Whether you’ve been in Israel a million times, or if you’re coming for the first, there is only one way to see the cities of this beautiful country: by bike! The team at Gordon Active are dedicated to showing you Jerusalem and Tel Aviv in a way that you’ve never experienced them; covering large chunks of the city, seeing the major sites, and having a great time en route. Our guides are not just bike enthusiasts but qualified tour guides, experienced in showing the country to the veteran traveller and the first time visitor alike.
Day Tours
You can choose from the following tours whilst you’re here in Israel, each one sure to become a highlight of your trip:
Jerusalem Day Tour
Come with us on an adventure, and you will discover hidden gems, secret pathways, and a unique experience of the city that sits in the center of the world!
Our guides know Jerusalem inside out and backwards, and as such are able to take you on an off-road adventure through quite alleys, residential neighborhoods, leafy gardens, and forgotten pathways, all-in-all enabling you to see places that are not accessible by bus or car and are too far to go by foot.
Our Jerusalem Day Tour passes through the historic center of the city, the Calatrava Bridge, the Knesset and Supreme Court, the Valley of the Cross, Rehavia, Talbiya, the German Colony, the Hass Promenade, Mishkanot Sha’ananim, Jaffa Gate and the Russian Compound. Throughout the tour there will be stops in order to listen to a short but in depth explanation of what you’re looking at; coupled with stories and anecdotes, this makes the tour not just interesting and informative, but fun and exciting too.
All of our guides are English Speakers, and our Jerusalem Day Tour is open to those with even limited biking experience. As we spend very little time on roads, preferring to stick to bike lanes, parks, side streets, and pedestrian malls, our tours are completely safe for all the family.
Jerusalem Night Tour
Riding through the streets of the Old City of Jerusalem under the cloak of darkness is not only exhilarating; it’s an experience that will stay with you for the rest of your life.
When the sun sets on Jerusalem the Old City starts to go to sleep. The churches, synagogues, and mosques quieten; the stalls in the bizarre lower their shutters. Families close their front doors, and students retire to their quarters. The hustle and bustle that characterizes the alleyways of the Old City in the daytime is notably absent allowing you to hear a loaded silence filled with the secrets that the ancient stones can not make heard above the noise of the day.
Our tour begins in the modern city, exploring some of the historic sites relating to the development of Jerusalem. We then delve into the warren of alleyways that make up the Old City where your guide will masterfully lead you through the empty streets passing the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, the Christian Quarter, the Jewish Quarter and Mt. Zion, for a truly magical experience.
Along the way you will make various stops at points of interest where you guide will explain the significance of the site you are looking at using stories, and anecdotes, as well as their vast knowledge of the history of Jerusalem.
This tour is suitable for anyone who feels comfortable riding a bike, as it requires only basic cycling ability. We do not recommend this tour for those who have no biking experience at all or for children under the age of 13.
Early Morning Bike Ride - Jerusalem
Whether you’re a cycling enthusiast separated from your bike, would like to see the city in a different light, or are eager to burn off some of those fantastic Israel breakfasts, our early morning bike ride is perfect for you. Cycling through the streets of Jerusalem as the city is just waking up, your licensed tour guide will point out some of the most important sites to you, but will emphasis the biking over the touring. Largely sticking to bike routes and quiet streets this 3 hour tour is designed for people with some biking experience who want to get their pulses racing.
Judean Hills Ride
Many visitors have enjoyed our private Judean Hills tour. This is hugely popular with both families and adult groups. The Judean Hills tour is a 4 hour ride, mostly downhill starting at Aderet, visiting various sites along our route. For adult groups the tour can include a wine tasting experience; for families we include a visit to a goat farm. This tour can be turned easily into a full day tour which would include the Beit Guvrin national park and a picnic lunch along the way. This is a wonderful way to get out of the city and experience everything that the Judean Hills has to offer, from great food and wine, to crawling in cave systems used in the Bar Kokhva revolt!
Experience Tel Aviv
The city of Tel Aviv-Jaffa is criss-crossed with bike paths and there is no better way to experience the city than joining the tens of thousands of native Tel Avivians in their preferred mode of transport around town – the bicycle! In our Experience Tel Aviv tour our English speaking, licensed tour guide will take you on a journey past the most important landmarks both historically and culturally, of the city. Amongst the stops on this tour are the ports of Tel Aviv and Jaffa, the old Jaffa Train Station, the “White City”, Rothschild Boulevard, Neve Tzedek, Habima National Theater, the Rabin Memorial, David Ben Gurion’s home, and HaYarkon Park.
Tel Aviv for Families
Families with small children will certainly also want to experience Tel Aviv, but may be looking for a more relaxing tour that incorporates more activities for the younger element. For this reason we have built a special Family Tel Aviv program. In this program we focus mostly on the northern part of the city where we can ride in HaYarkon Park, visit a petting zoo, stop at open air public art exhibits, and end up at a beautiful stretch of Mediterranean beach where we can enjoy a dip in the sea and lunch.
Tel Aviv Bike & Sail
The newest edition to our Tel Aviv tours, the Bike and Sail program is hugely popular with families, individuals, and groups alike. We start our day with a 2 hour bike tour of Tel Aviv including many of the highlights from our Experience Tel Aviv tour. We finish our bike tour in Jaffa port where we take a short break and catch our breath before swapping wheels for waves as we head out on our yacht to enjoy a tour of the Israeli coast from the wet side!
Other Day Tours
At Gordon Active we believe that the only way to see Israel is by bike. Our team includes Cycling Specialists who are considered amongst the most knowledge experts in the country on all issues regarding biking in Israel. As such, if you would like to tour an area that is not listed here, we relish the opportunity to build a day tour that will meet your requirements.
Our Jerusalem city tours run on a scheduled departure basis as follows:
Jerusalem Day Tour: 9 am every Saturday
Jerusalem Night Tour: 9.30 pm ever Tuesday
Early Morning Bike Ride: 7 am every Wednesday
These tours leave from the Inbal Hotel, Jabotinsky Street 3, Jerusalem.
$60 per person; price includes bike hire, helmet, and guide.
Pre-registration is required.
All other tours run on a private basis and the cost depends on the tour and the number of participants.
We are able to provide tag-alongs, bike seats, and trailers for children. Children from age 6 are able to have their own bikes.
Multi-Day Tours
In addition to our day tours, many visitors in Israel like to have a biking experience that spans a number of days. We offer both guided and self-guided options for multi-day tours in Israel. Included in our expansive repertoire of available tours are our wonderful 7 day Northern Star, and 7 day Jerusalem to Eilat bike tours. Each of these tours are comprehensive tours combining great riding and wonderful sight seeing; they include accommodation, guides, bike hire, most meals, and logistical back up, all at the unbeatable price of $1980 per person.