King David Israel Tour-October-November 2024

Activities:

• Arrival at Ben Gurion airport - VIP services available at an additional cost.

• VIP 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 Tel Aviv and check into the hotel

• Opening dinner at Ha'Achim - Haachim, located on Ibn Gvirol offers a spin on the middle eastern cuisine by modernizing classic dishes.

• Tel Aviv Crowne Plaza Beach

Activities:

• Breakfast at the hotel

• Begin your day with the 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.

• Tour and lunch on your own at Sarona Market - Sarona was a German Templers colony established north of Jaffa during the Ottoman period in 1871. In the past decade, Sarona has been revitalized as a commercial center with a modern food market at its center. Explore the area's history and enjoy tastings in the market.

• Continue to ANU Museum of the Jewish People - You’re invited to join a fascinating journey that portrays the story of the Jewish people through the generations and up to the present time. In June 2021, after ten years of planning and construction, this museum, the largest Jewish museum in the world, opened its doors. It represents all parts of the Jewish people and highlights the creative works and cultural riches of a variety of communities throughout different periods of history. This story is about all of us and each and every one of us is part of it.

• Enjoy 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.

• Time to prepare for dinner

• Optional Kabbalat Shabbat at a local synagogue

• Shabbat dinner at the hotel

• Tel Aviv Crowne Plaza Beach

Activities:

• Breakfast at the hotel

• Optional morning yoga

• Drive to the Ayalon Institute - This clandestine ammunition factory was built in 1945 by the Haganah. In just three weeks, preparations for the factory were completed and it was code-named the Ayalon Institute. Above ground, it appeared to be no more than a kibbutz. However, located eight meters below ground, this was the country's largest bullet factory. It has been said that the bullets manufactured at the Ayalon Institute played a crucial role in the success of the War of Independence.

• Return to Tel Aviv and 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. Though the two were united into one municipality in 1949, each part has retained 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 Stories and Coffee - You're warmly invited into the home of Doris Hiffawi to hear about her life as a Christian Arab living in Jaffa. Over coffee brewed by her family and Arabic sweets, she'll talk about whether the Jewish, Muslim and Christian populations interact or merely live side by side. We'll also find out how female entrepreneurs like Doris are bringing change to this socio-economically deprived neighborhood.

• Lunch on your own in the Jaffa Flea Market area

• After lunch Graffiti Tour - Tour the dynamic neighborhood of Florentine, Tel Aviv’s most bohemian and upbeat neighborhood and learn about contemporary Israeli culture through the writing on the wall, graffiti, bumper stickers and even painted garbage bins. In recent years Tel Aviv has become Israel's capital of urban art.

• Dinner on your own

• Tel Aviv Crowne Plaza Beach

Activities:

• Breakfast at the hotel - Please note- today is Daylights Savings Time and the clocks will have moved back one hour during the night.

• Check out of the hotel and drive to Caesarea

• 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 magnificent 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.

• Continue to The Bahai Gardens in Haifa - 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 Akko and start with lunch at Uri Buri - For the past 40 years , the popular Uri Buri restaurant has offered a variety of delicately prepared fresh fish and seafood dishes, and boasts a wine list with over 100 different kinds of fine Israeli wines.

• Tour Historic Akko - Walk through 4,000 years of history in this ancient city and UNESCO World Heritage site. The ancient city of Akko, situated on the Mediterranean coast, is one of the oldest ports in the world, and a city shared by Jews and Muslims. Walk narrow streets past towering ramparts, deep moats, green domes, venerable synagogues, slender Muslim minarets, and secret passageways. Discover the subterranean city built beneath Akko in the Middle Ages by the Crusaders. Learn about the city’s ancient history, as well as its important role in Israel’s modern history.

• (Meet Yonie Skiba at Kibbutz Evron)

• (Western Galilee Medical Center)

• Included-Cooking workshop and home hospitality in a Druze home - Together with your hosts in their private home, prepare traditional Druze Galilean dishes and then enjoy a dinner of the foods you create. Learn about Druze culture and history from your hosts and from the food you eat.

