Jewish Heritage Tour

15 DAYS -14 NIGHTS
WEDNESDAY ARRIVAL

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.

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 including miniature models of the most important sites and buildings in the country. Continue to visit 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 battle fields of the war of liberation and learn about their heroic story. Overnight in Tel Aviv.

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 Yitzhak Rabin. Continue to Old Jaffa, an 8000 year old port city; visit the ancient ruins and walk along the restored artists' 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 colorful street especially known for the unique shops, café life and youthful ambiance. Overnight in Tel Aviv.

Saturday - At leisure

Overnight in Tel Aviv.

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 amphitheatre which has been restored as a concert venue. Proceed to Haifa for a panoramic view from Mount 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 into the limestone grottoes. Overnight at a Kibbutz guesthouse.

Monday - Safed / Tel Facher / Banias / Tel Hai

Drive to Safed, center of Kaballa movement; visit the Joseph Caro and the Ha' Ari synagogues, the most important synagogues in the city; stroll around the the Artists' quarter. Enjoy a Jeep tour to the foots of the Golan. Continue to the Golan Heights; stop at an observation point over the city of Kuneitra and the Syrian territory. Stop at Tel Facher, a former Syrian army camp; visit the Banias Springs. Next, visit Tel Hai to see 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.

Tuesday - Beit Shean / Beit Alpha / Gan Hashlosha / Jerusalem

Drive to Tiberias to visit the Rambam's grave; proceed to Beit Shean, also called "Scythopolis", the biggest archeological park in Israel with beautiful excavations from the Roman and Byzantine periods. Stop at Beit Alpha to see the beautiful mosaic floor of a synagogue from the Byzantine period. Onto Gan Hashlosha, (Sachne) where you will have an opportunity to enjoy in the water springs located at the foots 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.

Wednesday - Jerusalem: Old City

Tour the Old City of Jerusalem. Start with a visit of King David's Tomb on Mount Zion. Walk along the Cardo, the ancient Roman road; visit the four Sephardic 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 Tower of David Museum and see the ancient remains of the city beginning with the First Temple period. Overnight in Jerusalem.

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. Next visit the Israel Museum, 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.

Friday - Qumran / 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 Massada, ascend by cable car and tour the ancient fortress. Visit the remains of the walls, palaces, synagogue, the bathhouses etc. Descend by cable car. Next stop is for lunch and Spa facilities in one of the leading hotels in the area. Overnight in Jerusalem.

Saturday - At leisure

Overnight in Jerusalem.

Sunday - Timna/Underwater Observatory/Eilat

Travel south through the Negev desert, Visit Timna to see the copper mines and King Solomon's pillars and marvel at the huge multi-colored rock formations. Continue to Eilat and stop to visit the underwater observatory , one of the largest seaquariums in the world, built into a coral reef. Overnight in Eilat.

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 short horseback-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 huge monuments such as The Treasury, Royal Tombs, The Court, Roman Theatre, Roman Street, Qassier El-Bint (Palace of Pharaoh's daughter) and many other smaller monuments which fascinate 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 border at approximately 18:00 for crossing to Eilat. Overnight in Eilat.

Tuesday - Eilat / Mitzpe Ramon / Sde Boker / Tel Aviv

Depart Eilat via Mitzpe Ramon to gaze into the Ramon crater, a geological wonder. Proceed to Sde Boker and see Ben Gurion's hut and grave overlooking the magnificent Zin valley. Stop for a Camel riding experience and visit to an authentic Bedouin tent. Learn about the Bedouin hospitality and enjoy a light lunch. Continue to Hatzerim and visit Israel's airforce museum to view the planes and equipment and hear the story of this brave fighting force. Overnight in Tel Aviv.

Wednesday - Tel Aviv / Ben Gurion Airport

After breakfast, transfer to Ben Gurion Airport for departure.

The above rates include the following services:
- Transfer on arrival and departure (from/to Ben Gurion Airport)
- 14 nights accommodation on BED & BREAKFAST basis
- 2 dinners at hotel kibbutz Lavi
- Lunch and Spa at the Dead Sea area
- Light lunch in a Bedouin tent on the way to Eilat
- 10 touring days as per itinerary, with English speaking guide
- Entrance fees to the sites visited as per itinerary
- Jeep tour in the Galilee
The hotels appearing in the table might be replaced with similar ones.