Classic Israel (14 Nights w/ Eilat) Wednesday

Day-by-Day Itinerary

Day 1 (Wednesday): 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 (Thursday): Independence Hall / Latrun / Beit Guvrin / Ayalon Institute

Start the day with a visit to the Independence Hall where the establishment of the State of Israel was declared. Drive to Latrun to visit the Armored Corps Memorial Museum, one of the most diverse tank museums in the world. Continue to Beit Guvrin National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site; explore the archaeological remains and unique caves. Proceed to the Ayalon Institute, once a secret underground ammunition factory established by the Haganah. Overnight: Tel Aviv

Day 3 (Friday): Tel Aviv / Diaspora Museum / Old Jaffa

Visit the Diaspora Museum. Drive around the main streets of Tel Aviv, the “White City” UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site for its Bauhaus-style buildings. Stop at Rabin’s Square. Continue to Old Jaffa; visit the ancient ruins and the Artists’ Quarter. Visit Neve Tzedek, Nahalat Benyamin pedestrian mall, and Sheinkin Street. Overnight: Tel Aviv

Day 4 (Saturday): At Leisure

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

Day 5 (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, and enjoy 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 6 (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 7 (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, where Jesus delivered the Sermon on the Mount. 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 8 (Wednesday): Old City of Jerusalem / Bethlehem

Start the day 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 and walk through the newly restored Jewish Quarter. Visit the Roman Cardo and the Herodian Quarter and continue to the Western Wall. Walk along the Via Dolorosa to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. Continue to Bethlehem; view Rachel’s Tomb and proceed to visit the Church of the Nativity and Manger Square. Overnight: Jerusalem

Day 9 (Thursday): New City of Jerusalem

Drive to the Israel Museum and see the Shrine of the Book where the Dead Sea Scrolls are housed, as well as a miniature model of Jerusalem during the Second Temple period. Proceed for a tour at the Knesset, Israel’s parliament. Continue to visit Mount Herzl Cemetery and Yad Vashem, the memorial to the Holocaust. Drive through the ultra-Orthodox neighborhood of Mea Shearim. In the evening, enjoy a Middle Eastern dinner followed by the Night Spectacular, a sound and light show at the David Citadel. Overnight: Jerusalem

Day 10 (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 built by King Herod; visit the remains of the walls, palaces, synagogue and bathhouse; descend by cable car. Stop for lunch and use of spa facilities at a leading hotel, and enjoy swimming and floating in the mineral-rich water of the Dead Sea. Overnight: Jerusalem

Day 11 (Saturday): At Leisure

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

Day 12 (Sunday): Negev Desert / Timna / Eilat / Underwater Observatory

Travel south through the Negev Desert. Stop at Timna, a large geological and archaeological park; marvel at the multi-colored rock formations and copper mines; view the outstanding Solomon’s Pillars. Continue to Eilat; visit the Underwater Observatory marine park built into a coral reef. Overnight: Eilat

Day 13 (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 14 (Tuesday): Mitzpe Ramon / Sde Boker / Air Force Museum

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

Day 15 (Wednesday): Shalom Israel

After breakfast, transfer to Ben Gurion Airport for departure.

Package Includes

• Shared transfers on arrival and departure
• 14 nights accommodations
• Daily breakfast at the hotel
• 2 dinners in the Galilee
• 1 dinner in Jerusalem
• Lunch at a Druze Village on Sunday
• 10 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 Wednesday
• All programs may also be operated privately