Tour Description:
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Friday - Ben Gurion Airport / Tel Aviv
Arrival at Ben Gurion Airport, where you will be met by our representative and transferred to your hotel.
Overnight: Tel Aviv.
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Saturday - At leisure
Overnight: Tel Aviv.
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Sunday - Diaspora Museum / Caesarea / Druze Villages
Before leaving Tel Aviv, visit the Diaspora Museum at the Tel Aviv Univesity. Proceed along the coastal plain to Caesarea, capital of Judea under the Romans. See the excavations of the Crusader City and the Roman Port, Aqueduct and the Amphitheater that has been restored to its former splendor as a concert venue. Continue via the Druze Villages to Haifa.
Overnight: Haifa.
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Monday - Haifa / Safed / Golan Heights
The tour of Haifa will begin at the summit of Mount Carmel for a breathtaking panoramic view of the Haifa Bay and Western Galilee. Continue on to the golden domed Bahai Shrine to visit the magnificent Persian Gardens. Proceed to Safed, the center of Jewish mysticism, where you will visit the ancient synagogues and the artists’ colony. Continue to the Golan Heights to see the former Syrian bunkers, Kuneitra and the new Israeli town of Katzrin.
Overnight: Kibbutz Lavi.
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Tuesday - Sea of Galilee / Nazareth / Jerusalem
Start the day with a visit of Tiberias. Drive to Capernaum to view the ruins of the synagogue and octagonal church of St. Peter. Proceed to Nazareth to visit the Church of the Annunciation. Drive via Beit Shean to Beit Alpha to see the remains of the mosaic floor of an ancient synagogue depicting the zodiac. Continue to Jerusalem.
Overnight: Jerusalem.
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Wednesday - Jerusalem: The Old City / Bethlehem
Visit the Tomb of King David and the Room of the Last Supper on Mt. Zion. Enter the walled city and walk through the newly restored Jewish Quarter. Visit the Roman Cardo, the Herodian Quarter and continue to the Western Wall. Walk along the Via Dolorosa to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. Proceed to Mount Scopus and then on to the Mount of Olives for a magnificent panoramic view of the Old City. * Continue to Bethlehem, stopping at Rachel’s Tomb and to visit the Church of the Nativity.
Overnight: Jerusalem.
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Thursday - Jerusalem: The New City
Drive to the Hadassah Medical Center in Ein Kerem to see the Chagall stained glass windows. Continue to Yad Vashem, the memorial to the Holocaust and then on to the Israel Museum. Visit the Shrine of the Book where the Dead Sea Scrolls are housed and the miniature model of Jerusalem from the time of the Second Temple period . View the Knesset, Israel’s Parliament, and the Givat Ram Campus of the Hebrew University.
Overnight: Jerusalem.
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Friday - Qumran / Masada / Dead Sea
Drive through the Judean Desert to the Dead Sea, the lowest spot on earth, almost 1300 feet (400 meters) below sea level. Stop at Qumran to visit the site where the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered. Drive along the shores of the Dead Sea to Masada. Ascend by cable car and tour the ancient fortress where the Zealots made their last stand against the Romans before committing mass suicide in 73 AD. Descend by cable car. Time and weather permitting, an opportunity will be provided to float in the Dead Sea.
Overnight: Jerusalem.
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Saturday - At leisure
Overnight: Jerusalem.
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Sunday - The Negev Desert /Timna/ Eilat
Travel south through the Negev desert to visit Israel’s Air Force Museum at Hatzerim to view the planes and equipment and to hear the story of this brave fighting force. Visit Sde Boker and see Ben Gurion’s hut and grave, overlooking the magnificent Zin valley. Stop at Mitzpeh Ramon to gaze into the Ramon Crater, a geological wonder. Drive to Timna to see the copper mines and King Solomon’s Pillars and marvel at the huge multi-colored rock formations. Continue to Eilat.
Overnight: Eilat.
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Monday - At leisure.
Stroll around the city’s streets, the beach promenade and enjoy the water sport activities
Overnight: Eilat.
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Tuesday - Eilat / Mamshit/ Tel Aviv
Visit the underwater observatory, one of the largest sea aquariums in the world, built into a coral reef. Drive to Mamshit for a camel riding experience and a visit to an authentic Bedouin tent, Learn about Bedouin hospitality and enjoy a light lunch.
Drive back to Tel-Aviv or to Ben Gurion Airport.
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