Guided tours Israel tour company

We used Guided Tours Israel on April 30, May 1 and May 2, 2013. Our experience was fantastic with this company; we had many questions and all questions were promptly answered before we decided to book tours with this company. We booked the business class tour for 2 to 6 people. We were very lucky to have private tours (2 people) all three days as the tours were over booked. Our tour guide, Mickey, was extremely knowledgeable on both Jewish and Christian religions. We were picked up at the front door of our apartment rental and she was always early. We visited every site mentioned on their website. As there were only two of us, our requests were accommodated to see some places which were not listed on the tours and include other sites we had not seen. We highly recommend Guided Tours Israel and we would give them a 5 out of 5 rating.

We used GTI for 4 days. Our private tours were all from Haifa because of the cancellation of the Ashdod post call. Our itinerary included Masada and the Dead Sea, Galilee and Nazareth, Jerusalem , then Caesarea and Tel Aviv on the final day. We were only in Jerusalem for one day and did feel rushed. Jerusalem is one of the most amazing cities in the world, so a single day could never do it justice. Since we decided to include Bethlehem, that took time away from seeing Jerusalem. That said, GTI did a great job. They did their best to show us as much as possible in the short time we were there. There is a lot of traffic on the roads leading into and out of the city, so you have to make allowances for the time. We loved Israel so much that we now have reservations to fly there in September to see what we missed!

We were in Ashdod and Haifa for two crammed days. However Mischa and GTI did everything possible to make these days very enjoyable and filled with history and knowledge.. Two days is not enough time in Israel. There is so much to see and experience, that we are planning on returning. When we do, GTI will be the company we call and Mischa will be the person we will ask to take us on tour. His van was very comfortable and air conditioned. His manner friendly, considerate, and kind.

Communications between GTI was always prompt and all questions were answered.quickly.

Thank you Mischa and GTI for a wonderful visit.

Marie and Warren

We will also have 2 days while on our Holy Land tour on the Rotterdam and have been in correspondence with this company.

I realize 2 days is not nearly enough time for Israel, but IF you had to change anything/leave anything out and opt for more time somewhere else, what would it be?

Did you visit the Jewish and Muslim quarters? How long did that take? We are trying to concentrate mostly on the Christian Protestant sites and I was just wondering if you had any suggestions.

We will be booking a private tour with them for 5 people and all of us are probably slower than normal walkersn (ages 55- 86!) and don't do steps very well:( That is the main reason we are going private, but still want to see the must sees - any recommendations?

Thanks in advance.

Debbie in MS

Debgie, I'm sure that you will receive a variety of opinions, but this is what my family thought: Spend one day in Galilee and Nazareth. The opportunity to visit Capernaum, the Church of the Annunciation, and the area where Jesus began his ministry is amazing. We were disappointed in Yardenit Baptismal Site. It did not feel sacred to us.

Spend your other day in Jerusalem. We hesitated to go to Bethlehem because of the time required, but were glad we did. However, we were able to avoid the 2 hour line to visit the birth site because our guide had an inside connection. If you have to spend hours to visit the "Silver Star," then I would probably not go there. Perhaps GTI can tell you in advance if you will have to wait in the tourist line. We loved seeing Gethsemane, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre ,the Via Dolorosa, and the Western Wall. I regret that we missed the Upper Room and the Garden Tomb. We would have LOVED more time at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. You will never forget the view of Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives. We did not visit the Muslim or Jewish Quarters.

we booked tours through a travel agency (http://www.diesenhaus.com/) that supported my conference in Tel Aviv.

They booked our tours with Rent-A-Guide with pick up at Tel Aviv Hotels.

http://www.rent-a-guide.co.il/

They do cruise tours too. We were happy with all 4 tours we took with them.

Good ratings on Trip Advisor too http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g293984-d2103179-Reviews-Rent_a_Guide_Israel_Tours-Tel_Aviv_Tel_Aviv_District.html

Now if Egypt will just be "ok" by Oct. 31 when our cruise leaves from Athens!

After MUCH research, we went with this company. They have been really easy to work with and are very prompt in all your requests and answering questions.

When I sent email to them I ask for a quote for group of 6-10.

My understanding is if I have a group of 6 i will pay this price. Later they told me that if i only have 6 person in our group price will be higher.

"The price for the shared tour with 6-16 persons in a small group is:

* From Haifa to the North of Israel: $99 per person

* From Ashdod to Jerusalem and Bethlehem : $99 per person

* From Haifa to the West Coast of Israel: $89 per person"

Did I misunderstand? Can someone who already use them please share the experience?

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Has anybody used Guided tours Isreal for trips from Haifa and Ashdod? They have a lot of stops on their tours and I would like to get some feedback from somebody who has used them. How long were the trips? Was there enough time at each stop? Was the guide good? Any info would be great. Thanks

Here's the review I just posted (below). I went on a 2 full day tours with them and HIGHLY recommend!

There were (4) of us in our group on a 12-night Holy Land cruise. Before we left, I booked us on a private tour with Guided Israel after extensive Internet research – all highly recommending them. This was a semi-private group in a small van. All of the people who were on our tour were awesome.

