Begins every Tuesday and offers the traveler an intensive tour of some of the country’s most classic sites with the option of visiting the rose red city of Petra. The tour features 3 nights Jerusalem, 3 nights Tel Aviv and 2 nights Galilee.
All tours can be customized.
Your land arrangements include:
– Sharing transfer on arrival and departure (from/to Ben Gurion Airport)
– 8-night accommodation, based on double occupancy, bed and breakfast basis except at Kibbutz Lavi on half board (breakfast/dinner basis)
– 6 touring days as per itinerary with English speaking guide
– Dinner in Jerusalem on Thursday day 3 followed by a Sound and Light Show at David Citadel
– Lunch at a Druze village on Sunday day 6
– Entrance fees to the sites visited as per the itinerary
– The hotels might be replaced with similar ones
Your land arrangements do not include:
– Airfare to and from Tel Aviv
– Departure taxes, fuel surcharges or airport improvement fees
– Porterage at the airport or hotels
– Insurance
– Early check-in/late checkout
– Single room supplement – a limited number of single rooms available on payment of supplement
– Meals and beverages not mentioned
– Optional tours not mentioned
– Gratuities for individual services, laundry and valet service, and any other items of a purely personal nature
– Tipping to guide, driver, hotel or restaurant staff
– E. & O.E.
For information and bookings, contact Janice Snider.
Day 1 Tuesday Ben Gurion Airport / Jerusalem
Arrival at Ben Gurion Airport, where you will be met by our representative and transferred to your hotel. Balance of the day is free. Overnight in Jerusalem.
Day 2 Wednesday Mt. of Olives / Old City / Bethlehem*
This morning enjoy the magnificent panoramic view from the Mount of Olives before heading to the Old City to see the Tomb of King David on Mt. Zion. On the upper floor of the same building, we find the Room of the Last Supper also known as the Cenacle, considered one of the holiest sites in Christianity. Enter the walled city and walk through the newly restored Jewish Quarter. Visit the Roman Cardo lined with a row of columns on each side before continuing to the Herodian Quarter where wealthy people once resided in the 1st century. Moving on we come to the Western Wall, an ancient limestone wall in the Old City also known as the Wailing Wall or the Kotel. Take a somber walk along the Via Dolorosa, the Way of Sorrow that is believed to be the path that Jesus followed on the way to His crucifixion. The Church of the Holy Sepulchure found in the Christian Quarter is built on the traditional site of Jesus’ crucifixion and burial. Six miles southwest of Jerusalem is Bethlehem*, the birthplace of Jesus where we stop to view Rachel’s Tomb before continuing to the Church of Nativity and Manger Square. Return to Jerusalem.
Overnight Jerusalem. B
Day 3 Thursday Israel Museum / Knesset / Mt. Herzl / Yad Vashem
Our first stop today will be in Givat Ram at the Israel Museum with its Shrine of the Book housing the priceless Dead Sea Scrolls and see the miniature Holyland model of Jerusalem as it was during the Second Temple period. Not far away is the Knesset, Israel’s parliament. At the edge of the rose garden stands the large Bronze Menorah, a gift from the UK Parliament. Later on, we visit Mount Herzl Cemetery (Mount of Remembrance) Israel’s national cemetery. To the west is Yad Vashem, Israel’s official memorial preserving the memory of the victims of the Holocaust. Drive through the ultra-orthodox neighbourhood of Mea Shearim and learn about the residents’ unique lifestyle. In the evening, enjoy a Middle Eastern dinner followed by the Night Spectacular “Sound and Light”** Show at the Tower of David Museum.
Overnight Jerusalem. B/D
Day 4 Friday Qumran / Masada / Dead Sea
Driving through the Judaean Desert we come to the Dead Sea**, the lowest point on earth at almost 1300 feet (400 meters) below sea level. Stop at Qumran to visit the site where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found. Follow the shore of the Dead Sea to Masada, the isolated mountaintop fortress of King Herod. Ascend by cable car and tour the ancient fortress where the Zealots made their last stand against the Romans before committing mass suicide in 73 AD. Descend by cable car and continue to the Dead Sea where you can cover yourself with the mineral-rich mud and experience floating in the Dead Sea**that many believe offers therapeutic benefits.
Overnight Tel Aviv. B
DAY 5 Saturday Tel Aviv
Free day in Tel Aviv. Overnight Tel Aviv B
Day 6 Sunday Caesarea / Megiddo / Druze village / Haifa / Galilee
Drive along the coastal plain to Caesarea located halfway between Tel Aviv and Haifa, once the Roman capital of the region. Stop to view the excavations of the Crusader-era city, the Roman port, the picturesque and well-preserved aqueduct and the amphitheater that has been restored to its former glory as a concert venue. Southeast of Haifa is the ancient city of Megiddo identified as the site of Armageddon with its archaeological excavations revealing the remains of 20+ cities built on top of each other. Worthy of note is the 70 meter underground water tunnel sloping up to the spring. We arrive in the Druze village of Daliat el Carmel situated on the Carmel Heights for late lunch in a local restaurant. Afterwards we head to Haifa on the slopes of Mount Carmel for a panoramic view of Haifa Bay and the Golden domed Baha’i Shrine surrounded by perfectly manicured Persian Gardens. Continue to the Upper Galilee.
Overnight in a Kibbutz guesthouse. B/L/D
Day 7 Monday Safed / Katzrin / Golan winery / Galilee
Today’s program begins in Safed, the center of Jewish mysticism with its ancient synagogues and the Artist Quarter lined with galleries and workshops. At the Golan Heights to see the former Syrian bunkers, Quneitra, and the new Israeli town of Katzrin. Stop at the Golan Heights Winery, Israel’s leading producer of quality wines established in 1983 for a unique wine experience including a tour and wine tasting. The day concludes at “Golan Magic” for a multimedia presentation of the area and its history.
Overnight in a Kibbutz guesthouse. B/D
Day 8 Tuesday Sea of Galilee / Nazareth / Beit Alpha / Tel Aviv
Start the day in Nazareth with a visit to the Church of Annunciation with its towering cupola. Continue to Tiberias named after the Roman Emperor situated on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee. Stop at the ancient fishing village of Capernaum located on the northern shore to see the ruins of the ancient synagogue and the octagonal Church of St. Peter. On a hill in northern Israel, we find the serene Mount of Beatitudes where Jesus delivered the memorable Sermon on the Mount. Continue via Beit Shean to Beit Alpha to see the remains of the mosaic floor of an ancient synagogue depicting the zodiac. Our day concludes in Tel Aviv.
Overnight in Tel Aviv. B
Day 9 Wednesday Tel Aviv / Ben Gurion Airport
After breakfast, transfer to Ben Gurion Airport for departure. B
*Site under the Palestinian Authority Jurisdiction. Visit subject to situation.
** Visit subject to weather conditions.
***Program sequence is subject to change without prior notice
*Site under the Palestinian Authority Jurisdiction – visit subject to situation
**Visit subject to weather conditions
***The sequence of the tour, border crossing point used, hotels used and sites visited may be amended due to circumstances
****Men must cover their head while in the prayer area and women must cover their shoulders and wear long pants or a knee-length skirt. If you forget to bring a covering, guards will provide you with a piece of fabric for that purpose before you enter. The prayer area is separated by gender. If you want to be super respectful follow Jewish custom by never turning your back on the wall. You will see many people walking away from the wall backwards because it is simply disrespectful to turn away.
B = breakfast L= lunch D = dinner