First-timers travelling to Israel are amazed at the sites they were able to see on their first visit. For those who are interested in travelling to Israel again, there are so many other incredible sites and experiences that you just didn’t have the time to see. Our Second Timers adult tour provides the opportunity for travelers to see sights that most tourists never get to visit filling each day with new experiences.
Your land arrangements include:
Your land arrangements do not include:
This is a sample tour. It is based on a group request only.
For information and reservations contact Janice Snider.
Day 1 Tel Aviv Arrival
On arrival at Ben Gurion International Airport you will be welcomed by an Aero Handling VIP representative who will assist you with arrival formalities. Your guide and driver will be waiting to take you to your hotel in Tel Aviv for an early check in. Once these procedures have been completed, the rest of the day is at leisure. Overnight Tel Aviv.
Day 2 Tel Aviv
After breakfast meet your guide to start touring. Walk along Rothschild Boulevard where you can see the White City of Tel Aviv (UNESCO World Heritage Site) founded in 1909 and developed as a metropolitan city. Our first stop will be at Independence Hall where we take a step back in time and listen to David Ben Gurion’s moving Declaration of Independence speech which ended 2,000 years of Jewish yearning for a return to the land of Israel. Next is the Rabin Museum built in a downward spiral, the museums presents two parallel stories: the history of the State and Israeli society and the biography of Yitzhak Rabin. The exhibits of the museum focus on historical turning points in the country’s development presenting the conflicts social challenges and dilemmas the country faced at that time. After lunch we will visit Sarona taking a locally guided tour through the new hot spot in Tel Aviv. Established by the Templars in the Land of Israel I 1871, we will walk around the unique Templar styled houses built by the Germans who established the colony in 1866 bringing with them the rural traditions of Europe.
Hear about the artisans who taught the locals how to work and incorporate innovation in every aspect about the Jewish pharmacist who treated the residents of the colony, hear about the antenna that received and transmitted top-secret communications, the winery and the Air Force operations at the end of World War Two. Visit Beit Chabad and see how equipment that is over a century old is still functioning. Learn about the restoration and preservation process of the buildings, how the trees were kept and shops and restaurants opened. Overnight Tel Aviv.
Day 3 Tel Aviv
Following breakfast, we join a private Gallery Tour on Gordon Street. The tour will take you through the galleries and explain the history, philosophy, style and different meanings of the art constantly changing around us. Meet an artist in his gallery where you will be able to ask your own questions and purchase original pieces of art directly from the artist. Stroll through the funky shops and cafes along Sheinken Street, the “Greenwich Village of Tel Aviv”. Shop for unique craft items in Nachalat Binyamin’s colorful, open-air craft market and see modern Tel Aviv in action. Head to the adjacent Carmel Market where Tel Avivians barter over fresh goods and other products. Sample Middle Eastern food or pastries while the noise and aromas of the
bazaar envelope you. Return to the hotel to freshen up.
In the evening “it’s time to party”. Take a private nightlife tour discovering popular hangouts where the locals go to some recommended bars. Enjoy your first shot at each bar for free. Overnight Tel Aviv.
Day 4 Tel Aviv
This morning after breakfast we drive to Rehovot to visit the Ayalon Institute which tells one of the fascinating and mysterious stories in the history of the struggle for the establishment of the State of Israel. Here beneath the ground and right under the nose of the British, a factory was created for the production of 9mm bullets for the Sten submachine gun which was the personal weapon of the Palmach fighters. The factory lay eight meters below the ground and was the size of a tennis court. Continue to the Old Port City of Jaffa (Yafo) just south of Tel Aviv for a beautiful panoramic view of Tel Aviv and a sense of the first Jewish city of the modern era established in 1909. Enjoy a walking tour of Neve Tzedek, Tel Aviv’s new hip neighborhood where the intellectual elite lived during Israel’s early days. Drive back to your hotel and enjoy the afternoon at leisure. In the evening you will be picked up and taken to dinner at the Old Man and the Sea Restaurant in Jaffa. Overnight Tel Aviv.
