Tips to help with your visit to Israel

Now, this being one of the most staple ingredients of conversation for British people, we couldn’t avoid providing you with a good overall perspective on the subject of weather!

Temperatures vary greatly depending on the time of year. December and January are the coldest times of year, with snow falling in the north in places such as The Golan and the Galilee. Skiers and snow boarders love to travel to Mount Hermon where they can, for a short time, enjoy their winter sports. Even Jerusalem sees snow, turning it into a beautiful picture postcard.

It hots up in the summer, between June and September. Some places are humid and some have a dry heat that is much more bearable. Tel Aviv, Haifa and Tiberias are very humid in the height of the summer season in the months of July and August. However, Tel Avivs’ shopping centres are air-conditioned and the sea provides a refreshing cool down. Jerusalem, Eilat and the Dead Sea have a dry heat, but it’s not recommended that you travel to the Dead Sea area in the scorching heat of 100 degrees!

For moderate temperatures, the best seasons to travel to Israel are spring and autumn, in the months of March, April, October and November.

For a table of average annual temperatures click here.

Israel is a modern, developed country, and you can purchase virtually anything you need during your stay, including clothing, cosmetics, and hygiene products.

If you are visiting Israel during the summer you will need lightweight clothing – short-sleeved and sleeveless shirts, shorts, sandals, beach shoes and a bathing suit.  It’s also a good idea to pack a sweater or jacket, since nights in the mountains and the desert can be cool.

If you are visiting in the winter, you will need warm clothing, a coat (preferably a raincoat as well), good shoes, an umbrella, gloves, a scarf and other warm clothing.  Weather in Israel is not cold as it is in Europe, but days can be rainy and cold.

It’s a good idea to bring a small bag for day trips.  If you are traveling to Eilat or the Dead Sea, it’s a good idea to bring a bathing suit, since it is warm enough to swim there even in the winter.

Sunscreen, a sun hat, and sunglasses are essential items throughout the year.

All visitors to Israel must hold a passport that is valid for at least six months from the date they enter the country. People with no nationality must hold a valid laissez passer, as well as a visa back to the country that issued it.

Visitors are entitled to remain in Israel up to three months from the date of their arrival, in accordance with the conditions of the visa issued to them. Visitors intending to work in Israel must submit a request to the Ministry of the Interior for a special visa.

The Israeli power supply is single phase 220 volts at 50 Hertz. Most power sockets in Israel have three pin holes, but many of them will work with double-pin European plugs. Visitors who want to use shavers, traveling irons and other small appliances may need both transformers and adaptor plugs.

Upon arrival in Israel, visitors undergo a security check and are requested to present a passport that is valid for at least six months, as well as entry forms with their personal details. It is important to ascertain that the details are filled out accurately, and to keep a copy of the form in order to present it upon departure from Israel.

Arrival by Air – Visitors arriving by air will receive forms to be filled in the course of their flight, in order to prevent delays at the passport controls. It is important to ascertain that the details of the passenger and the flight on which he/she arrived are filled out accurately. Travelers will be requested to present their passport, a boarding pass and an entry form at passport control. After their passport has been stamped, incoming travelers continue to the passenger luggage area, where carts are at their disposal. From there, they continue to customs control and to the airport exit.

Arrival by Land – Visitors arriving at the borderline passes on the Israel-Egypt or Israel-Jordan border will receive forms in which their personal details must be filled in. After doing so and undergoing a security check, they must present the completed forms together with their passport.

Tourists continuing from Israel on to Arab countries (except Egypt and Jordan), please note: You can  request that your passport not be stamped with an Israeli stamp. You must notify the clerk of your request before your documents are stamped. The granting of such requests is at the discretion of the authorities.

There is a two-lane customs transit system, one green and the other red, at Ben Gurion Airport and at the Rafah (Rafi’akh) Crossing Point. At the remaining airports and passes, travelers must submit a declaration to the customs officer as to whether they have items that do not appear in the list of duty free items or whether the quantities they have exceed the exempt quantities.

Visitors who do not have goods to be declared may go through the green lane at the exit from the passenger arrival hall. Articles that do not need to be declared:

1. Personal clothing, shoes and cosmetics – in quantities that can usually be carried in the traveler’s  hand baggage.
2. Alcoholic beverages – up to one litre for hard liquor, and up to two litres for wine, per person aged 17 and over.
3. Tobacco of all types – up to 250 grams per person aged 17 and over.
4. Presents and other commodities – items other than alcoholic beverages, alcoholic perfumes, tobacco,  and television sets, costing up to $200, as determined by the clerk at the entrance terminal, according  to lists in his possession.
5. Food – up to a total weight of three kilograms, on condition that the weight of each type of food does not exceed one kilogram.
6. Additional items – typewriter, stills camera and movie camera (not including video camera), radio, tape recorder, pair of binoculars, personal jewelry, musical instruments, gramophone, pram, camping or sports equipment, bicycle and other like articles.

