Cheryl Yoffe- November 2023

Activities:

• VIP Arrival at Ben Gurion airport - Arrival at Ben Gurion airport. Your VIP agent will be waiting to greet you at the sleeve of the plane. After assisting with arrival procedures and collecting your baggage, you will be taken to meet your driver.

• Transfer to Jerusalem and check-in to your hotel

• Orient yourselves to the city - Your hotel is in the center of the city, so use this time to wander around, explore the area, grab a cup of coffee or a light meal in one of the many cafes and restaurants in the area. Rest well because tomorrow the adventure begins!

• Jerusalem King Solomon Hotel Deluxe Old City View

Activities:

• Breakfast at the hotel - Enjoy a lavish and delicious Israeli buffet breakfast before meeting your tour guide for the trip.

• Begin your tour at the Jaffa Gate - An imposing entrance to Jerusalem’s Old City, the Jaffa Gate is one of the six original entrances built by Suleiman the Magnificent. The Jaffa gate is full of fascinating details, like the abrupt right-angle turn within the gatehouse, the chamber above the gate, and the huge mezuzah, which is new since the time of Suleiman.

• Tower of David Museum - The Tower of David Museum is located within the iconic citadel of Jerusalem and presents the city’s full story, emphasizing the importance of Jerusalem to Judaism, Christianity and Islam. It portrays the city’s relevance and its re-establishment as the capital of modern Israel.

• Browse in the famous Arab Market (Shuk) situated in the Moslem Quarter - Extending from the Damascus Gate to the Via Dolorosa, the Muslim Quarter is the largest of the Old City’s quarters and has been home to Palestinian Arabs for centuries. Meet people who have lived in the Old City for generations, practicing their crafts and raising their families. Browse the famous Arab shuk (market) in the Muslim quarter. Its many stalls sell spices, pastries, pottery, sheepskin, embroidered clothes and so much more.

• Old City Tasting Tour - Have a “taste of history” that interweaves stories and anecdotes, historical information, and, of course, combines the senses of smell, taste, and sound.

• Jewish Quarter - The Jewish Quarter is best known for the Western Wall, but there’s a lot more to see and do here. See archaeological finds from the First and Second Temple periods, Roman ruins, vibrant synagogues, and learning institutions, all jostling for space in these busy stone streets.

• Western Wall - Proceed to the Kotel (The Western Wall), sacred because it is one of the last remnants of the Second Temple that was destroyed by the Romans. Feel the stones that have witnessed so much in the history of the Jews. Place your special and personal prayer in the cracks of the stones.

• The Western Wall Tunnels - Explore what’s under the Kotel through the Kotel Tunnels Tour. The Western Wall is impressive, but its greatness is truly discovered when you descend underground to the Western Wall Tunnels. The tunnels run along approximately 488 meters (1601ft) of the Western Wall, giving visitors a taste of the challenge that stood before Herod the Great during the biggest of all his immense building projects - the expansion of the Temple Mount.

• Dinner in Jerusalem restaurant - Not included- we can make reservations for this night or any other night.

• Jerusalem King Solomon Hotel Deluxe Old City View

Activities:

• Breakfast at the hotel

• Yad Vashem - Visit Yad Vashem, Israel’s National Memorial to the Holocaust. Tour this memorial to the darkest moment in world and Jewish history, its children’s memorial, and exquisite gardens. Yad Vashem is an unforgettable place of tribute and remembrance. You'll be guided by a member of the Yad Vashem staff.

• Continue to Machane Yehuda Market for a tasting tour - In the heart of Jerusalem sits this bustling, multi-ethnic market bursting with life, art, and flavor. A tasting tour through Machane Yehuda Market is an adventure for your taste buds! Enjoy the hustle and bustle with all the rich fragrances, colors, and sounds this iconic Jerusalem market offers.

• Tour Nachlaot - Nachlaot is known for its narrow, winding lanes, old-style housing, hidden courtyards and many small synagogues. In the wake of gentrification projects in the area, the face of the neighborhood has changed while retaining its unique character.

• Dinner at the hotel or home hospitality - Not included

• Jerusalem King Solomon Hotel Deluxe Old City View

Activities:

• Breakfast at the hotel

• Depart for the Dead Sea area

• Masada National Park - Ascend the mountain from the east to explore Masada, scene of the epic stand by Jewish rebels at the end of the Great Revolt against Rome nearly 2,000 years ago. The new museum at the Visitor Center reveals the secrets of the daily life of the rebels, the story of the excavations, and how the site became one of Israel’s most important symbols.

• Hike in Nahal David - Located in the famous Ein Gedi nature reserve in the Negev desert, Nahal David is a spectacular water hike for all ages. Trails in a range of levels of difficulty take you alongside and through the cool, sweet waters of Nahal David, down waterfalls, along jaw-dropping canyons, and past caves. If you’re both quiet and lucky, you might even glimpse the sure-footed ibex and other local animals.

• Lunch and Swim at HOD Hotel by Herbert Samuel - Israel’s Dead Sea is the lowest point on earth, a stunning, other-worldly landscape of shimmering blue water ringed by bare, orange and yellow hills. The waters of the Dead Sea hold a potent solution of minerals and salts that have strong healing properties. Together with its ethereal beauty, these health-giving minerals make the Dead Sea’s beaches and spas popular vacation spots for Israelis and tourists alike. Enjoy lunch at one of the Dead Sea Hotels, and swim in the Dead Sea.
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• Return to Jerusalem - Evening on your own

• Jerusalem King Solomon Hotel Deluxe Old City View

Activities:

• Breakfast at the hotel and check-out

• Check out and drive north

• Caesarea National Park - On the Mediterranean coast, Caesarea National Park is one of Israel’s most impressive archeological sites. Here, amazing ancient harbor ruins, beautiful beaches, and impressive modern residences sit side-by-side. The city was initially built by King Herod in the 1st century BC, who dreamt of a major seaport to connect the Province of Judea with Rome. For this purpose, the king's men designed an entirely artificial harbor that was in use for about a millennium. Caesarea became a central city in Roman and Byzantine times as can be seen from the massive archeological remains on site. View the spectacular Roman amphitheater, still used today as a performance venue, as well as the hippodrome that held 20,000 spectators for chariot races.