Day 5 Tel Aviv/The North
After breakfast check out of the hotel and travel north to Caesarea built by Herod the Great and once the seat of Roman rule. View the excavated Roman Theater and aqueduct once used for conveying water to the city. Drive to Hafia and ascend Mount Carmel for a panoramic view of Haifa Bay and the beautifully manicured Baha’i Gardens with its impressive temples. Stop to visit the ancient crusader port city of Akko, one of the world’s most ancient cities, a center of trade and a target for conquest since the days of the Egyptians and Phoencians. Visit the Crusaders Halls where you will explore the underground tunnels and pathways. Walk through the Shuk before leaving for Rosh Hanikra. Tour the caves below the stunning chalk white cliffs at Israel’s northernmost coastal border. Enjoy the view of the Mediterranean coastline stretched out before you then take the cable car down beneath the cliffs to the grottos and tour the system of underground saves eroded by the pounding waves over thousands of years. Drive to your hotel and check in. Dinner is included. Overnight in the North.
OPTION # 1 Take the ferry from Haifa to Akko.
OPTION # 2 While in Haifa enjoy a ride on the shortest subway in the world. Six stations comprise the Karmelit line.
Day 6 The North
This morning after breakfast we depart for Safed, the birthplace of Kabbalah and one of the Four Holy Cities according to tradition with its Kabbalistic studies. Stroll through the artists’ workshops and galleries. Meet David Friedman who immigrated to Israel in 1977 who will explain Kaballah through his paintings. Visit the Galil Mountain Winery. Sitting in a breathtaking spot atop the Upper Galilee mountain range overlooking Lebanon, the innovatively designed winery is committed to revitalizing the region‘s rich history of winemaking. Over 2,000 years ago, the mountain range, one of Israel’s highest at more than 1,000 meters above sea level was a choice location for the cultivation of quality grape vines. Today, the area’s topography, soil and climate make it an ideal hoe for the vibrant Galil Mountain Winery. Walk through the various stages of the wine production process including the stainless stainless steel container room, state-of-the-art press and oak barrel room tasting special wines and enjoying the amazing views. Drive back to the hotel to enjoy a special Friday dinner high above Rosh Pina at the Muscat Restaurant which belongs to the Hotel Mitzpe Hayamim which serves a gourmet meat menu which is both interesting and sophisticated. The quality of the products is felt at every stage of the eating experience from the vegetables to the meat through the fine cheeses. Overnight in the North.
Day 7 The North
After breakfast drive to the Banias for a hike at the beautiful Nature Reserve also called the Nahal Hermon Reserve. The trail in the reserve passes along bubbling springs, brooks and waterfalls, in the midst of thick riverbank vegetation and the reserves gives a pleasant refuge from the sun. Meet Colonel (Res.) Kobi Marom. Holding the rank of Colonel, Kobi was a Brigade Commander of the Eastern Front, South Lebanon in the Hermon Brigade. He supervised complex and varied combat units under conditions of normality, stress, uncertainty and change. Afterwards take a jeep ride behind the scenes. Kobi will explain the political and the military problems Israel faced through all the years of the Middle East conflict. Head to Har Bental overlook and enjoy views of Syria from a key mountaintop location on Israel’s northern border. From the top of tis dormant volcano, you will see the majestic Mount Hermon, the picturesque Druze village of the Golan and the bunkers and trenches left from the Yom Kippur War. Drive back to the hotel. Overnight in the North.
Day 8 The North/Dead Sea
After a late breakfast a private transfer will take you to your hotel at the Dead Sea. Check in and enjoy the swimming pool and beach. Dinner is included. Overnight at the Dead Sea.
Day 9 The Dead Sea/Jerusalem
Early morning departure for Masada. On arrival climb up the snake path, one of the most iconic hikes in Israel winding its way up approximately 400 meters from the Dead Sea then continues to the peak. Climbing up is something of a tradition in Israel and on a clear day, the emergence of the sun over the Jordanian Mountains illuminates the sky in a deep red before projecting a haze across the crystal blue waters of the Dead Sea. It is magical, unforgettable and probably one of the greatest sunrises in the world. Visit the ancient synagogue and fortress. This was the last stronghold of the Jewish Zealots known as the Sicari in their struggle against the Romans. They chose to commit mass suicide rather than be enslaved. Take the cable car down and drive back to the hotel for breakfast. Afterwards enjoy the hotel facilities and float in the Dead Sea. At lunch time, check out of the hotel and drive to Kfar Hanokdim located in Kana’im Valley which is in the Judean Desert situated between the city of Arad and ancient Masada. Enjoy a Bedouin Hafla where the Bedouin hosts dressed in white Jellabiyas (a loose-fitting traditional Egyptian garment from the Nile Valley) will welcome you and invite you to sit on a soft, comfortable mattress. You will be seated in front of the Sania (a large tray). In the center you will be served a Hafla Bedouin meal including traditional coffee and herbal tea. The experience will be followed by a camel ride. Later on, drive to the Holy City of Jerusalem arriving at your hotel for check-in. Overnight in Jerusalem.
