Sights, Sounds and Tastes of Israel

Thursday Arrival – 11 Days/10 Nights
Small Group Tour Limited to 14 participants

Explore Israel on this itinerary specially designed as a small group tour where you’ll enjoy unique cultural and culinary experiences as well as visits to the high points of interest throughout Israel.

Day 1 Thursday
Tel Aviv
Welcome to Israel! Arrive Ben Gurion Airport; special meeting and assistance by our representative and transfer to the spectacular Isrotel Royal Beach Hotel on Tel Aviv’s sparkling Mediterranean Sea. Balance of the day and evening at leisure in the “city that never sleeps”. Enjoy dinner on your own, at one of Tel Aviv’s top restaurants or try the fine Chef restaurant at the Royal Beach Hotel (it’s one of our favorites).

Day 2 Friday
Tel Aviv
Begin your day with a great discovery of Tel Aviv as we drive through the main streets of this city known as the “White City”. Tel Aviv has been proclaimed a UNESCO World Heritage Site for its splendid Bauhaus Architecture and has the largest number of buildings in this unique style of any city in the world! Continue past the Charles Bronfman Auditorium, (Israeli Philharmonic), Habimah Theatre, the impressive Opera House and Yitzhak Rabin Square, dedicated to the late Prime Minister. Continue to the 4,000-year-old port city of Jaffa. Explore the magnificently reconstructed Artists’ Quarter with its galleries and boutiques. Afterwards, on to Tel Aviv’s bustling Carmel Market and lively Nachlat Benjamin Street with its delightful cafes and craft stalls including a stroll through trendy Sheinkin Street adjacent to the market. Return to your hotel. This evening at leisure for you to choose from one of the many excellent restaurants in Tel Aviv. (B)

Day 3 Saturday
Tel Aviv
Visit to Machon Ayalon, the reconstructed underground munitions factory located under the kibbutz bakery. It was built and operated during the years 1946-1948. This special clandestine factory was prepared secretly in less than a month. Its openings were covered by a 10 ton oven and a large washing machine that camouflaged the noise of manufacturing bullets. The Ayalon institute was the largest IMI factory to operate underground and produced over 2,500,000 9mm bullets mostly for Sten guns during its three years of operation. Drive to the military junction at Latrun, once the border with Jordan; see the French Trappist Monastery and visit the Tank Division Memorial. Return to Tel Aviv and visit Sarona, an old German Templar colony meticulously restored, preserving the original architecture and converted to a lively pedestrian area with a booming culinary arena. After a walking tour, enjoy free time exploring the new urban complexes including various shops, cafés and art galleries. Return to your hotel for an evening at leisure in vibrant Tel Aviv. (B)

Day 4 Sunday
Tel Aviv / Rosh Pina (Galilee)
Drive to ancient Caesarea to explore the Roman and Crusader ruins. On to the port city of Haifa for a view of the golden-domed Baha’i Shrine and their breathtaking “hanging gardens,” – a UNESCO World Heritage site. Continue to the Crusader city of Acre. Enjoy lunch at famous Uri Buri Restaurant. Afterwards, walk through the subterranean city and bazaars that recall the colorful middle Ages. Drive along the coast to Rosh Hanikra; descend by cable car to see the magnificent underwater grottoes. Continue to Mitzpe Hayamim in Rosh Pina, a natural health spa and resort unique in its concept and design with flourishing herbal and flower gardens and an organic farm with the tastiest cuisine. Enjoy dinner in the quaint dining room. (B.L.D)

Day 5 Monday
Rosh Pina (Galilee)
Begin the day with a tour of Safed, one of Judaism’s holiest cities, where the Kabbalah was developed in the 16th.-century; visit the ancient synagogues and the charming Artists’ Quarter. Continue to the Adir Winery for wine tasting, and to participate in a hands-on cheese making workshop. Ascend the Golan Heights and continue through the valleys and ranges on a thrilling Jeep ride; take in the breathtaking panoramic views and learn about the strategic importance of the area. Drive to wondrous Mt. Ben Tal for a magnificent view beyond the Israeli borders. Visit an army bunker and hear the fascinating story of the war fought in the Golan. Return to your hotel for dinner at The Wood Grill, the special restaurant of the Mitzpe Hayamim, offering assorted meats grilled on various aromatic tree branches. (B.D)

NOTE: Visit to Safed requires modest dress. Shorts must be knee length and not shorter (for men and women); no sleeveless shirts or blouses.

