Tour Description:
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Wednesday - - Ben Gurion Airport / Tel Aviv
Arrival at Ben Gurion Airport, where you will be met by a Diesenhaus Unitours representative and transferred to your hotel.
Overnight in Tel Aviv.
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Thursday - Independence Hall / Mini Israel / Latrun / Yad Mordechai
Start the day with a visit to the Independence Hall where the establishment of the State of Israel was declared; Next, drive to Latrun to visit the new “Mini Israel” Park featuring miniature models of the most important sites and buildings in the country. Continue to visit the Ayalon Institute, once an ammunition factory for the Hagana, the underground movement before May 1948. Proceed to Yad Mordechai, named after Mordechai Anilevitz, leader of the Warsaw Ghetto; Visit the restored battlefields of the War of Independence and learn about their heroic story.
Overnight in Tel Aviv.
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Friday - Tel Aviv
Visit the Diaspora museum; Drive around the main streets of Tel Aviv, center of business and entertainment of Israel. Stop at Rabin's Square, place of assassination of Prime Minister Itzhak Rabin. Continue to Old Jaffa , an 8000 year old port city ; Visit the ancient ruins and walk along the restored artist's quarter. Visit Neve Tzedek, the first neighborhood of Tel Aviv, built in 1909 and Nahalat Benyamin, the pedestrian street of the city with its musicians, hand made jewellery and artifacts. Next, stop at Sheinkin, the lively and colorfull street especially known for the unique shops, cafe life and youthful ambiance.
Overnight in Tel Aviv.
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Saturday - At leisure
Overnight in Tel-Aviv.
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Sunday - Caesarea / Haifa / Acre / Rosh Hanikra
Drive north to Caesarea, once the Roman capital of the region. See the excavations of the crusaders' city, the aqueduct and the amphitheatrer which has been restored as a concert venue. Proceed to Haifa for a panoramic view from Mt. Carmel and visit “AF AL PI CHEN” , the Naval Museum of the illegal immigration to Israel at the time of the British Mandate . Drive to Acre; walk along the old harbour and local market. Continue to the northernmost point of Israel at Rosh Hanikra. Descend by cable car and view the limestone Grottos.
Overnight at a Kibbutz guesthouse.
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Monday - Safed / Tel Facher / Banias / Tel Hai
Drive to Safed, center of the Kaballa movement. Visit the Joseph Caro and the Ha’Ari synagogues, the most important synagogues in the city. Stroll around the the Artist’s Quarter. Enjoy a Jeep tour to the foot of the Golan. Continue to the Golan Heights and stop at an observation point over looking the town of Kuneitra and the Syrian territory. Stop at Tel Facher, a former Syrian army camp. Visit the Banias Springs. Next, visit Tel-Hai to view the “Roaring Lion” Monument and learn about the heroic battle of Josef Trumpeldor and his comrades in 1920. Meet with a Kibbutz member and learn about their unique lifestyle.
Overnight at a Kibbutz guesthouse.
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Tuesday - Beit Shean / Beit Alpha / Gan Hashlosha / Jerusalem
Drive to Tiberias to visit Rambam’s grave. Proceed to Beit Shean, also called "Scythopolis", the largest archaeological park in Israel with beautiful excavations from Roman and Byzantine periods. Stop at Beit Alpha to see the beautiful mosaic floor of a synagogue from the Byzantine period. On to Gan Hashlosha, (Sachne) where you will have an opportunity to enjoy swimming in the water springs located at the foot of the Gilboa Mountain, the famous mountain on which King Saul was killed in the battle against the Philistines. Continue via the Jordan Valley to Jerusalem. Stop at Mount Scopus for a blessing as you enter the city.
Overnight in Jerusalem.
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Wednesday - Jerusalem: Old City
Tour the Old City Jerusalem. Start with a visit of the Tomb of King David on Mt. Zion. Walk along the Cardo, the ancient Roman road and visit the four Sepharadic synagogues restored after the 1967 War in the Jewish Quarter. Tour the Kotel Tunnels; Visit Davidson Center and walk through the Roman Cardo to the local Arab bazaar. Walk through Jaffa Gate to the Tower of David Museum and see the ancient remains of the City beginning with the First Temple period.
Overnight in Jerusalem.
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Thursday - Jerusalem: New City
Enjoy seeing the Bar-Mitzvah celebrations at the kotel. Continue to Mea Shearim and learn about the unique lifestyle of the ultra orthodox communities. Drive by the Knesset, Israel’s Parliament and see the Menorah with the biblical emblems. Continue to the Israel Museum and visit the Shrine of the Book where the Dead Sea Scrolls are housed and the new Holyland Model – a miniature replica of Jerusalem as it was during the Second Temple period. Drive to Mount Herzl, the military cemetery and Yad Vashem, the memorial to the Holocaust. Visit Ammunition Hill, a former Jordanian army stronghold , conquered by the Israeli Army in the Six Day War and converted into a national memorial site and museum.
Overnight in Jerusalem.
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Friday - Qumeran / Massada / Dead Sea
Drive through the Judean desert to the Dead Sea. Stop at Qumran, the site where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found. Continue to Masada, ascend by cable car to tour the ancient fortress. Visit the remains of the walls, palaces, synagogue, the bathhouses etc. Descend by cable car. Next stop for lunch and Spa facilities in one of the leading hotels in the area.
Overnight in Jerusalem.
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Saturday - At leisure
Overnight in Jerusalem.
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Sunday - Beer Sheva / Sde Boker / Mitzpe Ramon / Eilat
Travel south to the Negev desert; Visit Israel's Air Force Museum at Hatzerim to view the planes and equipment and to hear the story of this brave fighting force. Stop for a camel riding experience and a visit to an authentic Bedouin tent, learn about the Bedouin hospitality and enjoy a light lunch. Proceed to visit Sde Boker and see Ben Gurion's hut and grave, overlooking the magnificent Zin valley. Stop at Mitzpe Ramon to gaze into the Ramon Crater, an otherworldly geological wonder.
Arrive to Eilat for overnight.
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Monday - At leisure or optional tour to Petra (additional charge)
After visa assistance at the Jordanian Border, drive straight to Petra through desert highways. Your ultimate destination is the astonishing rose-red city of Petra which was built by the Nabateans (an early Arab tribe). Petra was renowned for its massive architecture, pools, dams and water channels. Petra is the legacy of the Nabateans who settled in the south of Jordan more than two-thousand years ago. The visit begins with the possibility of a short horse-back riding for about 700 m, until the entrance of the siq, which is about 1.2 km long (walking distance). There is a possibility to rent a chariot (extra) to get inside Petra and back to the gate outside. Petra is famous for its hugh monuments such as the Treasury, Royal Tombs, The Court, Roman Theatre, Roman Street, QassierEl-Bint (Palace of Pharaoh's daughter) and many other smaller monuments which facsinate visitors. The city itself is almost 45 square km and is considered to be the second wonder of the world. After the visit, enjoy lunch at a nice restaurant followed by a drive back to the border. En-route, stop for a short visit at Aqaba with possibility for a short walk. Transfer to the border at approximately 18:00 for crossing to Eilat.
Overnight in Eilat.
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Tuesday - Eilat / Timna / Tel Aviv
Visit the underwater observatory, one of the largest seaquariums in the world, built into a coral reef. Drive to Timna to see the copper mines and King Solomon's pillars and marvel at the hugh multi-colored rock formations.
Drive back to Tel Aviv for overnight.
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Wednesday - Tel Aviv / Ben Gurion Airport.
After breakfast, Transfer to Ben Gurion Airport for departure.
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