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Itinerary
Day 1 Monday
USA / Transatlantic - Depart USA for Israel.
Dinner and breakfast on board
Day 2 Tuesday
Tel Aviv - Upon arrival at Ben Gurion Airport you will
be met, assisted and transferred to your hotel in Tel Aviv.
Day 3 Wednesday
Tel Aviv - Rehovot - Jaffa - Your day starts with an
orientation tour of modern, cosmopolitan Tel Aviv, taking in the Hagana
Museum, tracing the development of Israel's Defense Forces. Visit the Hall
of Independence, historic Rothschild Boulevard, the Mann Auditorium and
on to the Diaspora Museum to follow the history and migrations of the Jewish
People after the destruction of the Temple. Leave Tel Aviv and drive through
orange groves to Rehovot, home of Chaim Weizmann, Israel's first president
and site of the world famous Weizmann Institute of Science. Next,
visit the ancient port city of Jaffa and stroll through the winding paths
of the artist's quarter. Overnight in Tel Aviv.
Day 4 Thursday
Tel Aviv - Leisure Day in Tel Aviv.
Day 5 Friday
Latrun / Absalom Caves / Kibbutz Yad Mordechai / Ashkelon
- Drive to historic Latrun with its military memorial and Trappist Monastery.
View the natural wonders of stalactite caves, then drive across the beautiful
Ha'Ella valley (where David fought Goliath), on to the fascinating Bell
Cave at Beit Govrin, and then to Kibbutz Yad Mordechai. Visit the Warsaw
Ghetto Museum and the reconstruction of the major battle fought here during
Israel's War of Independence. Return to your Tel Aviv hotel via Ashkelon
(the ancient Philistine capital on the Mediterranean).
Day 6 Saturday
Tel Aviv - Leisure day in Tel Aviv
Day 7 Sunday
Caesarea / Megiddo / Druz Village - Leave Tel
Aviv and head north along the coast toscenic Caesarea, once the Roman capital
of the Holy Land, Explore its excavated Roman harbor, amphitheater and
Crusader fortress. Continue inland to Megiddo, one of King Solomon's chariot
Cities, and explore these remarkable excavations including the famous well
and Solomon's stables. Continue north to visit a nearby Druze village on
Mount Carmel and stroll along its colorful market street. Drive to you
hotel in Haifa for the night.
Day 8 Monday
Haifa / Nazareth / Sephoris / Safed / Golan Heights / Tiberias
- Begin your tour of Haifa with a breathtaking panoramic view of Haifa
Bay and the Western Galilee from the summit of Mount Carmel. Visit the
golden-domed Bahai Temple and its exotic gardens. Pass the city's port
and drive to Nazareth to visit the Church of the Annunciation, and continue
to Sephoris to view one of the region's beautiful mosaic floors. On to
Safed, the center of Jewish mysticism with historic synagogues and modern
artists' quarter. Continue to the Golan Heights and view former Syrian
army bunkers, the abandoned city of Kuneitra and the new Israeli town of
Katzrin. Drive to Tiberias, a resort town on the Sea of Galilee, for over
night.
Day 9 Tuesday
Tiberias / Capernaum / Jericho / Jerusalem -
After a short city tour of Tiberias continue to Capernaum to see the ancient
synagogue. On to Bet Shean, a major Roman city to see the reconstructed
amphitheater. Proceed to Bet Alpha to view the famous mosaic floor of an
ancient synagogue. Follow the Jordan valley to Jericho, the world's oldest
settlement with the remains of Joshua's wall, and then drive up through
the Judean Hills to Jerusalem.
Day 10 Wednesday
Jerusalem Old City / Bethlehem - Start the day
with a visit to the tomb of King David and the Room of the Last Supper
on Mount Zion. Visit the Museum of the City of Jerusalem in David's Citadel.
Enter the walled city and stroll through the restored Jewish Quarter. See
the Roman Cardo, the Herodian Mansions 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, stopping at Rachel's Tomb,
to visit the Church of the Nativity. Visit a diamond factory to see the
artisans at work. Return to your hotel in Jerusalem.
Day 11 Thursday
New City Jerusalem - A full day devoted
to the New City starts with a view of the Knesset (Israel's Parliament
Building) and the architectural splendor of Israel's Supreme Court Building.
Other important sites on the program: the Chagall Windows at the Hadassah
Medical Center, Yad Vashem, the Holocaust Museum and Memorial, and Mount
Herzl. See the scale model of Jerusalem at the time of the Second Temple.
Visit the Shrine of the Book at the Israeli Museum, housing the original
Dead Sea Scrolls. Return to your hotel in Jerusalem.
Day 12 Friday
Dead Sea / Qumran Caves / Massada - Drive through
the moonscaped Judean Desert down to the Dead Sea, the lowest point on
earth (almost 400 meters below sea level). Visit the Qumran Caves where
the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered. Continue along the shores of the
Dead Sea to Massada. Ascend by cable car to the top of the mountain and
marvel at King Herod's desert fortress-palace and the last strong hold
of the Jewish Zealots against Roman domination in 73 CE. Time and weather
permitting you may float effortlessly in the Dead Sea. Return to you hotel
in Jerusalem.
Day 13 Saturday
Jerusalem - Leisure day in Jerusalem
Day 14 Monday
Tel Aviv / USA - Transfer to Ben Gurion
Airport for your departure flight |