Jewish Portal of Teacher Education

Source: Israel 21c

Human guides are great, but these Israeli apps put a wealth of information and navigation at the fingertips of DIY tourists in Holy Land. Now is the time to jump on the bandwagon as record-breaking numbers of tourists are entering Israel — 776,000 people in the first three months of 2014, three percent more than the same period in 2013.Touring Israel on a budget? Download some of these awesome applications to your smartphone to get the most out of your trip.

Among the best Israel touring apps:

• The Israel App - You don’t need to hire a guide or even access the Internet to take advantage of professional guides’ expertise when you use the iOS and Android Israel App: GPS Digital Travel Guide. Hailed as a tourism game-changer, it provides audio explanations and links to articles and photos of hundreds of popular tourist sites and off-the-beaten-track destinations. Choose from dozens of walking tours or let the app figure out where you’re standing based on GPS tracking. Get directions, search destinations and make hotel and rental car reservations.
• Israel Tourism Guide
• Eilat City
• VisiTLV Tel Aviv-Jaffa Official Guide
• Old City of Jerusalem Audio Walking Tour - The Jerusalem Development Authority made this free app for the “independent tourist,” and it makes good sense because the Old City of Jerusalem is a “must see” stop on any Israeli vacation – yet its vast web of alleyways is awfully confusing. Fifteen different GPS-navigated tours (five of them wheelchair accessible and all with an audio transcript for users with hearing impairment) explore houses of worship, marketplaces, eateries, the Temple Mount compound, the Western Wall, the Garden Tomb and other iconic locations. Available for iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch and Android devices
• Haifa Maps and Walks - This iOS app presents several self-guided walking tours with detailed route maps and navigation features to get from one site to the next. Included are six museums, the Bat Galim neighborhood, the Bahá’í World Center, nightlife, shopping, architecture and the Ein Hod artists’ colony a short distance from the city.

See more at Israel 21c.