Jewish Homeland |
Day
1: Arrival
Meeting and assistance at any of the gateways to Israel. Transfer
to Jerusalem.
Upon arrival to the city, stop on Mount Olives for a special 'Shehechiyanu'
ceremony.
Overnight: Jerusalem |
Day
2: Old City of Jerusalem
Enter the walled city on foot through the Jaffa Gate. Visit the Tower
of David and the Citadel Museum, depicting Jerusalem's 3000-year history.
Walk through the ancient alleys to the Jewish Quarter. Visit the Cardo
to get the feel of Jerusalem during the second Temple period. Visit the
Burnt House where clear signs of the fire that destroyed Jerusalem and
the Temple are visible. Continue to the Western Wall and the Archaeological
garden.
Overnight: Jerusalem |
Day
3: The New City of Jerusalem
Start your day in front of the Knesset to see the giant Menorah
sculpture. Visit the new Supreme Court and continue to the Israel Museum
to visit the Shrine of the Book, where the Dead Sea Scrolls are on display.
Proceed to visit the Model of Jerusalem of the
Second Temple period. Visit the synagogue at the Hadassah Hospital to
view the Chagall stained glass windows. On to Yad Vashem, the memorial
to the Holocaust, for a 'Yizkor' prayer service and 'Kadish'.
Overnight: Jerusalem |
Day
4: Dead Sea / Massada / Ein Gedi
Drive through the Judean desert to Qumran to visit the site where the
Dead Sea Scrolls were found.
Drive along the shores of the Dead Sea, the lowest
point on earth, to Massada. Ascend the mountain fortress by cable car.Tour
the excavations where the Zealots made their last stand against the Romans.
See King Herod's Palaces and the huge cisterns and baths. Proceed to Ein
Gedi nature reserve and oasis. Time and weather permitting, enjoy a 'swim'
in the Dead Sea.
Overnight: Jerusalem |
Day
5: At Leisure
A free day in Jerusalem for indidual visits in the old city,
Nahalat shiva and Mishkenot neigbourhood
Overnight: Jerusalem |
Day
6: Jericho / Beit Shean / Tiberias
Descend from Jerusalem bypass Jericho, the world's oldest city. Visit
the excavations of
the walls that came "tumbling down". Continue along the Jordan
Valley Rift to Beit Shean. See the newly excavated Roman-Byzantine City,
the Roman Theater, temples and shrines of the city. Continue to Hammat
Tiberias to see the ancient Hot Springs and four layers of the synagogue's
mosaic. Visit the Tombs of Maimonides and Rabbi Akiva in Tiberias.
Overnight: Galilee |
Day
7: Upper Galilee
Drive through the Golan Heights to see the former Syrian bunkers. Drive
north to the Banias, one of the sources of the Jordan River. Proceed to
Tsfat (Safed), the center of Jewish mysticism. Visit the synagogues and
the artists' galleries. Pass by Meiron the site of Lag Ba'omer celebrations
near the cave of Shimon Bar Yochai. Continue to Zippori, the seat of the
Sanhedrin from 170 - 200 CE and see the mosaic known as the 'Mona Lisa
of the Galilee. |
Day
8: Acre / Haifa / Caesarea/ Tel Aviv
Tour a Kibbutz and get to know this unique style of living. Continue to
Acre to visit the Knights' Halls, the crusaders' underground city. Drive
along the bay to Haifa, the third largest city in Israel. View the Bahai
Shrine and the exquisite Persian Gardens and enjoy a panoramic view from
Mount Carmel. Continue to the 'Muhraka' (The Horns of Carmel), where,
according to tradition Elijah slaughtered the false prophets. Proceed
to Beit Shearim to visit the ancient Jewish City and its catacombs. On
to Caesarea to see the Roman Theater, and the new Hypodrome and harbor.
Overnight: Tel Aviv |
Day
9: Old City of Jerusalem
Tour the Old City of Jerusalem. Enter through Zion Gate, walk through
the Jewish Quarter
to the Western Wall. Visit the Wall Tunnel and the new excavations of
the Southern Wall.
Continue to Temple Mount to view the Muslem Shrines of the Dome of the
Rock an El Aqza. On to the Via Dolorosa and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.
End the tour at the Citadel to see the Museum of the History of Jerusalem.
You can choose to stay at the
Western Wall for the Friday night prayers or return to your hotel for
a Candle lighting ceremony.
Overnight: Jerusalem
|
Day 10: Departure
Departure transfer and assistance. |