SAMPLE TOUR ONLY FOR GROUPS
This is a suggested itinerary from a 2011 multi-faith tour designed to give the traveler an opportunity to learn about the Arab, Jewish and Christian cultures of Israel. Visit sacred and historical sites of significance to all three faiths.
Tel Aviv, Jaffa, Caesarea, Haifa, Baha’i Gardens, Galilee, City of Jenin, Tiberius, Nazareth, Jerusalem, Masada, Dead Sea, Hebron, Be’er Sheva, Bethlehem
– Transfers to and from the airport
– Ground transportation on private air-conditioned motor coach
– English speaking tour guide
– Hotel accommodation based on double occupancy
– Meals as specified (B-Breakfast; L-Lunch; D-Dinner)
– Entrance fees to points of interest specified
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 a 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.
Arrive at Ben Gurion International Airport where you will be met by our representative, followed by an introductory briefing. Conclude the day with a stroll through the shops and cafes along Shenkin Street, the “Greenwich Village of Tel Aviv.” Shop for unique craft items in Nachalat Binyamin’s colourful, open-air market and see modern Tel Aviv in action. Dinner at Hotel and Overnight in Tel Aviv. D
This day is at your leisure to enjoy the city of Tel-Aviv/Jaffa on your own. Dinner at Hotel. Overnight in Tel Aviv. B/D
Visit the Old Port City of Jaffa (Yafo) for a beautiful panoramic view of Tel Aviv and a sense of the first Jewish city of the modern era, established in 1909. Afterwards, pay a visit to the Arab-Jewish Community Center, the only municipally-founded community center catering at once to Jewish, Christian and Muslim populations in Jaffa. Walk along Rothschild Boulevard where you can see the White City of Tel Aviv (a UNESCO World Heritage Site).
Enjoy a walking tour of Neve Tzedek, Tel Aviv’s new hip neighbourhood where the intellectual elite lived during Israel’s early days. Visit the Diaspora Museum and learn about the history of the Diaspora in all its tragedies and triumphs. See models of synagogues from different countries and times. B/D
Visit the ancient city of Caesarea, built by Herod the Great and once the seat of Roman rule. View the excavated Roman Theater and the aqueduct, once used for conveying water to the city. Stop at a Druze village for Druze hospitality and learn about the great community that lives in Israel and serves in its Army. In Haifa ascend Mt. Carmel for a panoramic view of Haifa Bay and the beautiful Baha’i Gardens with its impressive Temples.
Visit Beit Hagefen, the Centre for Arab-Jewish culture, youth and sports. Founded in 1963 to create a meeting place for social and cultural encounters between Jews and Arabs and to encourage and promote understanding and coexistence. Arrival in Kibbutz for dinner and overnight. B/L/D
Visit the HaGilboa Council – Jenin Area. Learn about the cooperation between the State of Israel and the Palestinian Authority. Proceed to the City of Jenin and visit the marketplace of the Jenin Freedom Theater. Visit Yardenit, a Baptismal site on the Jordan River, with a possible re-affirmation of Baptism. Then to Capernaum where a 2nd-century synagogue was discovered which reveals the life of the community of that era.
According to the Christian tradition, Jesus served here as a local rabbi and performed miracles. On to Mount Beatitudes just north of the Sea of Galilee. On top of the Beatitudes Mount, lies a beautiful church where you can enjoy a magnificent view of the northern part of the Sea of Galilee including Tabgha and Capernaum. Return to Kibbutz Hotel for dinner and overnight. B/L/D
Take a 45-minute boat ride on the calm waters of the Sea of Galilee. Leave Tiberias and drive towards the city of Nazareth, located between the open space of the Jezreel Valley and the mountainous regions of Galilee. Nazareth is the largest Arab city in Israel with a population of 60,000, where Christians, Muslims and Jews live harmoniously. Nazareth is one of the most important Christian holy sites in the world. See the Basilica of the Annunciation. Visit the Church of St. Joseph, known as the site that marks the traditional home of Joseph and Mary. (Possible Speaker in Nazareth).
