Kotel tunnels/Ir Dovid tours

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Forum -> Inquiries & Offers -> Israel related Inquiries & Aliyah Questions

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amother

Sun, Jan 19 2020, 9:34 am

Anyone know if there is any real difference between the tours offered by the organized tour companies like artzeinu and Hoffman and the tours you book directly?
Thanks.

STovah

Sun, Jan 19 2020, 11:26 am

I’ve done the tunnel tour both ways and the difference was not worth the significant extra cost of booking through Artzeinu or Hoffman. I only did Ir Dovid with private guides but if I were to go again I’d probably book directly online.

amother

Pink

Sun, Jan 19 2020, 11:26 am

Not sure but if you're at the kotel, it's easy to go to the office and book the tour yourself. The English ones fill up fast in the summer, not sure what it's like now. I assume the price would be a lot more with Hoffman etc

STovah

Sun, Jan 19 2020, 11:31 am

The main advantage of Artzeinu or Hoffman is that you can book closer to the time you’ll be there, even during popular vacation times whereas the English tours booked directly can fill up way in advance.

trixx

Sun, Jan 19 2020, 11:51 am

Just a tip to request (if even possible) a frum tour guide, you get much better and accurate info. I did the kotel tours twice and can't compare.

amother

Forestgreen

Sun, Jan 19 2020, 11:54 am

We loved Tzvi Satt as our kotel tunnel tour guide! English speaking and frum.

shanie5

Sun, Jan 19 2020, 12:25 pm

amother [ Pink ] wrote:

Even easier to book online.

librarygirl

Sun, Jan 19 2020, 12:37 pm

Yes. Ive done the tours by booking directly and always been unhappy because it's not geared towards frum people. I would definitely go for the frum guide.

FranticFrummie

Sun, Jan 19 2020, 1:55 pm

librarygirl wrote:

Yes. Ive done the tours by booking directly and always been unhappy because it's not geared towards frum people. I would definitely go for the frum guide.

Really? I did both tours last January, and both the guides were very frum.

What bothered me, was there was no warning about how steep and treacherous the stairs would be, how many stairs, and how narrow the walkways. Some of the areas when you are way underground are so narrow that I could barely squeeze through, and I'm only 140 pounds (size 12) Anyone smaller than me runs the risk of getting stuck!

Another thing, the walls are naturally slippery and damp, bordering on slimy. If you are wide enough that you have to really squish to get through, your clothes are going to be filthy. This was true on both locations.

I would be absolutely mortified if I booked a tour with some family members that were heavier than I am, or had bad knees, and found out that they had to be left behind. There are no refunds.

seeker

Sun, Jan 19 2020, 6:47 pm

I did Ir David about a year and a half ago directly through the site and it was very nice. I thought it was quite clear both online and on site that the full tour included narrow, slippery maneuvering. IIRC there were options of tours at different comfort levels but I'm not sure about the others because we went all in, the one where the water goes waist high. I don't remember getting filthy but maybe I just didn't notice because we all changed in the restrooms as soon as we got out (prepare to rent a locker to keep your dry stuff...)

amother

Mon, Jan 20 2020, 7:20 am

Thanks all for your feedback, very helpful.

amother

Darkblue

Mon, Jul 03 2023, 10:05 am

This is an old post, but anyhow - The Ir Dovid tour, & also the tunnel tours, they are both narrow & slippery?

Curious if okay to book either for a family which included bH' healthy & mobile but nevertheless elderly grandparents.

doctorima

Mon, Jul 03 2023, 11:22 am

amother Darkblue wrote:

Tunnel tours aren't slippery, but there are some sections that are fairly narrow due to the width of the excavated tunnel, though nothing extreme.

Ir David itself isn't slippery or narrow, though if you go through the optional water tunnel, it's definitely both.

Reality

Mon, Jul 03 2023, 11:27 am

I would discuss with your elderly family members what they feel they are up to doing. I would skip chizkiyahu's tunnel/water tunnel.

There is a dry tour you can take that isn't slippery but there are some narrow tunnels. It is narrower than the wet tour. But it really depends on the fitness level of your family members and if they have balance issues.

amother

Darkblue

Mon, Jul 03 2023, 12:34 pm

Thank you for your replies!

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