Israel Pass: Everything You Need to Know
Israel Pass has many benefits and allows travelers to visit many of Israel's attractions in the country for a discounted price. As budget travelers, we decided to explore this option more closely. Here's everything you need to know about Israel Pass, including the most burning question of whether the Israel Pass is worth it or not.
Israel is a fascinating country in the Middle East that has so much to offer. From a religious, architectural, and natural point of view to food or fun activities, Israel has it all.
No wonder it is a place that many travelers have high on their bucket list.
There are many things to know before visiting Israel for the first time, but one thing is pretty important to mention, especially if you consider yourself a budget traveler.
Israel is for sure not a cheap destination. To be honest, our final bill quite surprised us, and not in a positive way.
And because we always try to travel as cheap as possible, we worked hard to find ways to save money during our two-week-long journey across the country.
That's why as soon as we learned about Israel Pass, we decided to find more information about it.
We always appreciate it when destinations we visit have some kind of a special program that maximizes the number of must-see places you can visit and minimizes the cost of entrance fees.
And Israel Pass is simply something you must get before visiting Israel, assuming you want to explore famous sites such as Masada, Caesarea or, Bet Shearim, just to name a few.
Yes, purchasing Israel Pass is an investment, but we promise you cannot spend your money more wisely.
Sometimes, you just need to spend a bit more at the start in order to save money while traveling.
If you want to know more about the Israel Pass program, learn how it works, how much you can save, and whether it is worth it, keep on reading. We've got you covered.
What Is Israel Pass
Israel Pass is an initiative supported by the Israel Ministry of Tourism that wants to help to develop sustainable tourism, make sites more accessible (even the less-known ones), and give local and international travelers a chance to see as much as possible and save money on entrance fees.
Israel Pass covers entrances to national parks in the country, plus it provides discounts on many other attractions and activities such as Rosh Ha-Nikra and many more.
Again, not only national parks but also nature reserves such as Ein Gedi are included.
Moreover, it can be combined with public transport, which might be pretty interesting for those of you who do not plan on renting a car.
We learned very fast (but not that fast as we wished) that almost every single site in Israel that's worth visiting is called a national park or reserve.
It is pretty important information before you buy the Israel Pass.
As always, we planned our trip last minute, so we did not realize that we should buy the unlimited pass and instead we bought only the option with six national parks, which we soon found out, was not enough for us.
So we saved money, but we could have saved much more. Well, you can at least learn from our mistakes.
We've already had an experience with a similar ticket type from Jordan - see Jordan Pass - a neighboring country we visited a year before traveling to Israel.
Unlike in Jordan, where the pass also covers visa fees, the pass in Israel is focused solely on natural and architectural attractions, but it pays off as well.
Where You Can Buy Israel Pass
Basically, it is possible to use Israel Pass in every national park in Israel except for the City of David National Park in Jerusalem.
The pass also does not cover the Masada Cable Car. However, the entrance fee itself to the site is included.
Every place can be visited once, and what is essential to know, the pass can be used for fourteen days after the first entry.
This also applies to unlimited Israel Pass, which might seem illogical.
On the other hand, Israel is quite a small and compact country, and even in two weeks, you can see a lot.
For example, national parks with almost identical names, Avdat National Park and Ein Avdat National Park in the Negev Desert, lie only a few kilometers from each other.
Similarly, Beit Shean National Park and Beit Alfa Synagogue can be found about 10 kilometers from each other.
In Golan Heights, we were able to visit Nimrod Fortress and Banias Falls in one day.
How Much Does Israel Pass Cost
There are three types of Israel Pass. All of them are the same when it comes to conditions; the only difference is how many sites they cover.
To give you a better picture of whether the Israel Pass is worth it for you or not, we will outline entrance fees prices for Israelis National Parks.
Sometimes, the ticket is cheaper for locals, but we share rates for international travelers, as we assume you travel from abroad.
We visited quite many national parks, and the cheapest ticket cost 22 NIS, the majority of tickets cost 28 NIS, and the most expensive entrance fee was to Eilat Coral Beach Nature Reserve in Eilat, where we paid 35 NIS as we had run out of free entrances at the end of our trip.
As you can see, even if you decide to buy the cheapest Israel Pass and decide to use it for three parks with an entrance fee, 28 NIS, you save a bit.
So what are your options?
Israel Pass - 3
As the name suggests, this ticket gives you the possibility to visit three national parks in the country. The price is 78 NIS. The choice is yours.
