DAY 1

• TEL AVIV

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• You’ve Arrived
• 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.
• Enjoy a private transfer between the airport and your hotel with an English-speaking driver.

DAY 2

• TEL AVIV TO GALILEE

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• Cultural Immersion
• Leave behind bustling, modern Tel Aviv and head north to the more bucolic Galilee region with your private guide. Stop at Caesarea along the coast, once the Roman capital of the region. Explore the excavations of this archeological site including the aqueduct. The theater has been restored as a modern concert venue.  Continue further north, pausing at Mount Carmel for a panoramic view of Haifa. Explore the beautiful and grandiose Bahai Gardens – a unique atmosphere of historic spirituality and inspired design combined with the painstaking gardening of generations. This is the site where members of the Bahai faith have established their shrine and world center because of its significance to the Bahai faith. From here, drive further up the coast to the ancient port city of Acre, also known as Akko, the holiest city of the Bahai faith. The Crusaders left their mark on this UNESCO town as the former capital of their kingdom. The fortifications jut into the Mediterranean at the southern sea wall. The last stop of the day is in Rosh Hanikra along the Lebanese border. Descend by cable car into the stunning limestone grottos. Formally only accessible from the sea, the grottos are now accessed by the steepest cable car in the world. End the day with a relaxing evening at your Galilee hotel.

DAY 3

• GALILEE

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• Synagogues and Citadels
• The northern mountain-top city of Safed (also known as Tzfat) is a center of Kabbalah practice and shrouded in Jewish mysticism, and is known as one of Judaism’s Four Holy Cities, along with Jerusalem, Hebron, and Tiberias. The old part of town consists of narrow cobblestone alleys revealing artists' galleries, medieval synagogues, private homes and small guest houses, and is best explored on foot (sturdy walking shoes recommended). Visit the Joseph Caro and the Ha'Ari synagogues, which are the most important religious meeting places within the city. Enjoy a stroll around the Artist's quarter and visit a Kabbalah artist workshop, learn the effects of Kabbalah on their work. The Artist’s quarter is lined with fascinating galleries to explore, and the Safed Candle Shop produces excellent quality hand-dipped wax candles. The Metsuda Citadel sits at the top of the city, with ruins dating back to the time of the Crusaders and Mamluks. The scars of many earthquakes and recent wars run deep in the city, including the Great Stairs built by the British to separate the Jewish and Arab quarters after a series of riots in 1936.
• The Golan Heights contains some of Israel’s most beautiful spots, shaped by the rugged and in places lunar landscape. Some of the Golan Height’s most interesting sites include Katzrin, where excavations have uncovered a village from the Mishnah and Talmud periods, Syrian fortifications at Mount Bental, the River Jordan Baptism Site, Megiddo, the Jezreel Valley, and Hamat Gader, a popular spa destination.
• Continue your exploration of Galilee as you visit the historic site of Oz 77. Here you will be able to hear about the story of the battle of the Valley of Tears through an audiovisual presentation and learn how the Israelis were able to fend off the penetration of Syrian Army.

DAY 4

• GALILEE TO JERUSALEM

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• Explore with an Expert
• Relax on the scenic drive from the Galilee to Jerusalem, and explore a bit of the Galilee region with your private guide on your way. Start with a visit to Nazareth to see the Church of the Annunciation, established on the site where the angel Gabriel appeared to Mary and announced that she would bear the Son of God. Continue to the nearby town of Kafr Kanna, home to the Wedding Church in Cana, also known as the Church of the First Miracle. The site is dedicated to the first miracle attributed to Jesus, where he turned water into wine at a wedding. The final stop is at the Beit Shean Archeological National Park. Here you can see the history of Israel through the archaeological remains from each historic period. See the ancient wall that surrounded the city, public baths, a Roman temple, stores, artisan workshops and other well-preserved structures. The central Palladius street is lined by impressive colonnades. There are rare mosaics and a Roman amphitheater which is still in use today. Continue to Jerusalem, heading south along the Jordan River. End the day with a relaxing evening at your Jerusalem hotel.

DAY 5

• JERUSALEM

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• A Healthy Dose of History
• The heart of the Holy Land centers around Jerusalem – the cradle of civilization and revered as a Holy City in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam alike. Mount Scopus overlooks the Old City, used as a strategic base for invaders since Roman times. Begin the day with your private English-speaking driver-guide at Mount Scopus, gazing upon the evocative panorama of the Old City below. Drive to the City of David, an archeological site located outside of the Old City walls with findings dating back to the Bronze Age and covering the era of the Torah. Continue along the ramparts of the Old City, entering through the Zion Gate into the Armenian Quarter. Walk through the Jewish Quarter and explore the Cardo, dating back to Roman times. From the Cardo, the Hurva Synagogue is only a few short steps away. The synagogue was the city’s main Ashkenazi synagogue until its destruction during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War. The site was marked by a simple arch until a newly rebuilt synagogue opened in 2010. In the afternoon, explore the nearby complex of the Four Sephardic Synagogues of the Jewish Quarter. Continue on foot to the Burnt House Museum, a remnant of the Roman destruction of Jerusalem and the Second Temple in 70 CE. Conclude your tour by taking in the powerful ambiance of the Western Wall, an ancient limestone wall and holy site functioning as an open-air synagogue. Each day, thousands of Jews come to the Wall to pray publicly, many opting to leave behind a slip of paper containing written prayers in the Wall's crevices.
• Explore the Western Wall Tunnels, an underground archeological site running the full 1,591-foot length of the Western Wall. The tunnel includes a Herodian cistern and extensive excavations, and a sealed-off entrance to Temple Mount.

DAY 6

• JERUSALEM

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• In Remembrance
• 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 artifacts 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. After, continue to the Holocaust Memorial of Yad Vashem, located on the flanks of Mount Herzl, adjacent to the country’s war cemetery. Yad Vashem is Israel’s official memorial to victims of the Holocaust, standing as a constant reminder of the horrors of genocide, and the unthinkable atrocities forced upon the Jewish people. A must-visit while in Israel, take some time for quiet reflection as you stand within the confines of this deeply moving monument.
• On the western edge of Jerusalem surrounded by lush forests and rolling Judean hills, the ancient village of Ein Karem is now one of the city’s most desirable neighborhoods, best explored by a leisurely stroll through eclectic art galleries, biblical sites, and offering tantalizing restaurants catering to both Kosher and non-Kosher dietary requirements. It 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. Drive to this village with your English-speaking driver-guide, and explore the site where Mary visited her cousin Elizabeth, the mother of St. John the Baptist. The key pilgrimage sites are the Church of the Visitation, the traditional site of the home of St. Elizabeth and Zachariah; the Church of St. John the Baptist, built over a grotto believed to be his birthplace; and Mary’s Spring, which still flows although the water is no longer potable. A must-see while in Ein Karem, admire the world famous Chagall Windows at the Hadassah Hospital’s synagogue, a series of 12 stained-glass panels representing the original tribes of Israel.

DAY 7

• JERUSALEM

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• A Sight To Behold
• 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 8

• JERUSALEM TO TEL AVIV
• Head Home
• A private vehicle will provide a transfer between Jerusalem and the Tel Aviv airport.
• Meet your airport representative at the entrance of Tel Aviv Ben Gurion Airport where you will be accompanied through the airport security procedure, check-in and to a separate passport control desk.

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Royal Beach Tel Aviv

Kibbutz Pastoral Kfar Blum

The David Citadel Hotel