Day 2 Tel Aviv/Jaffa
Begin the day with a visit to Eretz Israel Museum, built next to the
ancient "Tel Kasile".
Drive to the unique Diaspora Museum, showing the story
of the Jewish people through the ages, from the destruction of the Second Temple
to our own day. On to the busy Carmel Market, the main produce market of Tel
Aviv. Enjoy some fruit, and maybe the typical Israeli fast food, the "falafel".
Visit Jaffa, the oldest port in the Mediterranean. Listen to the stories of
5,000 years of history while strolling the old and narrow alleys. Enjoy visiting
some of the art galleries, and return to your hotel in Tel Aviv.
Day 3
Ashdod/Ashkelon/Yad Mordechai/Bet Guvrin/Ela Valley
Drive south to the Philistine country. A short visit to the new
city of Ashdod, today the second-largest port in Israel. On to Ashkelon, also a
former Philistine city, with Roman ruins. Continue south to Yad Mordechai, a
kibbutz that was overrun by the Egyptians during the War of Independence in
1948.
Drive east, away from the coast, to the Bet Guvrin caves, one of
Israel’s fascinating archeological digs. On to the Ela Valley, the battlefield
where David defeated Goliath. Overnight in a Kibbutz guesthouse.
Day 4 Beer Sheva/Arad/Avdat
Drive south to Beer Sheva - Abraham’s city. On to Tel Arad to see the
ruins of a Canaanite city and the beautiful altar. Continue to the Nabatean
city of Avdat, with its impressive ruins. Drive to modern Arad for overnight
(or experience a night in a Bedouin tent with a typical dinner)
Day 5 Massada/Dead
Sea/Ein Gedi/Qumran
Very early this morning, climb Massada from the
ramp on the west side. See the sun rise over the Edom mountains, and enjoy the
beautiful view of the Dead Sea. Walk among the ruins of the palaces, bath-houses
and store-rooms, all built by King Herod. In the synagogue hear the tragic story
of the Zealots, and their last fight against the Romans.
Descend by
cable-car and stop at the shores of the lowest and saltiest lake on Earth to
experience floating on these incredible waters. Visit the famous "Ahava" Dead
Sea cosmetic factory. Drive along the Dead Sea shore to the Ein Gedi oasis. Walk
along the stream where David found refuge from King Saul. Drive to Qumran to
visit the Essene village and view the caves where the Dead Sea Scrolls were
found. Overnight in Kibbutz Almog, where you will see the Temple Utensils
exhibition and learn the art of writing on parchment.
Day 6 Jericho/Bet
She'an/Belvoir
Drive to Jericho and visit the "tel" of the oldest
town in the world. Ascend by cable-car to the Mount of Temptation. Visit the
Greek Orthodox/Byzantine monastery. Continue along the Jordan Valley to Bet
She’an. Visit the new excavation, considered to be the largest archeological dig
in Israel. See the theater, still being used, the bath-house complex, the Cardo
etc. Continue north and climb the mountain range to visit the ruins of the
Crusader fortress of Belvoir. Overnight in a Kibbutz guesthouse.
Day 7 Sea of
Galilee/Capernaum/Mt. of Beatitudes/Golan Heights/Safed
Visit the
Biblical sites around the Sea of Galilee. Capernaum, "the Town of Jesus", the
Church of the Multiplication and the Mount of Beatitudes. Cruise the Sea of
Galilee on board a “Biblical” wooden boat. Drive to the Golan Heights, the
border with Syria, and Banias, one of the sources of the Jordan River. Continue
along the fertile Hula Valley in Upper Galilee. Visit Safed, the spiritual
mystical town, where the Kabbalah studies where developed. On the way back to
your hotel, visit "Caprice" diamond show-room and factory.
Day 8
Zippori/Acre/Megiddo/Haifa
Visit Zippori to see the beautiful mosaic
floors of this important town from the time of the Mishna. On to Acre, the
Crusaders' port city. Walk in the Knights' Halls and the newly excavated streets
and tunnels. Drive south to Tel Megiddo, where you can see the tel that inspired
J. Michener in writing his book "The Source". Overnight in Haifa.
Day 9 Druze
Villages/Mukhraka/Caesarea/Jerusalem
Visit the Bahai Shrine and its
surrounding beautiful gardens overlooking the panoramic view of the bay of
Haifa. Drive to the Druze villages and to Mukhraka, where Elijah confronted the
450 false prophets of Baal. On to Caesarea, the Roman capital, to see the
aqueduct, the Crusader walls and the Roman theater. Drive to your hotel in
Jerusalem.
Day 10 Mt.
Olives/Western Wall/Temple Mount/Via Dolorosa/Bethlehem
Full day
visit of Jerusalem. Begin the day with a panoramic view of the Old City from the
Mount of Olives. Walk into the Old City from the Dung Gate. See the Western
(Wailing) Wall. Visit the Temple Mount, the Mosque of El Aqsa and the Dome of
the Rock (if open). Walk along the Via Dolorosa and the 14 stations of the
Cross, to the Holy Sepulcher. Walk to the traditional house of the high priest
Caiaphas, to see the prison where Jesus might have spent his last hours. Travel
to Bethlehem, to visit Rachel's Tomb and the Church of Nativity. Back to your
hotel.
Day 11 Israel
Museum/Plant a Tree/Yad Vashem/Hadassah/Holyland Model
Full day visit
to modern Jerusalem. Visit the Supreme Court building, the Knesset (Parliament)
building, the Israel Museum and the Shrine of the Book. Plant a tree in the
Jerusalem Forest. Visit Ein Karem, St. John the Baptist's village, Yad Vashem -
the Holocaust Memorial, and the Chagall stained-glass windows at the Hadassah
Hospital. End day visiting the model city of Jerusalem from the Second Temple
time.
Day 12
Free day
Day 13
Transfer to airport for your flight back home.