Designed with the upscale passenger in mind, timeless Israel beckons travellers from all around the world. Sacred to the three greatest religions, it has been a pilgrimage destination for many years. Discover legendary religious sites and modern landmarks side by side. Enjoy its breathtaking scenery, upgraded accommodation and its warm people.
The tour will operate with a minimum of 2 participants, maximum 12 participants.
Wednesday arrival
This trip has been designed for travellers who want to experience Israel in a small group. Explore Tel Aviv, the Galilee and Jerusalem and locations in between visiting cultural and religious highlights. The size of the group is large enough to be fun, yet small enough to almost be private.
HOTEL PLAN
PLAN A
Tel Aviv DAN Tel Aviv – Tel Aviv Room
Galilee Mitzpe Hayamim – Jasmine Room with Balcony
Jerusalem King David – Jerusalem Room
PLAN B
Tel Aviv Royal Beach – BellaVista Room
Galilee Mitzpe Hayamim – Jasmine Room with Balcony
Jerusalem Orient Hotel – Orient Room
Your land arrangements include:
VIP meeting and assistance service upon arrival/departure at Ben Gurion Airport
Private transfers on arrival and departure from/to Ben Gurion Airport
11 nights accommodation on bed and breakfast basis
Two dinners at the hotel in the north (Galilee)
Shuk Bites at Shuk Machane Yehuda
Middle Eastern Dinner Jerusalem
Lunch at Dead Sea hotel
Sound and Light Show Jerusalem
8 touring days as per itinerary with English speaking guide
Entrance fees to the sites visited as per itinerary
The hotels might be replaced with similar ones.
The tour will operate with a minimum of 2 participants.
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 check-out
Single room supplement – a limited number of single rooms available on payment of supplement
Meals and beverages not mentioned
Optional tours not quoted
Optional spa at a Dead Sea hotel
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 or reservations please contact Janice Snider.
WEDNESDAY – Day 1 Ben Gurion Airport / Tel Aviv
Arrival at Ben Gurion airport where you will be met and assisted before passport control by our VIP service representative; transfer to your hotel.
Overnight in Tel-Aviv.
THURSDAY – Day 2 Tel Aviv / Jaffa
Start the day with a visit to the Palmach Museum in Ramat Aviv, an experiential museum dedicated to the Haganah, the underground military organization. Here you will find personal stories of individuals and groups, not displays or documents. Designed by Moshe Safdie, an Israeli architect, the Yitzhak Rabin Center located in the center of the city was built in memory of the late Prime Minister. Next is the ancient port city of Jaffa named for Japheth, one of the sons of Noah who built it after the flood. Visit the old city and stroll around the restored city, the Artists’ quarter, galleries and the renovated harbor. Visit the Tel-Aviv Art Museum, Israel’s largest art museum whose main mission is to collect, preserve and display contemporary art of both Israeli and international artists. Its collection is continually enriched through donations and purchases. Moving on we come to Sarona, originally a 140-year-old German Templar colony. It has now been restored, preserving the original architecture and converted to a lively pedestrian open air commercial center. At this covered market you will find restaurants, shops, herbs, spices, food and much more.
Overnight in Tel-Aviv. B
FRIDAY – day 3 Tel Aviv
This morning we head to Rehovot for a visit to the Ayalon Institute, once a secret underground ammunition factory that was disguised as a kibbutz that ran a laundry service fooling the British. Established in 1945, ammunition was manufactured until 1948. Today it is a museum. Drive through the main streets of Tel Aviv passing Rabin Square, where Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin was assassinated on Nov. 04, 1995 on his way back to his car after attending a peace rally. Stop at the port and enjoy the promenade along the seafront lined with unique shops and cafes. At Neve Tzedek, the first neighborhood of Tel-Aviv built in 1887 outside the old port city of Jaffa, there is a chance to explore the narrow alleys and the unique low buildings. Proceed to Shuk Ha-Carmel, a bustling marketplace where traders sell everything from clothing to spices where you can enjoy the vibrant noises, smells and colors. The day concludes at Nachalat Binyamin, the pedestrian mall of the city only opened Tuesday and Friday where you can enjoy live street music, arts, crafts and handmade jewelry.
Overnight in Tel-Aviv. B
SATURDAY – Day 4
At leisure. Free day in Tel Aviv. B
Overnight in Tel-Aviv.
SUNDAY – Day 5 Caesarea / Haifa / Acre
Drive along the coastal plain to Caesarea located halfway between Tel Aviv and Haifa once the Roman capital of the region to view the excavations of the Crusader-era city, the Roman port, the picturesque and well-preserved aqueduct and amphitheater that has been restored to its former glory and is now used as a concert venue. Learn the history of the city through a multimedia presentation. Proceed to Haifa on the slopes of Mount Carmel for a panoramic view of Haifa Bay and the golden-domed Baha’i Shrine surrounded by the perfectly manicured Persian Gardens. Pay a visit to the Clandestine Immigration and Naval museum (“Af al Pi Chen”) and hear the story of the illegal immigrants in Israel at the time of the British mandate. Visit Acre, one of the ancient port cities in Israel declared by UNESCO as a World Heritage site. Learn the history of the city through its unique buildings, fortresses and intact fortifications. Visit the underground Crusader City and walk through the old city, mosques and local market.
