Practical Information for visiting Israel

The currency is the new Israeli shekel (ILS), written with a symbol resembling a combined N and S. Notes and prices are straightforward, and the currency is stable.

Cards are accepted almost everywhere including small shops, market stalls and taxis, and contactless is standard. Carry some cash for markets, the occasional small cafe and for tipping.

ATMs are plentiful. Bank machines give better terms than the standalone change bureaux; the exchange offices in central Tel Aviv and Jerusalem usually beat the banks for cash.

Tourists are exempt from VAT on hotel accommodation and on some car hire when paying in foreign currency — worth asking about, as it removes seventeen per cent.

Tipping is expected in restaurants at around ten to fifteen per cent and often has to be left in cash even when the bill is paid by card. Taxi drivers are not tipped.

Coverage for mobile networks is excellent throughout, with 5G in the cities and 4G across the Negev and the Galilee. Israel has one of the more competitive mobile markets anywhere and data is cheap.

Tourist SIMs are sold at the airport and in the cities and cost very little; eSIMs are widely supported. Roaming from Europe is not covered by EU rules, so a local option is usually far cheaper.

Free Wi-Fi is available in cafes, hotels, on many buses and trains and in public squares in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. Fixed speeds are high.

Note that GPS interference has been widespread at times, causing navigation apps to place you tens of kilometres from where you are. Download offline maps, and do not rely on satellite positioning alone for driving.

The security situation is the single most important planning factor for a trip here, and it changes. Check your own government's current advice before booking and again before travelling, and register with your embassy if it offers that.

Read the advisory for its exceptions, not just its exclusions. The FCDO advises against all travel to Gaza and to within 500m of the Gaza border; to Tulkarm, Jenin and Tubas governorates except Route 90; to the far north above Route 89 between Nahariyya and Dalton and above Route 91 across the occupied Golan Heights, excluding routes 89 and 91 themselves; and to within 500m of the Area of Separation in the Golan, the Alpha line. It advises against all but essential travel to the rest of the West Bank, except East Jerusalem, Bethlehem Governorate, Ramallah and Jericho municipalities and everything south of Jericho — which includes the Allenby crossing — plus Highway 1 between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv and the land south and west of it including Highway 3, and Route 443 and Highway 45. Do not try to enter the Golan Heights from Syria. A reader who takes away only “avoid the West Bank” has cancelled a trip the advisory itself routes.

The shelter drill. There is a risk of rocket and drone attack throughout Israel, and of shrapnel from intercepted missiles falling across Israel and Palestine, with possible disruption at Ben Gurion; airports and airspace can close at short notice. If you are told to take shelter, the best option is a residential protected space — a Mamad, Mamak or Maman — or a communal shelter. Failing that, choose a stairwell with no windows or exterior walls and stay at its centre: the greatest danger is falling debris from intercepts, so being inside a solid structure is what matters. Do not approach or touch drone or missile fragments or any unusual object. Israel's Home Front Command publishes guidance on finding a protected space, and its app gives alerts in English. If a siren sounds, move to a shelter immediately and stay for ten minutes.

Violence on the arterial roads. Stone-throwing attacks on people and vehicles occur along Route 60, especially at the junctions near Nablus, along Route 443, and on other West Bank arterial roads used by both Palestinians and Israelis. Violence also often occurs along main roads and intersections, where passing vehicles may be stopped at random or targeted. Movement restrictions including curfews are in place throughout the West Bank, and the risk of violent confrontation at checkpoints is heightened. Individuals of Palestinian or Arab descent may face increased scrutiny, detention or arrest.

Public transport has been attacked. Violent incidents and terrorist attacks occur occasionally on buses and at bus stops and have caused deaths and injuries; in February, three bombs exploded on three separate buses in the Tel Aviv area, and two more buses were found with devices that failed to explode. Wait behind the bollards or behind the stop, and report anything suspicious to the driver.

Border areas — Gaza, the Lebanese and Syrian frontiers — are subject to restrictions and are frequently closed to visitors entirely. Border crossings out of Gaza have been closed to civilians and general traffic; the Rafah crossing to Egypt, the only crossing point between Gaza and Egypt, is significantly restricted. Local authorities may close or restrict access to checkpoints in and around Jerusalem at short notice.

Airport security is intensive rather than dangerous. Expect detailed questioning, particularly if you carry stamps from certain countries; answer plainly and allow time.

