Renee and Ann Jerusalem Trip | Jan. 2024

Activities:

• Welcome - 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 your hotel

• Dinner at a local restaurant on your own - Recommendations will be made closer to the date and we'll be happy to help with reservations.

• Jerusalem

Activities:

• Breakfast at your hotel

• Begin your day at the Tower of David Museum - 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. Enjoy a bird's-eye view of the Old and New Cities, as an introduction to your day and the places you will be visiting.

• Ramparts Walk - 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.

• Take time to reflect at the Western Wall (Kotel)

• Tour in 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.

• The Four Sephardic Synagogues - Four medieval synagogues share a complex inside the Old City’s Jewish Quarter: the oldest, Elijah the Prophet synagogue, built in the 16th century; the Gothic-Spanish style Yohanan ben Zakai synagogue where Israel’s Sephardi chief rabbi is affirmed; the tiny Emtsai synagogue, built in between them; and the large Istanbuli synagogue, built to serve the community of Turkish Jews.

• Lunch break in the Old City - (meal not included)

• Hurva Synagogue - Founded in the 18th century, the iconic Hurva synagogue in the old Jewish quarter was destroyed in 1948, leaving only an arch against the sky. Today, the Hurva has been restored to its early splendor as the heart of a vibrant Jewish community, offering marvelous views across the Old City from the balcony around its domed roof.

• Take a taxi back to the hotel - (transfer not included)

• Jerusalem

Activities:

• Breakfast at your hotel

• Optional morning activity: a visit to 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. Private tour is available but not included.

• A culinary expert guided tour - Duration: 5 hours tour. Transfers are not included on this day. The tastings will replace lunch.

• 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.
  Optional additional sites:
  - A tour of the Temple Mount.
  - A tour of the new Armenian Museum in the Armenian Quarter

• Take the light train or taxi - Transfer not included

• Continue to the new city with a culinary tour of Machne Yehuda Market - In the heart of the city sits 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.

• Jerusalem - Overnight: Jerusalem

Activities:

• Breakfast at your hotel

• Yad Vashem - Visit the museum at Yad Vashem, Israel’s National Memorial to the Holocaust. Tour the outside memorials to the darkest moment in world and Jewish history, its children’s memorial, and exquisite gardens. From its dramatic structure designed by world-renowned architect Moshe Safdie – and which cuts through the mountain in the form of a spike – to its powerful exhibits, such as the labyrinthine Valley of the Communities and the Children’s Memorial, Yad Vashem is an unforgettable place of tribute and remembrance. You'll be guided by a member of the Yad Vashem staff.

• After a meaningful morning focusing on our past, we will head to the present and modern day

• Jerusalem galleries guided tour with an expert artist guide - Contemporary art in Jerusalem is a unique and fascinating reflection of the city’s diversity and culture, reflecting the local temperament and issues alongside the hottest world trends. In this tour, we’ll visit three to six galleries exploring the contemporary art scene as a whole as well as the specific exhibitions and artists, to give you an insider's view of this world. The route will take us between beautiful venues, hidden gems conveying the complexity of art making in the holy city.
  Duration: 2 hours

• Recommended for lunch: Meshek Ofaimme - At Offaime Restaurant you are invited to savor the food and take part in the move to flavorful, organic, and environmentally conscious agriculture. The restaurant focuses on handmade produce that is crafted slowly using traditional techniques to create food that is tasty and healthy and packaged with complete respect for the environment and for the people who take part in the creative process. The restaurant's unique setting in Beit Hansen brings another element to the experience - it sits in one of the first hospitals established in Jerusalem in the mid-19th century, by the Joint Anglican-German Protestant Community in Jerusalem.

• Dinner suggestions: - Home hospitality with a local family / Rama's Kitchen in Jerusalem Hills / Majda Restaurant in Ein Rafa (meal and transfers not included)

• Jerusalem

Activities:

• Breakfast at your hotel

• A private driving guide for the day to travel up north

• Stop at Qasr el Yahud - According to tradition, Qasr el Yahud (Arabic: Palace of the Jews) is the Jesus' baptismal site on the Jordan river, marking his spiritual birth. It was here that John the Baptist called to the People of Judea to baptize in the Jordan River. In Jewish history, this is also believed to be the site where the Israelites crossed into Israel after wandering the desert for 40 years, as well as the site of Elijah the Prophet's ascension to heaven. The Jordan River was regarded as a sacred body of water, prominent in the scripts - it is mentioned 167 times in the Torah - more than any river, stream, lake, or sea in the Bible.

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

• Tour 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.

• Optional: Park Hamaayanot - Spring Valley Park - Park HaMaayanot is home to three of the Beit Shean Valley’s most abundant and attractive springs that flow at the foot of the high cliff wall of Mount Gilboa. Enjoy Driving around in a golf cart, by self driving, and navigate between beautiful water springs, orchards, fish pools and ancient relics.

• Travel back to Jerusalem

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

• Jerusalem

Activities:

• Breakfast at your hotel & check-out - Check-out by noon.

• Enjoy a relaxed morning and time on own

• Private transfer from Jerusalem to Ben Gurion Airport - Continue with your trip to Cairo.