As we've already mentioned, when planning your Israel itinerary, write down the must-visit places you want to see.
Is it Avdat, Masada, or Tzipori National Park? Well, we are pretty sure you'll visit these places unless you decide to stay only in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem.
Therefore, we would recommend you to go for one of the other two options because savings are then more significant.
Israel Pass - 6
Now we are getting to an option where the amount you can save becomes more interesting.
The pass, which gives you six entries to national parks, costs 110 NIS, and this is also the alternative we have opted for.
Admittedly, we did not think about it that much and thought this would be absolutely enough, but after about two days on the road, we figured out we should have opted for the unlimited version.
Israel Pass - All
For 150 NIS, you'll get for two weeks unlimited access to almost all national parks in Israel, and we think this ticket is a must-have for all of you who have at least ten days in the country.
We even think it encourages you to visit places you would have normally skipped because of quite high entrance fee, and the fact that you've already paid for it gives you the motivation to make the most out of it.
If you plan on traveling around the country by public transport - read how to get around Israel - you might also find it useful that the Israel Pass can be combined with Rav Kav card, which can be loaded with public transport tariffs.
This option costs 5 NIS extra plus, of course, a discounted price for rides.
We did not go for this option because we had a rental car and think it is more suitable for long-term travelers.
Moreover, we see a flaw here because the pass can be used only for two weeks, and this is where we do not see these two initiatives cooperate that well.
Travel Insurance
We never leave home without travel insurance that was designed to cover our expenses if something goes wrong during the trip.
Travel insurance protects against theft, flight delays, injury, illness, cancellations, and much more.
World Nomads provides travel insurance for travelers to cover their trip essentials, including sports and adventure activities.
SafetyWing is affordable travel insurance for backpackers, long-term travelers, and digital nomads.
Travel smarter and safer!
How Israel Pass Works
Using Israel Pass is super-easy. We purchased it online, so we received an email with a pdf.
We downloaded the pdf on our phone, and then we always showed it by the entrance, where a clerk checked the QR code.
We never experienced any problem, and you certainly do not need the printed version, although we would have probably printed it had we bought the ticket at home with access to a printer.
Even at the smallest park, everyone knew how the pass works, which was amazing.
Only once a clerk did not know he had to scan the QR code twice for both of us (or input two persons in the system) and tried to tell us we had to pay for another ticket.
Fortunately, when we told him to try to scan it once again it worked like a charm.
Where to Buy Israel Pass
The easiest way to buy Israel Pass is to go online on their official website, or another option is to buy it on Parks Israel.
This is what we did, and we also paid straightaway by credit card.
If you prefer to pay cash or prefer to get more information about the pass in person, you can get the ticket at Ben Gurion International Airport and Ramon Airport.
Both sites have a Ministry of Transport and Road Safety booth in the arrivals halls so that you can go straight to the source.
These booths are closed on Saturdays because of Shabbat.
Another option is to ask at the front desk in the Abraham Hostel in Jerusalem or Tel Aviv, where the front desk is available 24/7.
We stayed in Abraham Hostel in Tel Aviv, and although we think it is overpriced for what it offers, we chose it because it is so well-known and the hostel organizes cool events.
Moreover, the hostel works with Abraham Tours, which offers great day tours such as the super popular West Bank Tour.
Is Israel Pass Worth It?
It is probably clear already that we would recommend Israel Pass to anyone, even if you visit Israel on a budget.
We think that the chances that you would not use it to the fullest is really low, and we always appreciate an option to save money.
The only thing you must do is decide which alternative makes sense not only because of your travel style but also based on the time you have for this wonderful country.
In the end, thanks to the Israel Pass, we were able to save more money and explore more places.
Travel Resources
Here you can find links to all the travel resources we use and which you might find helpful when planning your next holiday.
Accommodation: When looking for accommodation, we usually search hotels via Booking.com or Hostelworld.
Tours: Although we love to travel independently, some places are better to visit with a guided tour.
We prefer GetYourGuide for its easy-to-use interface and solid reputation. Another great alternative is Viator.
Rental Cars: When going on a road trip, we always use Rentalcars.com, a reliable site for booking a rental car in advance.
Flight Tickets: When looking for flight tickets, you can search Skyscanner to find the best price.
Travel Insurance: World Nomads and SafetyWing cover against risks of travel.
