Israel Jewish Heritage 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.)

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 north to Caesarea, once the Roman capital of the region. See the excavations of the crusaders' city, the aqueduct, and the amphitheater which has been 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 illegal immigrants to Israel at the time of the British mandate. Drive to Acre to visit the remarkable underground crusader city and crypt. Walk through the old city recognized by UNESCO as a world heritage site, the local market, and the harbor. Continue to the northernmost point of Israel at Rosh Hanikra. Descend by cable car into the underwater grottoes and admire the spectacular natural formation. (B,D)

Drive to Safed, one of the 4 holy cities in Israel and the center of the Kaballa movement. Visit the Joseph Caro and the Ha’Ari synagogues, stroll through the narrow alleyways and visit the picturesque artists' quarter. Enjoy a Jeep tour at the foot 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. Drive to Tel-Hai to 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. (B,D)

Drive to Tiberias to visit Rambam’s grave. Continue through the Jordan Valley to  Beit Shean, known as "Scythopolis", the biggest archeaological park in Israel with beautiful excavations from the Roman and Byzantine periods. Stop at Beit Alpha to see the beautiful mosaic floor of a synagogue from the Byzantine period. Visit Gan Hashlosha National Park, where you will have an opportunity to enjoy the water springs located at the foot of the Gilboa Mountain, the famous mountain on which King Saul was killed in the battle against the Philistines. Continue via the Jordan Valley to Jerusalem with a stop at Mount Scopus for a blessing as you enter the city. (B)

Visit the Tomb of King David on Mount Zion. Walk along the Cardo, the ancient Roman road. Visit the 4 Sephardic synagogues restored after the 1967 war in the Jewish Quarter. Tour the Western Wall Tunnels and visit the archaeological park at the 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. (B)

Celebrate the Bar-Mitzvah ceremonies at the Kotel. Continue to Mea Shearim, one of the oldest Jewish neighborhoods in Jerusalem, and learn about the unique lifestyle of the ultra-orthodox communities. Drive to Mount Hertzel, 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 and 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 Israel Museum, the Shrine of the Book where the Dead Sea scrolls are housed, and the new Holyland model – a miniature replica of Jerusalem as it was during the Second Temple period. (B)

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. Visit the remains of the walls, palaces, synagogue, and the bathhouses. Next, stop for lunch and spa facilities in one of the leading hotels in the area and enjoy a "swim" in the Dead Sea. (B,L)

Enjoy a full day at leisure in Jerusalem. (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)