Day 1 – Thursday, Arrival
Day 1 is arrival day. Touring begins the next day, so you can arrive at any time on any flight to Ben Gurion Airport, Tel Aviv.
Upon arrival to Ben Gurion Airport, Tel Aviv, you will be met by our representative and transferred to your hotel in Tel Aviv for overnight.
Check in at the hotel in Tel Aviv.
Overnight: Tel Aviv
Day 2 – Friday, Tel Aviv tour
Our first day of touring will begin immediately after breakfast. An interesting walking tour of Tel Aviv and Jaffa is ahead of us. We will start on Rothschild Boulevard, where we will see Tel Aviv's beautiful Bauhaus style architecture, recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. We will continue on to Neve Tzedek – Tel Aviv’s very first neighborhood. The next stop will be Jaffa, the world’s oldest port city, for a view of the old city and its well-known artist’s colony.
To end our day, you will enjoy free time at one of Tel Aviv’s busiest areas on Friday afternoons – the Nahalat Binyamin Crafts Fair and Carmel Outdoor Market - for great sounds, smells and of course, great shopping!
Overnight: Tel Aviv
Day 3 – Saturday, Free time
Day at leisure in Tel Aviv
Overnight: Tel Aviv
Day 4 – Sunday, Travel to the North
After breakfast, we check out of the hotel and drive to Rehovot. Our first stop will be at the Weizmann Institute which played a key role in the development of the state. We will enjoy the presentation of high technology and see the mansion house of Haim Weizmann, the first president of Israel.
Visit Caesarea, built over 2000 years ago by King Herod the Great, which served as a key Mediterranean port for centuries. Hear about Caesarea's role in Jewish history, including its part in the Great Revolt of AD66.
Onwards to the Carmel Mountain range to visit Zichron Yaacov, for a stroll through the historic streets of one of the earliest settlements from Israel’s first immigration period founded in 1882 by Baron Edmond de Rothschild.
Continue to Mount Carmel and into Haifa - Israel's major port city, with a stop at the Louis Promenade for a great view of the Haifa Bay and the beautiful Baha'i Gardens.
Overnight: Haifa
Day 5 – Monday, Tzfat and the Galilee
Check out after an Israeli breakfast in the hotel. Our journey will begin with a drive through the mountain ranges and valleys which extend from the west to the east of the Galilee region. Drive up to Safed (Tzfat), where we will walk through ancient sections of the city and hear stories of the Kabbalists and their ancient synagogues. Our Tzfat tour will end with a visit to its famous artists’ colony. Continue to Rosh Pina, originally founded in 1878 by a group of ultra-orthodox Jews intending to become farmers, with the support of Baron Edmund de Rothschild. Rosh Pina is one of Israel’s oldest colonies but today boasts a small town known for great restaurants, cafés and art galleries. In the afternoon, we will visit the beautiful Hula Valley, Israel’s first Nature Reserve, which has become one of the world's most important centers for bird watching and ornithology.
Overnight: Kibbutz hotel
Day 6 – Tuesday, Golan Heights
This touring day will give you an opportunity to enjoy the north of Israel in a unique and exciting way. We will start our day by driving up into the Golan Heights. Visit Tel Faher (Golani Lookout), a former Syrian outpost in the Golan which was the site of an intense battle during the Six-Day War. Continue to Mount Bental, a beautiful spot for a panoramic view of the Upper Galilee, the Golan Heights, Mount Hermon and Syria.
We will then walk through The Golan Olive Oil Mill and Visitor Center, a uniquely-designed building with ancient ambience, as your guide explains the olive oil production process, including the evolution from antique tools to modern machinery. We will finish the touring day with a visit to a Golan Heights Winery for an Israeli wine-tasting tour and to get an up close and personal view of the wine production process.
The rest of the day is free to relax in the pastoral surroundings of the kibbutz!
Overnight: Kibbutz hotel
Day 7 – Wednesday, Travel to Jerusalem
Check out from the hotel and depart for our touring day. Our first stop will be at the Tel Hai Museum. This memorial is dedicated to a dramatic battle in 1920 led by Joseph Trumpeldor, a hero known for his national loyalty.
Then we will descend to the shores of Lake Kinneret (Sea of Galilee) for a visit to Tiberias, a city which was a significant spiritual center during the Mishna and Talmudic periods.
We will drive south through the Jezreel Valley - a green fertile plain and inland valley, covered with fields of wheat, melon, oranges, beans, chickpeas, cotton, sunflowers and corn.
Passing by the city of Afula we continue south to the point where the road begins ascending from the coastal plain to the hills of Jerusalem.
Situated in the narrow opening known as Bab-al-Wad (Gate of the Valley), we arrive at Khan Sha'ar HaGai, a reconstruction of an old Ottoman building, commemorating the courageous men and women who fought fierce battles and brought food, supplies and manpower to under-siege Jerusalem during the War of Independence.
Continuing our journey we arrive to Jerusalem, stopping at Mt. Scopus for a magnificent view of the city and a brief explanation about the capital’s past and future.
Overnight: Jerusalem
Day 8 – Thursday, Old City of Jerusalem
After breakfast, we will start our tour at the City of David for a virtual reality movie about King David’s historical city, and a “wet” walking tour of the ancient water system connecting Warren’s Shaft to the Shiloah tunnels (Hezekiah’s Tunnel). Then walk through one of the Old City of Jerusalem’s many ancient gates to the Archaeological Garden and the new Southern Wall excavations (Davidson Center) - the same steps once used by pilgrims entering the Holy Temple.
Visit the Western Wall (Ha Kotel), the colorful bazaars and the Cardo and the restored Jewish Quarter.
Overnight: Jerusalem
- Thursday is the day many Bar Mitzvah celebrations take place at the Western Wall. During our walk, we will meet some of them and get to wish them a MAZAL TOV!
Day 9 – Friday, Jerusalem’s New City
Visit the graves of Israel’s former prime ministers, and soldiers who died in battle, at the Mount Herzl Military Cemetery. We will then continue to the museum at the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial, including the Valley of the Communities. We will pass by the Knesset - Israel's Parliament building, as well as the famous Menorah and the new home of Israel's Supreme Court.
Visit the Israel Museum to see the Shrine of the Book with a display of Dead Sea Scrolls and visit the model of Jerusalem during the Second Temple period.
Then continue on for a neighborhood tour around the Mahane Yehuda Market to meet different local ethnic groups and taste some of their cultural foods.
Return to the Western Wall to participate in meaningful Kabbalat Shabbat services as the Jewish Sabbath descends over Jerusalem.
Overnight: Jerusalem
Day 10 – Saturday, Free
Day at leisure in Jerusalem.
Or join an optional day tour to Masada & Dead Sea (not included in the package – subject to fee).
Overnight: Jerusalem
Day 11 – Sunday, Departure
Transfer to the airport for departure.
