Laura Zeilinger

Activities:

• 14:50 Arrive Ben Gurion Airport

• Transfer to Jerusalem and check into your hotel

• Acclimatization and discover your surroundings - 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!

• Dinner on your own

• Jerusalem

Activities:

• Breakfast at the hotel

• Tour of the Old City - Meet your guide at the hotel and walk together to the Jaffa Gate where the tour will begin.

• 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.

• 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 Sepulcher, encompassing the last 5 Stations of the Cross, dominates the area.

• The Temple Mount - Also known to Muslims as the Haram esh-Sharif and the Al Aqsa Compound, this hill located in the Old City has, for thousands of years, been venerated as a holy site in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam alike.

• Muslim 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.

• Old City Tasting Tour - Walk through the Muslim and Christian Quarters of the Old City seeing the historical and religious sites. 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, 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.

• 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 - On your own

• Jerusalem

Activities:

• Breakfast at the hotel

• Yad Vashem - 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 will be guided by a member of Yad Vashem's guides.

• Mount Herzl - Take a stroll through Israel’s national cemetery, Mount Herzl, which is the final resting place of leaders of Zionism and Israel, including Yitzhak Rabin and Theodor Herzl himself, and of thousands of soldiers who fell in the line of duty, defending the State of Israel. At Mount Herzl you will find a moving monument to the approximately 28,000 soldiers and civilians killed in combat or by terrorism since the founding of the state.

• Machane Yehuda Market 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.

• Dinner - As our afternoon was spent taking in the sights, sounds and tastes of Israel, this evening you can enjoy on your own. We will be happy to provide restaurant recommendations.

• Jerusalem

Activities:

• Breakfast at the hotel

• Optional: Tour Bethlehem - Travel to Bethlehem and tour with a Palestinian Christian guide. Visit the traditional birthplace of Jesus, the site where the The Church of the Nativity now stands. This is also one of the oldest Christian churches in existence. During the Crusades, it was a primary place of pilgrimage.
  
  We’ll see artwork by the infamous Banksy on the security barrier (separation wall) and spend some time discussing his increased presence in the West Bank since 2003. This will be an opportunity to discuss the barrier from a Palestinian perspective.

• Jerusalem

Activities:

• Breakfast at the hotel and check out

• Start driving east and south toward the Judean Desert and Jordan Valley - This is a great time to discover the region known as the West Bank, and to discuss the geopolitics of the area and understand both the history of the region and the complexities of the present. The future? Depends on who you talk to of course.

• Masada National Park - Masada is the most famous of all King Herod's fortresses. Ascend the mountain from the east via 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. We will reveal together 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 to Mitzpe Ramon - We continue our trip even further south into the Negev Desert and our final destination for the day, Mitzpeh Ramon.

• Check into the hotel, dinner at the hotel

• Mitzpe Ramon

Activities:

• Breakfast at the hotel

• Hike in Makhtesh Ramon

• Jeep Tour in Mitzpe Ramon - This is the day to discover and experience the wonders of the region together with a local guide and expert. From the top of the Atzmaut Ascent and descend into the Makhtesh and cross to Wadi Ramon. Continue to the summit of Mt. Gvanim which offers a stunning view of the entire Makhtesh and from there, along Wadi Gvanim, continue to the Ein Sahronim spring and the nearby Nabatean ruins. During the jeep tour you will have time to hike various parts of the crater.

• Ramon Visitors Center - Through interactive exhibits, the Mitzpe Ramon Visitor Center, set on the northern cliffs of the Ramon Crater, tells the geological story behind this unique and amazing work of nature and contrasts it with the life of Israel's famous astronaut Ilan Ramon.

• Dinner at the hotel

• Mitzpe Ramon

Activities:

• Breakfast at the hotel - Check-out and begin our northbound journey

• Ein Avdat National Park - What better way to begin the day than to hike in Ein Avdat, a beautiful canyon in the Negev desert. The Ein Avdat Spring flows down in a waterfall towards an 8-meter deep pool of water. The canyon is part of Nahal Zin, which is the longest wadi or dry riverbed in the Negev desert.

• Sde Boker Grave of Ben Gurion - Visit the grave of David Ben-Gurion, Israel’s first Prime Minister, whose vision for settling the desert is continues to bloom today. Throughout the day, you’ll see his vision come to life.

• Lunch at Kornmehl Organic Farm - Kornmehl organic goat cheese farm, set among views of the desert hills, the faces remnants terraces belonging to an ancient farm that is over 5,000 years old.

• Drive to Northern Israel - Continue journey towards the North and arrival to the hotel for late check-in

• Dinner on your own on the way

• North

Activities:

• Breakfast at the hotel

• Walk on Water Kayak - Paddle to the Greek Orthodox Church (The Apostles Church), and take coffee break in the church's fantastic garden. Continue paddling to Capernaum, Jesus's hometown and port. We will speak about the Jordan river and its different outlets from the lake during the last 5000 years, and provide and excting look at this strategic area during the Crusaders time and the 1948 Independence War. Next to the Jordan River we will learn about the preparation of limestone tools (15,000 years ago) and will find some sharpened stones used during that time.

