Visitor Information

The Israel Ministry of Tourism maintains Israel Government Tourist Offices (IGTOs) in a number of countries throughout the world. The Ministry of Tourism's website (www.tourism.gov.il or www.goisrael.com) has country specific information for citizens of the U.S. and Commonwealth countries, as well as for many European countries. It also has offers about special events in Israel, a schedule of conferences and conventions, information about tour groups, and special deals and advice for prospective visitors to Israel On this website you'll also find the current rates of exchange vis-à-vis the new Israeli shekel.

For additional information, readers in the Unites States and Canada can contact the Israel Government Tourism Office (IGTO) North American Information Center (tel. 888/77-ISRAEL; www.goisrael.com). U.S. offices are at 6380 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 1718, Los Angeles, CA 90048 (tel. 323/658-7463; igtola@imot.org); and 800 Second Ave., New York, NY 10117 (tel. 212/499-5650; igtonewyork@imot.org).

Canadians can head to 180 Bloor St. W., Suite 700, Toronto, ON M5S 2V6 (tel. 416/964-3784; info@igto.ca). For the United Kingdom and Ireland, the regional IGTO office can be reached at tel. 0207 299 1111 or via e-mail at info@igto.co.uk. In Australia, contact Australia-Israel Chamber of Commerce, Tourism Dept., 395 New South Head Rd., Double Bay NSW 2028, Sydney (tel. 2-9326-1700; fax 2-9326-1676; aicc@mpx.com.au).

Internet Access Away From Home

Without Your Own Computer--It's hard nowadays to find a city in Israel that doesn't have a few cybercafes. The Jaffa Road/Ben Yehuda Mall area of downtown Jerusalem and lower Ben Yehuda Street in Tel Aviv, near the main Tel Aviv hotel district, are well stocked with Internet cafes and centers. Even amid the labyrinths of the Old City of Jerusalem, there's Mike's Center, Suq Khan es Zeit Street (the main road from the Damascus Gate southward) -- Mike's is located above the Abu Assab Carot and Orange Juice Shop and offers private booths (air-conditioned in summer) for you to work in.

Aside from formal cybercafes, most hotels and hostels have at least one computer with Internet access. Rates will not be great, but at the end of a long day, the convenience could be worth the price. Avoid hotel business centers unless you're willing to pay exorbitant rates.

With Your Own Computer--Downtown West Jerusalem from the post office on Jaffa Road to the Ben Yehuda Pedestrian Mall, up to King George Street, and the adjacent Yoel Salomon, Rivlin Street and Jerusalem Courtyard neighborhoods are Wi-Fi (wireless fidelity) access zones: Cafes and restaurants are filled with locals and travelers communing with their computers.

In addition many hotels, cafes, and retailers are providing Wi-Fi zones where you can get high-speed connection without cable wires, networking hardware, or a phone line. Mac owners have their own networking technology: Apple AirPort. T-Mobile Hotspot (www.t-mobile.com/hotspot) serves up wireless connections at more than 1,000 Starbucks coffee shops nationwide. Boingo (www.boingo.com) and Wayport (www.wayport.com) have set up networks in airports and high-class hotel lobbies. iPass providers also give you access to a few hundred wireless hotel lobby setups. To locate other hotspots that provide free wireless networks in cities around the world, go to www.personaltelco.net/index.cgi/WirelessCommunities.

For dial-up access, most business-class hotels throughout the world offer dataports for laptop modems, and a few thousand hotels in the U.S. and Europe now offer free high-speed Internet access. In addition, major Internet service providers (ISPs) have local access numbers around the world, allowing you to go online by placing a local call. The iPass network also has dial-up numbers around the world. You'll have to sign up with an iPass provider, who will then tell you how to set up your computer for your destination(s). For a list of iPass providers, go to www.ipass.com and click on "Individuals Buy Now." One solid provider is i2roam (www.i2roam.com; tel. 866/811-6209 or 920/235-0475).