Overnight in the Galilee. B/D
MONDAY – Day 6 Safed / Gadot / Golan Winery
Today’s program begins in Safed, one of the four holy cities in Israel and also the center of Kaballah, Jewish mystic Visit the Joseph Caro and the Ari synagogues, the most important synagogues in the city. Stroll around the artists’ quarter and the picturesque alleyways. A stop will be made at the Gadot Overlook with its memorial dedicated to the fallen of the Golan located over former Syrian bunkers See the triangular monument built on the site in honor of the fallen Alexandroni Brigade in 1967. 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. Continue to Mount Bental, a dormant volcanic mountain for a panoramic view of Mount Hermon and the Golan and learn the story of one of the largest tank battles that took place in the 1973 war. Return to your hotel.
Overnight in the Galilee. B/D
TUESDAY – Day 7 Tiberias / Capernaum / Nazareth / Jerusalem
Morning drive to Tiberias situated on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee named after the Roman Emperor. Stop in the ancient fishing village of Capernaum on the northern shore to see the ruins of the ancient synagogue and the octagonal Church of St. Peter. Enjoy a 45-minute boat ride on the tranquil waters of the Sea of Galilee. From here we continue to Kibbutz Nof Ginossar where we find the 2000-year-old Jesus Boat on display at the Yigal Alon Center. Discovered by two brothers and fishermen, the boat was buried in mid near the shore of the Sea of Galilee. Moving on we head to Nazareth just north of Jerusalem known as the boyhood home of Jesus for a visit to the Church of Annunciation with its towering cupola. Continue to Beit She’an historically known as Scythopolis, the largest archaeological park in Israel with beautiful excavations from the Roman and Byzantine periods. Drive via the Jordan Valley to the Holy city of Jerusalem. A stop will be made at Mount Scopus to recite the Shehecheyanu blessing as you enter the city to offer thanks for new and unusual experiences.
Continue to Jerusalem, overnight at your hotel. B
WEDNESDAY – Day 8 Jerusalem (Old City)
We begin our tour this morning of the Old City of Jerusalem visiting the Jewish and Christian Quarters. Walk through the Roman Cardo, a reconstructed main street of Byzantine Jerusalem. 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. Learn the story of ancient Jerusalem as you tour the Western Wall tunnels. Discover the hidden layers of the walls revealed underground. Return to your hotel to freshen up and get ready for the evening program. Enjoy a Middle Eastern dinner followed by the spectacular Sound and Light Show at the Tower of David Museum.
Overnight in Jerusalem. B/D
THURSDAY – Day 9 Jerusalem (New City)
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 the 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. Set between Aggripas and Jaffa Streets is Shuk Machane Yehuda, the largest market in Jerusalem with over 250 vendors, a maze of sights, sounds and smells. Enjoy “Shuk bites” an opportunity to sample a variety of local food. Our last stop will be at Yad Vashem, Israel’s official memorial preserving the memory of the victims of the Holocaust.
Overnight in Jerusalem. B/SB
FRIDAY – Day 10 Ein Gedi / Masada / Dead Sea
Driving through the Judean Desert we stop at the Ein Gedi Nature Reserve to explore the lush oasis filled with waterfalls and rare wildlife. Continue to Masada, the isolated mountaintop fortress of King Herod. Ascend by cable car and tour the ancient fortress and remains of the walls, palace, synagogue and bathhouses, etc. where the Zealots made their last stand against the Romans before committing mass suicide in 73 AD. Descend by cablecar and continue to the Dead Sea, the lowest point on earth at almost 1300 feet (400 meters) below sea level. Enjoy lunch and the spa facilities (cost not included) in one of the leading hotels of the area. You can cover yourself with the mineral-rich mud and experience floating in the Dead Sea** that many believe offers therapeutic benefits.
Overnight in Jerusalem. B/L
SATURDAY – Day 11
At leisure. The day is free.
Overnight in Jerusalem. B
SUNDAY -Day 12 Jerusalem / Ben Gurion Airport
After breakfast, transfer to Ben Gurion airport where you will be met and assisted by our VIP representative who will escort you through security and passport control. Today marks the end of your journey. B
* Program sequence is subject to change without advance notice.
* Site under the Palestinian Authority Jurisdiction. Visit subject to situation.
** Visit subject to weather conditions.
B = breakfast L= lunch D= dinner SB = Shuk Bites