Company thoroughly checks all insurances and permits in accordance with the law on the safety of passenger transport on the territory of Israel. The use of any type of transport for the transportation of tourists without all the necessary documents is illegal!

SmarTrip Company organizes meetings of groups of travelers at the Ben-Gurion airport’s arrival hall. A representative of the company welcomes visitors with a poster, which shows the company logo or name of one of the group members. Performing a transfer driver will always help with check in at the hotel and give any useful information.

The SmarTrip Company carries out VIP transfer for passengers in cars and vans of executive class, and also provides a car rent. Our cars – this is an example of reliability and integrity. We have the newest car models of Mercedes Benz S-Class, R-Class, Viano, Sprinter.

In addition we can provide you not only transport with driver, but also tour guides, as well as armed guards.

On this page you can book online airport transfers, transfers between cities and up to 3 full days of transportation with a guide or without. If you would like to book transport for 5 full days and more, please click the banner below and get a discounted price.

Vehicle (up to 4 people)

Mercedes S-Class (up to 3 people)

Infiniti QX60 (up to 6 persons)

Mercedes Viano (up to 6 people)

Mercedes Sprinter (up to 16 people)

Mercedes Sprinter (up to 19 people)

To find out the price according to your individual itinerary and book a transport – just send us information about the itinerary using the application form on the website or by e-mail info@smartrip-israel.com.

Mostly, when we said “transfer” we mean the individual or group transportation of our tourists. And an integral part of transfer is a bus or car itself. The situation in Israel is so that the demand for transportation services is very high, but it rarely meets the requirements. There are parameters for choosing good-quality transportation for travel – it is safety and of course, comfort. If you want to order a transport services, you should pay attention to each detail. An important point is also a good technical condition of transport.

SmarTrip company thoroughly checks all insurances and permits in accordance with the law on the safety of passenger transport on the territory of Israel. The use of any type of transport for the transportation of tourists without all the necessary documents is illegal!

SmarTrip company organizes meetings of small groups and individual travelers at the Ben-Gurion airport’s arrival hall. A representative of the company welcomes visitors with a poster, which shows the company logo or name of one of the group members. For transfer of individual tourists company provides passenger vans or luxury cars. Performing a transfer driver will always help with check in at the hotel and give any useful information.

The SmarTrip Company provides VIP transportation for passengers by cars and vans of executive class with a driver. Our vehicles are an example of reliability and comfort. We provide the newest car models of Mercedes Benz S-Class, Viano, Sprinter.

In addition we can provide you not only transport with driver, but also tour guides, as well as armed guards.

On this page you can book online airport transfers, transfers between cities and up to 3 full days of transportation with a guide or without. If you would like to book transport for 5 full days and more, please click the banner below and get a discounted price.

Mercedes S-Class (up to 3 people)

Infiniti QX60 (up to 6 persons)

Mercedes Viano (up to 6 people)

Mercedes Sprinter (up to 16 people)

Limousine

You can also book a limousine with a driver for the wedding ceremony, sightseeing tour, meeting at the airport and transfer to the hotel.

To find out the price according to you private itinerary and book a vehicle – just send information on the intended route through the application form on the website or by e-mail: info@smartrip-israel.com

Mostly, when we said “transfer” we mean the individual or group transportation of our tourists. And an integral part of transfer is a bus or car itself. The situation in Israel is so that the demand for transportation services is very high, but it rarely meets the requirements. There are parameters for choosing good-quality transportation for travel – it is safety and of course, comfort. If you want to order a transport services, you should pay attention to each detail. An important point is also a good technical condition of transport.

SmarTrip company thoroughly checks all insurances and permits in accordance with the law on the safety of passenger transport on the territory of Israel. The use of any type of transport for the transportation of tourists without all the necessary documents is illegal!

SmarTrip company organizes meetings of small groups and individual travelers at the Ben-Gurion airport’s arrival hall. A representative of the company welcomes visitors with a poster, which shows the company logo or name of one of the group members. For transfer of individual tourists company provides passenger vans or luxury cars. Performing a transfer driver will always help with check in at the hotel and give any useful information.

The hotel is a few minute walk to both Jaffa Gate of the Old City and the restaurants and bars of Jerusalem’s downtown district. The building stands out for its striking Greco-Roman, Gothic and Ottoman architecture and its expertly preserved 80-year-old exterior facade.

The Waldorf Astoria Jerusalem hotel offers 226 magnificent rooms including 33 suites and 2 presidential suites. Hotel facilities are spread over ten floors and feature 3 restaurants and a roof terrace lounge, the most modern fitness facilities, a full-service spa and a health club including two indoor pools, sauna and steam room. The hotel will make an obvious choice for major events with 8 state-of-the-art meeting rooms and a conference center as well as the Palace Grand Ballroom that will seat up to 708 people for a sit-down banquet dinner.

Source: www.itraveljerusalem.com