Testimonials

We went on a 12 day tour of Israel with this company. .Avi is a brilliant tour guide. Not only does he know the history , facts and nuances of the places we visited but he mixed it with a great personality and humour. He obviously loves the country and it shows in the joy and pleasure he brings to the tour. Cannot recommend highly enough............ absolutely terrific

MrB66
Toronto, Canada

We toured all of Israel in 12 days with Avinoam and had the best trip ever! We had gone with friends to celebrate my daughters Bat Mitzvah. Avi customized our trip so that all eleven of us were able to do and see everything we had wanted. Avi is funny, kind, full of knowledge and has pure love of his country. Everyday of our trip we thought was the best possible day but the next day was even better. 
All aspects of the trip were easy from inital contact, planning and arrival in Israel. Avi and staff takes care of it all. 
If you want a private experience Avi Tours is the only way to go!

Shelley M
Chicago, Illinois


Many tours in Israel are geared toward large hoards of people: loud and not very personal. Avi has a knack for encouraging an intimate experience avoiding the masses and gearing to your personal family needs. He has a lovely bus, speaks English fluently, and will adjust to you: less walking, more walking, less time, more time-Whatever you like and whatever you need.

Rebecca1515
North Chicago


We went on a family trip to Israel for my son's bar mitzvah. Although the ages in our group ranged from 4 to 75, Avi made sure that it was the best possible experience for everyone. Avi is very friendly and helpful; I doubt there is a guide with more knowledge, understanding and appreciation of the region's interesting sites, diverse cultures and rich history. Avi made us feel like he was part of our family and we were part of his. Avi is simply the best; you will not be disappointed!

DadofoneChicago
Chicago

We toured the entire country with Avinoam Nehmad and Doron Bookshtein of Avi Tours. These two gentlemen were extremely knowledgeable, courteous and they helped bring Israel to life. They were also fabulous with my special needs children. We recommend to everyone that if you are going to Israel, you call Avi Tours.

Andrew G.
Delray Beach, Florida

My family of five (kids ages 20, 17 and 11) scheduled our trip to Israel months in advance without any real thought as to what we would do or where we would stay. Avi's personal attention, advice and assistance turned our travels into the proverbial "family trip of a lifetime." He identified hotels in our budget, planned an itinerary that fit our overall schedule, and made sure that our every need was accounted for.

Once we arrived, Avi and his associates were nothing short of spectacular. He was full service, able to successfully improvise when things didn't quite go as planned, seemed to know everyone everywhere and everything about every place, and ensured that we were happy at every juncture. I cannot recommend him highly enough.

Marc S
Skokie, Illinois


“Dear Avinoam,
We just wanted to let you know how we thoroughly enjoyed all that we saw in Israel, and we just loved Gil.  You were right–he was terrific! We truly learned so much history from him and had a great time!  Israel is such a beautiful country and we wished that we could have spent more time there. We were also very fortunate to be able to go to Bethlehem, and it was truly awesome!!!  The weather was great too.  Our tours couldn’t have been better. It’s so unfortunate that the time goes by so fast, but when we got home, we felt that we needed another vacation so that we could rest!  We truly saw so much and took everything in.Thanks again for all your help, and we will certainly pass along the name of your tour company to others.  Have a wonderful holiday season!
Regards,"
Linda H
(Linda’s group travelled with us from one of the cruise ships)

“Dear Avi,
Now that we are home and finally getting ourselves re-organized, we just wanted to say many thanks for showing us your Israel according to our requests and adding so much more.  Israel was truly a highlight for us and we marvel daily, at the panoramic view poster we purchased at Gethsemane as well as our photos and memories of the view from the Mount of Olives.   We have passed on your name to a couple of people from the cruise, one of whom was staying at the hotel where we were and also on a private tour.  They’re looking for a new guide next time.  You also mentioned a recipe for hummus that was developed by your mother.  Could you send that to us please.
With much appreciation,  Allan and Evelyn, Penticton, Canada”
(Allan and Evelyn traveled with us from one of the cruise ships)

“I’m still trying to recover from our cruise, but I just wanted to take a moment to thank you for putting us with Avishay for our tour–we were all so pleased with him and his knowledge and willingness to share it.  Even though we only had 2 days, I think we got a good feel for Israel.  Avi understood that we might not ever get a chance to return and maximized our time there to the fullest.  Anyway, I just wanted to let you know how pleased we were with Avishay and your company–it was good to finally talk to you as well!  Please tell Avishay thanks again from us–he said he was coming to Houston to see his brother this month, so if it’s not too late, tell him to give us a call and we’ll take him out to dinner–we owe him.  And if you’re ever in Houston, you too!
ML, Houston, TX”
(ML traveled with us from one of the cruise ships)

