Israel
Rhapsody Tour
Day 1 – Thursday:
Arrival
Welcome to Israel! Arrive Ben Gurion Airport; Transfer to your hotel in Tel
Aviv for overnight.
Day 2 – Friday
Tel Aviv
Spend the morning digging and excavating at the Tel
Maresha Dig at Beit Guvrin National Park.
Continue to Neve Zedek and to the old port city of Jaffa. Spend the rest of
the afternoon at lively Nachlat Benjamin - the place to be on Friday afternoon!
Dinner and overnight in Tel Aviv. (B, D)
Day 3 –
Saturday
Tel Aviv
Morning walking tour. Remainder of the day at
leisure. Overnight in Tel Aviv. (B)
Day 4 – Sunday
Tel Aviv ¤ Caesarea ¤ Haifa
Drive to the Diaspora Museum. Continue to ancient Caesarea. Then, visit Caesarea Harbour. Arrive in Nazareth, the sacred town
where Jesus spent part of his youth; visit the Church and Mary’s Well. On to the
sparkling port city of Haifa.
Visit a Druze Village atop the Carmel Mountains - meet these unique Israelis in
their homes! You’ll be their guests for an authentic Druze Dinner - complete
with fresh-baked pita and home-cooked food! Overnight in Haifa (B,
D)
Day 5 – Monday
Haifa ¤ Tiberias
View the golden-domed Bahai Shrine and the colorful
Persian
Gardens. Drive along the coast to Rosh
Hanikra; descend by cable car to see the underwater grottoes. Continue through Nahariya to the
timeless Crusader city of Acre. Then, to Safed, one of Judaism’s holiest
cities, where Kabbalah flourished during the golden age; visit the ancient
synagogues and the charming Artists’ Quarter. Late afternoon Boat Ride on the
Sea of Galilee. Dinner at a fabulous seaside
restaurant. Overnight in Tiberias. (B, D)
Day 6 – Tuesday
Tiberias ¤ Jerusalem
Plant trees in the inspiring Golani Junction
forest. Drive to Capernaum. Then, ascend the strategic
Golan Heights. Arrive at Kibbutz Kfar
Charuv. Enjoy the hospitality of
the “kibbutzniks” as you tour the kibbutz and share lunch with its members in
the communal dining room. Travel to Bet Shean, an ancient city from the time of
King Saul; see the excavated remains of a Roman city. Overnight in Jerusalem. (B,
L)
Day 7 –
Wednesday
Jerusalem - The New City
Drive to the Hadassah Medical Center to see Chagall Windows. On to Yad
Vashem, memorial to the Holocaust; visit the Museum, Children’s Pavilion and
walk along the Avenue of the Righteous. Then, to Mount Herzl
to pay respects to Israel’s military heroes. Visit the
newly opened Herzl. Drive via the Supreme Court Building and the Knesset to the
Shrine of the Book, home of the Dead Sea Scrolls. Walk through the
Israel Museum and the Billy Rose
Sculpture Garden; see the Scale Model of ancient Jerusalem. Dinner, night tour and overnight in
Jerusalem. (B,
D)
Day 8 –
Thursday
Jerusalem - The Old City
Enter the Old City from the Dung Gate; walk to the
Western Wall. Witness joyous Bar or Bat Mitzvah ceremonies! View the Dome of the
Rock. Drive to Mt.
Zion to visit the
traditional Tomb of King David and the Room of the Last Supper. Proceed to the
Jewish Quarter; walk along the Cardo. Visit the Herodian Mansions, a completely
excavated residential quarter from 2000 years ago, or, walk through the
extraordinary Hasmonean Tunnel. Follow the Via Dolorosa to the Church of the
Holy Sepulchre; walk through the exotic bazaars with their wondrous aromas. End
the day with an optional visit to Bethlehem. Overnight in Jerusalem.
(B)
Day 9 – Friday
Jerusalem
Travel via the Judean desert and the shores of the
Dead Sea to Masada. Ascend by cable car to this
last stronghold of the Zealots in their struggle against the Romans. Visit the
excavations, Herod the Great’s palace, synagogue and bathhouse. Enjoy an
“unsinkable” swim in the buoyant waters of the Dead
Sea. Drive via the Qumran Caves, where the Dead Sea Scrolls were
found. Traditional Friday Night Dinner and overnight in Jerusalem. (B,
D)
Day 10 – Saturday
Jerusalem
Morning walking tour to the Museum of the History
of Jerusalem at David’s Citadel, and to the Old City. Remainder of the day at leisure.
Overnight in Jerusalem. (B)
Day 11 - Sunday: Departure
Transfer to the airport for your departure flight.
(B)
Please note all itineraries are subject to change
due to local conditions without any prior notification.
