Panoramic view of Jerusalem Old City with golden Dome of the Rock

Classic Israel Tour (12 Nights w/ Eilat) Friday

12 Nights Friday Arrival Israel group Tour

Tour Highlights

✓ Caesarea, Megiddo (Armageddon), and Druze village lunch
✓ Safed mysticism and Golan Heights winery
✓ Sea of Galilee and Nazareth Church of Annunciation
✓ Jerusalem Old City, Via Dolorosa, and Bethlehem
✓ Yad Vashem and Israel Museum Dead Sea Scrolls
✓ Night Spectacular sound and light show at David Citadel
✓ Masada fortress and Dead Sea spa
✓ Eilat Underwater Observatory and optional Petra day tour
✓ Ramon Crater and Bedouin tent experience

Day-by-Day Itinerary

Day 1 (Friday): Welcome to Israel

Arrival at Ben Gurion Airport, where you will be met by our local representative and transferred to your hotel. Overnight: Tel Aviv

Day 2 (Saturday): At Leisure

Enjoy a free day in Tel Aviv. Overnight: Tel Aviv

Day 3 (Sunday): Caesarea / Megiddo / Druze Village / Haifa

Drive along the coastal plain to Caesarea; see the excavations of the Crusader’s city and the Roman port, the aqueduct, and the restored amphitheater. Proceed to Megiddo (Armageddon); visit the archaeological excavations including the well-preserved water supply system. Continue to Daliat el-Carmel, a Druze village, for a late lunch at a local restaurant. Proceed via Mount Carmel to Haifa for a panoramic view of the Haifa Bay and the golden-domed Baha’i Shrine and Gardens. Overnight: Kibbutz Guesthouse

Day 4 (Monday): Safed / Golan Heights / Winery

Drive to Safed, the center of Jewish mysticism; visit the ancient synagogues and the Artists’ Colony. Continue to the Golan Heights to see the former Syrian bunkers, Kuneitra and the new Israeli town of Katzrin. Stop at the Golan Winery for a tour and wine tasting. Proceed to Golan Magic for a multimedia presentation of the area and its history. Overnight: Kibbutz Guesthouse

Day 5 (Tuesday): Sea of Galilee / Nazareth

Start the day with a tour of Nazareth and visit the Church of Annunciation. Continue to Tiberias and visit Capernaum to see the ruins of the synagogue and octagonal Church of St. Peter. Continue to the Mount of Beatitudes. Drive via Bet She’an to Beit Alpha to see the remains of the mosaic floor of an ancient synagogue depicting the zodiac. Overnight: Jerusalem

Day 6 (Wednesday): Old City of Jerusalem / Bethlehem

Start with a magnificent panoramic view from the Mount of Olives. Drive to the Old City and visit King David’s Tomb and the Room of the Last Supper on Mount Zion. Enter the walled city; walk through the Jewish Quarter, visit the Roman Cardo, Herodian Quarter, and Western Wall. Walk along the Via Dolorosa to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. Continue to Bethlehem; view Rachel’s Tomb and visit the Church of the Nativity and Manger Square. Overnight: Jerusalem

Day 7 (Thursday): New City of Jerusalem

Drive to the Israel Museum and see the Shrine of the Book where the Dead Sea Scrolls are housed. Tour the Knesset. Visit Mount Herzl Cemetery and Yad Vashem, the memorial to the Holocaust. Drive through Mea Shearim. In the evening, enjoy a Middle Eastern dinner followed by the Night Spectacular sound and light show at the David Citadel. Overnight: Jerusalem

Day 8 (Friday): Qumran / Masada / Dead Sea

Drive through the Judean Desert to the Dead Sea. Visit Qumran where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found. Continue to Masada; ascend by cable car and tour the mountain fortress. Stop for lunch and spa facilities; enjoy swimming and floating in the mineral-rich water of the Dead Sea. Overnight: Jerusalem

Day 9 (Saturday): At Leisure

Enjoy a free day in Jerusalem on your own. Overnight: Jerusalem

Day 10 (Sunday): Negev Desert / Timna / Eilat / Underwater Observatory

Travel south through the Negev Desert. Stop at Timna park; marvel at the multi-colored rock formations and Solomon’s Pillars. Continue to Eilat; visit the Underwater Observatory marine park. Overnight: Eilat

Day 11 (Monday): Free Day in Eilat (or Optional Petra Day Tour)

Enjoy a free day on your own in Eilat. Optional Day Tour to Petra available ($265 per person). Overnight: Eilat

Day 12 (Tuesday): Mitzpe Ramon / Sde Boker / Air Force Museum

Depart Eilat via Mitzpe Ramon and stop at the Ramon Crater. Proceed to Sde Boker and see Ben Gurion’s hut and grave. Stop for a camel ride and visit to an authentic Bedouin Tent; enjoy a light lunch. Continue to Hatzerim and visit Israel’s Air Force Museum. Overnight: Tel Aviv

Day 13 (Wednesday): Shalom Israel

After breakfast, transfer to Ben Gurion Airport for departure.

Package Includes

  • Shared transfers on arrival and departure
  • 12 nights accommodations
  • Daily breakfast at the hotel
  • 2 dinners in the Galilee
  • 1 dinner in Jerusalem
  • Lunch at a Druze Village on Sunday
  • Light lunch at a Bedouin Tent
  • 8 touring days as per itinerary
  • English-speaking tour guide
  • Entrance fees to the sites visited as per itinerary

Notes

  • Hotels may be replaced with similar ones
  • Program is subject to change due to local conditions
  • Tour departs every Friday
  • All programs may also be operated privately