Hochstadt Family Israel Tour | May 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 and guide.

• Travel to Jerusalem

• Dinner on your own - We will be happy to make restaurant recommendations and make reservations upon request, closer to the tour. (meal not included)

• Jerusalem

Activities:

• Breakfast at your hotel

• Visit the excavation of the City of David - Take a trip back in time through the layers of Jerusalem’s past. It was on this hill where Jerusalem was built 4 millennia ago. Continuously excavated over the last 120 years, discoveries are regularly made. Tour the palace of King David, ritual purification pools, and Hezekiah’s Tunnel built to protect the water supply. Walk through newly uncovered sites and marvel at Central Valley's excavation. See the tour's highlight - monumental foundational stones of the Western Wall which lie at the foot of the Temple Mount. Exit the site onto the magnificent road where the Jewish pilgrims walked, over 2,000 years ago.

• Travel to the Dead Sea Area - At 1,300 feet below sea level, the Dead Sea is the lowest point on earth. Known in Hebrew as "The Sea of Salt", it is also one of the saltiest lakes in the world - with about 34.2% salinity.
  This is 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.

• Masada National Park - Ascend the mountain to explore Masada (by foot or cable car), 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.

• Take a boat ride on the Dead Sea in a small group motorboat or in kayaks and see amazing salt formations and scenery - During this unique experience you will enjoy the wondrous muds, salt pearls, salt diamonds, water springs streaming to the sea and sink holes filled with sweet water. Learn about the ecosystem and the environmental issues connected to the Dead Sea.

• Return to Jerusalem - Freshen up before dinner

• Dinner at The Eucalyptus - A modern Israeli restaurant in Jerusalem, is situated in the Artist Quarter of the city, and a stone’s throw away from the magnificent walls of old Jerusalem. Owned and led by Chef Moshe Basson, Eucalyptus serves a modern interpretation of biblical cuisine. Chef Basson’s passions for biblical culture drove him to research and resurrect recipes, spices, and local and wild herbs that were part of the traditional cuisine, and were neglected and nearly forgotten for centuries.

• Jerusalem

Activities:

• Breakfast at your hotel

• Visit the museum at 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.

• Machane Yehuda market "tasting lunch" - Enjoy the hustle and bustle with all the rich fragrances, colors and sounds this market has to offer. The tour will include a stop at the legendary Azura restaurant.

• Visit the excavation of the City of David - Take a trip back in time through the layers of Jerusalem’s past. It was on this hill where Jerusalem was built 4 millennia ago. Continuously excavated over the last 120 years, discoveries are regularly made. Tour the palace of King David, ritual purification pools, and Hezekiah’s Tunnel built to protect the water supply. Walk through newly uncovered sites and marvel at Central Valley's excavation. See the tour's highlight - monumental foundational stones of the Western Wall which lie at the foot of the Temple Mount. Exit the site onto the magnificent road where the Jewish pilgrims walked, over 2,000 years ago.

• Old City, Jerusalem - Since the 19th century Jerusalem's Old City has traditionally been divided into four quarters; Jewish, Christian, Moslem and Armenian. Walk through narrow alleys, meet people and place to get a better understanding on the complexity of a city that is holy to these three major religions

• Dinner on you own - We will be happy to make restaurant recommendations and make reservations upon request, closer to the tour. (meal not included)

• Tower of David Sound and Light Show - Amidst the archaeological remains in the David Citadel courtyard the story of Jerusalem unfolds through virtual reality images. The Night Spectacular uses trompe l'oeil technology – the stones of the walls and structures fade into the scenes and the viewers are part of a multi-sensory experience.

• Jerusalem

Activities:

• Breakfast and check out of the hotel

• Tour Abu Ghosh - Abu Ghosh is an Israeli-Arab town in the Jerusalem hills that is well known for its hummus, music festival, beautiful churches, and history of friendly relations with Jews and Zionism.

• Lunch on own in Abu Gosh

• Wine Tasting at Seahorse Winery - The Seahorse winery is a small operation and is one of the better places to get to know the Judean Hills' terroir. Zeev Dunie, a filmmaker turned winemaker, has pioneered coaxing authentic Mediterranean flavors from unusual grapes.

• Travel to Tel Aviv

• Check in to hotel and dinner at hotel

• Tel Aviv

Activities:

• Breakfast at your hotel

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

• Levinsky Market - The Levinsky Market specializes in spices and Mediterranean delicacies. It is, in many ways, the best market in Tel Aviv, known 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. Tour the market and have "tastings" throughout.

• Afternoon at leisure

• Dinner on you own or at hotel - We will be happy to make restaurant recommendations and make reservations upon request, closer to the tour. (meal not included)

• Tel Aviv

Activities:

• Breakfast at your hotel

• Travel north

• Visit Ein Hod Artists' Village - Ein Hod is on the road to Haifa and is an artists' village on a hill, at the foot of Mount Carmel overlooking the Mediterranean coast, the town of Atlit, and an ancient 12th century crusader fortress. After the War of Independence the area was abandoned and left in ruin. In the fifties, a group of artists led by the acclaimed Dada artist Marcel Janco decided that Ein Hod would be a place where they could work, build studios and workshops, and form a creative environment for art and art education.

• Continue to a Druze Cooking Workshop - 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.

• 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.

• Travel back to Tel Aviv

• Dinner on you own or at hotel - We will be happy to make restaurant recommendations and make reservations upon request, closer to the tour. (meal not included)

• Tel Aviv

Activities:

• Breakfast and check out of the hotel

• Transfer to Ben Gurion International Airport

• Farewell - We look forward to hosting you again in our beautiful country!