A fully accessible trip that includes the classic Jewish sites as well as a glimpse into modern Israel.
Highlights
Fully accessible trip
Beloved tour classics interspersed with (secret!) local gems
Many possible extensions
Your land tour includes:
A private, licensed, English speaking tour guide
Fees for sites and activities listed
Hotels throughout the trip
Meals as listed in the itinerary
Transportation in an accessible vehicle for entire trip
What’s not included
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 – highly recommended – premium non refundable
Early check-in/late checkout
Single room supplement – a limited number of single rooms available on payment of supplement
Meals and beverages not mentioned
Equipment rental (available at an additional cost)
Optional tours not quoted
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 contact Janice Snider.
Day 1 SHALOM AND WELCOME TO ISRAEL
Meet your guide and fellow travelers and start out on your special journey.
Independence Trail – Spend the morning getting to know the history of Tel Aviv through the Independence Trail which follows Tel Aviv’s heritage sites beginning at the intersection of tree-lined Rothschild Boulevard and Herzl Street, home to Tel Aviv’s first kiosk and ends across the street at Independence Hall, where on May 14, 1948, David Ben-Gurion read aloud the Declaration of Independence as Israel was declared an independent Jewish state. Become familiar with Tel Aviv’s Bauhaus architecture and Zionist history.
Have a quick lunch of some of Israel Street Food – pita required!
Caesarea National Park – Drive to the coastal Caesarea which reveals the wonders of the past that were built by one of the greatest builders of the ancient world, Herod. Caesarea’s antiquities park houses unique building from various periods, bearing silent witness to the upheavals that have visited Caesarea and the region over the past 2,300 years.
Scenic Overlook – Proceed north and stop for a panoramic lookout over the Kinneret, the Galilee and the Golan Heights.
Check into hotel
Welcome & Dinner at the Hotel
OVERNIGHT GALILEE/ MEAL PLAN: LUNCH AND DINNER
Day 2 PHYSICAL AND SPIRITUAL HEIGHTS
Breakfast at the hotel
Tel Dan – Tel Dan National Park combines a lush nature reserve with a biblical archaeological experience and includes a short wheelchair- accessible trail. At the heart of the park is “Tel Dan”- the capital of the ancient northern Israeli biblical kingdom.
Golan Heights – Drive to Mount Bental for a geopolitical discussion overlooking the Israeli-Syrian border. The Golan Heights are a geological and bio-geographical region and is a plateau formed by a volcanic action.
Casual picnic lunch will be served at this stop.
Wine Tasting – Wine tasting at the Assaf Winery, a wonderful example of a family-owned fine winery built in the spirit of elevating the wine culture of Israel through unique Israeli wines.
Hula Valley – Take a ride on a golf cart or a Safari wagon through the Hula Valley, an important resting place for migrating birds and many species of rare fish and plants creating a wonderland of flora and fauna. Allows you an extra-close observation of birds and other animals in their natural habitat at Agamon Hula.
Dinner on own or in Tiberias or Agamon Food court
OVERNIGHT GALILEE/ MEAL PLAN: BREAKFAST AND LUNCH
Day 3 LAND OF MILK AND HONEY AND HISTORY
Breakfast and check out from the hotel
Drive to Sindyanna – Sindyanna of Galilee is a female-led non-profit that actively promotes the concepts of “business for peace” and Fair Trade in Israel. Sindyanna’s premium products are sold in the international marketplace according to Fair Trade principles with the profit being channeled back locally to Arab women’s education. Taste their excellent olive oil and learn about the craft of basket weaving that they teach women in order for them to earn money.
Beit Alpha – The intact mosaic floor of the Beit Alpha Synagogue presents the riddle of determining the meaning of the pagan zodiac in a Jewish place of worship. The entire prayer hall is paved in mosaic-squares in geometric patterns; undecorated white mosaic and the Zodiac which appears in the central pane
Drive to Kibbutz Sde Eliyahu where your first stop will be for lunch in the Kibbutz dining room
Bio Bee – Bio Bee Sde Eliyahu is the pioneer of organic farming in Israel. While visiting the fields we not only learn about the benefits of organic farming but also about biological pest control. The Kibbutz established the first biological pest control company in Israel and is a world leader in the field of biological pest control and bumblebees for pollination.
