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This tour is the minimum we advise to visit Israel and see the most important highlights of the country. It takes into consideration leisure time to respect the Shabbat if needed.
Departure from the USA on a Thursday evening for an overnight flight to Israel Ben Gurion Airport
Friday arrival at Ben Gourion airport, located halfway between Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. Shalom and welcome to Israel! Our trip starts in Tel Aviv. Assistance and transfer to your hotel. After check-in for 2 nights, it is time time to rest and get accustomed to the time change. Remainder of the day and evening at leisure.
Saturday in Tel Aviv with either a free day for Shabbat or a day of sightseeing.
Founded in 1909 Tel Aviv is the 2nd most populous city in Israel, a vibrant city for business and entertainment. Built along the Mediterranean Coast, its University and night life are quite famous. Its Museums are great to visit; you have a choice between many museums , the most famous being the Diaspora Museum (Beit Hatfutsot) with multimedia exhibits about the history of Jewish communities worldwide, and the Eretz Israel Museum related to archeology, folklore and crafts.
In Old Jaffa enjoy the ambiance of the ancient port with numerous shops and cafes, vendors and artists and keep in mind that Tel Aviv is the world capital for having the greatest choice of vegan restaurants.
We leave tel Aviv for Caesarea which takes us back in history to 25 BCE when Herod King of Judea built the harbor. After being a Roman capital it became a crusader’s city. As we visit the Caesarea National Park we see the large Roman amphitheater, the aqueduct and the ancient port.
Then, comes Haifa, the 3rd largest city in Israel extending on the northern slopes of Mount Carmel. It is famous for the terraces of Baha”i Gardens and the gold dome shrine of Bab.
We will visit the museum of Illegal immigartaion and naval museum, Af al Pi Chen; continue to Akko (Acre) where the fortress was built by the Knights Templar in the 12th century at the time of the crusades.
Today will end in a kibbutz where we will spend the next two nights and where our stay will include breakfasts and dinners.
We leave for Safed in the morning, a holy city known as the “City of Kabbalah” during the 16th century when the rabbis, Kabbalistic scholars and other Jews were fleeing from the Spanish Inquisition and settling there.
We’ll continue to the Golan Heights by jeep viewing the border region captured from Syria in 1967 during the Six-Day war. We’ll pass former Syrian bunkers and we’ll stop first at Mount Bental for a great panoramic view over the Golan and Syria; then at the Mitzpe Gadot, the memorial site for the fallen people of the Golan; finally we’ll visit Tel Hai, a Jewish National Monument, also known as the “Roaring LIon”, commemorating the death of eight Jews including Commander Joseph Tumpelrdor, who were defeated by a much larger Arab force in 1920.
Return to our kibbutz for dinner after which we will meet with kibbutz members to learn about their unique lifestyle and the challenges and changes to their communal experience over the past decades.
We check-out of our kibbutz to travel to Tiberias on the shores of the Sea of Galilee. We stop at Rambam’s grave; Rabbi Moses ben Maimon, known as the Rambam (acronym for Moses ben Maimon) or Maimonides, lived in 12th century Egypt, where he was a great authority in Jewish law.
Following the Jordan Valley, we arrive at its junction with the Jezreel Valley where Beit She’an stands. In Biblical times the battle between the Israelites against the Philistines took place; the bodies of King Saul and three of his sons were hung on the walls of the city. It was destroyed over 1,300 years ago by an earthquake and recently excavated and reconstructed.
Nearby is the Kibbutz Hefzibah whose members uncovered an ancient synagogue in 1928 as they were doing irrigation constructions. The synagogue and its extensive mosaics are now part of the Beit Alfa Synagogue National Park.
We continue to Gan Hashlosha a.k.a. Sachne. It is believed to be the location of the Garden of Eden. Palm trees and lush green lawns surround pools of water which at 85 degrees year round invite visitors to swim.
Before reaching Jerusalem, we stop at Mount Scopus and express our gratitude saying the “Shehecheyanu” as we look out over and see the Holy City, “Ir ha-Kodesh”, for the first time.
Check-in at our hotel for the next 5 nights.
Our tour begins with a visit to the Tomb of King David on Mt. Zion.
We stroll through the old city, exploring “Cardo” lined with a row of columns on each side; it used to be the main street in ancient Roman times; the marketplace which now features outstanding shopping opportunities. Then, see several Sephardic synagogues restored after the1967 War. We continue with a tour of the Western Wall tunnels; here, we discover the archeological wonders that remained untouched for centuries.
At the Davidson Center, with multimedia exhibitions, we learn about the construction and history of the Temple Mount area. At the Jaffa gate we enjoy the colorful marketplace before visiting the Tower of David Museum where we learn about Jerusalem’s 3,000 years of history.
We leave by coach and drive through Mea Shearim, one of the oldest Jewish neighborhoods in Jerusalem where Ultra-Orthodox residents live. Then we go and visit Jerusalem’s military cemetery, at Mt. Herzl where we will learn about the heroes who have been buried here such as Theodore Herzl, Golda Meir, Yitzhak Rabinand Shimon Peres
Next, we go to Yad Vashem and see Israel’s memorial to the Holocaust. The exhibits include the Hall of Names and the Avenue of the Righteous Among the Nations.
After lunch, we go and see the bunkers of Ammunition Hill, the official museum which is the symbol of the liberation and reunification of Jerusalem.
We pass by the Knesset, Israel’s Parliament before visiting the renovated galleries of the Israel Museum to see the famous iconic Shrine of the Book, which houses the Dead Sea Scrolls. It is a world class museum in every way with a focus on Jewish and Israeli archeological history as well as pop, modern art, renaissance and classical periods exhibits. Do not miss the impressive miniature replica ofJerusalem as it was during the Second Temple period.
Early departure. Our first stop at Qumran will allow us to see where the Dead Sea scrolls were found by a local shepherd.
We ascend Masada by cable car and view the remains of King Herod’s fortress. The visit includes the synagogue, walls and bath houses. Our guide will tell us about the Jewish Zealots’ last stand against the Roman forces.
After Masada, we descend the mountain down to the lowest point of altitude on earth towards the beach where floating in the salty waters of the Dead Sea may be healing but also dangerous to your eyes. You may even experience a black mud mask excellent for the skin!
Transfer back to the airport for your return flight to the USA. Or,
NEGEV, TIMNA, EILAT EXTENSION
An extra day or two will allow you to travel south through the Negev Desert.
View the Sandstone cliffs in Timna Valley featuring King Solomon’s Pillars. They are part of a large geological and archaeological park. The impressive desert landscapes used to be the place of former copper mines in the middle of huge multi-colored rock formations.
Then we continue to Eilat, located on the Red Sea. The Underwater Observatory is one of the largest sea aquariums in the world, built into a coral reef in the Gulf of Eilat.
This sample tour is just an example of a specific itinerary related to the country we just described to give you an idea of what is available in that country when you travel.
All our trips are tailor-made and we are at your disposal to plan your trip in consideration of how many people will be traveling, how many days you wish to travel, the season, the standard and the location of the hotels, the amount of meals you wish to include, the guided tours or experiences which will show you not only the “must see” landmarks but also the special interest sites and events you will love that are off the beaten track.
Francoise is the president and founder of Celestial Voyagers. She graduated with a tourism degree at Nice University in France and has worked as a tour director and operations manager in France, Australia and Mexico. Settling in New York City, she founded Celestial Voyagers with the aim of creating uniquely curated group travel for adults and Academia.