The Best Travel Tips for Israel

For followers of Jesus, travel to Israel is more than a flight overseas or a few days of vacation. Experiencing Israel is a spiritual journey into the heart of your faith. That means planning for it isn’t just a matter of packing the right clothing or becoming familiar with your itinerary. It can also involve preparing your heart.

Imagine the impact of praying with your group in the Garden of Gethsemane, where Jesus struggled with knowledge of His role in the redemption of mankind. Worship on a wooden boat on the Sea of Galilee, where Jesus calmed the storm and commanded the wind and waves. 

Making the most of any travel experience requires attention to detail, and we want our travelers to remember their time in Israel forever. That’s why we have created helpful tips for you to plan and prepare for your time in the Holy Land. We’ve collected the best of them so you can conveniently peruse our tips and find links to other helpful articles.

Before You Go

• Staying Active: While a visit to Israel doesn’t quite qualify as “adventure travel,” it does require you to be in good health. You’ll walk a few miles each day (at a modest pace), climb some stairs and navigate uneven terrain. Having a basic level of physical fitness and creating healthy eating habits will benefit you greatly. We recommend cultivating a daily walking habit several weeks prior to your trip.
• Read up: The best preparation for a trip to Israel is to read your Bible! But after that, we recommend reading up on the sites you’ll visit in Israel. One of our favorite resources is The Christian Traveler’s Guide to the Holy Land, by professor Charles H. Dyer. Or, you can read our detailed Inspiration Guide to Israel. You may also want to use this blog as a guide to immerse yourself in the gospels as you anticipate following in Christ’s footsteps.
• Make a packing list: Not sure what to bring? Check out our go-to packing list for Israel, including tips about currency, modesty kits and more.

Getting There & Back

Travel is wonderful, but airports can create a few moments of anxiety for some travelers. Here’s our guide to sidestepping the most common airport annoyances, from zipping through security to dealing with delays.

One tip we almost always give our travelers is to bring a travel pillow. Most flights from the United States to Israel are at least 10 hours, which means you’ll benefit from getting some shut-eye.

Travelers being greeted and picked up by airport shuttle

Once You Are There 

You’ve arrived in the land of Scripture. Now what? Anticipation is almost always one of the best parts of any journey, so start whetting your appetite today by learning facts about Israel, considering the biblical sites that might grab your attention, following a new traveler through a common multiday Israel itinerary or discovering some of the things that might surprise you in Israel.

Curious to know what the cuisine will be like in Israel? Here’s our delicious guide of what to expect at each meal and what it means to eat kosher.

Travelers trying one of the region’s most famous dishes: shawarma

Coming Home

You’ll come home from Israel eager to tell all your friends and family about the amazing experiences you had. To help you remember all the details, we recommend bringing a journal with you as you travel, so you can take notes and jot down impressions of your time in the land of the Bible. 

You’ll also want to take photos along the way. Whether you're a novice with a smartphone or a photography hobbyist, here are our expert tips on great travel photography. To learn more specifically about gear, preparation and personal goals for travel photography, read this blog post.

Travelers taking selfies to help make memories last.

If you already have an Israel trip booked on your calendar or are considering one, follow the links above to start preparing! A little advance planning and anticipation can ensure a life-changing, faith-transforming travel experience you will never forget.