All of the communications prior to booking were with Leo, who answered all of my questions thoroughly and promptly. I instantly felt good about confirming us on tours for both of our days in Israel (our ports were Ashdod and Haifa).

We had the same tour guide both days, which worked out perfectly for us – we had Jerry, who was AMAZING! He gave us in-depth information about the culture, history and sites that were just incredible – it really made the trip. And, he threw in some funny jokes too.

Thanks to Jerry, Israel was my favorite of all our stops. We toured Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Nazareth, the River Jordan and Galilee – we saw all the major attractions: Western Wall, Via Dolorosa, Church of the Holy Sepulcher, Mount Zion/Olives and more.

Jerry and our driver faced a challenging obstacle on our first day, as for the first time in history there was a Formula 1 event in Jerusalem. They did an amazing job getting us to all of the sites and navigating through the road closures and traffic. We actually ended up walking more than normal for the tours, but we loved it! We actually felt very lucky to have walked more around the city – it just added to our experience. There were no issues either day getting back to the port on time – they were amazing at keeping us on schedule and we didn't miss a single site on our list.

When visiting Bethlehem (which is actually in Palestine), we had to go through a security checkpoint where our guide changed just for this part of the trip. Our guide for that portion of the trip was Sam, and he was awesome too.

I loved every second of our tour and HIGHLY recommend them!!

The only feedback I have that is less than perfect: we were told that the optional lunch would be around $10-$20, but it ended up being $25 per person – no matter what you ordered (you picked your main dish and appetizers were also included). The food was good but too pricey, in my opinion. I would have rather been prepared for that or brought my own food or had more choices in what to order. I do recommend bringing snacks and plenty of water, just always seems like a good idea to me.

If you are planning to visit Israel, definitely book with Guided Israel Tours – it was an amazing experience and value! Can’t say enough great things about them! You will not be disappointed!

We had the same tour guide both days, which worked out perfectly for us – we had Jerry, who was AMAZING! He gave us in-depth information about the culture, history and sites that were just incredible – it really made the trip. And, he threw in some funny jokes too.

We were on an Oceania cruise last year which cancelled the stop in Ashdod before the cruise began, due to rocket attacks. Instead we were docked for three nights in Haifa. However we wanted to see both Jerusalem and Masada (and the Dead Sea), and the ship was not offering a shore excursion which combined the two. So we used Guided Tours Israel for a private tour. Jerry was our guide too, and I second mbarnes04 - he was an excellent guide and really made the trip for us. GTI were also very easy to deal with. Jerry picked the two of us up in Haifa, we drove to Jerusalem, visiting Masada (amazing experience!) and Dead Sea on the first day, overnighted in a Jerusalem hotel (which we booked independently), then did a walking tour of Jerusalem the next day and were driven back to our ship. We opted not to see Bethlehem in favour of more time elsewhere. Our Jerusalem hotel was David Citadel and would recommend it also. No meals were included in the tour price, we just got inexpensive snacks for lunch in Masada and Jerusalem. We had dinner (our choice and our expense) at a beautiful rooftop restaurant with a view of the old city, not far from the hotel. (I researched options beforehand and asked Jerry for feedback as he lives in Jerusalem.) A private tour like ours was not cheap, but it was excellent. On our third day we did a ship's tour from Haifa to the Sea of Galilee etc and this definitely suffered in comparison to the GTI tour.

I too highly recommend GTI. We learned about them here on this board and used them for a 5 day land private tour of Israel. We had the same guide all 5 days and she was great!

To Travelbug 2225: We found GTI very reasonable to deal with. We paid between $650-700 per day for my wife and I to have a private guide/driver. We were able to use a "regular car" so a mini-van/bus may be a bit more. So talk to Leo (by email) tell him exactly how many you have and get a price. If you can swing it, it will be a great experience.

We found Israel to be perhaps the most historically significant destination we have been to. GTI made the trip for us!

Has anybody used Guided tours Isreal for trips from Haifa and Ashdod? They have a lot of stops on their tours and I would like to get some feedback from somebody who has used them. How long were the trips? Was there enough time at each stop? Was the guide good? Any info would be great. Thanks

Excellent company travelled with them last week highly reccomend them

We toured with this company last week (sept 13) and found them exceptional, excellent value for money,:)the guide was excellent, and gave us fantastic information, The coach was very clean and comfortable and the driver very good. A five star performance all round.:):):):):)

I have just returned from a Thomson Majesty cruise with two days in Ashdod. We had arranged a tour of Galilee on the first day and Jerusalem & the Dead Sea on the second. We had a small group tour with http://www.guidedtoursisrael.com/ which was excellent in every respect. We were a small group organised through this site and our guide, Jerry, was so knowledgeable and interesting that I would recommend them to anyone.

I have just returned from a Thomson Majesty cruise with two days in Ashdod. We had arranged a tour of Galilee on the first day and Jerusalem and the Dead Sea on the second. We had a small group tour with http://www.guidedtoursisrael.com/ which was excellent in every respect. We were a small group organised through this site and our guide, Jerry, was so knowledgeable and interesting that I would recommend them to anyone.

