Epitourean private tour | Aug. 2023

Activities:

• 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.

• Private transfer to Jerusalem & check-in to the hotel - Please note check-in time is from 3:00 PM.

• Afternoon Machane Yehuda Market - In the heart of Jerusalem, a 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.

• Dinner at Hatzot, which is a part of Jerusalem’s history - Two brothers, Abraham and Michael Ajami founded this landmark family restaurant in 1970. Located in one of the older neighborhoods in Jerusalem. Legend has it that Meurav Yerushalmi - the favorite Israeli mixed grill dish - was born at Hatzot Restaurant. (meal not included)

• Jerusalem - Herbert Samuel

Activities:

• Breakfast at the hotel

• Lookout over the Old and New Jerusalem city - Welcome to Israel and Jerusalem - From the Haas Promenade take in a wide view of Jerusalem's Old and New Cities and the surrounding Judean Desert as far as the eye can see. See Jerusalem's complex geography, strategic setting, and beauty. Begin the conversation about Jerusalem's centrality to Islam, Christianity, and Islam.

• Tastes of the Old City - Walk through the Old City we will tour the historical and religious sites of the Jewish and Christian Quarters. The tour will include a visit to the Holy Sepulcher and the Western Wall. See some off-the-beaten-track sites in the winding alleyways and enjoy some Jerusalem delicacies. We will have a “taste of history” that interweaves stories and anecdotes, historical information and, of course, combine the senses of smell, taste, and sound.

• 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.

• Thinkers Distillery - "At Thinkers we maintain pace with all the new developments and painstakingly connect the old together with the new to fulfill our mission of taking spirits further. Our Jerusalem distillery is part research library, part chemistry lab, part advanced technology workshop, part mind and behavior study center, part design studio, and 100% passion. It’s not easy, but we will never put any product into a bottle unless we are convinced that is has been furthered in every way into the best in class."

• Dinner at MachneYuda Restaurant - "This restaurant is considered one of the best in Jerusalem, possibly the country. Celebrity chef, Assaf Granit, grew up in Jerusalem and pays homage to the city's colors and cacophony in his elegant dishes. The menu changes twice daily, but it nearly always includes chamshuka, a fusion of chopped meat and hummus, and a raucous dessert ceremony of ice cream flung on tables covered in aluminum foil.” (meal not included)

• Suggested: after dinner walk through the Ultra-Orthodox neighborhoods near the shuk and visit challah bakeries while getting to know the area

• Jerusalem - Herbert Samuel

Activities:

• Breakfast at the hotel

• Bread Baking Workshop - Get your hands in the dough and enjoy the fruits of your labor!

• Lunch at Majda restaurant - Majda, a restaurant in the Jerusalem Hills village of Ein Rafa, is famous for its innovative fusion cuisine, beautiful property and views from its rooftop and an appearance on Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown. The menu is full of creative local dishes all prepared by Yakub and Michal, the Arab-Jewish couple who own Majda. (meal not included)

• Tour the charming village of Ein Kerem - Tucked into the hills of Jerusalem is the biblical Ein Kerem, whose name means "the spring in the vineyard." Step into another world while you visit this quaint neighborhood.

• Drive back to Jerusalem rest and enjoy the hotel's amenties

• Shabbat dinner in a private home - (meal included)

• Jerusalem - Herbert Samuel

Activities:

• Breakfast at the hotel & early start

• Masada National Park - Ascend the mountain by a cable car 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.

• Dead Sea Resort for swim and lunch - 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. At one of the local hotels, have lunch and 'float' in the Dead Sea.

• Drive back to Jerusalem

• Free afternoon, dinner on your own

• Jerusalem - Herbert Samuel

Activities:

• Breakfast at the hotel

• Enjoy a free morning to explore Jerusalem on your own - Recommended:
  - Visit the unique collections and expansive grounds of the Israel Museum and the Shrine of the Book.
  - Visit the museum at Yad Vashem, Israel’s National Memorial to the Holocaust.

• Check-out and drive up north

• Lunch and wine at Tulip Winery - Visit the very special Tulip Winery in Kfar Tikva, Village of Hope. The winery employs the developmentally disabled adults who live in Kfar Tikva and produces excellent wines.

• Tzippori National Park - At Tzippori, view the ruins and ancient mosaic floor to see how native species have been part of the national iconography for centuries.

