Haifa Shore Excursion: Nazareth And The Galilee - For Cruise Ship Guests Only

Guided Tours Israel provided us with three outstanding days of tours while we were in Israel. Working with this company in planning the tours was extremely easy and they have by far gone above and beyond all of our expectations. Leo promptly answered any of my questions. It is definitely one of the best companies to use in planning tours. However, the best was yet to come. Ryan, an archaeologist, who has lived in Israel for the past 23 years and was originally from Texas, was the ultimate when it come to guides. His knowledge, his sincere and caring personality, and his presentation of facts made us truly feel like family. He made the history come alive and wanted all of us to see the past and present of life in Israel. We always felt safe and comfortable. Guided Israel Tours and Ryan provided us with three days of the best of what Israel has to offer!

This was an incredible tour to several biblical sites. Our guide was so interesting and knowledgeable and helped make this a memorable experience. We learned so much!

Ryan was spectacular and so knowledgeable! Excellent guide who answered all our questions as well! Highly recommend this

We had the best guide. Ryan was knowledgeable, easy to understand and you can tell loves what he does for a living. Our experience in Haifa wouldn’t have been the same without this tour.

Ryan was our tour guide and wow! I was a little skeptical at first because he's from Texas (which I am as well), but this guy knows Israel! I cannot stress that enough. Our entire group was mesmerizes and blown away! It's been a week and I still think about all the detailed, unique, and interesting historical info he threw at us! After the tour, we couldn't stop talking about how enthralled we were in his lectures. He talks nonstop but I found myself hanging on every word lol my friend and I said that we wish he had his own podcast because we would sign up and listen for hours. The way he explains and describes history and facts was very different from any tour we experienced while on vacation. He breaks down the information to the bare bones to help you understand better. He possesses a ton of knowledge and left us wanting to know more! I highly recommend taking a tour with him! You will thoroughly enjoy your time! I feel motivated to learn more because of the new information I learned from him! 5 stars!!!

This was a good tour with alright hosts. Was still difficult to find them in the port without a sign. They also needed to update how they conduct a tour. In most of the churches and sacred sights, you cannot talk out loud and other tour groups had headphones. I was also given no options for lunch but what they took us to and we had to pay. All in All the guide was great and the driver was thoughtful. Was an average experience.

Amazing tour! The tour was set at a good pace for all ages; the guide provided headsets so that everyone could hear the information; he was very knowledgeable, providing lots of historical and religious context. Couldn't have asked for a better day!

What a delightful day we spent with our tour guide, Ryan! He was a wealth of information and was attentive to our every need. He was able to share so much background information regarding each site we visited and answered my many questions with grace and patience. After visiting Jerusalem on a cruise ship excursion, I was thrilled that I booked with Guided Tours Israel to visit Nazareth and Galilee. Wish I had used them for each of my tours. I was equally thrilled with Leo who responded to many emails that I wrote him prior to our trip. He was always prompt in returning my correspondences which I deeply appreciated. Do not hesitate to use this company. Everything that they promised was delivered!

Fantastic tour - highly recommend this company and this tour. Guide was knowledgeable and we loved the small group. Our favorite tour of our trip!

Our experienced and knowledgeable guide made sure that we saw the most amazing historical and holy sites and beautiful views of Northern Israel.

Another wonderful day with our tour guide Ryan in Nazareth and Galilee (April 20, 2023) after a great day in Jerusalem. His wide knowledge of history and Christianity amazed us. He gave us a bonus visiting spot of a Greek Orthodox Church while we had extra time. He described the battle of Hattin when we drove passing the battlefield. He also thoughtfully told us the best photo location of every visiting spot. Strongly recommended!

We had a great day in Nazareth and the Sea of Galilee. Merona was a great guide (we had her the previous day as well). She is informative and obviously is passionate about her job. The sites are very powerful and moving. Highly recommend!

We really enjoyed this tour from Haifa and went with the same tour guide and same company to Jerusalem and Bethlehem on our stop at the Ashdod port. Our guide Tomer was incredibly knowledgeable about the history and Biblical background of all the sites we visited. We had a great van and driver with only about 13 people so which allowed us to get to know one another during the tour. Tomer did a tremendous job of handling all the logistical challenges of moving from one site to the next in the limited time that we had. Guided Tours Israel is a great company and we would be delighted to return to Israel to take another tour with them.