• 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.

• 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.
  Tabgha is one of the special and peaceful Christian sites around the lake - the traditional site of the Miracle of the Multiplication of the Loaves and the Fish. Some maintain that this is also the place where Jesus walked on water (Matthew 14:22-34).

• Lunch on route

• Capernaum - Located on the northern shore of the Sea of Galilee, Capernaum was a fishing village in the days of Jesus. This is where Jesus called his first disciples, the brothers Peter and Andrew. The remains of the ancient village were excavated starting the 19th century - some of the findings are a testimony to the rich Jewish lives in the early Roman times, and the existence of a Judeo-Christian community as Christianity grew and evolved in the land. Amongst other astonishing relics, we can still visit a very well-preserved synagogue and remains of the House of Peter and the Byzantine church that was built over it. A modern octagonal church is situated above the site nowadays - its glass floor allows a look at the remains under it. As the place in which Jesus, Peter, and the Apostles lived and preached, Capernaum is a main site of pilgrimage for Christians.

• Dinner at the hotel

• North

Activities:

• Breakfast at the hotel

• Agamon HaHula - Bikes & Golfcarts - The Hula Valley sits in part of the northern Syrian African Rift Valley which stretches as far south as Mozambique in Africa. Each migration season, over 500 million birds travel through the Hula Lake. This wetland paradise is the perfect stopover for small waterfalls, cormorants, heron, pelicans, raptors, storks, and cranes. Enjoy an early morning ride through the park.

• 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.

• Lazy River Rafting - Rafting adventure along the Jordan River. Row through one of the most beautiful spots in Israel, amongst the plants, trees, and waterfalls in the middle of this beautiful Galilee nature reserve.

• Dinner- Druze Cooking Workshop and 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

Activities:

• Breakfast at the hotel

• Banias National Park - Begin the day with 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.

• Golan Heights - Explore the Golan Heights by Jeep or ATV. 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.

• Lunch and wine tasting Assaf Winery or similar - 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.

• Um el Kanatir - Um el Kanatir, also known as Ein Keshatot, is home to a Jewish village from the Period of the Mishna and Talmud, with a magnificent synagogue in its center. Enter a synagogue that features the original Ark Complex – the most preserved and magnificent ever to be discovered in Israel. The synagogue was excavated and reconstructed with advanced technological methods, and today it stands at a height of one story. The Ein Keshatot site also offers a visit to the village spring, which flows into ancient pools, surrounded by shaded areas.

• North

Activities:

• Breakfast at the hotel - Check out

• Rosh Hanikra - We will begin our travels southwards by cutting across to the Northern and coastal border of Israel to Rosh Hanikra ("Head of the Grottos"), with the stunning chalk-white cliffs. 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.

• Akko Tunisian Synagogue - The Or Torah Tunisian synagogue in Akko is unique even in a land of synagogues. Built by a community of Tunisian Jews from Djerba, it offers four stories of glorious mosaics and stained-glass windows both inside and out, showing a varied range of stories, plants, and animals.

• Akko historical tour - 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.

• Lunch on your own in Akko Market

• 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.

• Tel Aviv

Activities:

• Breakfast at the hotel

• Old Jaffa - Together with your guide, discover Jaffa which 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.

• Hummus Abu Hassan - Make a stop at Abu Hassan which started out in 1959 with a small hummus stand with two pots on Hadolphin Street near the Jaffa port and is now legendary.

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

• Rothschild Boulevard - Rothschild Boulevard was one of the first streets to be built in the city of Tel Aviv a little over 100 years ago. In the heart of the “White City”, it is lined with Tel Aviv’s iconic architecture, the Bauhaus style, which led to its recognition as a UNESCO World Heritage site. Many of these buildings have been beautifully restored and now house the offices of financial institutions, creative firms, cafes, and luxury residences.

• The White City - Explore Lev Ha'ir, the Heart of the City, where the first roots of Tel Aviv were planted in 1909. Lev Hair contains some of Tel Aviv’s most beautiful buildings, being at the center of the UNESCO designated “White City” known for it’s Bauhaus, Eclectic, and International Style architecture. The area is densely populated, rooted in history, and with a glance towards the future with impressive skyscrapers, and a high concentration of start-up companies. Bordered by Habima Theater in the north and Florentin and Neve Tzedek in the south, Lev Ha’ir is a gateway to almost every district in the city. Lev Ha'ir is a cultural hub, filled with galleries, restaurants and parks.

• Dinner on your own

• Tel Aviv

Activities:

• Breakfast at the hotel

• Discover the city of Israel that never stops

• Tel Aviv

Activities:

• Breakfast at the hotel

• On your own in Tel aviv

• Tel Aviv

Activities:

• Breakfast at the hotel

• Peres Center for Peace and Innovation - The Peres Center for Peace and Innovation is a leading non-profit and non-governmental organization focused on developing and implementing unique and cutting-edge programs. The center presents the incredible story of Israel, the "innovation nation", and showcases the diverse fields and people behind Israeli innovation.

• 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.

• 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.

• Tel Aviv

Activities:

• Breakfast at the hotel

• Transfer to the airport