8 Days Highlights of Israel

Upon arriving at Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport, meet your tour representative, who will be waiting for you after passport control holding a sign with your name on it. Our representative will guide you to pick up your luggage and then escort you through customs to meet your driver, who will transfer you to your hotel in Tel Aviv. Spend the rest of the day at leisure, becoming acquainted with your vibrant new surroundings. 

Overnight in Tel Aviv.

Meet your tour guide in the morning and set off from Tel Aviv, driving south to Masada, Israel’s foremost archaeological park. Ascend via cable car for a thorough visit that gives insight into the rituals, politics and culture of the people who inhabited this desert fortress, the last stronghold of the Jewish Zealots in their war against the Romans. Visit the excavations, Herod’s palaces, the synagogue, bathhouse and cisterns, and enjoy the breathtaking view of the Roman camps and the Dead Sea. Descend to the lowest place on earth – the Dead Sea, to experience the mineral-rich black mud and float in its salty waters. Passing by the oasis of Ein Gedi, proceed through the Judean Desert to Jerusalem. 

Overnight in Jerusalem.

Start the day at the Israel Museum’s Shrine of the Book, which contains the famous Dead Sea scrolls, then a visit to the beautifully renovated model of the Herodian city of Jerusalem, dating back to the time of the Second Temple. Visit Yad Vashem the official memorial to the Jewish victims of the Holocaust, established in 1953, located at the foot of Mt. Herzl. Enjoy Ein Karem: a picturesque village on the southwestern outskirts of Jerusalem. This small village has great significance in Christian traditions since this is where according to tradition John the Baptist was born. Then travel to Bethlehem, the birthplace of Jesus, commemorated at the Church of the Nativity and Manger Square. Return to your Jerusalem hotel. 

Overnight in Jerusalem.

Enter the Old City of Jerusalem, where you’ll see the Western Wall and the actual site of the Second Temple, the Temple Mount. Walk along the Way of the Cross, the Via Dolorosa, to Calvary and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, housing both the traditional site of Crucifixion and the Tomb of the Resurrection. To the southwest, just outside the Old City, is Mount Zion, with the traditional tomb of King David and the Room of the Last Supper. From a top of the Mount of Olives, enjoy the spectacular panoramic view of Jerusalem, a holy city for the world’s three Abrahamic religions, Christianity, Judaism and Islam. Visit the Garden of Gethsemane, where Judas betrayed Jesus. In the heart of a neighborhood in downtown Jerusalem, visit Mahane Yehuda to experience the flavors, aromas, colors and the traders' interaction with the crowds, at the largest open market in Israel.

Overnight in Jerusalem.

Leave Jerusalem after breakfast and drive north passing by Jericho, the oldest city in the world. Travel through the Jordan Valley and the new settlements to Beit She’an, and visit the excavations of this beautifully preserved Roman city. Drive up to the Golan Heights to enjoy an Israeli wine country experience, enjoying wine tasting and understanding the wine production process. Travel through the Golan, with its Druze villages, former Syrian fortifications and panoramic views of Mount Hermon and into Syria. Descend to the Hula Valley and drive to Tiberias on the shores of the Sea of Galilee - regarded as one of the four Holy cities in Judaism, where the Jewish Talmud - the primary source of Jewish religious law - was compiled, with tombs of Rabbis scattered across the city.

Overnight in Tiberias.

In the morning, drive along the shores of the Sea of Galilee and proceed to Capernaum, to visit the ruins of an ancient synagogue, the Mount of Beatitudes, the traditional site of the ‘Sermon on the Mount’ and Tabgha, the traditional site of the ‘miracle of the loaves and the fish’. Optional sailing on a boat across the Sea of Galilee to experience the tranquillity and scenery little changed during the past 2000 years (subject to conditions and fee). Next, drive to Nazareth to visit the Church of the Annunciation and Christian holy sites before returning to Tiberias.

Overnight in Tiberias.

After breakfast drive through the hills of the Galilee, westwards to Acre for a visit of its old Crusader stronghold and mediaeval fortifications. Continue to Haifa, ascending Mount Carmel for a panoramic view of the city, and visit the Baha'i Shrine, the Persian Garden and the bay. Proceed along the Mediterranean coast to Caesarea to visit the Roman Theatre and the Crusader fortress known as the ‘masterpiece of Herod the Great’. End the day with a short city tour of Tel Aviv and the ancient port of Jaffa. 

Overnight in Tel Aviv.

We have reached our final day on this tour! Enjoy one last breakfast before your transfer takes you to the airport for your flight back home. 

Breakfast included.