On the positive side our guide Gil is knowledgable and well prepared. He tried to get us to as many places as possible (probably too many). The groups are smaller and that's a positive. Gil did not like anyone in our van of 15 stopping to talk to a vendor let alone buy anything. He wanted to dictate who we should buy from or even talk to. Our entire group was frustrated. We had our 17-year-old granddaughter with us. She wanted to buy souvenirs and was not happy with our guide. There were plenty of places we could have had lunch on both days and Gil dictated where we would eat even though he promised to give us options. It appeared that he had a deal worked out with some different vendors. Once again, the entire group on the bus including the three of us were very unhappy.

The guide left a lot to be desired. This was a small group tour of about sixteen people in a minivan with that capacity and most of the time the people sitting in the back could not hear him. He was an Israeli doing a tour of mostly Christian sites and he attitude was somewhat distasteful. Overall not a great experience.

Loved our rafting trio with The Hoka Shop Ltd! They were fantastic. We had a group of 15 of us and they took great care to explain and get us outfitted for our trip down the river. Had such a great time Lindsey (one of the rafting leaders.

We did both this tour from Haifa and the Jerusalem/Bethlehem tour from Ashdod with this group. We had the same guide (Dekla sp) , van and driver both days. Logistics worked great - on time, made all our stops, comfortable Mercedes mini bus (16 of us from the ship) and a quality driver. Our guide was knowledgeable and a good communicator. We loved both tours but this one got us out into the countryside and to many locations where Jesus ministered and gave us a good sense of terrain and distance that one cannot imagine reading the Bible alone. A nice lunch (on your own) and a memorable day.

A fantastic experience,exceeded our expectations From pickup to drop off. Lovely mini bus,excellent driver. Tour guide one of the best we’ve had on all our travels

This was our second tour in Israel with Guided Tours Israel company. We began the day with the panoramic view over the Haifa Bay and the spectacular Baha'i Gardens. Unfortunately it was raining (a slight drizzle) so we did not get to go into the gardens as they were closed. But, there was a silver lining - there are no people in our pictures of the gardens from the top...amazing! From there we drove to Nazareth and visited the Basilica of the Annunciation. I have lost memory of the order we visited places, but we saw The Church of the Multiplication where Jesus fed the people with the loaves and fishes, the Mount of Beatitudes, the Sea of Galilee, Capernaum with the temple where Jesus preached and the ruins of the home Peter was living in when he joined Jesus, and the Jordan River where Jesus was Baptized. Our guide, Nicola was very knowledgeable about each of these sights and was able to answer any questions tour participants asked her. She also ensured we were returned to the ship a bit earlier than originally planned as there was a storm approaching and we had to miss our second day in Haifa in order to get out of the port and into the safety of the open sea. The places we visited and content of information we were provided were both outstanding. In our opinion the guide and driver on this tour just weren't as amazing as on our day one tour with Guided Tours Israel - and that is why they got a 4 star rating from us rather than 5 stars.

We arranged a 3-day private tour with Guided Tours of Israel for 11 of us while our ship docked in Ashdod and Haifa. We used their service 11 years ago. Our guide for all 3 days was Ryan. We all agreed that he was one of the BEST guides if not the BEST we ever had in the last 15 years of travelling around the world. Ryan was at the ports before our starting time waiting for us. He was informative, pleasant. passionate about his presentation and professional. He would adjust his plan after we requested visits to couple of places not in the itinerary. Most importantly, he made sure that we returned to the ports safely before the cutoff time. Leo in the office was also very informative, giving us clear instructions as to what to expect. He would reply instantly to our inquiries. The vans Leo sent us were comfortable and clean. We had a different driver each day. Early December is a great time to visit Israel with less crowd and nice and cool temperature. We learned so much this time from Ryan. It was overall an excellent tour.

Tour was similar to the one from Ashdod to Jerusalem we had taken the day before from same company. For me the highlight was the visit to the visit to the Basilica of the Annunciation in Nazareth. For others more interested in archaeology it may be to the visit to Capernaum ruins. The guide was very knowledgeable and helpful. Presentation was uneven. One site we were just dropped off without any explanation as to where we were. It was at Sea of Galilee on some sort or shrine, or church. But we were given no explanation. Other areas, particularly the historic and archaeological she delivered a very detailed presentation and it was hard to get a question in. However, I found this to be the case on most group tours. On the down side the mini-bus was cramped, 2 seats across, and aisle, and a one seat row. If you are big, I am 5' 11", 260 lbs., you will be uncomfortable in the two across especially if sharing with another large person. Also, this company does not use the radio transmit to earphone technology. The other group tours I hade been on used this technology. Without it you have to be right up with the guide to hear what she says.