Visitors with goods for which a deposit must be paid that will be returned to them when they leave Israel must go through the red lane. Visitors with items not appearing in the list of duty free items or in the list of taxable items must also go through the red lane and declare them. In case of doubt, the tax authorities recommend going through the red lane. Failure to declare taxable items represents an offense, for which the traveler must pay an administrative fine, be prosecuted or have the goods confiscated.

It is forbidden to import the following items into Israel without a license issued in advance:
plants, firearms, raw meat, raw materials, counterfeit currency or documents, knife or penknife not intended for professional use, etc.

Israel places enormous importance on providing comfortable conditions for travelers with disabilities. Considerable efforts and resources have been invested to enable the handicapped visit destinations and attractions and to receive service comparable to that received by the general public.

The Israel Government Tourist Corporation, the executive arm of the Ministry of Tourism for developing infrastructure, has initiated numerous projects designed to make dozens of tourist sites throughout the country accessible. We encourage travelers with disabilities to come to Israel to travel, tour, and visit these sites. New sites have been made accessible and old sites have been renovated to make them more suitable.

For example, the summit of the Massada fortress near the Dead Sea is now accessible, and wheelchairs can now reach the upper level of the site. A special area on Masada has been adapted so that persons with visual disabilities can touch and feel the surroundings. Other sites, such as the Knights’ Halls in Acre (Akko), and the esplanade and amphitheater in Caesarea (Keysariya)have also been made accessible for the handicapped.

ACCESS ISRAEL provides detailed free information in English and Hebrew on sites accessible to travelers with disabilities: www.aisrael.org. This site offers detailed, up-to-date and reliable information on accessible tourism sites and accommodation, tours, halls, cultural events, restaurants, festivals, car rental agencies and other useful information for special needs travelers. Personalized accessible travel planning advice for Israel is also available. A book describing accessible places is also available from lior@dorot-net.co.il . Itineraries for People with Mobility Challenges.

Additional information and tips for people with disabilities is available at:

Milbat

The Israel Center for Technology and Accessibility. Milbat, situated at the Sheba Medical Center (972-3-5303739) specializes in building, transport and other aides for people with disabilities. The center gives advice on transport solutions for people with disabilities. More Information is available at the Milbat website.

Yad Sarah

Yad Sarah is a volunteer organization with branches all over Israel that lends tourists wheelchairs, crutches and other aides without charge and only a secutity deposit. More information is available at Yad Sara website or by calling +972-2-6444555.

Hebrew, the language of the Bible, and Arabic are the official languages of the State of Israel. Hebrew (and Arabic too) is written from right to left.

All Israeli school children learn Hebrew, Arabic and English, and good English is spoken by virtually everyone in the country. Israel, a country peopled by many who have come from some 120 countries, is a multi-lingual country, with vast numbers of Israelis also speaking Russian, French, Spanish, Yiddish and tens of other tongues.

Almost every highway and street sign is in English as well as Hebrew (and Arabic), and English language newspapers, magazine and books are available everywhere.

Hotspots are local WiFi wireless Internet network connections that allow subscribers to surf the Internet via personal computers equipped with a wireless Internet card.

Email communication has turned the world into a global village and all of us into neighbours. Whereas once we used to go on holiday and leave behind any thoughts about our homes, children, plants and politics, today we take them with us, even overseas. Every year the number of hotspots in Israel doubles, with new spots added every day, offering visitors Internet surfing services either for a fee or free of charge.

Most of the hotspots are located in coffee shops and restaurants in central Israel, and usually do not charge a user fee.

Fast food and coffee bar chains have adapted themselves to their clientele’s needs and offer free WiFi services at their branches throughout the country. Hotels have made WiFi connections a standard feature for the benefit of tourists and businessmen from Israel and around the world, and many hotels and guest houses already provide this service.

Hotspots are located in convenience stores beside petrol stations, universities, colleges, museums, visitors’ centers, convention halls, marinas, tourism sites and shopping malls.

To plan travel routes throughout Israel that allow you to maintain constant contact with your home or office, click here for a list of hotspots in Israel.