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 to the Garden of Gethsemane. 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. We conclude the afternoon with a visit to the Garden Tomb. In the evening we visit the Citadel. We learn about the history of Jerusalem from the past to the present through a sound and light show. Dinner and overnight in Jerusalem.
Day 3. The New City of Jerusalem.
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 will visit the seven-branched candelabrum, the Menorah, which faces the Knesset, the Israeli parliament building. Dinner and overnight in Jerusalem.
Day 4. Tel Aviv – Caesarea – Akko – Tiberias.
We leave Jerusalem and travel 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. 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. In the afternoon we visit the city of Akko. Akko is one of the oldest cities in the world. The excavations date from the time of the Canaanites. The old city is surrounded by thick walls and within the maze of alleyways we find many remains from the time of the Middle Ages. Dinner and overnight in Tiberias.
Day 5. Tiberias.
Today we find ourselves in the immediate surroundings of the Lake of Galilee, with its many biblical sites that are well 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 6. Golan Heights.
After breakfast we drive from Tiberias to the North to the Golan Heights with its beautiful landscape. Here we will 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 7. Dead Sea.
After breakfast we leave Tiberias and drive through the Jordan Valley to the Dead Sea. We pass Qumran, where in 1947 the Dead Sea Scrolls were found. In the Israel Museum we saw copies of these scrolls. We walk in the oasis of biblical Ein Gedi, known from the story of David and Saul. In the afternoon we visit Masada. We go to 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. We will have dinner and spend the night in a Bedouin camp.
Day 8. Negev desert.
After breakfast we will go for a short camel ride. Then we descend into the Negev desert. In the Timna Park we see the replica of the Tabernacle. In the afternoon we cross the border at Aqaba, Jordan. Dinner and overnight in Aqaba, Jordan.
Day 9. Wadi Rum – Petra.
Early in the morning we drive to Wadi Rum. We will explore this beautiful desert by jeep. We will then visit the city of Petra built with red sandstone. This capital city of the Nabateans can only be reached through a narrow passage after a really magnificent walk. The city was hacked out in the rocks. The rock tombs and the beautiful façade of the Treasure chamber are impressive. Dinner and overnight in Petra.
Day 10. Kerak – Nebo – Madaba – Amman.
Before leaving Jordan, we tour the city of Amman in the morning. We will visit the museum of ethnology, the Abdullah mosque as well as the Roman amphitheater with its 6000 seats. The remainder of the program includes a short visit to Jerash. Here you see the remains of a city from the Roman period. In the afternoon we will cross the border into Israel. Dinner and overnight in Jerusalem.
Day 12. Journey home.
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.
- All entrees mentioned in the itinerary.
- Visa’s and all taxes Jordan.
- Groups picture.
- Portrage.
Excluded:
- Tip guide, driver. and hotel.
- Personal expenses.
- Insurances.
- Beverages during meals.
- Lunches.
- Flight