“Dear Avi,
Got back this weekend.  On behalf of the group and especially my wife and I, I wanted to express our thanks and a job well done!  I know I was particularly fussy but it was a great tour.  My expectations were met.  Avi the guide did a great job and was extremely knowledgeable about the history.  Also he was an accomplished driver keeping us out of traffic with his traffic updates.  He had a very hard driving day the first day.  As it turned out, the schedule kept our group out of the rain for both days.  The Dead Sea overnight was great.  Between the water and the high oxygen level, we all recovered from the very hectic first day by staying at the Dead Sea.  And it was an experience.  Several of us want to come back to Ein Bocek and do a longer rejuvenation.  The dinner at Taj Mahal was a great suggestion by Robyne.  And we made the Tel Aviv/Jaffa tour in time.  Again thanks and I hope you have a successful year next year.
Regards and Shalom, George S.”
(George and his group traveled on a tailor-made two day tour from one of the cruise ships)

“Good morning Avinoam,
Just wanted to drop a note to tell your company what a fabulous time we had in Israel with our guide Ali.  Ali was the best.  He was informative, fun and so kind.  We cannot say enough about him and will recommend your tour company because of him.  We hope to get back there soon and will not hesitate to have Ali as our guide.
Regards, Craig and Nancy S.”
(Craig and Nancy traveled with us with an overnight stay in Jerusalem)

“Hi Avi,
Well, after a good journey we finally made it home and are now sweltering in the Sydney heat!  We felt really sad when we left you and Israel and we want to thank you both so much for giving us so many wonderful experiences in Israel.  Avi, we loved having you as our guide and thank you for putting up with our madness for the week!  Robyne, we loved being with you at Masada and the Dead Sea and getting to know you was an added bonus to our trip.  We really felt we were leaving two friends behind when we left Israel.  Being back in Sydney seems  a world away from Israel but we hope to visit again very soon.
Thank you so much again.  Best Wishes, Nicola, Rob, Tamara and Aaron”
(Nicola and Rob’s family toured throughout Israel to celebrate Aaron’s bar mitzvah)

“Hi Avinoam,
While looking over, with much pleasure, emails and photos from our Israel trip, I  couldn’t find any record of saying thank you for your help.  Dina was a FABULOUS guide and she added so much to our touring.  We had such a great time, my wife’s still talking about our next visit to Israel!
A belated Happy New Year and best wishes!  Jerry B and family”

“Dear Avi,
I can’t thank you enough for the outstanding tour experience my wife and I had recently in Israel.  Our guide, Nurit, is a real gem of a guide and a person.  Since we had recently been to Israel and visited the standard sights in Jerusalem, we opted for an out of the ordinary itinerary for this visit by cruise ship.  Robyne did an excellent job in helping us choose what to do and we are very grateful for her services.  Whoever matched us up with Nurit deserves loads of credit and thanks, as her personality and views seemed to match ours perfectly.  We should also comment that Nurit is an excellent driver and we always felt safe in her van.  By the end of our days together, we feel like Nurit is a member of our family.  Thanks again for arranging and providing this tour for us.  I will certainly recommend your agency, and specifically Nurit, to anyone contemplating a private tour in Israel.  Please send Nurit our warmest regards.
Paul and Sandy
(Paul and Sandy toured with us in a summer tour)

“Hi Avi,
Our trip home was fairly uneventful and easy and we are settling back in to Chicago and our own time zone.  The best thing is that the leaves are still on the trees here and the colors are beautiful.  It’s good to be home but our minds and hearts are still in Israel, especially now that we have some time to digest the trip.  It not only met Michael’s and my hopes and expectations, it exceeded them—largely thanks to both of you.
Love, Nancy”
(Nancy, her husband and their friends toured here with us on a small group tour)

“Dear Avinoam,
We just wanted to tell you what a wonderful trip we had an how much we enjoyed Anat and Israel.  She was so knowledgeable and fun to be around.  We loved the  Jordan River and our lunch by the Sea of Galilee.  All in all it was amazing and we feel very blessed to have been able to visit your beautiful and historic country.
Thanks for your help, Cathy”
(Cathy and her friends toured Israel for one day from one of the cruise ships)

“Dear Avi,
I can’t thank you enough for arranging our tours in Haifa and Ashdod.  We had a terrific time with both Anat and Michael and would recommend your company again in a heartbeat!  I’m still adjusting to the fact that we are both home now and back at work–yuck…My heartfelt thanks for everything and please pass on our best to our two wonderful guides-they made it an experience we will never forget.
All the best, Vicki W”
(Vicki and her husband toured from the ports of Haifa and Ashdod)

