Holy Land Tour

Hi. We only visited one chapel where we needed to cover knees and shoulders, Dominos Flavet. January in Israel can range from 70s to 40s so you'll need layers. I'd definitely pack a waterproof jacket. Most of the sites we saw were outdoors. Many biblical ruins and loads of walking so have good walking shoes. Jeans, t-shirts, Capri, fleece sweater or vest, very comfortable clothing is all you need. Pack a bathing suit for the Dead Sea, an experience that shouldn't be missed. And if you are going to Yardenit and want to be baptized you'll need your suit but they supply the baptismal robe and they have sizes to fit everyone. An incredible experience for me. I went in 100 degree weather so the Jordan River felt great. Do you mind me asking which tour you're taking? Israel is still my favorite vacation/experience of my life and I doubt it will ever be surpassed. I plan to return in 2020. I'd love to hear about your experience. Have a wonderful time.

I forgot to add.... pack water shoes. You'll need them for the Dead Sea and Yardenit.

The following is the website of my Israeli tour. He posts wonderful photos from tours you might be interested in seeing. http://biblicalisraeltours.com/jan-2018-israel/

Really good walking shoes, with good tread and support. A hat - even in winter, the sun is quite strong at the Dead Sea and elsewhere. And, yes, water shoes or Teva-like sandals that can be worn in water. Also a purse/day bag/small backpack large enough to carry a water bottle.

If you're going with a church group they should be giving you guidelines regarding issues like dress codes that might affect what you bring with you. Any tour group (church or otherwise) that I traveled with was willing to give suggestions about these things. They know where they are taking you and what any rules might be for those places, if any.

We toured in 2017 and my own experiences were:

Outside of Jerusalem, we were told we could have our knees exposed. (We wore shorts, shorter, skirts, etc) I did carry a longer skirt on the bus. At one location (Capernaum) our guide said we should cover our knees. I pulled my skirt up over my shorts. However, the second bus (we were a group of 59 from our church) were still in shorts and had no issues.

In Jerusalem, we were told to have our knees covered. I used my longer skirt and my capris and that worked great. The same thing applied to Bethlehem. (cover the knees) We all carried scarves in case we needed to cover our heads, but I only had to use it at the Western Wall and the Temple Mount (see below). FYI Covering the knees can apply to men as well.

The Temple Mount: Our group did not get a reservation to go up on the Temple Mount, However, my husband and I went up on our own. We needed our passports to do this. I had my skirt on that ended between my knees and ankles but it was not enough. I had to rent a skirt at the site that covered my ankles. Fortunately, I had a large scarf. They were not worried about my head being covered, but I had to wrap it around my arms so that no skin showed. I even tucked my hands into the scarf. At one point it slipped and apparently you could see some skin from the back. (I couldn't see it so did not realize it) Men started hollering at my husband to cover his wife. (which he did...he had not seen it either since we were walking side by side) My husband had long pants on (he would have had to rent a skirt if he hadn't) but was not required to cover his arms.

This covers what was "required". Some things you might want to consider are bringing a hat. We toured in May, and it was very sunny. We had sunscreen along and used hats. (not sure what January will be like) As the previous poster stated: you will be walking on rocky, uneven ground so shoes that are comfortable and have a little traction work great. I used my Clarks wave walkers and also brought along a pair of Lands end Mary Jane trekkers. (Unfortunately they don't make the ones I have anymore, but they have another variety.) I wore those the most as they went with shorts, skirts, etc.

Our group put a lot of time and effort into trying to figure all this out (what to wear when, etc). In the end, we found that with the exception of Jerusalem and Bethlehem, what we wear at home was appropriate. (older group, no one wore short shorts, etc)

The Dead Sea area is a resort area. As previous poster said: bring shoes to wear into the Dead Sea. I brought some really old Tennis shoes and then threw them away. Have a great trip!!

When we went to Israel it was with a group of professionals (Urban Planners) and not once did the issue of proper dress come up. Not once. Is it possible that if you just dress like ordinary beings on a church sponsored tour, that all will be well?

