Day
1
MON I TEL AVIV
Arrival at Ben Gurion International Airport, where you will be met, assisted through baggage and customs, and escorted to your driver. You will then be transferred to your hotel in Tel Aviv for dinner and overnight. (D)
Day
2
TUE I TEL AVIV I JAFFA I TEL AVIV
Following a delicious breakfast, you will start your exploration with a visit to the “State of Mind” Innovation Center at the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange. Enjoy a walk around the Old Port City of Jaffa, the oldest seaport in the world. Next you will embark on a choice of two culinary tours that will introduce you to the very best of Tel Aviv’s food scene: a Carmel Market tasting tour or a vegan culinary tour. Later, stroll along Rothschild Boulevard, home of The White City, Tel Aviv’s most prominent collection of Bauhaus buildings. Revel in an evening at leisure to discover Tel Aviv at your own pace. (B)
Day
3
WED I TEL AVIV I CAESAREA I KIBBUTZ EXPERIENCE I SHAVEI ZION
After breakfast, depart Tel Aviv and head north to the ancient city of Caesarea, built by Herod the Great and once the administrative center of the Roman Empire for the Province of Judaea. The ancient port, the Roman hippodrome and amphitheater, and the impressive palace are among the many historical treasures. Next, visit Ein Shemer Kibbutz Museum, where you will experience a journey from the early days of the kibbutz communities to the present, and enjoy a delicious lunch in the Kibbutz dining hall. Continue with a tour of innovation at Kibbutz Magal and visit the Netafim greenhouse innovation center, a pioneering enterprise in the field of drip irrigation technology. Continue to your hotel in Shavei Zion for dinner and overnight. (B,L,D)
Day
4
THU I SHAVEI ZION I KATZRIN I SEA OF GALILEE I SAFED I SHAVEI ZION
Have breakfast at your hotel before driving along to the city of Katzrin, the “Capital of the Golan Heights.” Stroll through a Talmudic village and get a sense of what it was like to live in the times of ancient Israel. Enjoy a tour and wine tasting at a local, family-owned boutique winery. Drive to the Sea of Galilee for a boat ride on the calm water. Continue to the mystical city of Tzfat (Safed), the birthplace of the ancient Jewish mystical text, the Kabbalah. Venture through the narrow, winding alleys, peer into the beautiful synagogues and browse the workshops and galleries in the flourishing artists’ quarter. Return to Shavei Zion for dinner and overnight. (B,D)
Day
5
FRI I SHAVEI ZION I AKKO I HAIFA I JERUSALEM
Enjoy a full Israeli breakfast at your hotel before exploring the ancient crusader port city of Akko, a fascinating UNESCO heritage site with new excavations that reveal what life was like 1000 years ago. See the port and fortifications that enabled the town to resist invasion by Napoleon. Take time to find some mementos at the Arab Bazaar, a true Middle Eastern shopping experience. Next, visit the amazing Bahai Gardens in Haifa with its staircase of 19 terraces extending all the way up Mount Carmel. On from there, drive to Jerusalem and check in to your hotel. In the evening, experience a special “Shabbat of a Lifetime” dinner in the home of a local Jewish family. Enjoy a traditional meal as you hear about and observe the customs of the Jewish Shabbat. (B,D)
Day
6
SAT I JERUSALEM I DEAD SEA I MASADA I ST. GEORGE I JERUSALEM
After breakfast this morning, set off towards the Dead Sea, the lowest spot on Earth at 1388 feet below sea level. Enroute, visit the legendary mountaintop plateau of Masada, the last stronghold of the Jewish Zealots in their struggle against the Romans in 73 CE. Ascending by cable car to the ancient fortress, explore the site with its synagogue and bathhouse. Afterwards, savor a leisurely afternoon at the Dead Sea shore with free time to cake yourself in mineral-rich mud and float in the buoyant waters. Next, drive to a lookout point for a view of Wadi Qelt and the cliff-hanging Monastery of St. George that was founded in the 5th Century and is still inhabited by Greek Orthodox monks. In the evening, enjoy a Sound and Light Show at the Tower of David, a creative depiction of the history of the city of Jerusalem (weather permitting). (B,L)
Day
7
SUN I JERUSALEM - OLD CITY
Enjoy breakfast and then start the day’s adventuring with an overview from the Mt. of Olives. Begin the exploration of the Old City of Jerusalem at the City of David with its fascinating tunnels. See the newest excavations revealing Jerusalem during the time of the 1st Temple period. Walk through the Old City and visit some of its famous sites, including the Western Wall and the Cardo, an ancient commercial street where you can still shop today. Walk through the Arab Bazaar and experience traditional Middle Eastern life, with its rich colors and flavors, then stroll along part of the Via Dolorosa to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. According to traditions dating back to the 4th century, the church is the site where Jesus of Nazareth was crucified, and also the site of Jesus’s empty tomb, where he is said to have been buried and resurrected. This evening is yours at leisure to explore Jerusalem at your own pace. (B)
Day
8
MON I JERUSALEM - NEW CITY I BETHLEHEM I JERUSALEM
Have breakfast at your hotel and then head out to visit Yad Vashem, considered to be the world’s primary Holocaust memorial and museum. Tour the new Holocaust History Museum and visit the exhibit at the Children’s Pavilion, commemorating the death of over 1.5 million Jewish children. From Yad Vashem, move on to the Israel Museum. There you can see the Dead Sea Scrolls exhibition and view the famous Model of Jerusalem, depicting the city as it was in the 2nd Temple period. Continue to Bethlehem. See the Church of the Nativity and the remains of ancient Bethlehem (beneath the Greek Monastery), from the times of Christ. Return to Jerusalem and enjoy a special farewell dinner at a local restaurant. (B,D)
Day
9
