Day 1    Tel Aviv
Welcome to Israel. Upon arrival you will be met at the airport and transfered to your hotel in Tel Aviv.

Day 2    Tel Aviv/Jaffa
City tour of Tel Aviv, the cultural capital of Israel. Visit the magnificent Diaspora Museum of Jewish history and heritage. Drive to Old Jaffa, walk its narrow alleys and visit the Artists' Colony. Visit Carmel produce market. Back to your hotel in Tel Aviv.

Day 3    Megiddo/ Haifa/Acre
Drive North along the Mediterranean. Pass by Netanya, the diamond center of Israel. Continue to Caesarea to explore the Roman and Crusader ruins. Enjoy sitting on the ancient seats in the Roman theater to hear the story of Caesarea. Continue to the ancient aqueduct. Drive along Mt Carmel, to Mukhraka, the site where the Prophet Elijah confronted the false prophets of Baal. Drive to Meggido, the tel that inspired James Michener in his book "The Source".
Continue to the Druze village for our first falafel lunch experience. On to Haifa, for one of the most beautiful panoramic views of Israel. Visit the Bahai shrine and the beautiful Persian gardens. On to Acre to visit the underground Crusader town, the port and the old city. Continue to our guesthouse in Galilee for dinner and overnight.
 

Day 4    Galilee/Safed/Tel Dan/Banias/Golan Heights
Drive up the hills of Upper Galilee to Safed to explore the mystical town and learn about the Kabbalah (Jewish mysticism). Stroll the narrow and old streets, visit the old synagogues and enjoy some of the unique art galleries in town. Continue to the Hula Valley to visit Tel Dan - one of the most interesting archeological digs, dating back to Abraham's time, almost 4,000 years ago. Walk along the banks of the fast flowing, cold waters of the River Dan, one of the important tributaries of the Jordan River. Continue to Banias, another source of the Jordan. Drive up to the Golan Heights and visit a former Syrian fortification. On the way back to your hotel, visit Caprice diamond factory and show-room.

Day 5    Sea of Galilee/Capernaum/Tiberias/Korazim
Begin day cruising on the Sea of Galilee in a "Biblical" boat. Visit Capernaum, also called "the Town of Jesus", to see the remains of the large synagogue. A short ride will take us to one of the loveliest Byzantine mosaics in Israel, in the Church of the Multiplication. Visit Korazim, a ruined town of the Talmudic period. Drive to Tiberias to the tomb of Maimonides, the famous medieval Jewish scholar and physician. End day in the hot mineral spring of Hamat Tiberias. Back to your hotel in Galilee for dinner and overnight.

Day 6    Bet Shean/Jericho/Qumran/Dead Sea
Drive south to Bet She'an, the largest current archeological dig in Israel. Visit the colonnaded streets, the Roman theater and the Byzantine bath-houses. Continue south along the Jordan Valley to Jericho. Visit the tel where the amazing Biblical story of the walls that came tumbling down took place. Continue to Qumran where the famous Dead Sea Scrolls were found. On along the shores of the Dead Sea, the lowest place on Earth, to visit the "Ahava" factory, whose cosmetics are based on Dead Sea minerals. Continue to our spa hotel. Rest of day will be for enjoying the unique experience of floating on the Dead Sea.

Day 7    Massada/Negev/Jerusalem
Drive to Massada, the fortress built by King Herod. Ascend by cable car. Visit the ruins of the palaces, the bath-house and the synagogue. Hear the story of the massive suicide of the Zealots who chose death rather than slavery. Walk down the ramp. Enjoy a special lunch in a Bedouin tent followed by a camel ride. Drive to Jerusalem via the Negev, the desert that has come alive and flourishing. Arrive in Jerusalem, capital of Israel.
 

Day 8    Model/Mt. of Olives/Gethsemane/Old City/Via Dolorosa/Holy Sepulcher/Western Wall/Jewish Quarter
Begin our visit to Jerusalem with the visit to the scale model of Jerusalem. Here we will get an introduction to the city as it was 2,000 years ago. Drive to Mount Scopus and Mount of Olives for a magnificent panoramic view over the walled city. Descend the mountain to visit the Church of All Nations and the Garden of Gethsemane. Enter the Old City to visit the Western (Wailing) Wall, Temple Mount the Dome of the Rock (if open). On to the Via Dolorosa, the Holy Sepulcher, the Arab Market and the renovated Jewish Quarter. Visit the underground Herodian mansions. Walk out through the Old City by the Zion Gate to see David's Tomb and the room of the Last Supper. This evening we will have a unique experience of a Roman dinner.

 

Day 9    Bethlehem/Israel Museum/Hadassah/Plant a Tree
Drive to Bethlehem to visit Rachel's Tomb. View the Shepherds' Fields, and on to the important Church of Nativity, built on the site where Jesus was born. Back to Jerusalem to visit the modern city. Visit the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial, and the Israel Museum's Shrine of the Book, where the Dead Sea Scrolls are displayed. Visit the Chagall windows in the synagogue at Hadassah Medical Center. End day planting a tree on the hills of Jerusalem, leaving your finger print in this unique city. In the evening, enjoy a show of Israeli folk dancing.

Day 10
Enjoy a day of leisure in Jerusalem. In the evening, transfer to the airport, or;
1. Take part in a desert safari
2. Join a 3-day tour to Eilat
3. Take a 3-day extension to Jordan
4. Take a 4-day extension to Egypt.