Day 6 Tuesday
Rosh Pina/Jerusalem
Drive to Capernaum to see the fantastic ruins of the ancient synagogue dating back to the 5th-century. Continue to a local Galilee Village where you will have a taste of Galilean village life. Arrive at your hosts’ home where you will prepare a meal together along with a selection of side dishes cooked especially for you by your host. Continue to Kibbutz Sde Eliyahu for a tour throughout the Kibbutz with your feet in the soil and nothing but green in your thoughts. The tour shows how everyday living is merged with nature as a way of life. The combination of a Jewish Orthodox lifestyle with organic farming, in a vibrant, versatile and cooperative community, is something worth seeing and experiencing. Then drive south and rise through the mountains to “golden” Jerusalem, stopping first for a blessing and a toast to our arrival in the eternal city. Check in to the newest hotel in Jerusalem, the spectacular Orient Hotel built on the grounds of historic buildings preserved from the Templar Era of the 1880’s. Overnight in Israel’s capital. (B.L)

NOTE: Visit to Capernaum requires modest dress. Shorts must be knee length and not shorter (for men and women); no sleeveless shirts or blouses.

Day 7 Wednesday
Jerusalem
An exciting day today as we enter the Old City from the Dung Gate; walk to the Western Wall, last remnant of the Second Temple. View the Dome of the Rock. Drive to Mt. Zion to visiting the traditional Tomb of King David and the Room of the Last Supper. Proceed to the restored Jewish Quarter; walk along the Cardo, the colonnaded main street of Byzantine Jerusalem. Walk through the extraordinary Hasmonean Tunnel (tunnel schedule permitting). Follow the Via Dolorosa to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. Join our culinary expert on a tasting tour through the exotic bazaars with their wondrous aromas and down the Old City alleyways as we stop, taste, and chat with the local vendors who have been there for decades. They take great pride in the traditional food, desserts, coffees, hot pitas, and mouthwatering pastries that are made fresh daily and savored by all who are fortunate enough to find these hidden culinary hotspots. Evening: Restaurant Dinner at another one of our favorites where every dish has its origins in biblical scenes and all the spices and herbs grow in the surrounding hills of Jerusalem and Judea. The restaurant is set in an ancient stone building with a huge scenic balcony where you can enjoy the crimson sunsets as they hit the walls of the Old City-the special ambiance of the evening is simply intoxicating. Afterwards, attend the “Night Spectacular” Sound and Light Show at the Citadel Museum. The walls of the Citadel serve as a stage for a nighttime show which is a celebration of sight and sound. Amidst the archaeological remains in the Citadel’s courtyard and to the sound of original music, the story of Jerusalem unfolds through giant, breathtaking, virtual reality images using spectacular laser technology. (Show runtime: 45 minutes. The Night Spectacular will not take place in the event of rain.) (B.LM.D)

Please note: This evening’s events may be rescheduled for Thursday night due to the Sound & Light Show altering their schedule.

NOTE: Visit to the Old City requires modest dress. Shorts must be knee length and not shorter (for men and women); no sleeveless shirts or blouses.

Day 8 Thursday
Jerusalem
Begin the day with a tour of the Knesset (Parliament). Continue to Yad Vashem, Israel’s national Memorial and Museum of the Holocaust, with its Children’s Pavilion and Avenue of the Righteous. This afternoon, we visit bustling and lively Machane Yehuda Market (Shuk), a microcosm of everything Jerusalem has to offer. The market is Israel’s most sprawling and buzzing network of alleys and vending stalls. Enjoy the “Shuk Bites” experience where you’ll sample and taste a variety of market products while you heat the intriguing back stories of the vendors you’ll meet. Time to shop the different areas of the Market (you may want to return on your own in the evening when the market area takes on a complete transformation and becomes a different experience altogether with cafes, restaurants, and some of the best cuisine the city has to offer.
Overnight in Jerusalem. (B.LM)

Day 9 Friday
Jerusalem
Descend through the Judean desert to the Dead Sea, lowest point on Planet Earth. Ascend Masada by cable car and see this last stronghold of the Zealots in their struggle against the Romans. Visit the excavations, Herod the Great’s palace, synagogue and bathhouse. Continue to a Dead Sea Spa Hotel for lunch and to enjoy an “unsinkable” swim in the buoyant waters of the Dead Sea at the hotel’s private beach. Drive via the Qumran Caves, where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found, on your return to Jerusalem. Evening: Visit the illuminated Western Wall on this eve of the Jewish Sabbath before joining the traditional Friday Night Dinner at the hotel. (B.L.D)

Day 10 Saturday
Jerusalem
Enjoy a day at leisure at your beautiful hotel featuring a magnificent rooftop outdoor swimming pool, as well as an indoor pool in the spa complex where saunas, Turkish baths, and an array of pampering spa treatments are available. You may also wish to visit some of the museums that are open on Saturday, with the most prominent of them-the Museum of the History of Jerusalem (Citadel Museum) and the Israel Museum with the Shrine of the Book. Endless activities in this magical city. (B)

Day 11 Sunday
Depart
Transfer to the Airport for your international departure flight. Enjoy our Expedited Check-in Service. (B)

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Tour Highlights