I will try to be as balanced as possible about this cruise excursion because I understand the nature of Israel and the limited options for safe and reliable tours in the area. This tour company provides experienced, friendly guides and visits all the key sites in an organized manner providing the optimal amount of time at each site. I felt as though I was getting good value for the price paid and my family felt safe and interested in every site we visited. There are two major things to be aware of: first, the vans are very tight and they book every seat, so if you are a tall like me and my son it will be a tight fit for 8+ hours. If you need space, pay the extra for a private car. We vowed to never do a group tour again after being crammed in their van with 17 passengers that should have seats for 12-14. Our van had over the promised 6-16 limit of people because a couple invited their friends from a different van to ride with us - just our luck! Second, there are limited quick service restaurant options around the Sea of Galilee so the place they bring you to is a trash pit. The owner of Hilik's Junction cares only about collecting tourist's money and does not clean up his property. As you can see from the attached photo, they just throw their trash over the side near the picnic tables where you will eat your over-priced $20 shawarma and falafel. Bottom line: go in and use the bathroom and get a Coke, but bring a box lunch from your cruise ship or hotel. Overall, the sites are worth visiting and you will be glad you invested the time to see them.

I could not pick out one outstanding feature of our 2 day stay in Haifa. It was all great.Ariel was a great guide and very obliging. We visited Jerusalem, Bethlehem Nazareth and the Sea of Galilee over the 2 days.

Thanks for the fantastic tour. My wife and I travel extensively and have wanted to visit Israel for a long time and are very glad we finally made it. We visited Galilee, Churches of the Annunciation & Beatitudes, Nazareth, Haifa, and several other sites. Sandy, our guide, did an outstanding job providing not only the facts and details for all the sites but also the historical backdrop of the events, making them relevant, bringing them to life. He also tied together the events from the Christian, Jewish and even some Muslim perspectives which helped me better understand the complexities of life in this part of the world, both historically and today. Additionally, Sandy made the tour fun adding a wry sense of humor about what was happening during the pivotal times, up to today, when Israel and the Middle East shaped the modern world. This tour was one of the best we have been on and will be remembered for a long time. Rosemary and I would highly recommend Guided Tours Israel and especially Sandy Kuttler as a guide. Thanks again for making this a highlight of our Middle East cruise.

Dekel and Abdul made our day perfect. The tour was well organized. Communication with instructions and tips for the visit were very helpful. There were 14 on our tour. The mini van was comfortable and clean. Due to our tour being on Sunday Dekel started in Bethlehem then we went back to Jerusalem. It was very busy but the guides kept things moving. We had ample time at each site. The tour ended back at port by 730 pm. I would highly recommend this tour.

- We had a wonderful two day visit in Israel. Osmir was an excellent guide and driver. He took us to see all of the highlights we wanted to see and gave us plenty of historical information to understand the area. We appreciated his flexibility in selecting restaurants and the amount of time we wanted to spend at each site. I also really appreciated working with your company as your communication was prompt and easy to understand. I would highly recommend using your company to our friends and family!

We got Ryan as our tour guide. He is an amazing guy and explained clearly the history on each site we visited. He took well care of all of us and we especially enjoy the visit of Sea of Galilee and Jordan River. We definitely had a memorable and enjoyable day! Thank Rayan.

The tour was just amazing. From the first moment when I was enquiring about the tours the communication was quick and efficient. Leo was very responsive and answered all my questions. I was informed exactly what to expect and not to expect from the tour. Our ship had a delay and lucky enough they did their best to show us all the places in shorter time, although It never felt rushed. I decided for this company based on the reviews and It was the best choice. My tour guide Ryan was just brilliant. The guy is super knowledgeable and passionated about Israel, you can tell he loves his job. I heard of so many people that was unhappy with their tours, even the ones booked with the ship (which is even more expensive). But in my case, we had nothing but great comments. I did 2 days, one Jerusalem and Bethlehem and Nazareth and Galilee the next day. I couldn't recommend them enough !!!! It was the highlight of my trip.

So convenient to book this tour for our cruise and so much cheaper than the ship tours. We feel it was better after talking to others on the ship. Our guide, Sandy, was a great story teller and we learned so much during our day trip. Leo is great to communicate with and we always knew what was expected. This was a great day!