• OR Dinner at the hotel

• North Pastoral Kfar Blum Hotel

Activities:

• Breakfast at the hotel

• Drive to the Golan Heights - Explore the Golan Heights, one of Israel’s most beautiful and complex regions. Discover, first-hand, the strategic importance of the area as you climb the heights. Explore the issues that have confronted Israel during the civil war in Syria. Stop at Har Bental, an extinct volcano and an army stronghold.

• Take a geo-political tour of the Golan with an expert. - 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 strategic 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.

• Lunch and wine tasting at 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.

• Continue to Tzfat - Spend the rest of the day in Tzfat which 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. Tzfat’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.

• Meet Chaya Sheva Glass - Meet a Glass Blower Chaya Sheva for a demonstration and to hear her story, learn about the art of glass blowing and hear how Chaya connects her art to Judaism.

• Return to the hotel to freshen up for dinner

• Elias House - Home Hospitality - Dinner at the beautiful home of Chef Gadi Elias, a holistic culinary and cultural experience of Galilee cooking.

• North Pastoral Kfar Blum Hotel

Activities:

• Breakfast at the hotel - Check out of the hotel

• Tour some of the Galilean Christian sites: - You'll have a stop for lunch on your own

• -Tabgha - Church of the Multiplication - The northwest corner of the Sea of Galilee was where Jesus operated during a significant time period of 3 years, referred to as the Ministry of Christ. Most of Jesus' miracles and teachings took place in this small area.

• -Capernaum - Located on the northern shore of the Sea of Galilee, Capernaum was a fishing village in the days of the Jesus. We can still visit a very well-preserved synagogue. Today it is a site of pilgrimage for Christians as it was one of the places where Jesus and Peter, the Apostles, lived and preached.

• -Mount of Beatitudes - Mount of Beatitudes is a hill overlooking the Sea of Galilee where Jesus preached the Sermon on the Mount. A Catholic Church was built 1930's by the well-known "Architect of the Holy Land" Antonio Barluzzi, using the local dark basalt stone. Its octagonal walls commemorate the Eight Beatitudes, each graced with the first words of one of the eight verses of the Sermon on the Mount. The church is surrounded by a marvelous garden, that allows the visitors a quiet place to contemplate and pray.

• Continue to the Wind Farm Visitor Center Maale Gilboa - Ma’ale Gilboa is at the forefront of producing renewable energies. In 2019 Ma’ale Gilboa was awarded the Green Ten Award for innovations in the field of green energies. After a view of the wind turbines we’ll learn about solar power panels, and the plans for a regional biogas facility. We’ll also get an explanation of the new pumped storage power station and its 2.7 million cubic meter water reservoir.

• Time permitting- Beit Shean National Park - One of the main pagan towns during Roman rule of the region 2,000 years ago, and in the shadow of an important biblical city, Beit She’an contains a magnificent theater, Roman bathhouses, mosaics and more. It is considered one of the most well-preserved Roman sites in the region.

• Drive to the Dead Sea area through the Jordan Valley - Check into your hotel

• Dinner at the hotel

• Dead Sea Vert Hotel

Activities:

• Breakfast at the hotel

• Morning Dead Sea swim and time to use the hotel's spa facilities

• Check out of the hotel

• Stop to eat a picnic lunch

• Take the cable car up to Masada National Park - Masada is a rugged natural fortress, of majestic beauty, in the Judean Desert overlooking the Dead Sea. It is built as a palace complex, by Herod the Great, King of Judaea, (reigned 37 – 4 B.C.). Became a symbol of the ancient kingdom of Israel, and the last stand of Jewish patriots in the face of the Roman army, in 73 A.D. Ascend Masada by cable car and tour the site.

• Drive to Jerusalem

• Stop at the Haas Promenade for Shehechiyanu - 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 Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.

• Check into the hotel and evening on your own

• Jerusalem Vert Hotel

Activities:

• Breakfast at the hotel

• Begin the day at the City of David - Visit the excavation of the City of David where King David captured a Jebusite citadel to build his capital. The city was well fortified with its own water source and Jerusalem was a perfect site for the new kind of national state that David envisaged.

• Continue to the 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.

• Lunch on your own

• Visit the Davidson Center - Walk through the Southern Wall Archaeological Gardens. Get a glimpse of the glory of the Second Temple, the heart of the ancient Jewish kingdom, and the devastation that followed. Visit the Davidson Visitors' Center and enjoy a modern and interactive virtual presentation. The museum presents a taste of the archaeology of Jerusalem from different eras - covering the First Temple, Second Temple, Byzantine, Islamic, and the Crusades periods.

