Old and New Jerusalem Day Trip from Tel Aviv

Bein Harim through Viator states that tours are in English but they will put you on a bi-lingual tour to save money in a tiny, squashed van. The tour then takes twice as long and you lose interest and can't understand anything as the guide switches back and forth between languages. The guide actually apologized to us at the end of the day and thanked us for our patience. DO NOT USE BEIN HARIM. Make sure it's another Israeli guide company.

Our tour guide was very knowledgeable and the trip was very well organized. I very much enjoyed the tour.

The tour was excellent! Our guide, Itamar, was very knowledgeable and answered all the questions we had on the tour. It was well organized with plenty of time to wander areas on your own.

I would like to express my admiration and gratitude for the excellent organization of the tour in April 2018. We were pleased to visit these Holy places with your guide. Thanks

I understand it is summertime and crowds are expected. I did not expect such a slow start to this tour. I was picked up at my hotel in Tel Aviv which was very convenient at 7:30 in the morning but did not start viewing Old Jerusalem until 1030. There was much wasted time while we picked up other people at their hotels, a rendezvous Point where other people join the tour bus, and a bathroom stop at an Elvis Presley themed coffee shop where people could buy coffee and keep their Elvis Presley cup. While this was fun for some I wished I had booked my own personal tour. The tour is called Old and New Jerusalem with a visit to the Holocaust Museum. The tour to new Jerusalem was a bus drive through from old Jerusalem to the museum. I felt that the title of the tour is misleading. I thought perhaps after visiting the museum we will continue on with a tour of new Jerusalem but I was mistaken. I was very disappointed by this tour and realize I would be better off with a small group. Our guide was terrific and unfortunately for her as well as the group she had to spend some of her time and effort rounding up people who strayed from the group. More wasted time.

As an atheist I was a bit worried that this trip would be too religious for me but I was pleasantly surprised. With an excellent guide, we got all the historical as well as the religious information. We strolled through the souks around the four quarters of old Jerusalem, visited the dome of the rock, the church of the sepulchre and the wailing wall. After a lunch of local fare we visited the beautifully designed and very peaceful Holocaust Memorial Museum. Its haunting displays and soft ambiance are a perfect setting to pay our respects to the millions who perished at the hands of the Nazis, lest we forget. All in all a highly recommended day for all ages and whatever your beliefs.

I have no idea why this tour cost so much money, having taken other tours. I specifically chose this tour because I wanted more time in Jerusalem, rather than cramming it in with the Dead Sea on the same day, for instance. However, it is exactly the same tour as the Half-Day Tour of Old Jerusalem, meaning only 4 hours in the Old City - well over an hour of which was wasted in my opinion. Our tour guide did not seem adept at switching back and forth between Spanish and English quickly when giving his presentations, which wasted time. We had only 15 minutes at the Wailing Wall, but 30 minutes at a souvenir shop, and another 30 for lunch at a pre-determined restaurant. You never have enough time on these tours, but I felt like we REALLY did not make the most of our time. Also, be sure to really read the full description of the tour... it can be quite misleading: Absorb spectacular views over the Old City from the Mount of Olives See the Garden of Gethsemane and Church of All Nations in the Kidron Valley... You do not go to any of these places. You drive by them. So, after paying far more than the half-day tour people and getting basically the same thing not nearly enough time at Yad Vashem - and the admission is free, it sort of felt like signing up for something and then having to sit through a time-share presentation. Disappointed. There are free tours! Find them!

A must for anyone who's the first time in Israel!