Day 1. Arrival in Israel.
Arrival at Ben Gurion airport. Your guide will welcome you and accompany you to your hotel in Jerusalem.
Day 2. Old City of Jerusalem.
The best place to start our first day in Jerusalem is on the Mount of Olives. From here we have a magnificent view over the city. We walk past the Jewish tombs and Dominus Flevit (The Lord weeps) to the Garden of Gethsemane and the Church of All Nations. Through the Lions’ Gate we enter the Old City. We walk over the Via Dolorosa where we visit Bethesda and Ecce Homo and then continue to the Christian Quarter where the Holy Sepulchre Church is situated. In the Jewish Quarter we visit the restored Hurva Synagogue and walk over the Cardo. In the Roman period this was a covered shopping street. We continue to the Wailing Wall. In the afternoon we continue our walk and go to Mount Zion. Here we visit the Church of St. Peter in Gallicantu (the rooster crows), the Room of the Last Supper, the Tomb of King David and lastly the Dormition Church. (here Mary fell into an eternal sleep and her soul rose to Heaven). Dinner and overnight in Jerusalem.
Day 3. New City.
This day is dedicated to the New City. In the morning we will go to Yad Vashem for an extensive visit. This is the holocaust museum. It is a memorial where the 6 million Jews are remembered who were murdered during World War II. In the afternoon we visit the Israel Museum. Here we see a model of ancient Jerusalem in the time of king Herod. The Shrine of the Book is part of the Israel Museum. The oldest bible text in the world, the Dead Sea Scrolls, can be found here. These were found by a shepherd boy in a cave in Qumran. Next, we visit the seven-branched candelabrum, the Menorah, which faces the Knesset, the Israeli parliament building. We end our day with a visit to the Garden Tomb. Dinner and overnight in Jerusalem.
Day 4. Wadi Kelt – Ein Gedi – Masada.
Early in the morning we leave Jerusalem and dive through the Judean Desert in the direction of the Dead Sea, the lowest lake in the world. On our way we will make a stop. In the middle of the desert lies Wadi Kelt. Near a cave the Greek Orthodox monastery St. George has been built against the rock face. Tradition tells us that here the prophet Elijah was fed by the ravens. We continue our journey to the oasis of biblical Ein Gedi, known from the history of David and Saul and we go for a walk to the waterfall. In the afternoon we visit Masada. We reach the top by cable car and we enjoy the beautiful view. In this fortress high on the rock, we will hear the fascinating story of king Herod who built the fortress; we will also hear about the courageous Zealots. In the course of the afternoon there will be an opportunity to float in the Dead Sea. Dinner and overnight in Jerusalem.
Day 5. Tel Aviv – Caesarea – Muhraka.
We leave Jerusalem and drive to Tel Aviv. In the morning we tour the city of Tel Aviv with a visit to Jaffa (ancient Joppe). For many dozens of years Jaffa was the most important port of Israel and it is the oldest port in the world. In Jaffa we will visit the house of Simon the tanner. We continue our journey North along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea and make a stop in Caesarea, an old Roman city on the coast with beautiful mosaic floors and the aquaduct. We now drive to the Carmel. We will visit the Muhraka, the place where the prophet Elija had his confrontation with the Baal priests. From the roof of the monastery we have a great view of the Yizreel valley. At the end of the afternoon we continue our journey to Tiberias where we will spend the night.
Day 6. Tiberias.
Today we will visit biblical sites known from the New Testament. We start with a tour around the lake and see the place where the river Jordan leaves the lake. Next we visit the place where the herd of swine plunged into the lake. We visit Capernaum and the excavations of the old synagogue, the Mount of Beatitudes and Tabgha, where the miracle of the multiplication of the loaves and the fish took place. We close our day with a boat ride on the lake. Dinner and overnight in Tiberias.
Day 7. Golan Heights – Safed – Nazareth.
After breakfast we drive from Tiberias to the North and go to the Golan Heights with its beautiful landscape. We visit the Banias, one of the springs of the Jordan. We continue our journey to Safed, the center of the Kabbala. We walk through the artists’ quarter and visit a synagogue. We drive to Nazareth Village. Here we will have an interesting guided tour, that will show us how the inhabitants of Nazareth lived 2000 years ago. Dinner and overnight in Tiberias.
Day 8. Return journey.
Our suitcases are packed. We are ready to leave and go home
Participation price:
Following is included:
- Hotelovernight, staying in a double room.
- On breakfast and diner base.
- Transportation in a luxery touringbus with airconditioning.
- Transfer upon arrival and departure.
- Official English speaking guide
- Transfer upon arrival and departure.
- All entrees mentioned in the itinerary.
- Portrage
- Groups picture
Excluded:
- Personal expenses
- Insurances
- Beverages during meals
- Lunches
- Tip for driver, guide and hotel.
- Flight