Any recommendations for a tour in Israel (eventually)

I went to Israel and Jordan in November with Gate 1. I like Gate 1. They do have some big bus, 48 person, tours but they also have some smaller ones that max out at 24 or so. First I did a small group Japan tour with them and liked them very much. So when I was planning out an Israel trip, they were one of the companies I considered. By spending a lot (I mean A LOT) of time on their website, I discovered that 1) they sometimes offer really good coupons (like 50% off the travel companion land fee) and 2) they sometimes get some really good airfares, even though I usually book my own air.

At any rate, we took this tour: https://www.gate1travel.com/mediterranean/israel/2019/escorted/deluxe-israel-jordan-16ddlxoljo20.aspx.
For the price you see, we actually got the tour and business class air out of Seattle.

This was a great tour. Sites, guides, hotels (awesome hotels - like the Waldorf Astoria) and tons of really good included meals. It was a step up from my usual travels and I am so glad we did it this way. This was not a religious trip at all.

One other thing: you'll notice this trip includes Jordan. Make sure you go to Jordan. Petra, the coolest archaeological site in Jordan, makes the entire trip to Jordan worthwhile. And Gate 1 uses a really fun guide for Jordan. He's easy to talk to, really witty and gives great information about current life in Jordan, not just ancient history.

I blogged this trip extensively. I'm not supposed to put my blog link in my answer here but a link to it exists in my bio on this site or you can private message me and I'll send it to you. It gives a way better picture than I can provide in this short answer.

Thank you so much Valarie I will look into the tour company you mentioned! I appreciate hearing your experiences. I'll see if I can find your travel blog as the locations you mentioned are of interest to me. Especially Jordan.

We have done 3 tours with Rick Steves besides traveling on our own. This past January we went on a tour to South America with Odysseys Unlimited and had a great experience. They have a 12 day tour to Israel, with a 4 day pre-tour option to Petra and Amman, Jordan.

https://odysseys-unlimited.com/tours/africa-the-middle-east/israel-timeless-wonders/

The price includes round trip airfare from New York or Boston, all breakfasts and many meals. Group size is 12-24.

Others on the forum have traveled with them with good experiences also. We are supposed to to go Costa Rica with them in February, but are assuming we won’t .

"And by that I mean I am interested in the religious history, as I find it all fascinating...."

Jerusalem and other parts of Israel are fascinating for those with an interest in history, particularly archaeology related to religious historical sites.

Given that you're "not religious but are interested in religious history", you'll probably want to start your research by Googling sites that say "Israel" rather than "Holy Land."

Jerusalem would be an obvious place to focus your research, since it has key historical sites of three religions: Judaism, Muslim/Islam, and Christianity.

If possible, try to sleep in the Old City rather than the rest of Jerusalem, or at least within easy walking distance of the Old City. In previous visits I've found it possible to sleep in the Old City, such as a French-based convent that is specifically set up to provide accommodations for Christian pilgrims (the nuns were young Arab Christian women). You don't have to be a particular religion to stay there.

The "newer" cities, such as Tel Aviv, will have limited historical sites.

The Galilee area has sites mostly associated with places where Jesus lived and preached, which may be of great interest even to those self-described as "not religious." Notable among these Galilee locations is the village of Kefar-Nahum (Capernaum in the Christian Bible) at the north end of the Sea of Galilee (which is really a lake) and the site of the Sermon on the Mount (not the exact spot but close and inspirational even if you're not particularly religious).

Masada also comes to mind, but you will want to do a day-tour there from Jerusalem.

In general, Israeli drivers are known as fairly assertive, which might be just another reason you would want to avoid renting a car. And definitely don't do rental car in any city.

With sufficient research (which it seems from your post that you would be inclined to do), you can rather easily DIY in the Old City and walk everywhere. No need for tours there, it's a small geographical area, even sites outside the Old City walls, are relatively easy to walk to or a short taxi ride away, places such as the Mount of Olives, Pool of Siloam, Kidron Valley.

Outside of Jerusalem, you can see a variety of historical sites associated with Judaism, what religious Christians would tend to think of as "Old Testament" (aka The Hebrew Bible). Numerous sources of information (internet and books) will give you plenty of information on these other locations.

A long-time member of this forum is Chani from Tel Aviv, you might want to use the Private Message feature of this forum to contact her.

I've been eyeing America Israel tours for a Christian-based Holy Land tour, but they do offer a "general Israel" tour like you're wanting. https://www.americaisraeltours.com/general-tours-to-israel/

Thanks for the insights Kent.. I'll definitely take them into consideration.. I would agree I'm probably not going to rent a car as it just seems like a hassle dealing with in cities.

