I’ve been fortunate enough to visit Israel three times since 2022 after a two-decade hiatus and have discovered that the country has become much easier for tourists to navigate. I’m well aware that war or the threat of war has kept tourists away over the past few years for good reason, but here’s what I’ve learned about enjoying Israel regardless.
Apps
Before anything else, apps. There are four apps I consider must-downloads before leaving home. The Moovit app allows you to plan, pay for and track your journey in real time on public transportation, including buses, the light rail and the national railway. This means no more running out of shekels on your Rav Kav card.
Next, the Gett app allows you to hail a taxi. Taxis in Israel aren’t cheap. But when you need one, you need one. The Google Translate app allows people like me (whose Hebrew sucks) to read signs and menus and to communicate with people on the rare occasion that my “Anglit?” — “English?” — request comes up empty.
Sadly, you also need an “emergency” app. It will give you both advanced (10 to 15 minutes) and immediate warnings to head to a safe room or bomb shelter if rockets or missiles are headed your way. There are a few such apps. I’ve had the Tzofar app installed since October 2024 when I helped my daughter move into her dorm as a first-year student at Reichman University in Herzliya. I received three alerts on that trip. Thankfully, the missiles were intercepted each of the three times I raced to a bomb shelter.
The Tzofar app has remained on my phone since then, enabling me to keep an eye on my daughter’s safety. On my most recent trip in April amid the ceasefire in the war with Iran, I got zero alerts and had no need to seek shelter.
In case you’re wondering: Despite arriving in Israel just a week after six weeks of constant, intense missile bombardments, I didn’t see a single damaged building as I traversed Herzliya, Tel Aviv, Jaffa and Jerusalem across 10 days. When I mentioned this to my daughter halfway through the visit, she said she could take me to an impact site in Tel Aviv that she knew of. But we had other priorities, and it just didn’t happen.
Safety
Speaking of safety, I’ve long believed that there is no absolutely perfect time to travel to Israel. If you’re waiting for it, you’ll never go. Before I landed in October 2024, I literally envisioned empty streets due to the missiles that Iran was launching that month. Instead, I found Israelis leading normal lives: hanging out in coffee shops, watching their children on playgrounds and leisurely shopping just like we do here.
I’m not oblivious to danger, though, and pushed aside my embarrassment on that trip and on my most recent visit in April, specifically asking hotels and Airbnbs about the location of the closest safe room or bomb shelter. I discovered that the staff or hosts understood my concern and had their answers ready.
Oddly enough, the only time I felt unsafe on my April trip was when I got temporarily lost in Tel Aviv’s Florentin neighborhood at night. During the day, I’m sure this hipster area known for its street art is just fine. But after getting off a bus with several blocks of walking to go, I was convinced that my daughter and I would get mugged on our way to an English-language comedy show. Moovit and Google Maps were trying to send us down long, dark alleys — heck no. The relief of finally stepping into the Standup Factory was palpable.
On a related note, a personal rule of mine is to always fly the last leg on El Al, including from any European city. El Al is more expensive than other airlines, but it’s also the last airline to stop flying when the security situation deteriorates, lessening the chance of your flight getting canceled.
Public transit
One of the most practical developments for tourists, other than apps, is Israel’s public transportation system. As someone who traveled by bus back in the 1990s because that’s all there was, I have been delighted to ride on the light rail systems in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv and on the national railway system throughout the country. The Ben-Gurion Airport stop on the railway system is a treasure: You can reach the Jerusalem–Yitzhak Navon railway station in about 30 minutes from there. And when you exit that station in Jerusalem, the light rail is literally in front of you, with stops at Machane Yehuda shuk, the Old City and well beyond either of those.
A warning about buses and light rail: The ticket inspectors are ever present and by the book, whether you’re in a tourist area or otherwise. I’ve encountered them dozens of times. They step onto the bus or light rail and check for your validated ride. It’s why the Moovit app is the way to go.
I discovered this the hard way before I knew about Moovit and got fined about $60. My Rav Kav card had run out of shekels, and I had no idea where to fill it. So I took a chance on a light rail in Jerusalem and learned a lesson. (I later found out you can track down a Rav Kav kiosk, but you can’t fill the cards on buses or light rail trains where you actually discover the problem.)
Money
As long as you have a credit card without international fees, you don’t have to exchange shekels anymore. On my most recent trip, I only needed (and didn’t have) shekels a single time while I was ordering lunch at a tiny cafe in an off-the-beaten-path area of Jerusalem. Luckily, the sole employee was willing to take dollars instead. Other than that, everyone in the big cities seems to take credit cards. The convenience is marvelous, though I’ve been informed that you can more effectively haggle in shuks when you claim to only have cash on hand.
When to go
I’m not going to wax poetic about all of the destinations you should visit. Most of them are obvious, and there are a zillion websites, social media accounts and AI assistants to help you with that. But I will suggest when to go.
Personally, I would never go in the summertime. I hate competing with reams of other tourists and am not the biggest fan of the heat. I think the most wonderful times to go are during Jewish holidays — with the exception of Passover because I like to eat my way through Israel.
I’ve been there for Sukkot, Simchat Torah, Hanukkah, Yom HaZikaron (Memorial Day) and Yom HaAtzmaut (Independence Day). They have all been incredible, moving experiences. I’d love to be there for Shavuot someday too.
Since I’m sure I’ll head back sometime in the next year, I’d love to hear your travel tips. Email me at [email protected].