• Drive to hotel & check-in

• Dinner at a local restaurant - (meal not included)

• North: Pastoral Kfar Blum

Activities:

• Breakfast at the hotel

• Explore the Golan on a jeep tour - Take a geo-political tour of the Golan with an expert local guide. While traversing the rich landscape, learn about the history, flora, and fauna of the area. Stop for a lookout over the border with Syria from Mt. Bental to get a better understanding of the geography and strategical role this region has for the State of Israel. Your local guide touches on the nuances of living so close to the Syrian border and what that has meant for Israel as it relates to security and humanitarian issues.

• Assaf Winery - Assaf Winery a wonderful example of a family-owned fine winery built in the spirit of elevating the wine culture of Israel through unique Israeli wines.

• Visit the Circassian village of Rehaniya - Learn the story of the Circassians which can be traced to the mountains of the north-western Caucasus, where they lived for thousands of years. In the 19th century the Caucasus was occupied by the Russian Empire and most of the population was deported from their homeland. In the second half of the 19th century the Circassians established three settlements in the Land of Israel, two of which still exist in the Galilee with a total of 4,000 inhabitants. Try the delicios cheese and learn about the unique traditional way of producing it.

• Druze Home Hospitality - Together with your hosts in their private home, prepare traditional Druze Galilean dishes and then enjoy the feast you create. Learn about Druze culture and history from your hosts and from the food you eat.

• North: Pastoral Kfar Blum

Activities:

• Breakfast at the hotel & check-out

• Akko's highlight tour - Tour Akko, the ancient port city built and influenced by the Crusaders, Arabs, Ottoman Turks and the British. Akko's shuk (market place) is right in the center of the Old City and is a fun and vibrant bazaar full of fresh produce, spices, and souvenirs. Akko also has several of the best hummus spots in all of Israel which are a “must-taste.”

• Lunch at Uri Buri - “For the past 20 years opposite the Crusader subterranean city in Akko, the Uri Buri restaurant has been offering different kinds of delicately prepared fresh fish and seafood dishes served with more than 100 different kinds of fine Israeli wines.” (meal not included)

• Agritour at Kibbutz Magal - Visit Netafim, the world-renown agricultural entrepreneurship (irrigation methods) and Kibbutz Magal’s development of its olive and almond agricultural and production center, a global leader in quality and health.

• Drive to Tel Aviv

• Dinner on your own

• Tel Aviv

Activities:

• Breakfast at the hotel

• Begin with a tour of 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.

• Culinary tour at Levinsky Market - The Levinsky Market specializes in spices and Mediterranean delicacies. It is, in many ways, the best market in Tel Aviv, for its variety, freshness and special atmosphere. Whether you are looking for a rare Indian spice or some good quality saffron - this is the place. Shops offer a cornucopia of excellent cheeses, smoked fish, wines and other delicacies. Today we will tour the market and have "tastings" throughout.

• Israeli culture through Israeli Art - During this dynamic tour with Shirel Horovitz we'll figure out what makes Israeli art what it is and learn about its relationship with the Zionist narrative as well as the international art world. Tour the extensive Israeli collection at the Tel Aviv Museum of Art and visually explore the Israeli narrative from the early 20th century until today. Alongside her art practice, Shirel lectures, leads art tours, teaches art and is an art consultant to a variety of private groups and institutions among them Bezalel Academy of Art and Design, Alma Hebrew college, Classrooms Without Borders, Ashdod Museum of Art, Azrieli LTD, Hartman institute and more. Drawing from multiple fields of knowledge, Shirel weaves into each experience aspects of social issues, politics, economy, religion and more to create a vivid and nuanced image of the Israeli reality. Her knowledge, passion and love of all that is Art, Tel Aviv and Israeli history are nothing less than contagious.

• Free time

• Farewell dinner at a local restaurant - (meal not included)

• Tel Aviv

Activities:

• Breakfast at the hotel

• Enjoy a free day to explore on your own - Guide and driver are not included.
  Some recommendations:
  - Street art tour in Nahalat Binyamin followed by a tour of the Carmel Market and the Yemenite Quarter.
  - A visit to Peres Center for Peace and Innovation - learn about Israel as a start-up nation.
  - Walk along the picturesque Neve Tzedek neighborhood - see art galleries, shops, and studios.
  - Tel Aviv Bauhaus archetecture tour.

• Check-out by 11 AM - If needed you will be able to leave your luggage at the hotel's storage room.

• Private group transfer to Ben Gurion Airport - Fly back home, safe travels.

• We look forward to hosting you again in our beautifu country