• Tour the Western Wall Tunnels - Explore what’s under the Muslim Quarter 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.

• Take the Ramparts Walk from the Jewish Quarter to Jaffa Gate - Discover the Old City on the Rampart Walls which were built in the 16th century for patrolling by the Ottomans. Today you can enjoy a bird's-eye view of the Old City and the surroundings.

• Time for dinner in Mamilla Mall (on your own)

• Tower of David Night Spectacular - 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 Vert Hotel

Activities:

• Breakfast at the hotel

• Begin the day with a Private tour of Yad Vashem - Visit the museum at Yad Vashem, Israel’s National Memorial to the Holocaust. Tour this memorial to the darkest moment in the 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.

• Time for lunch at the cafeteria at Yad Vashem

• Drive to the Knesset Menorah - Stop briefly next to the Knesset, Israel’s Parliament, and view the Knesset Menorah. It was given by the British government as a token of good will and friendship. Executed in massive bronze, the menorah's 29 panels are relief representations of the highlights in Jewish history.

• Time to rest and prepare for Shabbat

• Kabbalat Shabbat At the Kotel - Just before sundown we gather at the Western Wall for unique and inspiring experience, as we watch the various, modern Jewish communities gather to usher-in Shabbat. Following ancient traditions, each community blesses the 'Sabbath Queen'.

• Shabbat Dinner at the hotel

• Jerusalem Vert Hotel

Activities:

• Breakfast at the hotel

• Visit the Israel museum - Visit the unique collections and expansive grounds of the Israel Museum, the country’s national museum. Linger over the renowned international and Israeli art, the world’s most complete Judaica collections and the charming Billy Rose Sculpture Garden. You can also visit the Shrine of the Book, home to the exceptional archaeological finds of the Dead Sea Scrolls and other rare ancient manuscripts.

• Stop at the Shrine of the Book - End the day at the Israel Museum to marvel at the Dead Sea Scrolls and the remarkable archaeology exhibition.

• Lunch at Lina Hummus - Lina Hummus

• Tour the Christian Quarter - One of the four neighborhoods of Jerusalem’s Old City, the Christian Quarter is home to a rich tapestry of Christians of many denominations. The historic and impressive Church of the Holy Sepulchre, encompassing the last 5 Stations of the Cross, dominates the area. Retrace the footsteps of generations of pilgrims, or eat some of Israel’s best hummus at one of the authentic restaurants in the quarter.

• Discussion with Neil Lazarus or other

• Free evening

• Jerusalem Vert Hotel

Activities:

• Breakfast at the hotel

• Set out for Neot Kedumim - Neot Kedumim is the Biblical Landscape Reserve in Israel which is a unique endeavor to re-create the physical setting of the Bible in all its depth and detail. Neot Kedumim embodies the panorama and power of the landscapes that helped shape the values of the Bible and provided a rich vocabulary for expressing them.

• Lunch at the Caravan Restaurant in Abu Ghosh

• Continue to Yvel Design Center - Yvel, Levy spelled backward, is a dynamic company internationally known in jewelry manufacturing. Hear the company's fascinating story and learn about Megemeria School of Jewelry and Art founded by Yvel which offers a program to 21 Ethiopian students each year, to learn jewelry design.

• Machane Yehuda Market Appetizer Tasting Tour - In the heart of Jerusalem sits this bustling, multi-ethnic market bursting with life, art, and flavor. Immerse yourself in the world of Middle Eastern cuisine as you indulge in a tasting tour through Machane Yehuda Market. Learn about the market's rich history, and meet the vendors who bring this place to life, as you experience the vibrant energy unique to this iconic culinary destination.

• Time for dinner in the market area

• Jerusalem Vert Hotel

Activities:

• Breakfast at the hotel - Check out of the hotel

• Free day in Jerusalem

• Farewell Dinner at Majda Restaurant - Majda, a restaurant in the Jerusalem Hills village of Ein Rafa, is famous for its innovative fusion cuisine, beautiful property, views from its rooftop, and for 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.

• Transfer to the airport

• VIP departure services