Israel Classic Tour Escorted Vacation

Upon arrival, you will be met and transferred to your hotel. (Your arrival transfer is included only if you arrive on the actual day the tour commences. For customers arriving earlier an individual transfer can be organized at an additional cost.)

Drive to the Mount of Olives for a panoramic view of the city. Visit King David’s Tomb and the Room of the Last Supper on Mount Zion. Enter the old city and walk through the newly restored Jewish quarter. Walk along the Cardo, the ancient Roman road. Visit the Herodion quarter and the Western Wall. Walk along Via Dolorosa to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. Proceed to Bethlehem, birthplace of Jesus. Visit Rachel's Tomb and walk through Manger Square to visit the remarkable Church of Nativity. (B)The visit of Bethlehem is subject to security conditions.

Visit the Israel Museum, the Shrine of the Book, where the Dead Sea Scrolls are housed, and the miniature model of Jerusalem as it was during the Second Temple period. Proceed for a tour at the Knesset, Israel's parliament. Continue to visit the Mount Hertzel Cemetery and Yad Vashem, the memorial to the Holocaust. Drive through Mea Shearim, the ultra-orthodox neighborhood in Jerusalem and learn about their unique lifestyle. In the evening, enjoy a middle eastern dinner followed by the spectacular sound & light show at the Tower of David museum. (B)The visit of the sound & light show is subject to weather conditions.

Drive through the Judean Desert to the Dead Sea, the lowest point on earth. Stop at Qumran, the site where the Dead Sea scrolls were found. Continue to Massada, ascend by cable car, and tour the mountain fortress built by King Herod, where the Zealots made their last stand against the Romans. Continue to the Dead Sea, the lowest point on earth. Take the opportunity to float in the unsinkable water and cover yourself with the mineral rich mud, believed to have therapeutic effects. Overnight in Tel Aviv. (B)

Today, enjoy a full day at leisure in Tel Aviv. Enjoy the wide beaches with golden sand, exotic markets, exclusive shopping centers, museums of every type, a beautiful opera house, and many gardens. (B)

Drive along the coastal plain to Caesarea, capital of Judea under the Romans. Visit the excavations of the ancient city, the Roman theater, and the aqueduct. Continue to Megiddo, identified as the site of Armageddon. Visit the archaeological excavations including the well-preserved water supply system.Proceed 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 golden domed Bahai shrine and gardens. Continue to Kibbutz Lavi. (B,L,D)

Drive to Safed, the center of Jewish mysticism, where you will visit the ancient synagogues and 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. (B,D)

Start the day with a visit to Nazareth and visit the Church of the Annunciation. Continue to Tiberias. Visit Capernaum to see the ruins of the synagogue and the octagonal Church of St. Peter. Visit the Mount of Beatitudes where Jesus delivered the Sermon on the Mount. Drive via Beit Shean to Beit Alpha to see the remains of the mosaic floor of an ancient synagogue depicting the zodiac. Continue to Tel Aviv. (B)

You will be transferred to the Tel Aviv airport for your return flight home. (Your departure transfer is included only if you depart on the actual day the tour concludes. For customers departing later an individual transfer can be organized at an additional cost.) (B)