DAY 1: USA-TEL AVIV
Depart New York on your overnight transatlantic flight to
Tel Aviv with meals on board.
DAY 2: TEL AVIV
Upon arrival at Ben Gurion Airport you will be met, assisted
and transferred to your hotel in Tel Aviv. The remainder
of the day is at leisure.
DAY 3: DIASPORA MUSEUM / CAESAREA / DRUZE VILLAGES (B)
Depart Tel Aviv and drive to the Diaspora Museum for a visit. Proceed along
the coastal plain to Caesarea, capital of Judea under the
Romans. See the excavations of the Crusader city and the
Roman port, aqueduct and the amphitheater that has been
restored to its former glory as a concert venue. Continue
via the Druze villages to Haifa. Overnight in Haifa.
DAY 4: HAIFA / SAFED / GOLAN HEIGHTS (B)
The tour of Haifa will begin at the summit of Mount Carmel where you will
take in a breathtaking panoramic view of the Haifa Bay and
Western
Galilee. Continue on to the golden domed Bahai Shrine
to visit the exotic Persian Gardens. Proceed to Safed, the
center of Jewish mysticism, where you will visit the
ancient
synagogues and the artists' colony. Continue to the Golan Heights to see the former Syrian bunkers, Kuneitra and the new Israeli town of Katzrin. Overnight in Kibbutz.
DAY 5: SEA OF GALILEE / NAZARETH (B)
Start the day with a visit of Tiberias. Drive to Capernaum to see the ruins
of the synagogue and octagonal church of St. Peter and then
proceed to Nazareth. Here you will visit the church of the
Annunciation. Drive via Beit Shean to Beit Alpha to see the
remains of the mosaic floor of an ancient synagogue depicting
the zodiac. Overnight in Jerusalem.
DAY 6: JERUSALEM - THE OLD CITY (B)
Visit the tomb of King David and the room of the Last Supper
on Mt. Zion. Enter the walled city and walk through the
newly restored
Jewish Quarter. Visit the Roman Cardo, the Herodian Quarter
and continue to the Western Wall. Walk along the Via Dolorosa
to the church of the Holy Sepulchre, proceed to Mount Scopus
and then to the Mount of Olives for a magnificent panoramic
view of the Old City. Continue to Bethlehem (visit subject
to availability), stopping at Rachel's Tomb and to visit
the Church of the Nativity. Overnight in Jerusalem.
DAY 7: JERUSALEM - THE NEW CITY (B)
Drive to the Hadassah Medical Center in Ein Kerem to see the Chagall
stained glass windows. Proceed to Bayit Vegan to visit the
miniature model of Jerusalem as it was during the Second
Temple period. Continue to Yad Vashem, the memorial to the
Holocaust and then to the Israel Museum. Visit the Shrine
of the Book where the Dead Sea Scrolls are housed and see
the Knesset, Israel's Parliament, and the Givat Ram Campus
of the Hebrew University. Overnight in Jerusalem.
DAY 8: QUMERAN - MASSADA - DEAD SEA (B)
Drive through the Judean Desert to the Dead Sea, the lowest point
on earth, almost 1300 feet (400 meters) below sea level.
Stop at Qumeran to visit the site where the Dead Sea Scrolls
were found. Drive along the shores of the Dead Sea to Massada.
Ascend by cable car and tour the ancient fortress where the
Zealots made their last stand against the Romans before committing
mass suicide in 73 AD. Descend by cable car, time and weather
permitting, an opportunity will be provided to float on the
Dead Sea. Overnight in Jerusalem.
DAY 9: JERUSALEM (B)
At leisure. Overnight in Jerusalem.
DAY 10: THE NEGEV DESERT - EILAT
(B)
Travel south to the Negev desert, visit Israel's Air Force Museum near Beer Sheva to view the planes and equipment and to hear the story of this brave fighting force. Continue south, visiting kibbutz Sde Boker, to see Ben Gurion's hut and grave, overlooking the magnificent Zin valley. Stop at Mitzpeh Ramon to gaze into the Ramon Crater, an otherworldly geological wonder. Proceed to Eilat for overnight.
DAY 11: EILAT
(B)
Start the day with a panoramic view of the city. Continue
for a visit to the Underwater Observatory, one the largest
seaquariums in the world, built into coral reef. Afternoon
at leisure. Overnight in Eilat.
DAY 12: EILAT - TIMNA - TEL AVIV
(B)
Morning at leisure. In the afternoon depart Eilat to visit
Timna copper mines and King Solomon's Pillars and marvel
at the huge multi-colored rock formations. Drive back to
Tel Aviv for overnight.
DAY 13: TEL AVIV - DEPARTURE
(B)
After breakfast, transfer to Ben Gurion Airport for your
departing flight.
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