Your profile does not state where you are located but I am from Houston, Texas and the latitude of Israel is pretty similar. So the temperatures in Israel in January are going to similar to the southern United States at the same time. It can vary based on elevation and definitely cools off some at night. So wear clothing that you would wear if you were visiting the southern US. The dead sea area is warm and you should be okay swimming so bring your swimsuit.

I toured Israel with a church group as well. My experience was similar to others in that more conservative dress was generally required in Jerusalem and outside of Jerusalem shorts/shorter skirts were okay at certain times. However, there were places like the church on the Mount of Beatitudes where shoulders and knees had to be covered. Our guide would announce each evening what would/would not be required for the following day i.e. "shorts are okay tomorrow" or "we're going to holy sites tomorrow so everyone needs to have shoulders and knees covered." I'm sure you could ask your guide to clarify for you what would be appropriate based on your itinerary. I went in May when it was very hot and wore lots of long skirts because it was much cooler than pants. And yes, take sturdy, comfortable shoes with a good tread. You will do lots of walking on very uneven ground.

As for the Dead Sea, the best piece of advice I got before my trip was to pack something to wear in the Dead Sea that I wouldn't mind getting ruined. Even after rinsing out our clothes in the bathtub after being in the Dead Sea we found that things didn't dry well and still felt slimy and sticky the next day, so we ended up throwing everything away. I had packed an old running tank top and shorts to wear which worked perfectly well. One lady on my tour had specifically bought a new expensive swimsuit for her vacation and the minerals in the Dead Sea leached some of the colors and ruined it. Taking something old means you don't have to worry about it. It's an amazing experience! Also, I don't think I saw it mentioned earlier , but if there are ladies in your party make sure no one shaves their legs the day you go in the Dead Sea, the water is very irritating to freshly shaved skin.

Allie post brings up an interesting point. A lot of what you will be required to wear will depend on what your guide tells you. They will probably have information in the packet they mail you closer to when you go. Her guide said to cover shoulders and knees at the Mount of Beatitudes. I looked at my pictures, and I had on shorts that day. (as did many in our group.) We were not denied access and guides were fine with it. Apparently, what is required can differ from group to group. To be honest, when we got to Jerusalem, our hotel was just a few blocks away from the old city. My husband and I walked to over and entered through the Damascus Gate. Stores were closing up, but we met and talked to several friendly shop owners. And yes, I was in shorts. However, later that night we were told to cover our knees. (I was not opposed to this, we just hadn't been told that before except when we were going in specific sites) I still look at those pictures and kind of cringe...but if they were offended, they were very gracious about it.

Your profile does not state where you are located but I am from Houston, Texas and the latitude of Israel is pretty similar. So the temperatures in Israel in January are going to similar to the southern United States at the same time. It can vary based on elevation and definitely cools off some at night. So wear clothing that you would wear if you were visiting the southern US.

This is not good advice - sorry! I've been to Israel three times in December or January and it was COLD - like 40 degrees. It can even snow in Jerusalem and the North of Israel that time of year. People actually wear down jackets in the winter in Israel!

In general, you can't judge the weather by latitude between North America and other continents. Some continents have wet and dry seasons that are the opposite of ours, and things like the jet stream can make the weather cold or warm out of proportion to latitude.

Bethlehem and Jerusalem can be cold and can be rainy. Especially in Jerusalem's Old City, some places can be very slippery when they get wet, so you need walking shoes with good traction. I'd take a warm scarf (also good if you need to cover your head at a mosque or church) and gloves as well to keep warm. Some of the Russian churches (which you may or may not visit) require women to wear a skirt. If you are wearing slacks, they'll give you a large scarf to wrap around your waist. As long as your upper arms and knees are covered, you'll be appropriately dressed for any religious sights. Other than that, no one here really cares much what you wear. You'll see everything!

On the other hand, it could be warm (60s and even 70s) and sunny, especially around the Sea of Galilee and the Dead Sea, so do bring some light weight clothing.