We just came back from our cruise and we took both Guided Tours Isreal from Ashdod and Haifa. They were both very good.

I organized two days from Asdod and Haifa as shore excursions on our recent HAL trip to Israel. Email contact was excellent. The wonderful thing about organizing a group so that GTI will bill each individual or couple themselves so that you ,as the organizer, don't have the responsibility of collecting money or worrying about people who change their mind. This made it very easy.

We also had a guide called Mickey and she was enthusiastic and passionate. It really added to our cultural experience. The drivers are very good - and get in where large buses fear to tread. So overall less walking which is a bonus for some. GTI fits a lot in in a day and this really does give you a great, superficial, overview of a very interesting country. Free wifi on the bus so great to send photos, check email etc during some of the drive. Lots to see out the window so don't overdo it!

We used GTI for 3 days when our shipped was docked in Haifa. The pre booking process was very well organized. WE dealt with Leo for all pre information, payment or whatever.

On our 3 days we toured Masada and the Dead Sea, Jerusalem and Haifa, Acre, Safed. Our tour guide wass Micha who was excellent.

We would highly recommend this tour company.

We have just returned from a cruise with a port stop at Ashdod. We booked a one day tour to Jerusalem and Bethlehem with Israel Guided Tours. It was a great one day tour with an excellent guide and driver. I have led previous tours to Israel and this guide, Mickey. was one of the best. She was efficient, knowledgable, and humorous. It was a great day and we highly recommend Guided Tours. Needless to say the cost of the tour was far below ship's prices.

I also used GTI, with scheduled port calls in Haifa and Ashdod. We had Mickey also...an awesome lady and fabulous guide, full of knowledge and cultural/geographical/historical insights. We had 5 vans/groups with 4 variations on what GTI offered, including the one that 16 of us stayed overnight in Jerusalem between the 2 ports, rather than return to the ship. I can say, that was one of my 'best' decisions ever. Jerusalem is an awesome city and look forward to booking with GTI again.

Back from Celebrity Silhouette cruise with 2 nights in Ashdod and 1 in Haifa. We used Guided Tours of Israel as we wanted to avoid the cruise lines 50 passenger excursions. GTI was well recommended here and they did not let us down. (16 seater coach) One day Tel Aviv - Jaffa, one day Jerusalem - Bethlehem and final day Nazareth - Galilee. The state funeral took place during our visit and GTI managed necessary changes very well. Our guide Yuval was informative, creative and objective and added immensely to our enjoyment. We recommend the company highly.

Back from Celebrity Silhouette cruise with 2 nights in Ashdod and 1 in Haifa. We used Guided Tours of Israel as we wanted to avoid the cruise lines 50 passenger excursions. GTI was well recommended here and they did not let us down. (16 seater coach) One day Tel Aviv - Jaffa, one day Jerusalem - Bethlehem and final day Nazareth - Galilee. The state funeral took place during our visit and GTI managed necessary changes very well. Our guide Yuval was informative, creative and objective and added immensely to our enjoyment. We recommend the company highly.

Did you feel you got enough time on the Jerusalem/Bethlehem and Galilee tours? I'm scheduled to use them for those tours. Other than lunch, gratuities for the guide, and souvenirs are there any other fees associated on those tours. I'm on the Constellation in about 3 weeks doing a similar itinerary.

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Has anybody used Guided tours Isreal for trips from Haifa and Ashdod? They have a lot of stops on their tours and I would like to get some feedback from somebody who has used them. How long were the trips? Was there enough time at each stop? Was the guide good? Any info would be great. Thanks

We just used them 2 1/2 weeks ado the Haifa and Ashdod, they are excellent. Rest up before you get there, you are in for lots of information and you are going to see lots!! They are prompt, professional, knowledgeable, have a great van, I can not say enough great things about them. One day was almost 12 hours and the next day was close to 8 1/2 hours to 9 hours. You definitely get your moneys worth on their tours. Wear comfortable shoes, have suntan lotion and water. Enjoy!!

I am at this time booking them on another tour as we will be i the same area in April and will do something different.

Just came back from the cruise with NCL Star in April 2017. We used GTI for two days from Haifa, one was Jerusalem and Bethlehem, the other was See of Galilee. Both tour guides are excellent. Brush up on your bible knowledge before you go. There are so much information and sites that you want to relate. I will use the company again.

Unbelievable tours! We are a group of six who spent 3 days with Abby and two excellent drivers. The apprehension we had prior to the trip were totally unfounded! We loved our trip and loved Abby! She was knowledgeable and the love for her country was contagious!! Please do not hesitate to use this company as you will not be disappointed! Thanks, Colleen

Official guids should be good as they have to sit a test.

Most work for them selves so cheaper to book direct, we did and he was excellent, so impressed we bookedanother day

Heres his Email

mordi zissman [morzissman@yahoo.com]

Wanted to give a shout-out to Mordi Zissman. We booked him for a two-day tour of Jersualem/Masada/Dead Sea during Crystal Serenity's 2018 stop in Ashdod. I can't imagine a better guide. Mordi is knowledgeable, personable and organized. If you are able to hire him to be your guide I promise you've reached the top-tier.

Jeff