“Dear Avi,
Well, we have been back for three weeks from our trip.  I wanted to take a few minutes and thanks you for the wonderful experience that we had in Israel.  It was so much greater than we expected and expected a lot!  Our two days went by so quickly in what is truly one of the most unique places in the world.  Your insights and sensitivity that included arranging for us to renew our wedding vows in Cana was very special.  We have all agreed that we will come back to Israel in the next several years and spend 2 weeks with you in your wonderful country and see both the Jewish and Christian sites this time when we have more time.  We all recommend you highly and we know now from personal experience, if you are going to be in Israel, even if you have only 2 days as we did, you can have the visit of a lifetime if you do it right and you can’t do any better than to use Avitours.  Everything we did was first class, actually as we described it while we were there.  Our heart felt thanks to you for having made our trip so memorable and for sharing insights into the wonderful country of Israel.
All the best from the 4 of us,
Dick
(Dick and his friends toured with us for two days)

“Avinoam,
Just writing to let you know we had an amazing tour of Israel and Palastine; it was worth every cent.  Joel from Haifa was absolutely fabulous, he made the experience truly unforgettable.  He felt like an old friend by the time we had to depart on the second day.  I actually teared up when we had to say goodbye.  Avishai was great too.  We definitely will travel back to Israel to see and experience more of this wonderful country.  Thank you for putting this tour together for us.  We are telling everyone we know that they must visit Israel and that they must seek out Avitours if they are looking for great local tour guides.
Please send Joel from Haifa our many thanks for two of the most amazing and enjoyably exhausting days of our lives.
Keep up the good work, Paul and Lisa R”
(Paul and Lisa toured with us from one of the cruise ships)

“Avi,
Oh my gosh.  What can I say…We loved Nurit and voted her one of our favorite tour guides of the whole trip.  She made it so spiritual for us in Haifa.  The lunch was the best ever!!!  I am so sad that we did NOT go with your tour company in Jerusalem.  Our tour was very much less than spiritual.  I cannot thank you enough for all you did for us.  We will never have the opportunity to go back, but will never forget the tour Nurit gave us.  In fact tour isn’t the word for it–it was her tender care and knowing how much this all meant to us.
Please thank her for us again.  Connie from Minnesota”
(Connie and her group of friends traveled with Avitours for one day from Haifa port)

“Hi Avinoam,
Just wanted to let you know we had the most amazing time in Israel thanks to Gilad Peled.  He was so knowledgeable, kind and caring.  He took such pleasure and pride to make sure we saw and did everything we could possibly squeeze into our short visit.  I will go on to Cruise Critics and highly recommend AVI Tours to anyone who is looking for a private tour.  Knowing that your company provides guides with the passion and ability to present an unbiased presentation of the complex world that exists in Israel, we feel very comfortable with our recommendation.  Also, please feel free to use our words for any testimony you may use for your company in the future.
Best Regards,  Dave and Robyn L”
(Dave and Robyn traveled with Avitours from a cruise ship)

“Hello Avinoam,
We are home safely and trying to catch up on everything we missed.  To be honest, what we really miss is Israel.  I have not stopped thinking about our trip or life in Israel since we came home.  Thank you both for making our visit so wonderful and personal. “
Jodi and family
(Jodi and her family toured with us)

“Dear Avinoam,
Again, on behalf of my entire family, I cannot thank you both enough for making our trip to Israel so amazing.  You both made the planning so easy and we loved everyplace we visited.  You made us feel more like family than tourists.  Sam’s bar mitzvah was so very special; it felt like “home”!  We will be back in the not too distant future but we hope you can visit us in the States even sooner.  Of course, please use our names for references.  Please stay in touch.
Shalom!  Eric”
(Eric and his extended family toured Israel with us and celebrated his son’s bar mitzvah here)

“Hello Avinoam,
wanted to report to you about the tours.  You provided us with 2 fantastic tour guides…Abraham and Nurit.  Everyone in my group thoroughly enjoyed them.  They were very knowledgeable and kept the tour on pace so that we would have an opportunity to visit the important sites.  We lost so much time in Bethlehem that Abe (wonderful, patient Abe) had some juggling to do so we could see the important istes in Jerusalem.  We thank him for the great job he did.  Nurit…what a wonderful guide.  She is into the tour so much that she inspires the group.  Also…Thank you, Robyne, for the tour you put together.
Many regards,  Ben”
(Ben and his friends toured with us from Ashdod and Haifa ports).

“Avi,
Hoping you are well.  Just wanted to say how thrilled we were about our trip.  It truly was a trip of a lifetime and we couldn’t be more thankful to you for taking care of all the details and really knowing what we wanted.  I am so happy to have met you and hope we can see each other again one of these days.  You are always welcome to stay here if you are coming to the NYC area!  As for our ecoguide Adam, he was amazing.  So incredibly humble and knowledgeable.  Never pushed us to do anything.  Made everything look so easy AND it was HOT!  Was grace under pressure quite a few times and was very sensitive to our needs.  He even took us to his house to meet his wife and son.  We highly recommend him.
I’ve already sent two friends our itinerary with your details.  Hope we will be able to send loads of business your way!  Best to you and your family and please stay in touch…you are a great pal and real inspiration to me.
Best wishes,
Rayna
(Rayna and her family traveled throughout Israel with us)