Everyday crime is low. Violent crime against tourists is rare, and pickpocketing in markets is the usual extent of it.

Flash floods in desert canyons kill hikers most years. Never enter a wadi when rain is forecast anywhere upstream, even in clear weather where you are. Unexploded ordnance exists in parts of the Golan; stay on marked paths and respect fenced areas. Earthquakes are a risk.

Checkpoint procedure, what must be in a hire car, and how the transport network runs are on Getting Around.

Israeli healthcare is excellent, with modern hospitals and internationally trained, English-speaking staff. Visitors pay privately, and costs are high, so travel insurance is important.

Vaccinations: routine cover is sufficient; nothing special is required for a normal visit.

Heat and dehydration are the commonest problems. At the Dead Sea, Eilat and in the Negev, summer temperatures above 40°C combine with very low humidity, so you lose fluid without noticing. Carry far more water than seems necessary and avoid hiking in the middle of the day.

The Dead Sea needs care: do not shave beforehand, keep the water out of your eyes and mouth, do not swim face down, and limit immersion to around twenty minutes. Swallowing the water is genuinely dangerous.

Sun. The UV index is extreme for much of the year. High-factor sunscreen and a hat are not optional in the desert.

Pharmacies are widespread and pharmacists are helpful. Tap water is safe to drink throughout the country.

Entry, and the card that is not a stamp. Your passport needs 90 days' validity beyond arrival. Tourists need no visa and are admitted for up to three months, but since 1 January 2025 an Electronic Travel Authorisation is required before you arrive: it costs 25 new Israeli shekels, is valid two years and covers a 90-day visit. At Ben Gurion you are given an entry card rather than a passport stamp — keep it with your passport until you leave, because it is your evidence of having entered legally and you may need it to cross into Palestine. At other entry points you may get either. A refusal is marked by a stamp with two red lines through it, and some travellers have been issued stamps reading “Palestinian Authority only” or “Judea and Samaria only”. Carry ID at all times — a copy of your passport's personal-details and entry-stamp pages will do. Dual nationals should read their own government's specific guidance before booking.

Crossing to Egypt at Taba. Going beyond the Sinai Peninsula — to fly from Cairo or Hurghada, for instance — means a border tax of US$120 plus a standard entry visa at US$30. At Taba that visa also needs a “letter of guarantee”, provided by travel agents at around US$20; both can be bought at the crossing. Taking a car through Taba may add US$100 and parking charges on top.

Dress for holy sites. Shoulders and knees covered for churches, synagogues, mosques and the Western Wall; men cover their heads at the Wall, where paper kippot are provided. The Temple Mount has stricter rules, limited visiting hours for non-Muslims, and a prohibition on non-Islamic prayer. In Jerusalem, the West Bank and Gaza, clothing should cover shoulders, upper arms and legs above the knee.

Shabbat. In religious neighbourhoods — Mea Shearim in Jerusalem above all — do not drive, photograph, smoke or use a phone visibly on Saturday, and dress very modestly. These are not suggestions and residents will say so.

Photography. Do not photograph ultra-Orthodox people, especially children, without permission, and avoid photographing soldiers, military installations and border areas.

Kashrut. Many hotels and restaurants are kosher, which means no pork or shellfish and no mixing meat and dairy — hence no cheeseburgers and no milk with a meat meal.

Politics. Everyone has strong views and will share them. Listening is more useful than contributing, and the terminology you choose for places and events is itself read as a position.

Smoking is banned indoors in public places, and drug laws are enforced despite a relaxed reputation. Breaking the laws on importing or exporting wild animals carries a substantial fine and up to two years in prison.

Emergency numbers: 100 for police, 101 for Magen David Adom ambulance, 102 for fire. 104 reaches the Home Front Command for civil defence information. English is generally available.

Medical. Major hospitals include Hadassah Ein Kerem in Jerusalem, Ichilov in Tel Aviv, Rambam in Haifa and Soroka in Be’er Sheva, all with emergency departments and English-speaking staff. Payment or insurance details are required.

Alerts. Install the Home Front Command app, which issues rocket and civil-defence warnings in English and identifies the nearest shelter. Hotels will show you their protected room on request.

Desert and sea. Tell someone your route before hiking, carry water, and check the flash flood forecast, which is published daily in winter. Eilat has a decompression chamber for diving injuries.

Keep an offline copy of your passport and insurance, and note your embassy — most are in Tel Aviv.