My wife and I have just returned from a Mediterranean and Israel cruise where we enjoyed this excursion from Haifa. It was outstanding in every way. Our tour guide Yonatan (Jonathon) was superb. Our driver who piloted our comfortable air conditioned minivan was excellent. We went on 3 excursions with this company and our fellow passengers did the same. We developed a camaraderie with them and also our tour guide who also joined us on our tour from Ashdod to Jerusalem and Bethlehem. I found our time on these excursions a profound and quite moving experience. Thank you for a wonderful experience

I feel I must congratulate Guided Tours Israel on the excellent service that they provided. We had very informative updates from Leo before we left on our cruise which was very reassuring. We met our guide Yonathan at Haifa port when we did the Sea of Galilee and Nazareth. There were 16 of us of mixed nationalities. Yonathan was excellent - very informative at all times and took us to all the sites we expected to see. At Ashdod we met Yonathan again and did Jerusalem and Bethlehem. Jerusalem was very chaotic as it was a Jewish bank holiday and there were loads of people everywhere but Yonathan managed to keep us all together at all times and did not lose any of us! The 'wailing wall' was jam packed so we did not actually manage to go and touch it which was a bit disappointing. Bethlehem was much quieter and there was no queuing. Again our guide Mohammed was excellent. On the 3rd day we all went to Masada and the Dead sea. We had a different guide Ryan who although very informative did not have the same charismatic manner of Yonathan and at times I found him rather brash. My partner loved Masada and wished he could have spent more time there. I would have liked to have had longer at the Dead sea as I felt Ryan rather rushed us there and perhaps a shorter lunch break ( at a very commercialised services type cafeteria and souvenir shop) where we wasted an hour having not very nice food and looking at over priced souvenirs. Despite a couple of criticisms we had an absolutely fantastic time on our trips out in Israel and Leo is to be congratulated on provided such excellent tours for us all to enjoy

We actually did three days of tours with GTI and everything was absolutely fantastic. Day 1, Nazareth/Galilee, Day 2 Jerusalem and Bethlehem and day 3 Masada and the Dead Sea. Firstly, the frequent emails and information sent to us in advance by Leo were great. He explained fully how each day would work and he gave updates as to security procedures at Haifa and Ashdod. Each day we were met by our assigned guides, Yonaton (days 1&2) and Ryan (day 3). These two guys were amazing: so informed and knowledgeable, they were genuine experts on their subject and were engaging throughout. Where possible, they managed to get us into/out of places to avoid the huge crowds that you inevitably face. Our day in Jerusalem was on the Jewish holiday of Sukkot which meant the old city, especially the square, was CHAOTIC. However, Yonaton got us there safely despite the massive security presence and large numbers. We were in a group of 16, travelling in modern, air-conditioned mini-buses. I cannot recommend highly enough Guided Tours Israel and the prices were a fraction of the cruise line’s prices.

Fabulous tour with a very knowledgeable guide called Sandi. He explained everything is great detail but also gave alternative thoughts which made you see and think about differently. Very thought provoking. Once again it was very surreal to be where Jesus was. Sandi brought the Bible to life and more.

This tour group is excellent. Vert nice vans and drivers. The guide, Ryan was amazing. He treated us all with respect and set the pace for the group based on the older and slower people. He was very thorough in his explanations and I highly recommend this tour and especially Ryan!

This could not be a better tour. Julia was an amazing guide who shared history, culture, and religion in a respectful, unbiased manner. Sit back and enjoy the ride filled with Israeli history especially around religions in the area. Women - make sure you have shoulders and knees covered as you will visit many churches with this requirement. It was very warm in early October (102F) so I wore shorts and a tee shirt and just put a wrap over my shorts when entering holy grounds - notice: not just inside the church - but the grounds as well. The port pickup was a little confusing, but we figured it out eventually. Not sure if it will be the same for you, but we ended up finding the tour where the ship’s tours were. The bus was comfortable for the 14 folks on our tour. All from our Holland American ship - so that was fun to get to know some folks. It is a FULL DAY but many rests between stops. Tennis shoes (support and comfort) are a MUST! The driver sells water for $1 and that’s a great price. I was surprised we had to pay one $4 entry fee, but it was okay. Lunch is on your own at a mall with several options for food choice. I cannot recommend this tour enough. Most of the sights are too far away from the port to believe you can see them all. The small group allowed for greater intimacy. All questions were answered so well. And of course, the Holiness of the entire experience - simply Brilliant!

Great tour for the almost entire day. Tour guide were very knowledgeable explaining all details of the area being visited for almost the entire day. We stopped at the most famous areas with plenty of time to visit and take pictures. It was a group of 14 persons with a very nice guide with a very good sense of humor. The only complaint is the pick up location was changed and there was NO ONE to meet the group at the location where people were told to be met. every one was worried looking for the tour van and also calling the tour operator through the emergency number given but no one to give any information about what was happening. Finally one person showed up and told us the location was changed to another very busy area and no one was there with names of any person. Other than that everything was great. This is the only reason for 4 stars. I recommend this tour company.