Wherever you go, bring a connection kit of the right power and phone adapters, a spare phone cord, and a spare Ethernet network cable -- or find out whether your hotel supplies them to guests.

Note: In Israel, you will need an adapter addition for your computer's electric plug that will match up with Israel's round-hole electric sockets. Many hotels will lend them out, or you can buy one for under a dollar at most electric appliance or hardware stores. Electric current in Israel is 220 volts -- make sure you have an automatic internal current adapter or an external adapter designed especially for your computer or it will get fried.

Cellphone Use

The three letters that define much of the world's wireless capabilities are GSM (Global System for Mobiles), a big, seamless network that makes for easy cross-border cellphone use throughout Europe and dozens of other countries worldwide. In the U.S., T-Mobile, AT&T Wireless, and Cingular use this quasi-universal system; in Canada, Microcell and some Rogers customers are GSM, and all Europeans and most Australians use GSM. If your cellphone is on a GSM system, and you have a world-capable multiband phone such as many Sony Ericsson, Motorola, or Samsung models, you can make and receive calls across civilized areas around much of the globe. Just call your wireless operator and ask for "international roaming" to be activated on your account. Unfortunately, per-minute charges can be high -- usually $1 to $1.50 in western Europe and up to $5 in places such as Russia and Indonesia.

For many, renting a phone is a good idea. (Even world-phone owners will have to rent new phones if they're traveling to non-GSM regions, such as Japan or Korea.) While you can rent a phone from any number of overseas sites, including kiosks at airports and at car-rental agencies, we suggest renting the phone before you leave home. North Americans can rent one before leaving home from InTouch USA (tel. 800/872-7626; www.intouchglobal.com) or RoadPost (tel. 888/290-1606 or 905/272-5665; www.roadpost.com). InTouch will also, for free, advise you on whether your existing phone will work overseas; simply call tel. 703/222-7161 between 9am and 4pm EST, or go to http://intouchglobal.com/travel.htm.

Phone rental in Israel isn't cheap. You could pay $40 to $50 per week, plus airtime fees of at least 50¢ to $1 a minute. Local rental companies often offer free incoming calls within their home country. Shop around. Cellular Abroad (www.cellularabroad.com/israel) rents cellphones for many overseas destinations; at press time, its basic packages for Israel start at $29 for 1 week, $49 for 2 weeks, and $69 for 1 month. They have multiple country packages that could allow you to use your phone on excursions to Jordan and Sinai.

At the main Arrivals Concourse at Ben Gurion Airport after picking up your baggage and clearing customs, you'll see the Teleommunications Center, where all major mobile and satellite phone providers have desks. You probably won't be in shape to do comparative cell phone rental shopping after a 12-hour flight so advance planning is useful. Cellcom (www.cellcom.co.il/english; customer service tel. *123) is the largest provider in the country; followed by Pelephone (www.pelephone.co.il; customer service tel. *166) and Orange/Partner (www.orange.co.il; customer service tel. 800/054-054).

Two other possibilities: Israel Phones (www.israelphones.com); and Tikshoret Besheva (tel. 972/2-652-2353; fax 972/3-684-4392; yossch@netvision.net.il). Both companies will deliver the cell phone to your hotel or apartment. Daily rates (subject to change) are approximately 70¢ a day with an optional 20¢ charge for insurance. With Tikshoret Besheva, incoming calls are free; calls within Israel to Celcom or land phones begin at 20¢ a minute; calls to the U.S., Canada, or the U.K. begin at approximately 35¢ a minute. Prices are lower after 9pm and, with some plans, on the Sabbath.

Buying a phone can be economically attractive, as many nations have cheap prepaid phone systems. Once you arrive at your destination, stop by a local cellphone shop and get the cheapest package; you'll probably pay less than $100 for a phone and a starter calling card. Local calls may be as low as 10¢ per minute, and in many countries incoming calls are free.