Drive through the Jordan Valley on the way to Jerusalem
Approach Jerusalem – When you enter Jerusalem stop for a panoramic lookout over the old & new city of Jerusalem. Make a toast and say together the “Shehecheyanu” blessing – appreciating the moment and the opportunity to be in Jerusalem.
Check in and Dinner at the hotel
OVERNIGHT JERUSALEM/ MEAL PLAN: BREAKFAST, LUNCH AND DINNER
Day 4 JERUSALEM – HOLY TO ALL
Breakfast at the hotel
Begin your day at the Jaffa Gate – Enter the Old City of Jerusalem through the Jaffa Gate. Walk through the Christian quarter and see some of the important sites in Christianity.
Jewish Quarter – Explore the Jewish Quarter of the Old City. Visit the Byzantine Cardo, and the artifacts uncovered during archaeological excavations exposing two thousand years of Jewish history in the Old City till present day. Proceed to the Kotel, (The Western Wall), sacred because it is the last remnant of the Second Temple that was destroyed by the Romans. Feel the stones that have witnessed so much in the history of the Jews. Place your special and personal prayer in the cracks of the stones.
Lunch on your own in the Jewish Quarter
Davidson Center – Visit the fascinating Southern Wall Archaeological Park that surrounds the lower part of the Temple Mount from West and South.
Return to the hotel to rest
Dinner at the Shalva Cafe – Shalva is a Jerusalem based organization that provides services to children with special needs and their families. The café’s profits go back to the center and graduates of Shalva work at the café.
OVERNIGHT: JERUSALEM/ MEAL PLAN: BREAKFAST AND DINNER
Day 5 A MESSAGE FROM HISTORY
Breakfast at the hotel
Drive to the Dead Sea region, the lowest place on earth
Masada – Masada is a rugged natural fortress, of majestic beauty, in the Judean Desert overlooking the Dead Sea. It is built as a palace complex, by Herod the Great, King of Judaea, (reigned 37 – 4 B.C.). Became a symbol of the ancient kingdom of Israel, and the last stand of Jewish patriots in the face of the Roman army, in 73 A.D. Ascend Masada by cable car and tour the site.
Dead Sea – Continue to the Dead Sea, the lowest place on earth. Have time to enjoy and relax on the beach and pool area at one of the hotels on the shore of the sea. Attempt flotation in a sea that is 33% salt and keeps you buoyant. Lunch at the hotel included.
Return to Jerusalem.
Dinner on own
Optional – In the evening enjoy the Tower of David Sound and Light Show.
OVERNIGHT: JERUSALEM/MEAL PLAN: BREAKFAST AND LUNCH
Day 6 MEMORY AND LIFE
Breakfast at the hotel
Yad Vashem – Private tour of the museum at Yad Vashem, Israel’s National Memorial to the Holocaust. Tour this memorial to the darkest moment in world and Jewish history, its children’s memorial, and exquisite gardens. Yad Vashem is an unforgettable place of tribute and remembrance
Machane Yehuda Market – Continue with an unforgettable culinary tour. If you really want to get the feel for Jerusalem Mahane Yehuda Market is the place to visit. In this colorful market, you will meet people of all nationalities, religions, and ages and listen the special stories of the peddlers. Time for more to eat if you’re still hungry.
Israel Museum – Next, visit the Israel Museum and the Shrine of the book. The Museum houses collections including works dating from prehistory to the present day and features the most extensive holdings of biblical and Holy Land archaeology in the world. The guided tour will be followed by time on own to explore the galleries that interest you the most.
Farewell dinner at a restaurant
Depart – Proceed to Ben Gurion airport and depart home or continue for extension.
MEAL PLAN BREAKFAST, LUNCH AND DINNER