Steve,
Yes, rental cars in Israeli cities is likely to be a big hassle, especially in a place like Jerusalem. But as Chani mentions in her post (below), renting a car is the most efficient way to see the many sites outside the major cities--see Chani's post (below) for her suggestions as to when and when not to rent a car.

If you fly into Tel Aviv/Ben Gurion airport, don't rent a car to drive to Jerusalem from the airport (if that is your plan) because bus service to Jerusalem is efficient.

There are some areas where doing a one- or two-day tour may make sense. For example, I was in Israel during the first Intifada in the 1990's and renting a car to go to Masada required driving through the West Bank and at that time renting a car by a solo Western travelers was discouraged because of possible security concerns. I took a day tour from Israel, during the Intifada and there was a guard with us who carried an automatic weapon.

If interested in the Galilee area, you should explore transportation options there for either a tour that hits what you want to see, or renting a car if no tour matches your interests.

Chani is the only Israel local I'm aware of that's still on this forum.

Or PM me back and I can provide more info.

Stay safe and keep the dream alive of seeing the "Holy Land", I mean, the Historical Biblical Lands.
:-)

Regarding Odysses--I've taken three tours with them and enjoyed them all. The published rates include airfare but if you want to make your own flight arrangments just contact the company for land only pricing.

When i was in Israel, I used Rent-a-Guide for one day tours but they offer multi day tours as well.

Hmm, I think I just heard my name called :-)

I would agree with most everything Kent wrote. Before I go into details, I do want to recommend Douglas Duckett's "Israel, A Personal Travel Guide" that Ufkak linked to. Douglas has made numerous trips here. He updates the guide after every trip so all the information is current.

Driving in Israel. . . . definitely challenging in the big cities, where traffic is bad, one-way streets abound and parking is hard to find and often expensive. On the other hand, getting to many of the most interesting places outside those cities is very hard without a car. The roads are good, traffic is not a problem in most places if you avoid rush hour. Drivers are "assertive" (Kent has used a very diplomatic term) but not as much on the open road and in small towns, and not as much as Italian drivers. You can rent a car in any city and drop it in any other one.

Israel has a lot to offer besides religion and history. Natural phenomena - eerie desert scenery, 4 seas: the Blue (1), the Red, the Med and the Dead), lots of wildlife (including 500 million birds that migrate through twice a year); excellent wineries, and people who are friendly and helpful. All the national parks and most other sights have good written guides in English. (1)Sea of Galilee

I looked at the itinerary for Valerie's Gate 1 tour (when she was here and we met) and it is excellent. (the shorter tours - not so much) If you have the time, I do recommend added Jordan to your trip, be sure to see Jerash as well as Petra and Wadi Rum. It is the jewel of Jordan.

Chani,
Thank you for so promptly "hearing your name called."
And for sharing your valuable knowledge as a local of traveling in Israel.

Upon re-reading my original post, I realize I was too general in my comments on car rental, and in fact once I thought about it I remembered that my experience with rental cars was just as you have explained it and that they are probably the most efficient option to reach sites outside the cities.

I have been to Israel, in 1985, and loved the country. It is filled with major historical and religious sites. The people are friendly and it is not terribly expensive.

My wife has not been to Israel, so we were looking at a Gate 1 tour (previously we have taken three Vantage World Travel tours, but they have just gotten too expensive). Gate 1 tour is known as a good travel firm and had fantastic prices.

In main tours are often 1/2 of companies like Viking or Vantage. Hotels are either four star or high three star.

We particularly like a tour for 15 days that includes Jordan as well as Israel.

In March of last year we toured with Friendly Planet. We covered the whole country-coast-Crusader castles-the Golan Heights along with Nazareth, Bethlehem and Jerusalem. Also visited a couple of Kibuzes(?) and extended to visit Petra. After RS, our go-to company.

If you want to do your own travel planning, you can hire local guides for a day, multiple days or longer. Private tours allow you to arrange your itinerary based on your interests.
We rented a car in Jerusalem, picking it up the morning we wanted to head out to sight-see. We hired a local guide who rode with us and navigated. This was more reasonably priced than hiring a guide who may also hire a driver. We kept the car, IIRC, 2 nights/3 days and parked in our hotel's parking facility. Driving was easy. In and out of Jerusalem is comparable to any big city and major signage is in multiple languages.
Read Douglas's guide - it is excellent.

Reid Coen, a Rock Steves guide (or former RS guide), has a company called Imprint Tours. They had a tour to Israel earlier this year. I did not take it but I took another tour with him and loved both him and the tour (Southern Africa). I’m not sure if he goes to Israel every year, but you could check his website.