DAY 1

• TEL AVIV TO JERUSALEM

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• Get Settled
• Upon arrival in Tel Aviv, an airport representative will meet you in the airplane sleeve (jet bridge) where you will be escorted through a separate passport control desk. Afterwards, your representative will assist you to pick up your luggage where you will later walk through the arrivals gate to meet your driver who will be waiting for you.
• A private vehicle with driver will provide an Airport transfer between Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. The approximate transfer time is 1 hour and 10 minutes.

DAY 2

• JERUSALEM

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• Cross an Item off the Bucket List
• The heart of the Holy Land centers around Jerusalem – the cradle of civilization and revered as a Holy City in Christianity, Judaism and Islam alike. The Mount of Olives overlooks the Old City, standing testament to millennia of history and separating the Holy City from the Judean Desert. Begin the day with your private English-speaking driver-guide at the Mount of Olives, gazing upon the evocative panorama of the Old City below, with expansive views of the olive tree canopies, cemeteries, and churches. From here, enter the Old City through the Muslim Quarter from the eastern Lion’s Gate, stopping to visit the Church of Saint Anne and the Pools of Bethesda. Follow in the footsteps of the Via Dolorosa, an important pilgrimage route for Christian visitors, believed to mark the way to the site of Jesus’ crucifixion at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and one of the most revered Christian monuments. Wind your way through the narrow souks connecting the Christian Quarter and the Jewish Quarter, ending the morning at the Western Wall, the former retaining wall of the Second Temple. The space in front of the Western Wall functions as an open-air synagogue, and it is considered to be the holiest accessible site where Jews may pray. Head out of the Old City through the Dung Gate to the neighboring City of David an archaeological site located outside of the Old City walls with findings dating back to the Bronze Age and covering findings from the time of the Old and New Testament.

DAY 3

• JERUSALEM

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• Secrets of the City
• Jerusalem’s identity as a historical center extends beyond the confines of the Old City, and many of the treasures of the country can be found scattered throughout the city. With your English-speaking driver-guide, head to the Israel Museum to start the day. On the way, drive by the Supreme Court and the Knesset, the home of the Israeli parliament. The Israel Museum holds artefacts relevant to Judaism, Christianity and Islam alike, and the two most important exhibits are the model of the city from the time of the Second Temple, and the Shrine of the Book, housing the Dead Sea Scrolls, the oldest biblical manuscripts in the world that were uncovered in nearby Qumran. Drive to the Holocaust Memorial of Yad Vashem, located on the flanks of Mount Herzl adjacent to the country’s war cemetery. Yad Vashem is the country’s official memorial to victims of the Holocaust, and a heart-wrenching plea against the horrors of genocide. It is a must-see for all visitors to Israel. To lift your spirits after this visit, head into the Judean Hills to the ancient village of Ein Karem, now one of the city’s most desirable neighborhoods, and best explored through a leisurely stroll amongst eclectic art galleries and biblical sites. The village has long been a pastoral retreat from the hustle and bustle of Jerusalem, and has attracted Christian pilgrims for centuries as the birthplace of John the Baptist. The Hadassah Hospital’s synagogue features the world famous Chagall Windows, a series of 12 stained-glass panels representing the original tribes of Israel, a must-see while you’re here.

DAY 4

• JERUSALEM

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• Venture into the Outdoors
• Iconic natural wonders dot the Israeli landscape, playing their own role in the Holy Land’s lengthy biblical history. Masada, Ein Gedi and the Dead Sea stand out in the Jordan Rift Valley against the dramatic backdrop of the mountains on the Jordanian side of the border. With your English-speaking driver-guide, start the day with a visit to the beautiful Ein Gedi Reserve, a stunning desert oasis graced with waterfalls and referenced several times in the Book of Psalms. Continue by car to Masada, a UNESCO World Heritage Site famous as the site of King Herod’s desert mountain get-away palace, and the scene of the zealots’ final stand against the Roman Legion, with stunning vistas overlooking the desert and Dead Sea below. Ascend to the summit by cable car, and explore the excavation of King Herod’s palaces, the bathhouse, storerooms, the ancient ramp used to ascend the mountain, and one of the oldest still-standing synagogues. It is possible to hike up the Snake Path to the summit of Masada, but this is only recommended for guests in good health, as the 90-minute hike in the hot desert sun is quite challenging. End the day with a soak in the Dead Sea, famous for it its hyper-salinated waters and for being the lowest place on earth, located 1,412 feet below sea level. The sea was home to one of the worlds first health resorts, dedicated to King Herod. The waters have been receding over the past hundred years, leading to cooperative engineering projects between Israel and Jordan to protect the resource in the future.

DAY 5

• JERUSALEM TO TEL AVIV

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• Explore a City of Contrasts
• Enjoy a private transfer from Jerusalem to Tel Aviv. Transfer time is approximately one hour.
• Rising along the Mediterranean coastline, Tel Aviv juxtaposes the country’s historical roots in neighboring Jaffa and gives Israel a truly modern flair. Start your day with a visit to Old Jaffa, the ancient port city dating back approximately 4,000 years. With your private guide, take a walking tour around Old Jaffa, starting at the Clock Tower in the central square, a relic from the Ottoman period. Drive to Neve Tzedek, Tel Aviv’s first neighborhood outside of Jaffa, and continue your exploration on foot. The homes and the streets of the neighborhood have been beautifully restored, and capture the romance of the early days of the Jewish urban settlement movement. The neighborhood was nicknamed "Little Paris" because of its eclectic Bauhaus architectural design, and is a fashionable and upmarket area to visit with its streets lined with artists’ studios, artisan shops, and vibrant café and bar scene. In the afternoon, drive along Rothschild Boulevard, featuring one of the city’s main concentrations of 1930s architecture. Head to Rabin Square, an important space where major political rallies, parades and public events take place. End the day with a visit to the Museum of the Jewish People, also known as ANU, a museum dedicated to the vast Jewish diaspora located on the grounds of Tel Aviv University. The collection weaves a tapestry of common Jewish identity across the world, illustrating similarities in the religion and celebrating the cultural differences in observance.

DAY 6

• TEL AVIV

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• Cultural Immersion
• Tel Aviv has emerged as the focal point of a vibrant arts scene within Israel, a bustling metropolis founded as a Jewish settlement on the outskirts of the ancient port city of Jaffa. Start the day south of Tel Aviv in the suburb of Holon with your private guide at the Design Museum, housed in an iconic building by internationally acclaimed architect, Ron Arad. The permanent collection focuses on 20th and 21st century contemporary Israeli designers, and the rotating seasonal exhibitions feature multimedia displays on cinema, music, and fashion. Drive to Rothschild Boulevard, the city’s premier destination for Bauhaus architecture and home to a wide range of art galleries, performing arts venues, and fine dining options. From here, head to the Bauhaus Center, where the exhibitions focus on Tel Aviv’s iconic Bauhaus architecture and design. End the day at the Tel Aviv Museum of Art, one of the city’s leading cultural hubs with an extensive collection of Israeli and international artworks, including pieces by Chagall, van Gogh, and Kandinsky.

DAY 7

• TEL AVIV
• Bon Voyage
• Enjoy a private transfer between the airport and your hotel with an English-speaking driver.

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Mamilla Hotel

Royal Beach Tel Aviv