Israel Highlights

You will arrive at Tel Aviv Airport, where you will meet our representative. They will help you pick up your luggage, after which you will be escorted to meet your driver who will transfer you to your hotel. You will spend the rest of the evening leisurely exploring the city on your own.

You will stay overnight in Tel Aviv.

After breakfast, you will meet your tour guide and travel southward from Tel Aviv. On the way, you will pass by cities like Ashkelon and Ashdod and make a quick stop at Beersheba, Negev Desert’s capital.

From here you will make your way to Masada, a rugged natural fortress that overlooks the Dead Sea. In 2001 it was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Trek up the winding paths or ascend the Roman staircase or drop by the Masada Visitors’ Center or take a cable car to the site’s summit, it’s all a way to experience the bygone era as if it’s today. Additionally, on-site you can visit Herod’s palaces, the excavations, the bathhouse and the synagogue all while enjoying the breathtaking views of the Dead Sea and the ancient Roman camps.

Next, you travel to the Dead Sea - the lowest place on earth. Due to the high levels of salt, you will be able to float anywhere in the Dead Sea, without drowning. Plus, the black mud of the Dead Sea is known to have detoxifying and therapeutic effects. After this bucket list activity, you will pass by the oasis of Ein Gedi and the Judean Desert to reach your terminus, Jerusalem.

You will stay overnight in Jerusalem.

You will begin day 3 at the Shrine of the Book, a part of the Israel Museum. Even the first Dead Sea Scrolls to be discovered can be seen here! And then, the renovated model of the Herodian city of Jerusalem, dating back to the time of the Second Temple.

Later you will visit Ein Karem, a tiny yet charming village which is popular among locals and travellers alike. It has romantic cafes and restaurants, ancient churches and monasteries and lush hills that are perfect for hiking. This picturesque village has great significance as it’s known to be the place where John the Baptist was born. Next, you will visit Yad Vashem, located on Mount of Remembrance; it’s a memorial for the Jewish victims of the Holocaust. Lastly, you will visit the ever-famous Bethlehem, a popular Christian pilgrimage as it’s the biblical birthplace of Jesus at the Church of the Nativity and Manger Square.

You will stay overnight in Jerusalem.

Your old city tour will start with the Western Wall which is a prehistoric limestone wall. In the past, it was a place of pilgrimage and prayer for the Jews and the only remains of the Second Temple of Jerusalem. Next, you will walk the Way of the Cross, or the Via Dolorosa, the path that is believed to be the one Jesus walked on the way to his crucifixion. Next, you will visit the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. Here there is a site known as Calvary, a supposed site according to the Gospel, where Jesus was crucified and the tomb where Jesus is said to have been buried and resurrected. Later you will go just outside the old city to Mount Zion where you can find King David’s tomb.

Next, you will visit Mount of Olives, just adjacent to the old city. You can enjoy spectacular panoramic views of Jerusalem city from here. At the foot of the mount, you will find Garden of Gethsemane, the urban garden that gathered fame as it was where Jesus prayed and the place where his disciples slept the night prior to the crucifixion. Before calling it a night, you will visit Mahane Yehuda, a marketplace. There are over 200 vendors who sell fish, meat, fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, spices, liquors, wines, shoes, clothing, textiles, etc.

You will stay overnight in Jerusalem.

On day 5, you leave Jerusalem and drive north to Beit She'an, passing Jericho all the way to the Jordan Valley and the new settlements. Once you arrive in Beit She'an, you will visit the archaeological sites of this beautifully preserved city. Next on the agenda is Nazareth where you will visit the Church of the Annunciation and holy Christian sites. Then you will visit Safed, the centre of Jewish mysticism and the city of the Kabbalah. Here you will visit the beautiful streets of the artists’ colony.

You will stay overnight in a kibbutz hotel in Galilee.

Today, you will drive up to the winery in Golan Heights. On the way, you will go past Syrian fortifications, the Druze villages and Banias. Once you reach, you will indulge in and enjoy an Israeli wine country experience. On the tour, you will get acquainted with a collection of rare and fine wines, taste different wines and understand the production process of this beverage. Once you complete your wine expedition, you will head to Capernaum in the Sea of Galilee. Capernaum is a fishing village which houses an ancient synagogue, the traditional site of the ‘Sermon on the Mount’, Mount of Beatitudes and Tabgha, the traditional site of the ‘miracle of the loaves and the fish’. Then you will proceed to the old centre of Jewish learning, Tiberias.

Optionally, you can sail on a boat across the Sea of Galilee and experience the serenity and the sceneries on the way.

You will stay overnight in a kibbutz hotel in Galilee.

After breakfast, drive through the hills of the Galilee westwards toward Acre (also called Akko), a Mediterranean coastal city. It’s famed for its well-preserved old city walls. Then you will continue on to Haifa, the third largest city and extends from the Mediterranean up the north slope of Mount Carmel. Some of the most notable sites here are the gold-domed Shrine of the Báb and the flawlessly landscaped terraces of the Bahá'í Gardens. Then ride along the Mediterranean coast to Caesarea. Here you will visit Caesarea National Park which houses a historic port, a vast Roman amphitheatre, the remains of a hippodrome, a park with pillars and sculptures, etc. You will end the day with a short city tour of Tel Aviv and the ancient port of Jaffa.

You will stay overnight in Tel Aviv.