Jewish Heritage (14 Nights) 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. Next, drive to Latrun to visit the Armored Corps Memorial Museum, also considered one of the most diverse tank museums in the world. Continue to Beit Guvrin National Park, declared by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site; explore parts of the archaeological remains and unique caves. Proceed to the Ayalon Institute, once a secret underground ammunition factory established by the Haganah, the Jewish underground movement before May 1948. Overnight: Tel Aviv

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

Visit the Diaspora Museum. Drive around the main streets of Tel Aviv, center of business and entertainment of Israel. Also known as the “White City,” Tel Aviv was declared by UNESCO as a World Cultural Heritage Site for its Bauhaus-style buildings. Stop at Rabin’s Square, place of assassination of Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin. Continue to Old Jaffa, one of the oldest port cities in the world; visit the ancient ruins and walk along the Artists’ Quarter. Visit Neve Tzedek, the first neighborhood of Tel Aviv built in 1887, and Nahalat Benyamin, the pedestrian mall. Next, stop at Sheinkin, the lively and colorful street known for its unique shops, cafe life and youthful ambiance. Overnight: Tel Aviv

Day 4 (Saturday): At Leisure

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

Day 5 (Sunday): Caesarea / Haifa / Acre / Rosh Hanikra

Drive north to Caesarea, once the Roman capital of the region; see the excavations of the Crusaders’ city, the aqueduct and the amphitheater restored as a concert venue. Proceed to Haifa to visit the Clandestine Immigration and Naval Museum “Af Al Pi Chen” and hear the story of the illegal immigrants to Israel at the time of the British Mandate. Drive to Acre, the Old City recognized by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site; walk through the old port and local market. Continue to Rosh Hanikra; descend by cable car into the underwater grottoes and admire the spectacular natural formation. Overnight: Kibbutz Guesthouse

Day 6 (Monday): Safed / Golan Heights / Tel Hai

Drive to Safed, one of the four holy cities in Israel, center of the Kabbalah movement; visit the Caro and Ari synagogues; stroll through the narrow alleyways and visit the picturesque Artists’ Quarter. Next, enjoy a Jeep Tour at the foothills of the Golan. Continue to the Golan Heights; stop at Gadot Overlook, the memorial for the fallen of the Golan, located over former Syrian bunkers; view the monument built in honor of the Alexandroni Brigade. Proceed to a magnificent observation point over the city of Kuneitra and the Syrian territory. Drive to Tel Hai; see the “Roaring Lion” monument and learn about the heroic battle of Josef Trumpeldor and his comrades in 1920. Meet with a kibbutz member and learn about their unique lifestyle. Overnight: Kibbutz Guesthouse

Day 7 (Tuesday): Tiberias / Beit She’an / Beit Alpha / Gan Hashlosha / Jerusalem

Drive to Tiberias to visit Rambam’s grave. Continue through the Jordan Valley to Bet She’an, known as “Scythopolis,” and see the fascinating excavated remains from Roman and Byzantine periods. Stop at Beit Alpha to admire the beautiful mosaic floor of a synagogue discovered in 1929. Visit Gan Hashlosha National Park and enjoy the warm spring water pools and waterfalls. Continue via the Jordan Valley to Jerusalem; stop at Mount Scopus for a blessing as you enter the city. Overnight: Jerusalem

Day 8 (Wednesday): Kotel Tunnels / Sephardic Synagogues / Davidson Center / Tower of David

Visit the Tomb of King David on Mount Zion. Walk along the Cardo, heart of the ancient Roman City; visit the four Sephardic Synagogues restored after the 1967 war in the Jewish Quarter; tour the Western Wall Tunnels; visit the archaeological park at Davidson Center; walk through the colorful local bazaar to visit the Tower of David Museum presenting the history of Jerusalem and ancient remains of the city beginning with the First Temple period. Overnight: Jerusalem

Day 9 (Thursday): Yad Vashem / Mount Herzl / Ammunition Hill / Israel Museum

Enjoy seeing the Bar Mitzvah ceremonies at the Kotel. Drive through Mea Shearim, one of the oldest Jewish neighborhoods in Jerusalem, and learn about the unique lifestyle of the ultra-orthodox communities. Proceed to Mount Herzl, the military cemetery, and Yad Vashem, the memorial to the Holocaust. Visit Ammunition Hill, a former Jordanian army stronghold conquered by the Israeli army in the Six-Day War, converted into a national memorial site and museum. Drive by the Knesset, Israel’s parliament, and see the Menorah with the biblical emblems. Next, visit the Shrine of the Book at the Israel Museum where the Dead Sea Scrolls are housed, and view the Holy Land Model, a miniature replica of Jerusalem as it was during the Second Temple period. Overnight: Jerusalem

Day 10 (Friday): Qumran / Masada / Dead Sea

Drive through the Judean Desert to the Dead Sea, the lowest point on earth. 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, where the Zealots made their last stand against the Romans; visit the remains of the walls, palaces, synagogue and bathhouse; descend by cable car. Next, stop for lunch and use of the spa facilities at one of the leading hotels in the area, 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, the southernmost resort city on the shores of the Red Sea; visit the Underwater Observatory marine park built into a coral reef, and enjoy the opportunity for a close-up look at the rich life of the Gulf of Eilat. 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): Visit the astonishing rose-red city built by the Nabateans, including the Treasury, Royal Tombs, Roman Theater, and more. Enjoy lunch at a local restaurant and visit Aqaba before returning to Eilat. 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; learn about Bedouin hospitality and enjoy a light lunch. Continue to Hatzerim and visit Israel’s Air Force Museum to view the planes and equipment and hear the story of this brave fighting force. 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
• Light lunch at a Bedouin Tent
• 10 touring days as per itinerary
• English-speaking tour guide
• Entrance fees to the sites visited as per itinerary
• Jeep tour in the Galilee

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