Leave Galilee and head toward Jerusalem, stopping at the unique community of Neve Shalom. Established by Jewish and Palestinian Arab citizens of Israel, the community engages in educational work for peace, equality and understanding between the two peoples. Ascend the Judean Mountains and upon arriving in Jerusalem stop at a viewpoint overlooking the Old City. Dinner and overnight in Jerusalem. B/L/D
Visit the Gush Etzion Settlement including the lecture of Mayor Shaul Goldstein. Head south to Hebron, the city most notable for containing the traditional burial site of the Biblical Patriarchs and Matriarchs and therefore considered the second holiest city in Judaism.
The city is also venerated by Muslims for its association with Abraham and is most traditionally viewed as one of the four holy cities of Islam. Visit the Cave of the Patriarchs. Afterwards, we’ll head to the city of Beersheva and visit Abraham’s Well. Dinner and overnight in Jerusalem. B/L/D
Morning at leisure to rest or take an optional walking tour of the neighbourhoods of Yemin Moshe and Mishkenot Sha’ananim. These were the first neighbourhoods built outside the walls of the Old City and therefore they were open to raids and general banditry that was rampant in the region at the time. In the afternoon the group will tour Arab Bazaar in the Muslim Quarter, and afterwards the Christian Quarter, visiting the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and the Garden Tomb. Welcome, Shabbat at the Western Wall, the holiest site in Judaism.
Return to the hotel for a special Private Dinner with guests speakers from the Parents Circle. The Parents Circle is a forum for Israeli & Palestinian families who lost their loved ones as a result of the Arab-Israeli conflict. Dinner and overnight in Jerusalem. B/D
Ascend the Mt. of Olives for a panoramic view of Jerusalem. Descend via Palm Sunday Way to visit the Garden of Gethsemane. Enter the Garden of Gethsemane where ancient olive trees are believed to date back to the times of Christ. Depart Jerusalem for the Dead Sea area. Travelling north we will arrive at the shores of the Dead Sea and descend to the lowest land point on earth at 423m below sea level.
Along the way to the Dead Sea, we’ll stop in Nebi Musa. Traditionally this site is viewed by Muslims as the burial place of Moses. Today there is a Mosque and Muslim ceremony and a beautiful view of the Judean Desert.
Continue south to the legendary mountaintop plateau of Masada and ascend by cable car to the ancient fortress. Explore the site with its synagogue and bathhouse. After lunch enjoy a swim at one of the spas on the shores of the Dead Sea. Cover yourselves with mud and enjoy the buoyant therapeutic waters of this mineral-rich Sea. Relax by the pool or take a spa treatment! Return to Jerusalem for dinner and overnight. B/L/D
*spa treatments not included
Visit the Temple Mount/Holy Sanctuary, sacred to Jews, Muslims and Christians. Originally, it was the site of the great Temple of Jerusalem, the holiest place in Judaism. For Muslims, it is the site of the Prophet Muhammad’s journey to heaven described in the Qur’an. The Christians revere it as a place frequently visited by Jesus.
On Mt Zion to visit King David’s Tomb. Men and Women enter separately. To enter the tomb one must dress modestly with a head covering. See the Upper Room also known as the Cenacle and the Room of the Last Supper. Walk via the Armenian Quarter, one of the four quarters of the Old City of Jerusalem. Then walk through the Jewish Quarter, which was reconstructed after the Six-Day War in 1967. Afterwards, we’ll tour the Western Wall Tunnels. Descend through the many layers of Jerusalem’s past at the time of the Temple.
Drive through the hills of Judea to the “Land of Genesis”. Here “Abraham” and his family will host us and provide his famous Desert Hospitality for a unique Biblical-style dinner. Overnight in Jerusalem. B/D
Visit Bethlehem, see the Church of the Nativity and hear a lecture given by a member of the Holy Land Trust organization. Holy Land Trust is a Palestinian nonprofit organization founded in 1998 in Bethlehem which seeks to empower the community and create real opportunities for the future.
Afterwards travel to Yad Vashem, considered the primary memorial and museum of the Holocaust. Take a tour of the new Holocaust History Museum which occupies over 4,200 square meters and the Hall of Names. Afterwards, we’ll receive a special lecture. Before our flight back to Canada, we’ll have a Farewell Dinner in a local Jerusalem restaurant. Then depart for the Ben Gurion International Airport for your flight home. B/D
Tours are based on a minimum of 20 participants and are guaranteed outside 14 days of departure. Bookings made within 14 days of departure are on a request basis.
We can also custom-design tours of any size according to your individual requests.
*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