JERUSALEM—Israel, the Jewish people’s ancestral homeland, has long been a destination for the People of the Book to reconnect with their past and explore their future. However, as the Promised Land exponentially modernizes itself every year, completing its century-long transformation from the sandy, swampy third-world historical country to a modern startup nation, it should be no surprise that the summer 2017 tourist season saw record levels of visitors entering the Holy Land; according to the Central Bureau of Statistics, over 3.8 billion tourists visited Israel over the course of the last year.

So, as Israelis prepare for another summer of visitors from abroad touring the historical sites, taking in the natural landscapes, and paying homage to holy sites of three major religions, and those making the trips are packing their swimsuits, camera, and Na’ot, The Jewish Link of New Jersey has gathered locals’ top recommendations for essential apps to make the most of their stay in the Holy Land.

Once upon a time, traveling around Israel was a serious adventure, as one could never have an idea when the iconic red Egged bus would finally pull up at the bus stop, nor whether it would actually take you where you needed to go. Even tourists who were willing to pay a premium to avoid riding with the masses would often have a hard time hailing a cab, and an even more difficult time haggling for a decent price with the driver once they began speaking with a noticeable foreign accent. However, due to extensive upgrades in recent years by the Ministry of Transportation and most local cab companies, taking a bus or finding a cab is as easy as unlocking a smartphone.

Moovit, developed by an Israeli startup, takes the stress out of public transportation by giving users the ability to see real time bus arrival information as well as getting detailed point-to-point directions; while lacking the charm of the average Egged bus driver, Moovit has revolutionized the art of getting locals and tourists alike from point A to point B, and is especially helpful for visitors with less-than-fluent Hebrew.

Gett (formerly GetTaxi), another Israeli startup now in use in over 120 cities around the world, has revolutionized taking a taxi in that it removes any need to speak to the driver. The user enters his destination, presses “send,” and, within minutes, a white monit is arriving to take him on his way. Taxis can be ordered in advance with at least an hour’s notice, and special competitive fixed rates are available for intercity and airport transfers. Gett even allows customers to select a type of taxi; vans and luxury vehicles can be requested, as well as Gett Mehadrin (a personal favorite of this author), which only calls taxis that do not operate on Shabbat, adding to the likelihood that a Friday afternoon ride will leave the passenger at their destination, armed for their meals with divrei Torah and brachot.

For those visitors preferring a more environmentally friendly way to tour the country, many locales in Israel, such as Tel Aviv, offer apps that allow users to rent bikes from stations scattered across the city. Tel Aviv’s app, called Tel-Ofan, includes daily, three-day and weekly access plans, though prior registration is required at one of their many service stations.

With the advent of AirBnB and other apartment and home rental services, more and more tourists have begun to stay in private apartments instead of hotels or hostels. With this, one of the most basic logistical needs on a longer vacation, doing laundry, has become more on the forefront. In order to help renters and owners alike with their laundry needs, kVisi offers laundry and dry-cleaning services, including pickup and dropoff, from most cities in Israel. The app includes options for requesting delivery times (within half-hour windows… a rarity in the Holy Land), and even includes the option to check the status of the order’s progress. Laundry services begin at 59 NIS per bag (up to 6 kg/13.2 lb), and delivery is free.

For those eager to mingle with the natives but are self-conscious of how much Hebrew they’ve forgotten since high school, basic but effective translating applications such as Google Translate and SayHi provide an easy solution for quickly iterating words into foreign languages. Google Translate has recently invested in using machine learning technology to better learn from users’ input, and their results have become noticeably more accurate lately.

Last but certainly not least, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ TourJerusalem (free) app is the perfect companion for first-time and repeat visitors to Israel’s capital. Offering guides to sites, restaurants, hotel, and even self-guided tours, TourJerusalem will help even the most familiar with the City of Gold experience it anew.