We saw many important sights in both Nazareth and Galilee. However, my complaint is about Micah, the tour guide and the driver Bilal. Micah did not have much information to impart in the hour drive to Nazareth. He seemed to be more interested in talking to the driver while in transit. Meanwhile, the driver was not mindful of the people at the back of the bus and we were constantly being bumped out of our seats when going over bumps. He also seemed to have trouble staying in his lane while driving.

This was a fantastic tour. The guide was amazing and I would highly recommend this to anyone. We not only saw historic sites, we were treated to a better understanding of current Israel agriculture and economy.

The tour provided no information as to where to meet at the Haifa port in the confirmation email with the tickets provided the day prior to the tour. The port is quite large and the distance to the port exit is almost 1/2 mile. There was no telephone number provided as to who to call, if we have any problem. We rushed from one end of the port to the next looking for our tour, for over 30 minutes. We asked everyone who knew where our group was. Just as we about to give up, we found our tour group. It was most stressful experience ever. Very frustrated experience Edward

Our guide - Sandy - was very knowledgeable & kept us entertained with many interesting facts.. It was great to be picked up at the cruise ship. It's a long day of touring, so be tolerant of the traffic. Also, we found things to be expensive for souvenirs & quick lunches (however, they were tasty). Otherwise, a country that has lots to offer. Important also, Leo was fantastic to work with in setting up this tour - he was very accommodating in these trying times of travelling.

The whole trip was great. Our guide sonny was amazing. His knowledge was amazing . Our driver George was professional and courteous

This was our second tour with these folks and they knocked it out of the park again! We had Dikla and Akhmed again and they gave us a truly wonderful day that was safe, educational, and memorable. Their easy going nature and right balance of talking versus let us enjoy things alone was perfect. So grateful for these two tours since they let us see everything we hoped for within the time constraints or our docking times for the cruise. Cannot recommend highly enough!!

This excursion was amazing, but who made it a fantastic experience was the tour guide Alex. We were a group of 10 passengers, and he was always providing information along every step of the way, very knowledgeable in all aspects. From all the excursions on this 7 days trip he went above and beyond! I which I would have scheduled Alex for Istanbul, but next time we will request him. He was phenomenal! Thank you Alex!

We had an excellent tour of Biblical Galilee with Guided Tours Israel. Our guide, Mickey, did a wonderful job of giving us the history of each place that we visited and moving us from place to place so that we didn't miss any of the important sites. I highly recommend Guided Tours Israel not only for the great tour that they planned for us, but for the price and communication before the tour that made the day go very well.

We were on 2 full-day shore excursions (Biblical Galilee and Jerusalem and Bethlehem). From the outset, Leo was wonderful – always professional, quick to respond to emails, very organized and detail-oriented. Despite our cruise ship having to change itineraries and dates at the last minute, he quickly accommodated us. The Holy Land has been on my bucket list for almost 40 years. Given that we were docked in Haifa for only 2 days, we wanted the most comprehensive overview possible. Guided Tours Israel successfully did that for us! We were extremely impressed with our guide Michal. Often, I have difficulty understanding tour guides in countries for which English is not the primary language. I understood every word that Michal spoke! He was very knowledgeable and not only provided a wealth of information about history, culture, and religion, but also told personal anecdotes that made us appreciate what sites we were visiting. We recommend Guided Tours Israel with unbounded enthusiasm!

In January 2020 we went on two day trips, from Queen Mary 2, with Israel Guided Tours. I cannot recommend Leo and Yonathan enough. Leo got back to my email within a day with suggestions, ideas and times. The tours were really reasonably priced and we could pay on the day. Leo sent several emails with detailed instructions. On the day of the first tour Yonathon met us at the port and we had a fantastic day with so much information given and the most wonderful places visited. Day two was the same.

Wonderful trip and I would do it again . They were on time and were just wonderful . Me’ha was a great tour guide.

Viator always delivers. The local guide Mina was wonderful and very attentive. We saw a lot in one day. Our guide even arranged for us to eat lunch at a Kubutz. Our highlight was our Mom renewing her baptism in the Jordan river. Just fabulous!

I booked this trip on the recommendation of a friend. I have to say it was truly amazing. Yonathon our tour guide was absolutely brilliant, he had a wealth of knowledge and was able to answer any of our questions. It was a very informal and friendly tour, not too many people in the group - there was 8 in our group. I have to say i couldn’t fault it at all it was brilliant and I would have no hesitation in recommending it to friends and family. Thoroughly worthwhile and value for money.