• Lunch on your own in one of the restaurants in the Caesarea Port

• Continue to Rosh Hanikra - Travel to Rosh Hanikra ("Head of the Grottos"), with the stunning chalk-white cliffs at Israel’s northernmost coastal border. Enjoy the view of the Mediterranean coastline stretched out before you, then take the cable car down beneath the cliffs to the grottos below and tour the system of underground marine caves eroded by pounding waves over thousands of years.

• Drive to and check into your hotel

• Dinner at the hotel

• Pastoral Kfar Blum Hotel Classic Garden Room

Activities:

• Breakfast at the hotel

• Banias National Park - Take a refreshing walk around the Banias, one of Israel’s most beautiful nature reserves. The Banias spring feeds into the Jordan River, the reserve’s large waterfall tumbles down a 33-foot precipice year-round, and a nearby cave houses remains of a temple to the Greek god Pan. In the wars of 1948 and 1967, when the Golan was held by Syria, the site housed a Syrian officers’ club.

• Drive to the Golan Heights - Explore the Golan Heights by Jeep . Learn about the recent history of the region and explore the issues that have confronted Israel during the civil war in Syria. Stop at Har Bental, an extinct volcano and an army stronghold. Visit Kibbutz Ein Zivan for some wine tasting.

• Lunch along the way - Not included

• Continue to Tzfat - Tzfat sits at a higher altitude than any other city in Israel and has been known since the 16th century as a major center of Kabbala, Jewish mysticism. Safed’s mystical aura adds to its special status as one of Israel’s four holy cities, along with Jerusalem, Tiberias and Hebron. The old synagogues, narrow alleyways and artists’ studios add to the hilltop city’s unmistakable charm.

• Dinner at the hotel

• Pastoral Kfar Blum Hotel Classic Garden Room

Activities:

• Breakfast at hotel and check-out

• Tour of Kibbutz Kfar Blum

• Depart the hotel and travel south

• Lunch on your own in Wadi Nisnas - Wadi Nisnas is one of Haifa’s most colorful neighborhoods, full of narrow streets, picturesque stone houses, and the Wadi Nisnas market. It is a mixed neighborhood that captures the nature and atmosphere of the city of Haifa - a city of many faiths and communities, that live alongside each other in an exemplary co-existence. The Wadi Nisnas market is the place to go and experience some of the local flavors: taste pastries, spiced tea, the best falafel in Israel, and strong Turkish coffee, along with other delicatessens and aromas that will have your mouth watering.

• In Haifa stop at the Bahai Gardens - From the Louis Promenade at the top of Mount Carmel, we will admire the stunning scenery. Nicknamed the Balcony of the Country, a 400-meter long promenade at the top of the Baha'i Gardens offers a view of the entire Haifa Bay, all the way to the border with Lebanon. This impressive spot offers a truly spectacular view, so have a camera ready!

• Drive to Tel Aviv - Check into your hotel

• Nahalat Binyamin Arts and Crafts Market - If your tour is on Tuesday or a Friday, visit Nachalat Binyamin, an open-air market in the heart of Tel-Aviv that has become synonymous with quality Israeli crafts and folk art. The market is comprised of over 100 stands representing specialty crafts and folk art in virtually every medium imaginable: wood, stone, sand, glass, ceramics, and various metals with most if not all containing materials or themes found only in Israel.

• Dinner at a Tel Aviv restaurant - Not included- we can make suggestions and reservations

• Tel Aviv Backstage Hotel

Activities:

• Breakfast at hotel

• Tour Old Jaffa - Jaffa is one of the most ancient port cities in Israel and the Mediterranean basin. Today Jaffa is a mixed city, where Jews and Arabs live alongside each other. Tel Aviv, Jaffa's younger sister, was established centuries later, in the year 1909, but the two were united into one municipality in 1949, yet each part kept its unique feel and atmosphere. Jaffa has been regenerated in recent years with the old narrow streets and courtyards becoming a highly popular part of Tel Aviv’s urban tapestry.

• Jaffa Flea Market- with time for lunch - Wind your way through the Flea Market which features everything from antiques to hip new clothing and design stores, cafes, restaurants, and bars.

• Graffiti Tour - Enjoy a creative Graffiti tour in the trendy neighborhood of Florentine, and experience fun and artistic freedom. Discover new and daring Israeli Graffiti Artists that are gaining recognition around the world.

• Independence Trail - Inspired by the Freedom Trail in Boston, the new Independence Trail leads to 10 of Tel Aviv’s heritage sites teaching visitors the history of this great city along the way. The trail begins at the intersection of tree-lined Rothschild Boulevard and Herzl Street, home to Tel Aviv’s first kiosk. The trail ends across the street at Independence Hall, where on May 14, 1948, David Ben-Gurion read aloud the Declaration of Independence as Israel was declared an independent Jewish state.

• Dinner at a restaurant - Not included

• Tel Aviv Backstage Hotel

Activities:

• Breakfast at hotel

• Transfer to Ben Gurion Airport

• Depart for return home