Day 10 Jerusalem
After breakfast this morning we visit Yad Vashem considered the primary memorial and museum dedicated to the Holocaust. Take a private local guided tour of the new Holocaust History Museum which occupies over 4,200 square meters mainly underground and participate in a special program for adults. At the end of the museum’s historical narrative is the Hall of Names, a repository for the pages of testimony of millions of Holocaust victims and a memorial to those who perished. Visit the very moving Children’s Pavilion exhibit commemorating the death of over 1.5 million Jewish children in the Holocaust. Take an English-guided tour to the Knesset, the seat of Israel’s government since 1966. Sitting at the heart of modern Jerusalem, the Knesset is the home of the Israeli parliament with its 120 members. See Israeli democracy in action and learn about the architecture and art of the Knesset building. Don’t
Forget to bring your passport for security. Drive back to your hotel. The evening is free. Perhaps to walk to the Mamilla Mall or stroll down Ben Yehuda Street, one of the favorite gathering places for young Jerusalemites where many artists display their jewelry and crafts as well as sidewalk caves. Overnight in Jerusalem.
Day 11 Jerusalem
After breakfast at the hotel we enter the Old City. Stop at the Kotel (Wailing Wall) part of the few remaining structures of the Temple Complex built by Herod the Great. This is the holiest place for Jewish people. You will see that men and women enter separately. As a sign of respect when leaving one should back away from the wall not turn one’s back to the wall. Visit the Davidson’s Center with one of their archaeologists who will take you on a very exciting tour of one of the most significant archaeological sites in the country. Continue to visit the Western Wall Tunnels where you will descend through many layers of Jerusalem past at the time of the Temple through the Western Wall Tunnels. Inside a most interesting model shows the different dwelling periods and history of the inhabitants of Jerusalem. Stand on the site believed to be the nearest spot to the “Holy of Holies”. Follow the Via Dolorosa or Way of Grief, the site of pilgrimages since Byzantine times and arrive at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, a massive and labyrinthine building housing the Last Five Stations of the Cross. Walk through the Arab Bazaar and see Middle Eastern life with its rich colors, flavors and aromas. Visit the Jewish Quarter which was reconstructed after the city was unified after the Six Day War in 1967l A special point of interest in the restored Jewish Quarter is the “Cardo”, meaning the heart of this ancient Byzantine City. View the unearthed main Roman thoroughfare and ancient marketplace lined with columns. At night enter the Tower of David to see the new Hallelujah presentation which tells the story of our return to rebuild ancient Jerusalem. A thrilling, outdoor cinematic experience projected onto the ancient ruins in the actual site where this story unfolded. Overnight in Jerusalem.
Day 12 Jerusalem
After Breakfast visit the newly renovated and exciting Israel Museum where you will meet a curator who will tell you about the Dead Sea Scrolls that are on exhibit and the Model of Jerusalem as it used to look in the 2nd Temple period. Experience special home hospitality with Iris. Take the opportunity to meet local people, to understand who the Israelis are, what it means for us to live here, and to discover the people behind the faces you see, at the normal places – their houses. First, you will shop at Machane Yehuda market, observe the traditional pre-Shabbat shopping rush and see a rare glimpse into Israeli culture. Iris will host you are her house and you will cook dinner together. During the meal, you will have the opportunity to ask questions and hear stories about Jerusalem. A one-time experience. Return back to your hotel. Overnight in Jerusalem.
Day 13 Jerusalem
A free day to relax, go shopping or enjoy the facilities of the hotel. Overnight in Jerusalem.
Day 14 Jerusalem
After breakfast leave for Gush Etzion where you will get a taste of Israeli methods of shooting and combat with Caliber 3. Learn from the experts about weapon handling, counter terrorism tactics and the values that guide the Israel Defense Forces. Head to Ammunition Hill, site of one of the fiercest battles for Jerusalem between Israeli Paratroopers and the Arab Legion which took place during the Six Day War. See an amazing model and light display that explains how Israel liberated a divided Jerusalem Drive back to the hotel to rest and pack your suitcase. Transfer to the airport for your flight home. A VIP representative will help with check in formalities.
NOTE: Should your flight leave in the morning on Day 14 the sightseeing tour scheduled for Day 14 will be moved to Day 13.